Authenticity in Voice Over and Storytelling with Austen Moret

Austen Moret:
When it comes to voice over, you lose so much of a person's intention when you only have the voice. So the voice becomes so much more important. So in a way, and obviously I'm biased, I feel like voice actors are even better storytellers than the average person.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:
I'm Stephanie Ciccarelli from Voices. Welcome to Vox Talk. You just heard Austen Moret. He's going to share so many wonderful tips about what it means to be a storyteller and how you can be an even better one. Enjoy the show. Well, hi Austen. It's so great to see you. How are you doing today?

Austen Moret:
I'm doing great. Thanks so much for having me.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:
Oh, wonderful. Oh, so exciting to talk to you today, Austen. You are a storyteller. That's why we're here. Um, I'm just so happy to talk to you about this. You just know so much about it. So why don't we just jump right in. Okay. So, Austen, by your definition, what is storytelling?

Austen Moret:
So, to me, storytelling is the ability to share an experience, uh, or convey a point, um, through an anecdote or a story, uh, you know, in a way that's engaging and captivating and ultimately connects with a listener. Um, you know, there's lots of different stories that can be told. There's obviously, you know, there's a story for selling a product. There are different characters. There's, there's all sorts of different ways that, um, you know, we can tell stories, but at the end of the day, the best stories are the ones that connect with people. And I think so as a storyteller and, and within storytelling, that's, that's what it is, is it's finding a way to connect with somebody about something.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:
That's what it is all about is, is getting that connection with your audience. So, um, can you help us to understand, now that you've unpack that a bit, um, why exactly is it that voice actors are storytellers?

Austen Moret:
I've been doing this for a long time, and I think when it comes to voiceover, you lose so much of a person's intention when you only have the voice. So the voice becomes so much more important. So, in a way, and obviously I'm biased, I feel like voice actors are even better storytellers than the average person, ‘cause you only have one of the senses that you're actually gonna be speaking to. You know, you don't have the visual component, you don't have any sort of, uh, you know, engagement outside of your voice. And so I think voice actors really have to understand and be storytelling masters because they only have their voice, you know? And this idea of being able to utilize your instrument in a way that can convey a point when you're losing so much information visually, you know, that's really, really important. I mean, there's a reason that people want to put, you know, voice actors over commercials and stuff, ‘cause even though you have visual components, sometimes it can be confusing. And so voice actors are storytellers because they're the glue that delivers the point home. They're the ones that, you know, if you're a character, you're obviously bringing it to life. If you're selling a product, you're the one that gives the glue in a spot that really makes it clear what exactly an advertiser is trying to do, or what they're trying to sell.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:
Right. And I love that you pointed out that the voice actor has not as much to work with in terms of, you know, you have your instrument. It's not like you're on camera. You can't have a, a body language moment, you know, facial expression, eye contact, none of that's there. So you have to invent and create all of that. And it's, um, sometimes you have like clues from the producers if they give you the video, you can kind of narrate alongside.

Austen Moret:
Right.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:
But, um, I also love what you said about being the glue, because you're literally, the voice actor is the final piece of the puzzle in most of these productions. Um, a lot of work is built around, you know, the video component. I think one of the exceptions would be animation where you're animating to the voice, which makes a lot of sense. Um, but, you know, it's, it's such a neat art to be a storyteller in so many different mediums, as you've just mentioned too.

So, um, Austen, like I was on your website and you know this, but the other day as I was preparing to research for this show, I found myself just watching video upon video of all your client work. And, and I, I watched every single one. Like, I don't even remember how long I was sitting there, but, uh, yeah, I didn't get a leg cramp or anything. It wasn't that long, but, but I was definitely there for a good, at least a half hour, if not longer. Just listening. And the storytelling work that you do is just so amazing. And I thought, well, you know, I'm starting to see a pattern here. Like, clearly, you know, maybe Austen is selective with the types of jobs he auditions for, or maybe it's in the way he delivers these reads. Like, however it is that you're getting this great work, I'd love to hear it from you. Um, you know, how did you know which stories that you wanted to narrate, you know, as a voice talent, and then also like, like the stories that you wanna tell for clients and, and how have clients told you that you stand out?

Austen Moret:
Yeah. Well, first of all, thanks for listening. Uh, to, to all those and checking them out. Um, uh, you know, I would say I've been doing this for a long time, and, um, when it comes to picking out reads, I am selective because at the end of the day, like I was mentioning, it is about connection. And a big piece of it is knowing who you are as an actor. It's knowing what you do well, uh, what you can pull off, you know, that might be just with your voice and stuff. You know, like there's specs where it's like, okay, we want a Morgan Freeman voice. And it's like, well, that's not me, you know, um, or, or they might want like the super gritty, you know, Ford truck guy, which I can kind of do like a version of, but it's not like my strength.

And sometimes, you know, you, you have to infer from the copy kind of, and obviously the notes, if you're lucky enough to get them what they want and then know yourself and be very self-aware in recognizing whether or not you can pull that off. And so I think, yes, I am selective to, to, you know, make a long answer short. And, you know, the biggest thing over time that I've found that clients really like for me is authenticity, uh, and naturalness. Now anybody can be authentic and natural if they're true to themselves. And that's kind of the important thing. And you know, when you do that, you are gonna resonate with certain pieces of copy. Like you're gonna, there's opportunities where you can read something and you'll be like, oh, I think I know what they want. I think I can pull it off.

And that's always kind of, look, it happens, I've booked it. But at the same time, if you were to do, you know, 50 of those auditions, your booking rate's not gonna be as good as if you're doing something that you immediately connect with and you know that you're a fit for. So being selective is important because this is very much a numbers game, and it's very much, um, you, you work to get work, so to speak. Like you have to audition, uh, you know, pretty furiously to, to, to make this a, you know, a true profession. And, um, in doing that, you really have to pick and choose your battles. Um, so, you know, I would just say I, I know myself pretty well. I've been doing it for a while. I'm selective and I choose pieces that I connect with because my connection with it is gonna come through in the read, and that's gonna help connect with the people that I'm ultimately trying to reach.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:
Yeah, that's a great point. And you do, in order to feel connected to a script, you do need to know yourself so that you know what you're connected to. Um, this kind of reminds me, I don't know, Austen, if you've heard of the Six Types of Working Geniuses, but anyway, we, um, everyone at Voices has done this and, and I personally have done this and this assessment just to see like where your strengths are, kind of like, you know, one of those, not personality, but a work type test and, um, uh, just the whole concept of, of being really strong at something like having your signature voice, which they would call a, a working genius and, um, you know, in their own context. But then there's that whole competency. I heard you say something about being competent at something, but maybe it's not, you know, the sweet spot. You can't carry on for a long time with it. You can do it if you have to, but it's really not what they hired you for, right? So, and then there's like a whole idea of a working frustration, which would be, you know, not at all the genius space where you're just flying and it's the stuff you do or the competency even, like the frustration is just, oh my gosh, if I could do anything other than this, like just bring it on, right?

Austen Moret:
Yeah.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:
So imagine that you learned that pretty early, the types of reads that you avoided, you know, not just the ones that you were kind of like figuring out if they were the right one.

Austen Moret:
Yeah, definitely. And, and, you know, I had a leg up because I was a copywriter for years before I started doing voiceover myself. And so I knew what I wrote, I knew that I connected with certain things, and I also saw what was going, you know, on air. I was also running, you know, big national, uh, campaigns at an ad agency for a period of time. So that was kind of my quote unquote, uh, vo hack is I came from like, the foundational part of it. Like, oh, this is the idea, now let's find someone to voice it. So I could kind of get the intention from those things and stuff. Um, which, which was super helpful. But yeah, the, you want to be competent with what you're doing, you know, if, if someone's asking for a Scottish accent on something and you can't do it, but you can, like, you can do it enough where it's just like, oh, may, you know, some people tell you like, oh, it sounds close enough, or you can do an impression of a character, and it's like, ‘okay, but can you act with it?’

Stephanie Ciccarelli:
Yeah.

Austen Moret:
Like, can you carry that and like, could you stay sustained in that for an hour at a time? And if you can't do that, then you know, work on it and prove it. And ultimately it may not be the thing that you want to read right now.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:
No, absolutely. And you could always try to learn it later, but, but something's just come naturally, and it sounds to me like the types of reads that you are drawn to, they come naturally to you. And, and that's just one of those really great things about knowing your voice is, is exactly that. So, um, you know, as we go along the journey of our conversation here, obviously, you know, you need to know your voice, kind of figure out what you like to do. But what are some ways that you know that you're a good fit with a brand?

Austen Moret:
Um, you know, I think similarly it's just, if you connect with it, like, so usually what happens is I'll pull up, uh, an audition and I'll, I'll kind of breeze through the copy, um, and the spec, I mean, first of all, it's the specs. So if your specs are calling for like again, like a Morgan Freeman, uh, or if they want a very specific, you know, uh, uh, person, um, for something and it's, it's, that's not you, well then that's your first clue. Now, if you don't get specs, and sometimes they're just saying like, you know, they have a broader range, then it jumps down to the copy. And when you're reading the copy, usually what I do is like, do I immediately know what they're going for? There's kind of like this switch that gets flipped in my brain where I'm just like, okay, this is a medical spot.

I can see they want something that's got a little bit more, um, they want it conversational, but there's different flavors of ‘conversational.’ There's professional conversational, there's like true off the cuff conversational where it just sounds like somebody rambling. And so you kind of have to infer from the copy what they're, they want. And then you have, you know, it's this whole process of like, okay, I'm reading your words. And also, who are they? Who are they marketing to, or, or what are they, what is their point here? You know, is it a, is it a character read? Is it something where you know, the character is in a dire situation? Is it a more serious, uh, you know, character? Is it a more whimsical character? Um, is the product that you're trying to sell, is it supposed to be fun? Is it more serious? Is it, you know, like a medical thing?

And so all of these things get inferred from the copy. And generally what happens is, is there's like, again, it's like, I, I can't explain it any other way. It's like a lightbulb, but just like, ‘oh, that makes sense. I get what they're trying to go for,’ and that's my connection with it. And once I connect with it, then I know that it's a read that I can do. If I have no idea what to do, and I'm like, I don't know what they want out of this, I'll spend maybe a little bit more time on it and try to maybe figure it out. But again, you have to do so many auditions that spending 20 minutes trying to figure out what a :30 spot is all about is not worth the time, in my opinion. Now, some people might disagree, that's just, you know, I, I am, but one man, so it's, you know,

Stephanie Ciccarelli:
Yes you are! (laughter)

Austen Moret:
It is, uh, you know, it really just depends on, um, you know, there's somebody out there that probably does get that read and, you know, so you have to determine what your commitment level is gonna do to the pre-work before actually doing the read. And for me, again, it's just if I, I'll read a sentence or two and I'll be like, oh man, I know what they're, I know the kind of spot they're going for. I know what they want. I'm gonna go ahead and read this. Or it's like, I have no idea - pass. You know, so.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:
Right. And that sounds like really interesting. So you're, you're looking at it like, can I even do this? Like, is this part of my voice print, you know, is it in my skills set? And then it's kind of always the copy, like, do I even know what they're trying to say? Like, can I connect to the material? And if you can't, then it's like, well, why read it? Like, you're not gonna be the most compelling salesman or saleswoman for them. Like, they're, they're gonna be like, what? Like, they don't know what they're talking about. You don't wanna sound like that. It's a bad audition and a bad experience too. So, um, thanks for sharing that. Now, um, quick question for you. So you, you kind of talked about this a bit earlier, but what would you say your brand is as a voice actor? Like, obviously you're known for certain reads, but if you had to say, this is my brand, what would it be?

Austen Moret:
Well, I think, uh, I would break it down into the two main areas that I do reads in. So commercially, um, what I get booked for the most is like, I'm just the guy next door. I, I call myself. I actually brand myself as the voice next door. And so, um, whether that's clever or not, I have no idea. I hope it is. But,

Stephanie Ciccarelli:
Yeah, I think so.

Austen Moret:
that's just kind of what I, what I kind of market myself as. And it's just because I'm the guy. I've been a people pleaser my whole life. I've been, um, like, I love entertaining people and a lot of that gets infused into my reads. So there's a friendliness, there's a warmth, there's an inclusivity to my voice. Uh, and I really lean into that. So that's what I do a lot on the commercial side. On the animation side, interestingly, um, I do a lot there, um, just because I've got a fairly diverse, um, like living experience.

I've lived all over the world and stuff like that, but I get booked for accents a lot. And, um, so that's, that's a big thing for me. Um, accents and kind of, you know, a little bit more wacky voices, I suppose. I mean, again, I think that goes back to the entertaining side of me, of, you know, uh, just being very theatrical and, um, enjoying being the center of attention as a kid growing up.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:
Yeah

Austen Moret:
Yes. And so, um, yeah, I think commercial, it's the friendly voice next door, and then on the, and compassionate, I get a lot of medical stuff too. And, um, you know, I'm the oldest of going back to the connection thing. I'm the oldest of three younger brothers and sisters, you know, I, I care very deeply for the people in my life and my family. And so that's not an, that's not a hard thing for me to pull into a read of just, you know, caring about people. And, um, so I, I would say those are probably the two most popular things that I book commercially. Um, and that's just, again, self-awareness, knowing yourself and, uh, knowing who you are as a person and infusing it into your reads.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:
And that's so important. Like, I've spoken to university students, I've spoken to high school students, this is not something you were taught, honestly. Like, it's the number of people who, when you say you know, ‘do you know who you are and what you believe and, and why you think the things that you do and why you make the decisions you do? And do you have a foundation that you base those decisions off?’ They just, I don't think it's taught, you know, certainly not in school. So, um, how was it that you went about this process of, of kind of pinning down who you were in your brand? I know I didn't prepare you for that question, but I think that it just, it seems like it's just so authentically in you. I wanted to ask, um, how it was that you did and, and how others could figure out that, you know, that for themself too, because everything stems from this.

Austen Moret:
Yeah, definitely. It's funny, it definitely was a process because I remember the first demo that I ever cut, I had no idea what I was doing, and I was trying to figure out who I was as a voice actor. I was already working writing copy, but I thought in my mind, ‘oh, voice actor, you do voices’ that, that I completely neglected the whole, like, acting part of it and my demo was objectively terrible,

Stephanie Ciccarelli:
oh, that’s awful!

Austen Moret:
and I, I, and I was just because I didn't know what I was doing. And so like, I couldn't deliver it in a way I didn't, it just didn't make sense. Um, and I had a mentor at the time who kind of guided me through. And so I think that component was important of, it's important to have hum if you're trying to figure out who you are, it's important to have some humility about it and not be set in your ways of what you think your voice is and who you are as a person, because there's what you think about yourself, which is very, you know, that's very important, but there's also what everybody else and how you come across to everybody else, and being humble and being able to internalize some of those thoughts and critiques from voice over mentors or other people kind of help, can help guide you.

Now, that's not to say that they're a hundred percent right, that you know, you are yourself, you know who you are, but as kind of like a little quick way to get some feedback, I think that's a good place to start, is to just kind of get thoughts from your friends. Like, ‘Hey, you know, when, when you think about me, like what comes to mind? Am I like, am I the party animal? Am I wild and crazy? Am I more of a wallflower?’ And that kind of stuff. Like you can have your own, uh, you know, I suppose I'm this way, but once you get that outside confirmation, it kind of can help reaffirm what you already believe about yourself, or it can open doors to stuff that maybe you didn't think about yourself this way. And that can be really powerful too, because now you didn't think that you could do something, but a bunch of other people think you can. And it can be very encouraging to explore those other, those paths. So outside, um, commentary and some humility about who you think you are, uh, is important.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:
I think so too, because I remember, um, one time, one of my voice teachers, she, I don't know if she gave each one of us a word to describe our voices, but she gave me word and, um, she said that my voice sounds like a burnished bell. And that always stayed with me as like, ‘I wonder what the word burnished meant?’ Like, I clearly, I didn't know, but I think it's like shiny or something. And, um, I looked it up later, but you know, like when someone tells you something meaningful that you can hold on to and, and be like, yeah, this is the way someone who is objectively, you know, they're a teacher, they're a coach, they're, they're whatever, they're not your mom or your dad, you know, they have a different lexicon for the, the industry as well. But when someone tells you something about your gift as a voice actor or your talent in music or whatever it might be, um, you know, that one little compliment or that one word can take you really far in trying to define more about yourself.

Austen Moret:
Yeah, I, I definitely think so. It it's super helpful.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:
Absolutely. So, um, I think you've gone over a lot of what it takes to be a great storyteller. A lot of this is about connection. So that being said, do you ever work on projects that you don't feel 100% connected to, and why or why not?

Austen Moret:
The, the goal is always to be a hundred percent connected with it. There are times when you have kind of an inkling they are wanting, and you, depending on how strong that inkling is, you, you may or may not, you know, roll with it. I, I find that I don't book if I am not at least moderately connected to a piece of copy, because if I don't know what they're doing and what they're trying to convey, um, how, how am I gonna be convincing,

Stephanie Ciccarelli:
Mm-hmm

Austen Moret:
and, you know, you can't convince somebody if you yourself aren't convinced. And so I think, um, there are times when, when it happens, but there're few and far between. There's always something that I can connect to. So maybe I don't have, maybe I look at the specs and it's like, ‘okay, I'm a match, but I don't get the copy, but I get this one sentence.’

Well, then you can kind of expand from that one single piece and like try to apply it to the rest. And honestly, sometimes what happens is I'll, I'll read through an entire piece of copy, maybe being 50% confident in it, and then as soon as I finish it, hearing myself say it, it's like, it clicks. And then I'm like, oh, okay, now I get what they're going for. Hearing the words actually out in the world. I get it. And in my, it just, it just helps that way. It's just like understanding the dialogue. And so then, um, I'll go back. I usually, you know, trashcan the first read. Yeah. And then, uh, and then I'll go ahead and I'll, I'll read, um, a new take with my new understanding. Um, but yeah, if there's something that I really don't connect with at all, it, it just, it won't happen. Um, yeah.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:
Yeah. No, that, that's awesome because I think, as you said, if you can't be convinced of a message, you're in no position to convince anyone else, and you're in no position to accept a pay check from that company who wants to have someone, you know, read it differently. So I appreciate that very much. Um, so as a storyteller, as we've been talking about this whole time, it, it seems like there's a lot of, uh, of weight that goes with this. Um, you're entrusted with the message that the client wants to share with their audience, with the world, whoever will hear it. Uh, so what kind of responsibility goes along with all that?

Austen Moret:
You know, I think the word that comes to mind is respect. Um, you know, generally, again, whether it's animated, commercial promo, it doesn't matter. Somebody has spent a lot of time and money to come up with this idea and to create either a campaign or a character. Um, and so you have to respect that. Um, you can have your own ideas about what you may think would be, I don't wanna say better, but like a different way to approach it. But ultimately, that's not your job. Your job is not to be the, the foundational creative force. You are the voice for what has already been created. And so you have to respect that, and you have to acknowledge that this is what the client wants. They're the one who ultimately are signing the checks. And so you have, you have your job is to bring that to life and embellish it in ways that, that add to the message, uh, that, you know, contribute to the overall creative vision, but understand that it is not your vision. It is somebody else's that you are aligned with, that you connect with, that you can help voice and be a part of. But it is not your show. You are, but a part of that show.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:
Wow. That is just so good. I love that you have put like, set the expectation, Austen, we are part of someone else's greater vision. This is not the you show, you know, like this is not a vehicle for the voice talent to, to be forefront. It is the message and, and what the client would like to hear. So I think that is a perfect place to leave the conversation today. I know there's so much more that we could talk about, but for now, that's all the time we have. Well, thank you so much for joining us, Austen. Where can people go to,

Austen Moret:
Thanks for having me.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:
Yeah! Where can people go to learn more about you?

Austen Moret:
Uh, probably the easiest thing is just my website. Um, if they wanna hop on, um, just, uh, Austen mot and it's a u s t e n m o r e t v o for voice over dot com. So AustenMoretVO.com. And I have a bunch of samples and demos and coaching stuff and all sorts of goodies on there, so that'd be great.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:
Wonderful. And I know we'll talk again about demos, so everyone had better stay tuned to Vox talk. Well, thanks again, Austen. We'll see you soon.

Austen Moret:
Sounds good. Thanks for having me.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:
And that's the way we saw the world through the lens of voice over this week. Thank you for joining us today, and thank you also to Austen Moret from Silverside Recording in Hollywood for giving us a glimpse into what storytelling is and how we can become better, more authentic storytellers. For Voices, I'm Stephanie Ciccarelli. This show was produced by Geoff Bremner. You've been listening to Vox Talk. See you next week.