Character Voices, Booking Gigs and Studio Tips with Maxwell Glick

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Hi there and welcome to Vox Talk, your weekly review from the world of voice over. I'm your host Stephanie Ciccarelli from Voices. How do you build a successful voiceover career and reach the top of the online casting sites? Joining me from his studio in Los Angeles is Maxwell Glick. You've likely heard Maxwell's voice working for companies including Nickelodeon, Hasbro, Marvel and Lego. He's also been the voice of Bubbles the Elephant for The Learning Experience for over a decade. A member of Voices.com since 2011, Maxwell's dedication to the craft and doing amazing work for our clients has helped him to achieve top talent status. Congratulations and welcome to the show, Maxwell.

Maxwell Glick:

Oh, thanks, Stephanie. That was quite an intro. I appreciate it.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

So lovely to see you and, oh my gosh, I think for all the years you've been on Voices, we've not ever had a chat like this right here where we're talking to each other in real time. So,

Maxwell Glick: I know.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

I'm so grateful for that. Yeah. You've been on Voices for over a decade, signed up in 2011. As I'd said, and I'm sure of it that you were a voice actor before you were on Voices. But tell us, Maxwell, how did you get started in the voice acting business?

Maxwell Glick:

Sure, I started as an actor on screen. Still do that. And when I moved to LA, I just thought, I can do this. I can do this, too. So I took a couple of voice acting classes and, yeah, I started to get some things. And then once I saw that there was a way for me to actually take matters into my own hands and get online and audition for a ton of projects, I was like, ‘oh, I got to do this.’ So, yeah, I definitely was acting before I started auditioning online. But once I started auditioning online, then it just all exploded.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

It did indeed. And you've done it so very well. And I know you've always been into characters, from your Mr. Cheezy Pop to just doing any number of neat things. You're a frequent visitor to Disney. I know that you are so into character space. And right before we did our session here today, I took some time and looked up Bubbles the Elephant because I was unfamiliar. And my goodness, what a voice you have. Like, you're the singing and speaking voice of this character.

Maxwell Glick:

Yeah.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Oh, wow. Obviously that's a good combo in animation to have the singing and speaking voice be the same character. But tell me from your standpoint of someone who's actually doing it, what does it require of you to do both of those for the character?

Maxwell Glick:

Good question, Bubbles. Wow. Yes. It's funny. I actually have a Bubbles session tomorrow and I've been doing it so long and originally booked on Voices.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Oh, really?

Maxwell Glick:

Which is unbelievable. Yeah.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

That's awesome. There are things that I don't know. You've taught me something. I'll have to tell the team how cool that is. It's great.

Maxwell Glick:

Yes. Originally on Voices and over a decade, I think this is ten years of doing Bubbles. Yeah. And that started as just kind of a smaller thing and then originally didn't have to sing in the audition. And then I think they just started building and building more around that character. And then they also saw, oh, I can sing too, so let's make songs. And yeah, but when I do a session like Bubbles, I mean, you just need a ton of stamina and you have to, I can't do that first thing in the morning at 09:00 a.m. Or if it is at 09:00 a.m., then I better wake up a few hours before that and do some warm ups. And his voice is way up here. And I'm also singing in that voice, too, which is a whole other – that's a lot of stamina, a lot of warm up, a lot of water. Yeah, so that's and you have to with Bubbles, my body is really into it also. And with a lot of those animated characters, especially for kids, which I do a ton of, the body is moving and I'm standing and some things I'm sitting for, like audiobooks, but when I'm doing a high, energetic character like that, my body is up and moving and so that's another thing.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Yeah, well, I must say, I was watching the videos for probably a good 20 minutes, and it was a great compilation. Someone put together just Bubbles moments and I'm like so I had this on in my office there and I thought, ‘oh, my gosh, that is a lot of singing.’ But it's so good and just so important. And I know it's for early childhood learning, right? That's kind of the audience and it's geared towards that and just extensive and so, yeah, it's always been kind of a thing in voice over, especially animation. If you can sing, that's amazing. But also, like, if your character speaks higher than you normally do, it's not a voice for first thing in the morning, as you say, it's kind of a little later, maybe once you've had that coffee or whatever it's been to help you get there. So it's very cool. And I know Bubbles might be a little different, but I'm sure you have a process, as you do for your characters, but how do you prepare for a voice acting role?

Maxwell Glick:

Sure. I think a lot of times what I've found with auditioning, especially online, is my first instinct is usually the one that you get hired for. I always tell people, you just want to use your voice, don't try to be anybody else. In my preparation, it's like, ‘okay, what did they hire me for?’ And then, obviously, you're given them a whole lot more. Once you get a job with all of the different stage directions and whatnot in there, how can I now give them even more of what they want? And I like to give them a bunch of different takes, or if we're doing it live, then it's great, we can just really play around. The prep kind of just originates with the audition and I'll talk to whoever's casting it, maybe, once you get the job, get some basic questions from them. ‘Oh, did you like what I did in that?’ ‘Do you want a few different variations? Do you want more energy here?’ ‘Do you want less, do you want it more conversational here?’ So those are some nice little keywords to ask, I think, in your prep.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Right, and the script does tell you a lot when you're looking at you're like, oh, okay, I got to do this, that and the other. And whether or not you've been hired, it could be an audition and you're just kind of working through it. It's like being yourself, bringing that authenticity to what you're doing. Not only is it just good and easy because it comes naturally to you, but it's also something that would set you apart. Like no one else is Maxwell Glick. No one else can bring what you bring to that audition. So I imagine that's also a wonderful part of why you're booking is that you are being yourself. So another one of the clients is actually Duolingo. And Duolingo is known around the world for helping other people to learn languages. So I got my wheels turn and thought, oh, that is so interesting. I wonder what Maxwell is doing with them. Do you mind sharing a bit about that with us?

Maxwell Glick:

Sure, yeah. Duolingo, they're another repeat Voices client, and I often will play teen voice for English learners. So I do the English part and they write fun little stories that teach people whatever language you're learning. And so I will voice different characters. Some of them are repeat characters in these fun little stories that just teach people English. And sometimes I'm doing them for people that are just learning. So the speed of the read is much slower and more pronounced like this. And then sometimes it is more of the intermediate learners so you can speed it up and talk more at a normal pace. Yeah, they're all these fun little sketches and they're funny, which is yeah.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Like little vignettes. I was going to say cool artistic word and vignettes. Yes,

Maxwell Glick:

They're really cute.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Yeah, I like how you explain it because there are different kinds of users on the Duolingo platform, of course, or using the app, I should say, and you could be beginner or someone who's more comfortable with conversational. And I'm sure there's some that might even help those who already speak the language very well do even better. So you probably speak faster for those people because they don't need to have that kind of latent kind of waiting to get there. But that's I find it's really interesting because every kind of voiceover work there is out there has a different audience and a different reason for why you might be reaching them. And for what you've just said there, not everyone would think, ‘oh, well, this is for an ESL English As a Second Language listener, how do we approach this differently than for a native speaker? And so that is a challenge, and I'm glad that you get to kind of go through the various speeds for the different proficiency levels that you're speaking to. And everyone just loves that green bird. Every time I see that logo, it makes me so happy.

Maxwell Glick:

Yeah, they're a fun company. So that's been a neat one to work for.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Very good. When I saw him, like, I am going to talk to him about that. That looks really cool. And so you've mentioned, Maxwell, that you go into studios sometimes, or I imagine clients will want to bring you in. Sure, there's a lot of remote work that you're doing, too, but a lot of people just they feel really uncomfortable going into a recording studio, especially if with COVID and it's been a while, maybe, for some people to get into their house. And there's so many new people, as you know, coaching. There's so many new people coming into the industry, and they don't know the first thing about stepping into an LA recording studio or one in New York. So what sorts of things- how do you handle the pressure of recording in a studio?

Maxwell Glick:

For me, I'm just prepared. Just be a professional. Go in knowing your material, knowing what is required of you, and then just have fun. Because it's a treat when you get to go into a big professional studio and you got someone on the other end doing all the editing and mastering.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Yes. It's the best thing ever, isn't it?

Maxwell Glick:

As long as you're prepared and professional, then just go in and have fun, because that's a blast. It really is. And to me, it's like, ‘oh, this is easy. I get to just pop in, and I don't have to worry about sending files, and I don't have to worry about anything. I just go do my job. Have fun.’

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Yeah. Having fun, I think, is critical. And you got to make friends in the studio and get through the reads, or if you're nervous, they're there to help you. As you said, they're supportive.

Maxwell Glick:

Yeah. I mean, they want to get their work done as quickly as possible, too, so they can do whatever else. So everyone's on the same team with it. And I don't know, I think it's a really good experience to have a director either in your ear or on the other end across the way, just giving you, ‘okay, well, now try it this way, three different ways on that line.’ And I've learned a ton from doing those kind of sessions. Yeah.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Oh, yeah, I'm sure you have. Is there anything that comes to mind? Some little tidbit that someone helped when they were directing that's always just stuck with you and you've brought it to other sessions?

Maxwell Glick:

I think that like the three in a row kind of thing. Using that is I think it's a great way to show your own range and learn actually what your range is on something. Because you could take one line that you were like, ‘oh, this is how I had planned it.’ And then the director is like, ‘why don't you try it this way with a bit more energy at the top, and then you just kind of fade out the end.’ You'll learn that there's so many different ways to do one line, let's say, especially when you already have the job, so you can really get to play around, go for it.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Yeah, that's a great point. If you already have the job, it's not that you should be thinking, ‘oh, they're going to kick me out, or like, don't get imposter syndrome. Like, why did they hire me?’ Like, well, they did. So you're there and you just kind of sit and play, as you say. I think that's part of because people think, oh, it's a job, it's work, I shouldn't be having fun. But that's not true in Voice over.

Maxwell Glick:

No, it’s the best part - you got it!

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Exactly, exactly! And since you've been out, been doing this for a long time, and as you said, started with acting, first as a foundation and then into voice acting, you've achieved top talent status on Voices, which is a huge achievement!

Maxwell Glick:

Thanks.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Yeah, you're welcome. And for some people listening today who aren't aware of what that means to be a Top Talent like Maxwell, you need to have booked at least like 100 jobs. That's kind of the bar. You need to get over 1st 100 jobs on the Voices platform. And every year you need to complete ten jobs within the last twelve months to maintain that status. And you need to have an overall four star rating, which again means that you're doing great work and that people enjoy working with you. So not just getting the work, but doing a great job too. So how do you do it? Can you give us some advice? What's a day in the life like for you auditioning and booking and just doing the awesome?

Maxwell Glick:

Yeah, I think consistency, it's really key and then just professionalism and just being a nice person, that helps a lot, but really like a day in my life. Yeah, I wake up, I have my breakfast, I get right to auditions, and so that's the first thing I tackle in the morning, and that's every morning. See what auditions come in, do them every day. And you need to be doing it every day like that because if you're not, you won't get top Talent Status, that's for sure. And it's going to be hard to really make it if you're not doing it every single day and treating it like a job. And that's what I do, I have a routine. Every morning is the auditions, and then it's, ‘okay, well, what job do I have today?’ So I'll do those right after my auditions, let's say. But every day is different, which is super fun. But every day kind of starts the same with the auditions, and they're usually first thing in the morning and some trickle in throughout the day. And so I see some come in, ‘oh, back in the studio, do some auditions,’ or I'm in the studio already doing a job, and time out, audition time. Okay.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Yeah.

Maxwell Glick:

Consistency.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Say you're West Coast, so I imagine a lot of the auditions come in before the crack of early where you are. So do you get up earlier than the average person, would you say, just so you can catch those East Coast auditions, or are you kind of staying on West Coast time?

Maxwell Glick:

No, I'm still staying on west coast time. I think that's fine. I'm doing my auditions let's say 09:00 a.m., so that's not bad.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

No, and that's encouraging, actually, Maxwell, because I bet there are very few voice actors who want to be up at 06:00 a.m. Auditioning, right?

Maxwell Glick:

No, don’t do that.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

If you can get more sleep because it affects your voice. Right. It totally affects how you'll sound and how well you're prepared for the day. And you mentioned breakfast, so I got to ask you, is it the same thing every day? Is there some predictability there, or do you like to do it a little differently? What's your style?

Maxwell Glick:

No, I'm pretty routine with the breakfast. I have a medley of healthy cereal.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Nice. So like Kashi Puffins, like that kind of cereal? Yeah. Some granola, berries, banana. Yeah,

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

That sounds like protein. That's energy, then.

Maxwell Glick:

So just that and my coffee to get going and then yeah, wonderful. Pretty routine.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

But that's what you want to hear in some ways, right? Because if you at least know what breakfast will be, then you're that much further ahead. You don't have to think too hard about it. Just thinking about how someone like a Steve Jobs would wake up every day and wear the exact same outfit, because why bother with that, having to go through every day, what am I wearing?

Maxwell Glick:

Right, right.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Yeah. I think that if you do what works for you and definitely a predictable breakfast, probably sets the tone for even the kind of reads you might do, how it affects your voice and so on.

Maxwell Glick:

True.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Absolutely. Well, I'm so happy to hear that you've got the routine, and I'm glad that you are not so stuck in your routine that you can't audition here and there for something. Or if you get called out for go on camera today, do voiceover tomorrow, whatever it might be, you're flexible, and that's what it takes in this business. You have to be able to change up some things and just go with the flow a bit.

Maxwell Glick:

Yeah, and I love that because as much as you have to be kind of routine with some things, yeah, like you were saying, you got to be flexible. And I love that every day is totally different. Totally different. So, I mean, here we are in the middle of the day, we're talking, you know, like, which is great. So every day is so different. I love that.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Indeed. No, that's great. So I know you're coaching, and of course that's kind of a cool thing to be doing because you can impart so much of the wisdom you've learned over the last however many years, but also all the little things that you've learned not to do. I'm sure that you're like, my students will never make this mistake because I did, and it was awful. But what is it about the teaching that you love so much? Because you have experience and clearly are booking a lot in on camera and off, but what drives you to want to teach?

Maxwell Glick:

Oh, wow. It is amazing watching my students pick up something, and then you could just see the light turn on in their eyes and in their voices and then be like, ‘oh, I didn't think of it like that.’ And you're like, ‘yeah, I didn't either.’ And then I learned all this, and now it's just so cool to give back to people. It's so incredibly gratifying to see that happen. I just started coaching last year, and when my first student got, he booked a Voices job, and that was the first one, and I was like, ‘oh, my gosh, it's happening. This is amazing!’ That's all I need. I mean, wow. Yeah, just seeing the recognition and seeing that little click, ‘oh, yeah, I got it.’ Because honestly, where do you learn this kind of stuff? I don't know. I just think it's neat to be able to give back to people because I've spent over a decade doing this now, and there's so many opportunities for people today to do this, and it's so accessible. I was like, ‘why not? I think I want to do this.’ And it's been so fun seeing people succeed that I've taught.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

And that's the proof is in the pudding, right? Like, if your students are booking, you know that you're doing something really great for them. I think that is the best any coach can hope for in teacher, so I love it. That's so good. So my goodness, Maxwell, I'm glad that we finally got on the show together and had some chats, and maybe when I'm in LA sometime, we'll go out and have a big old voice over mixer and bring everyone together.

Maxwell Glick:

Let's do it.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Awesome. Great. Well, thank you again for coming on the show. It was so good to see you.

Maxwell Glick:

Thanks, Stephanie. I really appreciate you having me.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

And that's the way we saw the world through the lens of voiceover this week. Thank you for listening and for following Vox Talk. Thank you also to our very special guest, Maxwell Glick. If you'd like to learn more about Maxwell's work and his coaching services, you can visit maxwellglickvo.com. For Voices, I'm Stephanie Ciccarelli. Vox Talk is produced by Geoff Bremner. We're so happy you joined us, and we're excited to see you next week.