Podcasts Vox Talk What Casting Directors Look for in a Voice Actor with David Goldberg
Vox Talk cover image

What Casting Directors Look for in a Voice Actor with David Goldberg

Duration:
0:00
0:00
google podcasts apple podcasts
Stephanie Ciccarelli
Share This Episode:

What’s the difference between a good read and a bad read? David Goldberg from Edge Studio shares his thoughts on why it’s important to trust your own voice, what it means to be a professional voice actor, and why sounding genuine is a huge asset for booking more work. You’ll also discover what sounding ‘natural’ means and how being authentic makes you easier to work with and your reads more believable.

Mentioned on the show:

Edge Studio

David Goldberg

Continue the conversation on the Voices Community Forum

Enjoyed the show? Be sure to let us know! Use the hashtag #voxtalk on social media to continue the conversation. Love what you’re hearing? Subscribe to Vox Talk wherever you get your podcasts. If you’re already subscribed (thank you!), share Vox Talk with a friend!

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Hi there, and welcome to Vox Talk, your weekly review from the world of voiceover. I'm your host, Stephanie Ciccarelli from Voices. Are you getting feedback on your reads? What about opportunities to perform for others? Joining me today is David Goldberg, Chief Edge Officer at Edge Studio in New York City. David has a long track record of getting great performances out of talent and has cast and directed thousands of voiceover productions. I've had the privilege of seeing David work first hand and know that you are in for a treat. Welcome to the show, David.

David Goldberg:

Hey, Stephanie. Thanks for having me.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Of course. Just so much fun. I love Edge studio and going in and obviously in New York, where your studio is just a great community you've built up there. An absolute pleasure to speak with you, David. And so we're here today because there are so many talent out there who just honestly don't know what they don't know. And they've not been in front of a casting director. They've not been in front of a director like yourself. And a lot of them, because many people have come into the industry during the pandemic, have actually not had community in person. And to have heard their peers read or anything like that, they're in a complete black hole, wondering about their reads. So you have lots of experience, obviously, in this field, and you listen for a living. That's a lot of what you do, your golden ears, as we say about you in the industry. So when you're listening to someone read ad copy, David, what's going through your mind and what are you looking for?

David Goldberg:

Yeah, that's a great question. There are a lot of different things that we are looking for, and much of it depends on what the client needs for the casting and what type of job it is and whether or not it's being played internationally or not. I mean, there's just so many things to listen for, but there are certainly some things which are really sort of fundamental. And one of those things is when a voice actor or making sure that a voice actor sounds real, that they sound genuine. I would say with the exception of a few genres in our industry, like animated work, character work and promos and a few things out there, typically we're looking for voice actors who just sound authentic. And part of that is, I think, a big part of this, Stephanie, is trusting your own voice. And that's something that, as you mentioned, a lot of people are coming into this industry and they don't have that training, and they often feel that they need to add some affectation to their voice. Trusting one's natural voice is really one of the most important things a voice actor can do to be successful in this industry. So, yeah, I'd say that that is really, like, the key to all of this. We're listening for voice actors who sound natural, authentic, and genuine. They don't stretch their voices. They don't try to sound like everything to everyone. They are just themselves. Because when someone sounds like themselves, it's more believable to the listener. And also they're much easier to direct. So it's a win-win for everyone.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

I never thought of that. Easier to direct. If you sound like yourself, you're being yourself. Well, that makes absolute sense because you're not putting on a voice or assuming a persona that isn't you. It's just very easy and authentic and genuine. So thank you for sharing that. And that read, that real person sounding like you're, normal, the guy next door that's been around for a long time as a trend. And I don't think it's going anywhere, really, because everything that we're seeing these days is more about authenticity and about bringing something special and unique to read like no one else can. So that said, David, what makes for a great read?

David Goldberg:

Another great question. There's not one thing that makes a read great. It's a combination of, well, okay, I'm trying to bucket this. If I had to say, I would say that we're looking for two things and I feel like I need to give a bit of context so this makes sense. One is there are two facets to voiceover performance. There's the acting skills and there's the technical skills. So the technical skills are like a voice actor known to read more slowly or quickly, depending on what the client needs, or adding a dramatic pause, adding the right emphasis to the right word. These are the technical things that clients often listen for. And then there's the acting or the emotion, the character of the read. That's where a lot of this really comes in, that I was talking about in that previous answer, where you sound authentic and genuine. And finding a voice actor that can sort of merge those together, that's really a big part of success in this industry and getting hired in this industry. So some voice actors are so focused on their technique that their acting skills are just shadowed. Like there's just nothing real about their performance. And the opposite can also be the case. So we're looking for voice actors who really can be themselves, can put on the emotion, the character that's necessary, and simultaneously follow the technique that is so important to the client and sort of doubling back on that previous question. One of the other huge benefit, in fact, of finding a voice actor who does sound like themselves is that they tend to stay more consistent. Their stamina is more consistent, and that's really important for long term work. So, for example, if we hire a voice actor and it's a long form narration or even an audiobook or something like that, if they are adding some really unnatural affectation to their voice, it's really hard for them to stay consistent, whether it's from paragraph to paragraph or page to page or chapter. To chapter, even day to day. It is hard to direct. It's hard to get a good performance out of them. So again, it all comes back down to trusting your natural voice and incorporating technique at the same time. I do want to clarify one thing. Sorry to make this a long answer, but I think that this is important. When people enter this industry and they're told, okay, you need to sound like yourself. You need to be the guy next door, the gal next door. You need to be one on one, friendly. I don't think that's really necessarily the case. What's important is to be natural. But in everyday life and natural conversation, we have all different voices, right? Sometimes you speak enthusiastically with a friend or a family member, and sometimes you speak sympathetically to someone, and sometimes you sound confused in real life, and we have all of these different emotions. In real life, any one of those emotions is natural. So I feel like there's, like, this disconnect. People think that natural means one on one in an easy going, friendly tone, but I don't agree with that at all. Natural means anything which is natural for you, anything that is natural for your voice.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Another great insight from David Goldberg. My goodness. Whoever thought that sounding the way that we all are trying to sound can actually not just be one sort of way of applying this conversational read? I think that's really insightful. It's more about being genuine and authentic. So on the flip side of all of this, David, obviously not every read can be a good one. Is there a way that you might describe a bad read?

David Goldberg:

Yeah, there are about 10,000 ways I could describe a bad read.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Go ahead.

David Goldberg:

Certainly there's not following direction, not following the technical direction. And that is just a pain in the rear end to myself as a director, the clients, the engineers and the video editors, whoever happens to be participating in the casting process or the recording process. If you tell a voice actor, hey, we need a beat after this word, or we need this word emphasized, or we need you to slow down there, it is up to the voice actor to remember to do that. And whether you need to write notes in your script or memorize it somehow, whatever you need to do, it is imperative that you do those things. So when a voice actor doesn't do those things, that definitely qualifies as not a good read. Likewise with the acting. If we say we need a certain emotion in the read, or the emotion needs to change at one part during the read, or multiple emotions throughout the read and the voice sector doesn't do that, that also would qualify as not a good read. And on top of all of that, one of the more important things you can do is just be professional in this industry. Like, you won't even get to the point that you read unless you are professional in this industry, that means showing up on time invoicing correctly, not talking money to the wrong people. I mean, there's just so many facets to this and it's all relatively easy stuff to do as long as someone knows to do it. I will say if I can, sort of like to give a shout out. One of the reasons why I know, in fact, that our programs, our training programs are so amazing at Edge is because we focus on all of those things. Like, our job is to prepare voice actors to be successful. So it's not just the read, it's the technique, it's the emotion, it's the professionalism, it's how to handle yourselves and when to handle yourselves in different ways and what to do in different situations. And that's why we have such an extensive team, because all of our team, they give all of their experience to the students. A student may work with five or six different instructors and coaches and they all are sharing their expertise, their experiences, their trials and errors, the things they've learned along the way. The students are given all of that information, so it's really helpful. Nothing is difficult in this industry, but other than combining them all and staying focused, that's the thing. But if you can remember the things I've said, focus on the professionalism, the technique and the performance at the same time, there is work out there and you can do well, you can really be successful in this industry.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Absolutely. So you mentioned earlier that people not taking direction or not reading the instructions very well is clearly disastrous. So can you give us some tips for how a talent might take direction? Well, what is a directable talent, in your opinion? Starting even with the slate? I will estimate that about 25% of voice actors mess up their slate. And let me just define what a slate is in case someone listening does not know what that is. A slate is an introduction, typically, that the client says to use at the beginning of the audition. So, for example, the client might say, say your first, initial and last name, or say your last name and then first, initial or put the slate at the end of your audition. Or put half of it in the beginning and then say a special code number. And clients have different ways of formatting and filing these auditions and perhaps a quarter of voice actors get that wrong. And so if a voice actor wants us to hire them, how can they expect us to hire them if they can't even get the instructions right? It doesn't give us a good sense. So right off the bat, when the slate is running, we typically will not even listen to someone's audition. Then, if the client gives direction, it is imperative that the voice actor remembers to do it and incorporate the direction. So it sounds natural. That's another big point. So for example, if a voice actor reads a script and they sound natural, like beautifully natural, they sound fantastic, in fact, then I might say, hey, I love your voice, love it, love it, love it. Your speed is great, the spacing is great, the character is great, everything is great. All I need you to do is go back and read it again the exact same way, except emphasize the one certain words in the script. Well, now the voice actor focuses so much on that emphasis that they no longer infuse their own natural personality, the personality that they had on the previous read. And now we're left with two takes which are not usable. One take is fantastic except for the fact that a word was not emphasized. And now we have a second take that the word is emphasized but the emotion, the character is not there. So again, it really comes down to trusting your voice and being able to incorporate the technique naturally so it doesn't sound like you're incorporating it. The voiceover should never sound like you're working at it. It should sound natural, right? That's the whole point of voice acting. It's to translate written English into spoken English and it has to sound spoken spontaneous, so yeah, you have to just learn how to control your voice so you can incorporate all the stuff that you have to incorporate into your read.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Absolutely. That's so key just for anyone who's listening. I know David, you just brought up slating and that's certainly a practice that is in vogue, I suppose, in certain parts of the industry, but certainly not in others. So for the listeners who are listening to Vox Talk, usually they're not having to slate, especially for online work that they're doing through like a casting site or whatnot. But in the world that you're talking about, where you might be in front of a casting director or there may be a client requirement for that audition, then a slate may still be used. So that's just a little bit of an aside for everybody because we don't often talk about that, about slating at voices, but it certainly is something you should be aware of and in certain situations it's absolutely required.

David Goldberg:

Yeah. Well. And I may be wrong here, Stephanie, but I would think that even though the online casting sites often don't require slating and I think I understand the reasons why. But sometimes when the voice actor is chosen for a job and then they record during the recording session. They may be asked to slate. They may be asked to say, “Here's this slate.” Or, “Here's take one. Here's take two.” And even in those instances it's really critical that the voice actor can do that stuff comfortably and naturally. And if you have one chance to brand yourself, man, you better make sure it's clear. Also, I'll say my name with an upswing which just lacks confidence and this is what at least half of voice actors do when they slate. They do something like this, “David Goldberg.” And if the slate is longer, they might say, “David Goldberg, take one.” And that doesn't do anything, right? So what you want to do is say your name clearly, slowly, and say declaratively “David Goldberg,” something like that, rather than David Goldberg, but David Goldberg. That is your first impression. So it's really important.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

And that's key, like, just hearing you do that, the really short, kind of clipped sound that you made there for the first one, and then the second one was just David Goldberg. So it sounds very much like the talent’s trying to get the slate of the way, like David Goldberg or Stephanie Ciccarelli or whatever you might say. But it's not meant to be that. It's sort of like a nice little placeholder there for it. When you're listening to an audiobook, it's like this audiobook is narrated by so and so. It falls nicely. There's a cadence to it. So I appreciate you clarifying that around slates. With all that said, people need to follow instructions and you need to have listening ears. That's one thing you say, you got two ears and one mouth, so just use your ears more than you talk. But so far as our conversation here in Talent, assuming they're taking direction well, just curious about you when you're sitting there in the chair and you're giving direction, and oftentimes when the town is just sitting there, they're waiting for it to be directed. Maybe they've read the copy, and then you go in and say something to them. Where is it that you get your ideas from? Like, how are you inspired to find the next way you'd like them to read?

David Goldberg:

That really is very dependent upon so many factors, some of which I mentioned earlier, the type of voiceover it is and the way we break it down, there are about 27 different genres in the industry. So when you record voice over, it's pretty important that you think about all of the other production elements, the graphics, the visuals, the sound effects, the music, all of that stuff. Picture the listeners, and make sure that you fit to them, because usually when you record that voiceover, assuming the video has been completed or is near completed, no one is going to change the video to match you. You need to fit it. You need to fit into the other things. You can sort of picture all of the production elements is like a big puzzle, and there are like five or six or seven different pieces, and you were just one piece of the puzzle, but you are the last piece to go in. And so you have to sort of confirm your voice to fit for everything else. But like I said, you have to do that so you still sound natural and follow the direction that is, I think, one of the reasons why I'm coming back to something, but why our programs are really unique in this industry is because we focus on all of those things. I don't know, I dedicate my life to helping voice actors succeed. So like all of our instructors, we just focus on making sure that the voice actor understands this stuff so they can really do well in the industry. And usually any student will come in and have a lesson and say like, oh my goodness, that makes sense. I just never thought of that before. Now I realize why I didn't win that certain audition or why I've not won any auditions. So there's a lot to learn. I repeat, it's not difficult stuff, you just have to learn the stuff.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Yes, that's absolutely right, David. Obviously people can't spend all day long working with a coach or training all the time. They have to go and do it themselves. So do you have any tips for developing the ability to self direct for talent when they're working at home?

David Goldberg:

Yeah, that's a really good question. It's a very important question. I believe that to become a really good sales director means that you need to direct others. When you direct someone else, you are forced to become objective. You're forced to think in new patterns. You think differently. And when you start thinking differently, when you think like the client, the end client, then your mind opens up to all of the different ways that you can improve your own voiceover. In other words, you listen to another voice actor read and you think, oh yeah, they did rush that word because you can't figure out what a word is. Now that other voice actor probably knows what it is. They read it. They may have read the word too quickly and forgotten that when they read it quickly, no one else will understand it. They know what it is because they see it on the script, but you can't understand it. And now you learn, oh yeah, I better make sure that my words will be clear to someone who hasn't seen the script. So let me sidetrack there. I found that voice actors, very commonly with new voice actors, young to this industry, they'll read the script, they'll think it's great, they won't win the audition. They'll come to me and say, “David, I don't know why I didn't win this audition. What went wrong? I feel like my voice is perfect for it. This audition is made for me,” and I'll listen to it and “I'll say, well, I can't understand like these four or five words.” And they'll say, “What are you talking about?” And I'll say, “Well, you know what those words are because you've seen them written down on a script. So your brain is telling you what to listen for. And you're hearing it without music and sound effects. You're hearing it without your brain being focused on the visuals and the graphics but imagine someone who hasn't seen the script, they don't know what to listen for, they have no context. Everything is buried with music and sound effects.” and they'll say, “Oh yeah, you're right, I don't think that word would be clear.” And I'll say, “yeah, exactly.” So as the voice actor, you have to think about these things. You need to make sure that coming back to this, you fit into the other production elements and you need to think about those. So when I direct, that is one of the things that I always focus on. Like how will the voiceover fit with everything else? Will listeners be able to understand it? Especially if it's international? So those are the key things.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

That reminds me of in the past episode where we talked about just the musicality of the voice and how it fits in as a piece of do you think of instrumentation? Yeah, we have to think of the voice as yet another instrument in the ensemble and that it's just something that your diction, it matters. And I remember teachers saying “spit out your consonants.” And these are vocal singer teachers, of course, not voiceover teachers. But the whole idea of just being able to be understood and clearly articulating those words is so important. Obviously you can overshoot that. You can have explosive plosives, you can do all kinds of things that are not really great for the mic, but wonderful for the stage. So for people who are unaware of their own issues with either alighting words, maybe they're slurring. There could be just other issues with diction, have you ever sent anyone to a speech language pathologist to have them get it checked out?

David Goldberg:

Many times. Yeah. We have a speech, in fact two people on our team at Edge who specialize in speech. And so it's really critical. But the interesting thing is, I believe that certain voice actors should sort of slur. I know that seems weird to say after we're both talking about clarity, but there's such a range of necessary voice over. There are scripts that we direct or cast or both typically, where an informal sort of slang street voice is really critical. That's what we desire. So we'll tell a voice actor to not necessarily pronounce their Ts in every single word. And then the other extreme of that would be something that is more formal in nature and international. And then maybe we do have to make sure all of those keys are enunciated. A very common word that comes up with Ts would be word like internet, international. Most of us in the States at least say international and internet. We don't pronounce that first T in those words. So like I said, if you're recording a script where formality is important, or you have international listeners, then I think you should put the t in international and internet. And if the script is to be played locally or even regionally in the States, and it should be informal, then Internet might be fine. There's a time and place for everything in this industry. That's one of the things that I find frustrating in the industry. One of the only things I find frustrating in the industry is that I find that a lot of coaches out there, not at Edge, I promise you, not at Edge, but a lot of them like, say, “When you read the script, you always have to do this or you always have to do that.” And our whole thing here is there's no always. Every script is different, every situation is different. And you have to learn how to tailor your voice to fit what the client needs. So, yeah, pronounce the T sometimes and don't pronounce it other times. That's how you really become more successful because you win more auditions, you give the clients what it is that they want.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Right. And one of the best ways to actually learn how to do voiceover properly is not just by being with the coach, but honestly listening to your peers, being with others, watching what they're doing, seeing what feedback they're getting. So obviously there are master classes and opportunities to perform in front of others. Just how have you seen that help to shape a talent and the way that they've developed as an artist, the attending of master classes and so on?

David Goldberg:

Oh, it's tremendous. It's absolutely tremendous. In fact, my favorite classes to teach at Edge are classes where we get different voice actors on and they can listen to one another and provide feedback to one another. I'll stand there, whether it's in person or remote, most of them are remote these days. And I'll say, look, let's have one person read a script. Everyone else, I want your feedback on that script. And so person one will read a script and then the other participants in that class are going to say, “yeah, I liked it or I didn't like it, and here's why.” And then, of course, I'll always give my two cent, yeah, that makes sense. Maybe I disagree with something and there's always room for interpretation, but it's amazing because everyone's ears really open up to this industry. Like you really learn how to think for yourself, how to self direct. And that is so key in this industry. It really is.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Couldn't have said it better myself. So obviously, sometimes these situations, even though they're meant to be really nurturing and a safe place for people, they can still make people nervous. Right? You can have stage fright. So is there a reason why people should be nervous when they're in the company of friends, so to speak, or is that not normal?

David Goldberg:

If it happens, then it's normal, I guess. I don't know. When I teach these classes where people learn how to self direct, they're always going to be students who are nervous. It's their first time and sometimes students are nervous on their 10th time. And I will always tell someone that's totally fine, completely fine. It's normal. Most people are nervous their first time. And I think that once people understand that it's okay to be nervous, it's normal. I was there the first time I ever directed a recording session, and they'll be nervous the first time they ever are the voice actor in a real recording. When someone realizes that that's normal, they open up. And then usually I'm pretty good at helping them really just feel comfortable just helping them understand what it is that they're doing and helping them learn what they are learning. They might say, “Hey, I think someone read a script too quickly.” And I was like, “Great. That's awesome. Here's why that's so important, and here's how you can apply it to your own reads. So when you are auditioning from home or recording jobs from home, you can better self direct yourself.” And usually within minutes, people relax and just gain a whole lot in these classes.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Yeah, I've noticed that actually about you and watching you teach. So for anyone who's listening, who's ever been to a voice conference where David Goldberg has literally stolen the stage for many hours, having dozens of people coming up, and I don't even know how you survived that evening, but you had some pretty epic copy reading sessions that you've gone through. But the people who have walked up and read, and it went long into the not early hours of the morning, but it was a long haul. I don't even know how you did it, but they were comfortable reading for you, and I think it was because they saw how you were treating their peers as they went up, and it was fun, and there was jokes made here and there and just lightheartedness to it all. But it really is about just being with people that you know have your best interests at heart and want to see you grow. So that's got to be part of it. It's just the tone within that room, be it a casting director or a talent agent or whoever it is that's got you there auditioning or you're working out in a group with a voiceover workout group type thing. If you trust the people that you're with and you're having a great time, and if a role is on the line, then yes, I totally understand there'd be a lot more nerves going on. But when you're among friends. So to speak. Then I think it's a lot of fun. David, your ears as someone in a position to listen and give feedback must have been getting so tired. So we have people who are in production who listen to Vox Talk as well. And given that you have so much experience in this area, I thought it might be nice to ask you how you go about ways of preventing listening fatigue.

David Goldberg:

Well, I think just dedication to voice actors and true love for this. I just don't get tired. I don't know why. So the class that you're talking about, Stephanie, that went into the wee hours of the night, I've done that at every conference, all the conferences out there, multiple conferences every year. And it does tend to steal the conference. And the rooms are packed, and lately it's been really funny, but lately the hotels have to shut us down. They come in and the staff from the hotel will say, like, “you guys have to vacate. Like, we have to clean the room for tomorrow morning.” And it's really fun, but I love it so much that I don't get tired. So I don't know, I can just keep going.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Let's say you're out of that environment, David, and you're in an online kind of in your home studio office, wherever, and you're listening to auditions that are just basically on an online casting site or in your email box or what have you. How do you then prevent listening fatigue, especially if everyone is reading the same copy?

David Goldberg:

It is different. It's very different. And this is something that most voice actors won't go through because they're not in our position of casting, right? But incidentally, I have at times brought some voice actors into my office to watch me cast, because when they see the process that we go through, they realize how fatiguing it could be. And then that really teaches them a lot. That comes back to that self direction that we were talking about earlier, learning what to listen for. But anyway, yes, I think that the fatigue can come in two different places. One is when voice actors all read the script in the exact same way. It's weird. You have 100 auditions and, yeah, they're 100 different voices, but it's all the same read, just in a different voice,

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

And they couldn't even hear themselves do it. So somehow they all went to this autopilot default mode of sounding the same.

David Goldberg:

They do, right? And we can actually begin sort of reading along with them. And they're like knowing what they're going to do before we even hear them because they all do the exact same emphasis on the same word and the same dramatic pause and so on. So it's really important to come up with something that's unique to incorporate your personality. I think I mentioned that earlier, right? I said so many voice actors tend to be so focused, overly focused on their technique, that their personality is gone. So that gives very monotonous reads and that causes listener fatigue. But I will also say that because so many voice actors, either they mess up their slate, right, they don't adhere to the directions that they're given for their slate, or they make egregious errors right at the beginning of the script or follow the same patterns as everyone else. It's usually pretty simple for us to get rid of the vast majority of auditions and be left with just a small handful of voice actors who just aren't trusting their voice, who are just being themselves, having fun, enjoying what they're doing. And so we might get down to five voice actors or ten voice actors really quickly. And then, because those five or ten voice actors have such different reads, we don't become fatigued at all, not in the least. We start imagining the visual or even playing along the audition with the visual or with similar music and getting an idea, but how it will all work together. And I find it exciting to go through that process. So, yeah, not fatiguing.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

No, not at all. Do people ever get kind of be a fly on the wall in your studio sort of thing? Like, can they watch you do this and learn from what you're doing? Well, yes or no. So I used to pull voice actors in to do that with us because it was so amazingly helpful for them to see the process that we go through. But now a lot of the classes that I teach, in fact, some of the classes I personally teach at Edge Studio simulate that audition process. I have a class called The Audition Workout, and I teach it on a regular basis, and that is focused exactly on what we're talking about. Every participant gets a script, and I give them the direction, and I say, Great read. And then everyone else says, here's why I think that's great, or, here's why it's not great. Or I might give that same script to ten different people. And then we all talk about it and we move very quickly. Like, in an hour, we can get through a whole bunch of different scripts and a whole bunch of different simulated auditions. But we simulate that audition process, and that's when voice actors, their eyes or their ears really are opened up and they realize, oh, my goodness. Yeah, now I understand what you're going through. And so I can better tailor my own auditions or jobs when I record for clients, I can do a much better job. That's all just part of the training that we offer and expanding upon something that you said earlier, Stephanie, no two voice actors are the same. Not only are their voices different, but their personal interests are different and their goals are different. And the styles of voiceover that they should read or want to read, where they may be marketable, is different. So we kind of take all of that together and put together the training program for them and then help them with demos that just sound real. They really sound like excerpts of real work that the voice actor has done. So it's good.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Yeah.

David Goldberg:

All these years later, I'm still excited about it.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

I know. I can tell. And that's always, I think, been a hallmark of you and your work at Edges, that you're very much involved, even though you're basically CEO the Chief Edge Officer. I think that you've done an amazing job over the years of just keeping people front and center of what it is that you do and how you help them is just marvellous. So thank you for joining us today, David. It's been really great to have you here.

David Goldberg:

Yeah, it's been wonderful to hear your voice again and to have a chance to talk a little bit about Edge. I will say that if anyone is interested in working with us, whether it's training or demo recording, just call us. It's a voice industry. We'd love to talk. So we'll leave you our phone number. I'll also give you our email address if that's easier for you. Our number is 212-868-EDGE, which is 3343. Again, 212-868-3343. And you can email us anytime you want at training(at)edgestudio.com. I will say, for the record, the word studio is singular. Even though we have multiple studios and locations, the word studio is singular. So training(at)edgestudio.com

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Awesome. And if you have a chance to actually go into the main studio there in New York, it is wonderful. I know it's near all kinds of great restaurants and I believe there's a Barnes and Noble and there was a Steinway at one point. I love going in there whenever I visit you guys. So, anyway, without further ado, I think that's our show today. Well, thank you again. David Goldberg from Edge Studio. We look forward to talking to you again soon.

David Goldberg:

Thank you, Stephanie.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

And that's the way we saw the world through the lens of Voiceover this week. Thank you so much for joining us here. I'm Stephanie Ciccarelli from Voices. The host of Vox Talk. Vox Talk is produced by Geoff Bremner. We are so excited to have you here. David Goldberg. Amazing guest today. I hope you took a lot of notes, lots of wonderful things. Remember to follow instructions. Do not get booted out of the first round of listens and auditions because that is one way to not get heard. So, anyway, for everyone here at Voices, I'm Stephanie. We'll talk to you soon. Thanks for listening to Vox Talk, and we'll see you next week.

Stephanie Ciccarelli
Stephanie Ciccarelli is a Co-Founder of Voices. Classically trained in voice as well as a respected mentor and industry speaker, Stephanie graduated with a Bachelor of Musical Arts from the Don Wright Faculty of Music at the University of Western Ontario. For over 25 years, Stephanie has used her voice to communicate what is most important to her through the spoken and written word. Possessing a great love for imparting knowledge and empowering others, Stephanie has been a contributor to The Huffington Post, Backstage magazine, Stage 32 and the Voices.com blog. Stephanie is found on the PROFIT Magazine W100 list three times (2013, 2015 and 2016), a ranking of Canada's top female entrepreneurs, and is the author of Voice Acting for Dummies®.
Connect with Stephanie on:
Twitter LinkedIn Voices

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *