WEBVTT - The Voice of Sam Riegel 0:00:00.080 --> 0:00:02.680 Hey, Christie, Hey there Will, what's up? Nothing much? How 0:00:02.720 --> 0:00:05.640 are you doing? Oh? I love this. It's a it's 0:00:05.680 --> 0:00:08.159 like an evening shoot that we're doing right now, so 0:00:08.200 --> 0:00:11.600 we are totally different vibe. It's very cool. It's like 0:00:11.720 --> 0:00:15.319 I Hear Voices after dark. Yeah, exactly. And we have 0:00:15.400 --> 0:00:17.600 a great guest today. I feel like we've been waiting 0:00:17.600 --> 0:00:19.040 for this guest for a while. Actually, he had a 0:00:19.320 --> 0:00:21.759 kind of a mishap that made us reschedule, but I 0:00:21.800 --> 0:00:23.720 think this is a perfect time for us to see him. 0:00:23.880 --> 0:00:25.239 I can't wait. I think this is gonna be a 0:00:25.239 --> 0:00:28.080 ton of fun. So yeah, hopefully everybody has taken off 0:00:28.080 --> 0:00:30.280 their work clothes for the day, they put on their slippers, 0:00:30.520 --> 0:00:32.920 they're sitting next to the fireplace with their loyal animal 0:00:32.960 --> 0:00:35.720 at their feet, and they are ready to listen to 0:00:35.800 --> 0:00:38.720 a wonderful episode of I Hear Voices. I'm super excited 0:00:38.760 --> 0:00:41.160 to have our guest today, who's not only a personal 0:00:41.200 --> 0:00:45.000 friend of mine, but is one of the great directors 0:00:45.000 --> 0:00:48.000 in the business, an awesome actor, and uh, just an 0:00:48.000 --> 0:00:50.800 incredibly fun guy who is joining us today. Christie, it's 0:00:50.920 --> 0:00:55.840 Mr Sam Regal. Can't wait, Sam, Sam, Sam, I knew 0:00:55.880 --> 0:00:58.520 you before you knew Will. Does he know this? Maybe not. 0:00:58.760 --> 0:01:00.760 I don't know if Will knows that. We've known each 0:01:00.800 --> 0:01:03.680 other since we were children. That's like kids kids, right, 0:01:03.720 --> 0:01:05.840 So tell me how what happened there? How does that? 0:01:05.880 --> 0:01:09.120 How is that possible? Are you from Connecticut? Sam? What happened? No? 0:01:09.200 --> 0:01:14.240 I'm not from I'm from I grew up in New 0:01:14.319 --> 0:01:16.960 York City and I was a child actor, just like 0:01:17.080 --> 0:01:22.319 some of the other members of this podcast. Yes, I 0:01:22.319 --> 0:01:24.160 wonder if I ever ran into each other back in 0:01:24.200 --> 0:01:26.800 the day in New York? Did you do? Were you 0:01:26.840 --> 0:01:29.400 a New York actor kid? Oh? Yeah, that's how I started? 0:01:29.480 --> 0:01:32.640 Was the New York actor kid? Were you doing theater? 0:01:32.720 --> 0:01:36.120 Mostly your television? And I was doing commercials and television 0:01:36.120 --> 0:01:37.920 and you know my law and everybody does Law and 0:01:38.000 --> 0:01:40.600 Order episode at least one, And I'm sure we ran 0:01:40.640 --> 0:01:45.720 across each other then. Did you know Danny Gerard? Did you? 0:01:46.080 --> 0:01:48.480 And you know it was like did Leonardo DiCaprio was 0:01:48.520 --> 0:01:50.200 in a bunch of the auditions and there was a 0:01:50.200 --> 0:01:52.280 whole group of us that Mike Moran like a whole 0:01:52.320 --> 0:01:54.720 bunch of us that were there, did you? Oh? Man? 0:01:54.800 --> 0:01:59.400 I was Jerry O'Connell around, was was Donald phase on 0:01:59.560 --> 0:02:03.960 around Donald Face and and Kevin Connolly, and there was 0:02:04.000 --> 0:02:06.280 like a whole whole group of us. Yeah, so I'm 0:02:06.360 --> 0:02:08.440 sure they were all New Yorkers, But I mean, like 0:02:08.520 --> 0:02:10.000 I think of those people, I'm like, oh, they've been 0:02:10.000 --> 0:02:12.240 in l a forever, but they actually all started well, 0:02:12.240 --> 0:02:14.680 started in New York. Yeah, So how did you guys 0:02:14.680 --> 0:02:17.280 know each other? Walk me through that. I don't. I 0:02:17.320 --> 0:02:20.680 don't remember. I do. I do, okay, because I've been 0:02:20.800 --> 0:02:23.959 like such a fan of yours even as a little kid. 0:02:24.080 --> 0:02:30.120 So basically, his sister, Eden Regal is an extremely talented, 0:02:30.240 --> 0:02:35.000 gifted singer. She has a beautiful voice and and we 0:02:35.080 --> 0:02:37.480 have to talk about if you've worked with her as well, 0:02:37.520 --> 0:02:41.480 just because I love her so much. But Eden eventually 0:02:41.680 --> 0:02:43.840 became a huge soap star. I think you didn't. Your 0:02:43.840 --> 0:02:46.280 sister even won an Emmy Award. She did. She wanted Emmy. 0:02:46.360 --> 0:02:50.120 She was nominated, uh four or five times, and she 0:02:50.200 --> 0:02:53.960 won one um on All My Children, which was she 0:02:54.080 --> 0:02:57.480 was Susan Lucci's daughter was Yanka. She had the first 0:02:57.800 --> 0:03:03.040 the first gay kiss on on Dates Time television and 0:03:03.080 --> 0:03:04.760 now she does now she does what we all do. 0:03:04.880 --> 0:03:07.480 She does voiceover stuff and she does voice directing as well. 0:03:07.680 --> 0:03:09.519 Does she really in New York or out here? No? 0:03:09.680 --> 0:03:12.200 Here in l A. There, she's got children and her 0:03:12.240 --> 0:03:16.960 husband's a writer. Okay, so Eden Regal was my Spanish tutor. Um, 0:03:17.600 --> 0:03:20.040 I didn't know, No, I didn't know. I knew that 0:03:20.080 --> 0:03:22.160 you guys knew each other, but I didn't realize that 0:03:22.280 --> 0:03:24.480 it was because of that. First of all, I love 0:03:24.520 --> 0:03:26.760 your mom. We're friends on Facebook and I'm always like, 0:03:27.000 --> 0:03:29.519 you know, saying hello, and I love her so much. 0:03:29.960 --> 0:03:34.200 But Eden was in a in a in a Broadway 0:03:34.280 --> 0:03:38.800 kids with me. Okay, yes, so that's how I knew Eden. 0:03:38.840 --> 0:03:42.920 Broadway was I guess a repertory kind of uh, you know, 0:03:43.200 --> 0:03:46.000 theater kid production, except all the kids had been supergroup. 0:03:46.360 --> 0:03:50.240 It was. It was a supergroup of Broadway, Yes it was. 0:03:50.280 --> 0:03:53.440 But they were all Broadway actors and they you cut 0:03:53.560 --> 0:03:57.600 CDs and tapes, um, and you would put out like 0:03:57.720 --> 0:04:00.920 the Broadway Kids Sings Christmas and the odd Way Kids 0:04:01.200 --> 0:04:04.200 Goes to the Movie. Yeah, that was the big one 0:04:04.240 --> 0:04:07.400 for us. And Eden was like a big sister to me, 0:04:07.480 --> 0:04:09.960 like like quite literally a big sister to me. I 0:04:10.000 --> 0:04:12.040 loved her so much. Um. I saw her on a 0:04:12.080 --> 0:04:15.920 lot of auditions. It was like her Lacey Sabert Kim 0:04:16.200 --> 0:04:19.960 Kim Brown, but like um. But Lacey was Lacey and 0:04:20.360 --> 0:04:22.880 Eden were like those. They were very similar in the 0:04:22.880 --> 0:04:25.160 way that we looked, and I think we saw each 0:04:25.200 --> 0:04:28.279 other a lot on different AUTI but it was always 0:04:28.320 --> 0:04:31.159 so loving, Like your sister was always so sweet to me. 0:04:31.600 --> 0:04:34.599 And eventually, you know, we went to Professional Children's School together. 0:04:35.560 --> 0:04:37.040 But I was old. Oh you did. You went to 0:04:37.080 --> 0:04:39.160 your PCs a lot, Yes, but I was I was 0:04:39.320 --> 0:04:42.840 four years older, and I think by the time you 0:04:42.960 --> 0:04:47.000 probably got in there, I was already on my way out. Yeah, 0:04:47.040 --> 0:04:49.479 because she was in her senior I think she'd either 0:04:49.560 --> 0:04:51.520 graduated or she was in her senior year when she 0:04:51.560 --> 0:04:54.600 was tutoring me. Um. But she was always talking about 0:04:54.600 --> 0:04:56.279 and your mom was always talking about the fact that 0:04:56.320 --> 0:04:59.039 you went to Harvard and that you were in an acapella. 0:04:59.400 --> 0:05:05.240 I did not to Harvard. Where did you go? I 0:05:05.279 --> 0:05:07.360 went to the I went to the University of Virginia, 0:05:07.400 --> 0:05:10.320 still a very good school. It's like there's a very 0:05:10.440 --> 0:05:14.680 very esteemed public academy. But you were part of an acapella. 0:05:14.839 --> 0:05:17.960 I was definitely part of an acapella group. That's it 0:05:18.040 --> 0:05:22.279 called it won't make any sense. It doesn't make It's 0:05:22.320 --> 0:05:28.920 called the academical Village people because because the University of 0:05:29.000 --> 0:05:32.240 Virginia was created by Thomas Jefferson and he called it 0:05:32.640 --> 0:05:36.680 his his esteemed academical village. So we were the academical 0:05:36.800 --> 0:05:42.039 village village people. I love how I collegiate always the 0:05:42.080 --> 0:05:44.920 best names and the tone rangers chock full of notes. 0:05:45.000 --> 0:05:49.839 They always have the best novellas. Yeah, Wheel is actually 0:05:49.920 --> 0:05:54.240 really into those movies, those acapella movies Perfect, the pitch 0:05:54.279 --> 0:05:56.799 Perfect movies are the best films ever made. They're not movies. 0:05:56.839 --> 0:06:00.960 Their films are incredible. You know what's this is not 0:06:01.040 --> 0:06:02.800 a tangent that we should be talking about. I don't 0:06:02.800 --> 0:06:05.160 even know what this podcast is about, but we don't either. 0:06:05.600 --> 0:06:08.200 But pitch Perfect. Did you know that it's actually based 0:06:08.240 --> 0:06:11.440 on a book? Yes, and the and the book was 0:06:11.480 --> 0:06:14.440 written about one of the acapella groups at my college. 0:06:14.520 --> 0:06:19.040 So it's kind of about me, is it? Yeah? Like 0:06:19.080 --> 0:06:21.520 I feel closer to you than I ever have right now, Sam, 0:06:21.680 --> 0:06:24.400 because those movies are important and to know they're about 0:06:24.400 --> 0:06:26.920 you is pretty incredible. Yeah, Yeah, we don't know what 0:06:27.000 --> 0:06:30.200 this podcast it's actually about. Voices for all roads lead 0:06:30.279 --> 0:06:35.160 to Sam and and his ability to use voice as 0:06:35.160 --> 0:06:39.719 a conduit for creative artistic expression. Thank you very good, 0:06:40.720 --> 0:06:43.680 I hear voices. Let's go with our questions. Wait, I 0:06:43.720 --> 0:06:45.720 have wait, I have a question for you first, Christie, 0:06:45.880 --> 0:06:47.719 because I think this is important. It sounds it's it 0:06:47.760 --> 0:06:50.960 sounds like Sam's sister is an amazing singer and she 0:06:51.160 --> 0:06:54.240 is incredible actress, and that she want an Emmy. But 0:06:54.440 --> 0:06:56.919 the question going through my head is can you speak 0:06:56.960 --> 0:07:02.360 Spanish absolute a month? Then no? Okay, so that not 0:07:03.960 --> 0:07:08.479 your sister. Your sister and you y'all are just geniuses. 0:07:08.480 --> 0:07:10.360 But your sister used to tell me I remember very 0:07:10.360 --> 0:07:13.040 distinctly sitting in your apartment that you had in Midtown. 0:07:13.160 --> 0:07:16.120 I think it was great. And she was tutoring me, 0:07:16.600 --> 0:07:19.040 and um, she was like, I just watch she's very 0:07:19.120 --> 0:07:22.640 high voice. She's like a princess, like literally a Disney princess. 0:07:22.960 --> 0:07:25.160 She's like, I just like to watch, um, you know, 0:07:26.080 --> 0:07:29.040 Spanish shows and that's what taught me how to learn Spanish. 0:07:29.320 --> 0:07:31.160 And like she's like fluent and she's like you know, 0:07:32.720 --> 0:07:34.560 and I was like, that's so hard. I don't know. 0:07:34.640 --> 0:07:36.680 She's just got the ear for it. She's so I 0:07:36.760 --> 0:07:40.000 love her. Please send her my love. So let's get 0:07:40.040 --> 0:07:43.480 into why we're really here. Yea, you owe me money. 0:07:43.960 --> 0:07:48.600 Oh boy, we are here because for a number of reasons. 0:07:48.640 --> 0:07:53.200 So we wept. Awkward is great. We'll talk about the 0:07:53.200 --> 0:07:56.080 money later. No, um, we brought you. We we wanted 0:07:56.120 --> 0:07:58.880 to schedule at you write at this pretty much right 0:07:58.920 --> 0:08:01.320 at this time because as we just launched our super 0:08:01.360 --> 0:08:05.040 awesome contest to become the next big voice actor. Yeah, 0:08:05.240 --> 0:08:07.960 I'm so excited about it for not not for you, 0:08:08.200 --> 0:08:11.520 not for me, but for whomever wins, because it's a 0:08:11.640 --> 0:08:16.840 it's a genuinely amazing prize, set of prizes, and it's 0:08:16.880 --> 0:08:20.160 a super cool opportunity for some lucky person out there. 0:08:20.360 --> 0:08:22.800 So here's what I wanted to So you are. Obviously, 0:08:23.320 --> 0:08:25.200 we can talk about critical role, which is huge. We're 0:08:25.200 --> 0:08:27.600 gonna talk about season two of Legend of Oxmachina, which 0:08:27.720 --> 0:08:30.360 is known for having the greatest guest cast in the 0:08:30.440 --> 0:08:33.480 history of the world. We'll get into that. Um and 0:08:33.480 --> 0:08:35.640 when and when and that's coming out and has come out? 0:08:35.640 --> 0:08:38.400 I think, Uh, we have the first three episodes of drops, 0:08:38.480 --> 0:08:41.840 so go watch it right now. Well, no, after you 0:08:41.920 --> 0:08:45.960 listen to the post to the podcast. But as as 0:08:46.000 --> 0:08:49.920 well as your sister who has won in Emmy, so 0:08:50.040 --> 0:08:53.120 have you, and you have won in Emmy because you 0:08:53.200 --> 0:08:57.079 are one of the hardest working and best voiceover directors 0:08:57.679 --> 0:09:02.960 in the business. So as a director, what advice would 0:09:03.000 --> 0:09:07.080 you give our up and coming are amateur actors as 0:09:07.160 --> 0:09:10.440 they're entering the contest, as they're starting their career, if 0:09:10.480 --> 0:09:12.320 you could sit down with them, which you're one of 0:09:12.320 --> 0:09:14.280 the prizes will get into that as well, But if 0:09:14.320 --> 0:09:16.120 you could sit down to them before they even get 0:09:16.120 --> 0:09:18.280 an opportunity to join the contest, what what would you 0:09:18.320 --> 0:09:21.640 tell them? Don't don't neglect the actor part of the 0:09:21.720 --> 0:09:25.480 voice actor. Maybe it should be called active voice or nope, 0:09:25.520 --> 0:09:28.880 that's not a thing. But but but acting is is 0:09:28.920 --> 0:09:33.760 actually genuinely important in all facets of voice acting. Even 0:09:33.800 --> 0:09:38.079 if you're doing silly animation voices or or a commercial 0:09:38.120 --> 0:09:42.600 where you just have to say, you know, direct TV stream, well, 0:09:42.600 --> 0:09:47.200 whatever it is, you still need to be good at 0:09:47.320 --> 0:09:49.640 and a good actor. So be a good actor first 0:09:49.640 --> 0:09:52.600 and then worry about the voice part second. I would 0:09:52.600 --> 0:09:54.600 also say, and also this is good advice just for 0:09:54.600 --> 0:09:57.680 people who are submitting voice over auditions. Hit them with 0:09:57.720 --> 0:09:59.760 a grabber first, like get it, get out of the 0:09:59.760 --> 0:10:03.800 gay with your with your performance. Start with something you 0:10:03.840 --> 0:10:07.000 know that's poppy, that's good, like don't don't yeah, I don't, 0:10:07.040 --> 0:10:09.800 don't scream or whatever in the first ten seconds of 0:10:09.840 --> 0:10:12.760 the thing, but you know, do do something something good 0:10:12.880 --> 0:10:16.320 soon because you know that's your that's your first impression. 0:10:16.360 --> 0:10:19.400 You want to make a solid first impression. Um. And 0:10:19.440 --> 0:10:21.800 then also I would say, I don't feel like you 0:10:21.840 --> 0:10:24.079 have to do voices that you're not good at. When 0:10:24.080 --> 0:10:27.360 I do auditions and stuff, and if I look at 0:10:27.400 --> 0:10:30.680 the at the audition specs and it says like gritty 0:10:30.760 --> 0:10:35.800 and raw, deep voice, deep based baritone. He's seen War 0:10:35.920 --> 0:10:40.080 a hundred times, he's seen Yeah, I'm usually like, if 0:10:40.080 --> 0:10:42.280 it's a video game audition or whatever, I just take that. 0:10:42.559 --> 0:10:44.040 I throw it in the trash. I can't do that. 0:10:44.120 --> 0:10:47.240 I don't do it. That's not what I do. Or 0:10:47.360 --> 0:10:49.480 or if I do submit because it's a really cool 0:10:49.520 --> 0:10:52.400 project or I've been requested on it or whatever, I'm 0:10:52.400 --> 0:10:54.800 not going to try to do this because I suck 0:10:54.840 --> 0:10:58.960 at that. It's not what I'm not proud of this. Yeah, 0:10:59.120 --> 0:11:01.120 and I'm not that guy. So I do the thing 0:11:01.160 --> 0:11:03.000 that I'm good at, which is, if I'm going to 0:11:03.080 --> 0:11:05.680 be in a war video game, I do the guy 0:11:05.760 --> 0:11:09.480 who just signed up for the military. You're always text 0:11:10.520 --> 0:11:13.959 just get yeah, exactly. And that's because that's what I'm 0:11:14.040 --> 0:11:15.800 good at. And so even if I'm not good for 0:11:15.800 --> 0:11:19.120 that audition or whatever, um, I would never send in 0:11:19.240 --> 0:11:21.760 something that's bad or that I'm not proud of, because 0:11:21.800 --> 0:11:25.000 that casting director or whatever might hear your audition and 0:11:25.120 --> 0:11:27.160 be like, boy, he's terrible for this role, but he 0:11:27.160 --> 0:11:29.920 would be so good for text the guy who's just 0:11:30.040 --> 0:11:32.840 off the just off the bus. Here's a picture of 0:11:32.840 --> 0:11:35.520 my girl. I'm so excited, can't wait to get back 0:11:35.559 --> 0:11:39.760 to my sweetheart. Yea, always that one. Okay, So see good. 0:11:39.800 --> 0:11:42.920 That's very good advice for everybody out there listening. Very 0:11:42.920 --> 0:11:55.400 good advice. I also find it really interesting that Sam 0:11:55.480 --> 0:11:59.760 is like he can do both sides of the microphone, 0:11:59.840 --> 0:12:01.800 you know what I mean? Like, that's do you think 0:12:01.840 --> 0:12:04.920 that's all the best, all the best voice over directors. 0:12:04.920 --> 0:12:11.560 It seemed like we're actors though, Andre Oh, absolutely fantastic. Yeah. 0:12:11.920 --> 0:12:13.720 I didn't realize that we interviewed her and I didn't 0:12:13.720 --> 0:12:17.680 realize that she's the greatest. Um. Yeah, I mean not 0:12:17.840 --> 0:12:21.000 every voice director in uh in our world has been 0:12:21.040 --> 0:12:24.960 an actor or is an actor, but um, but you 0:12:24.960 --> 0:12:28.480 know some of us are like me Eden, Mary, Elizabeth McGlenn. 0:12:28.840 --> 0:12:30.920 Uh and yeah, a lot of a lot of the 0:12:31.000 --> 0:12:36.240 most successful or uh certainly the funnest to work with 0:12:36.760 --> 0:12:38.920 voice directors are people who who have been in the 0:12:38.960 --> 0:12:41.240 booth like we are, because just because they know they 0:12:41.280 --> 0:12:44.280 get it. They they've been there, they understand the not 0:12:44.400 --> 0:12:48.559 just the pressure and the um, the nervousness, but also 0:12:48.640 --> 0:12:52.240 like those awkward moments between takes where no one's saying anything, 0:12:52.320 --> 0:12:54.680 or at least the actor can't hear what they're saying 0:12:55.120 --> 0:12:58.080 and starts thinking about like, oh god, they hate it, 0:12:58.120 --> 0:13:01.240 they hate me. They're saying all bad things. Oh I'm 0:13:01.240 --> 0:13:03.840 looking at their faces and they're sneering and they're scowling, 0:13:03.880 --> 0:13:06.240 and I'm about to get fired and stuff. And it's 0:13:06.320 --> 0:13:08.840 it's so wonderful to have had that experience as an 0:13:08.840 --> 0:13:11.440 actor too, because you you know, to to get on 0:13:11.480 --> 0:13:14.360 the microphone and tell the actor that you're working with, like, hey, 0:13:14.400 --> 0:13:16.400 we're not even talking about you were just ordering lunch, 0:13:16.480 --> 0:13:19.320 you know, like that, and then they're like, oh, Okay, 0:13:19.360 --> 0:13:22.199 I feel better now, you know, but you are talking 0:13:22.240 --> 0:13:27.440 about them. Let's be of course that's always that we're 0:13:27.480 --> 0:13:30.200 just ordering lunch. That guy's awful. No, we get that, 0:13:30.240 --> 0:13:32.160 we get that a lot. How did he even get 0:13:32.200 --> 0:13:35.160 the job? But I mean, I mean that goes that 0:13:35.200 --> 0:13:36.880 it makes sense. They always say it's you know, the 0:13:36.960 --> 0:13:39.080 race car drive. The best race car driver also knows 0:13:39.120 --> 0:13:41.600 something about the engine. You know. It's always so it's 0:13:41.600 --> 0:13:43.760 that same kind of you know, knowing every aspect of 0:13:43.800 --> 0:13:45.680 your business. And it's always so much easier to work 0:13:45.679 --> 0:13:47.839 with the director who has been on that side of 0:13:47.840 --> 0:13:50.480 the glass because they, you know, been in their shoes, 0:13:50.520 --> 0:13:53.040 know what you're talking about. Can also there's there's a 0:13:53.120 --> 0:13:56.600 language that comes with being in the booth on both 0:13:56.640 --> 0:13:59.160 sides where you can easily you know, Andrea was was 0:13:59.200 --> 0:14:00.720 great at that. She was the first one who brought 0:14:00.720 --> 0:14:03.000 me onto that side of the industry, and she knew 0:14:03.200 --> 0:14:05.280 how to get something out of an actor because she 0:14:05.520 --> 0:14:07.200 was an actor and knew what needed to be said, 0:14:07.240 --> 0:14:09.680 what sometimes doesn't need to be said, what you don't 0:14:09.720 --> 0:14:13.760 want to say. So there is that kind of unwritten 0:14:14.400 --> 0:14:16.760 language of the you know, we hear oofs and nugs 0:14:16.760 --> 0:14:19.000 and give me we know exactly what you're talking about 0:14:19.080 --> 0:14:22.680 kind of thing. So, um, I think too, there's a pacing. 0:14:22.840 --> 0:14:26.280 I think during sessions one of the more important things 0:14:26.320 --> 0:14:29.640 for me is the pacing because yes, you are in 0:14:29.640 --> 0:14:31.680 your head some of the time when you're thinking about 0:14:31.880 --> 0:14:33.400 you know, you guys on the other side of this 0:14:33.480 --> 0:14:36.440 like very dark plexiglass that you can't see through most 0:14:36.440 --> 0:14:39.760 of the time, and then the pacing of it really 0:14:39.760 --> 0:14:42.800 helps spark your creativity. So i'd imagine that Sam, like 0:14:43.040 --> 0:14:47.200 you've learned how to negotiate, you know, setting that piece 0:14:47.440 --> 0:14:49.560 for the actor so that you bring that out for 0:14:49.680 --> 0:14:53.440 them totally. Yeah, paces is a really important thing, uh, 0:14:53.640 --> 0:14:57.840 in sessions and momentum like once, especially for animation and 0:14:57.880 --> 0:15:00.720 when or when we're trying to do anything funny, like 0:15:00.920 --> 0:15:03.440 if you can get on a roll and get you know, 0:15:04.680 --> 0:15:07.360 getting a flow where where you're cooking, you do three 0:15:07.400 --> 0:15:09.320 takes of a line, great, got it, move on, do 0:15:09.400 --> 0:15:12.240 three takes of a line amazing, hilarious, Keep keep going. 0:15:12.720 --> 0:15:15.640 That keeps everyone in the room like engaged, even if 0:15:15.720 --> 0:15:18.400 you even if you know, like hey, we're probably gonna 0:15:18.440 --> 0:15:20.240 go back and get that line one more time at 0:15:20.240 --> 0:15:23.000 the end of the session. But let's just keep plowing 0:15:23.040 --> 0:15:26.120 forward because he's having so much fun in there, or 0:15:26.240 --> 0:15:28.640 or you know, she her voice is right where we 0:15:28.680 --> 0:15:30.360 want it to be, so let's just keep going and 0:15:30.440 --> 0:15:33.960 keep the momentum alive. It's it's so important, Okay, So 0:15:34.080 --> 0:15:37.520 that's why it's Yeah, oh man, it's a glass especially 0:15:37.560 --> 0:15:39.400 when you do you have that flow going and you 0:15:39.440 --> 0:15:42.040 know this is obviously COVID changed a lot, but especially 0:15:42.040 --> 0:15:43.600 when you're in the room with other actors and you're 0:15:43.640 --> 0:15:45.880 just playing off of each other and you've got that 0:15:45.880 --> 0:15:48.080 that perfect flow and like you said, that perfect pace. 0:15:48.120 --> 0:15:50.480 There's really nothing like ringing that tuning fork where you 0:15:50.480 --> 0:15:53.400 can just tell that you're flying and it's an awesome time. 0:15:53.400 --> 0:15:56.840 But so question then, we we heard that you started 0:15:56.960 --> 0:16:00.200 as you know, a child actor in New York, But 0:16:00.280 --> 0:16:03.000 how did you end up getting into the voice over world. 0:16:04.320 --> 0:16:07.640 I when I got back to New York from college, 0:16:07.640 --> 0:16:12.560 I went to the University of Virginia. No, no, my 0:16:12.600 --> 0:16:14.520 sister went to Harvard and shall hold that over me 0:16:14.560 --> 0:16:17.600 till the day. Yeah, I just want to have small 0:16:17.600 --> 0:16:22.400 school in Cambridge might um. Anyway, I got back to 0:16:22.480 --> 0:16:25.080 New York and I was a different actor than I 0:16:25.120 --> 0:16:30.040 had been because I was bigger and my voice had changed. 0:16:30.040 --> 0:16:32.680 I mean, obviously my voice had changed before college. But 0:16:32.840 --> 0:16:35.120 you know, when you're trying to get back into being 0:16:35.360 --> 0:16:39.240 a grown up actor after having been a kid actor 0:16:39.280 --> 0:16:42.320 for so long, it's like you you can't rely on 0:16:42.360 --> 0:16:45.000 the same tricks anymore. You're not You're not cute anymore. 0:16:45.080 --> 0:16:49.760 You're like sort of awkward, gangly young twenties, like, haven't 0:16:49.800 --> 0:16:52.360 filled out your face yet. I don't want to be 0:16:52.400 --> 0:16:56.800 a Toys r Us kid. Yeah. And if they want 0:16:56.800 --> 0:17:01.280 to hire, if they want to hire, um twenty like, 0:17:01.320 --> 0:17:04.199 if the character is young twenties, they'll probably hire a 0:17:04.200 --> 0:17:07.879 thirty year old who looks like they're in their young twenties. Um. 0:17:07.920 --> 0:17:10.240 And so there's not a ton of parts, and you're 0:17:11.080 --> 0:17:13.359 you know, I wasn't. I wasn't as good a singer 0:17:13.359 --> 0:17:16.960 anymore because my voice had changed. And um, so yeah, 0:17:17.400 --> 0:17:20.040 the one thing that I could do still was speak. 0:17:22.080 --> 0:17:24.600 I could I could still act, and I still had 0:17:25.280 --> 0:17:29.760 a speaking voice, and so, um and I'm from d 0:17:30.040 --> 0:17:32.600 the d C. Area. I don't have an accent or anything. 0:17:32.840 --> 0:17:36.120 So weirdly I got into doing these English learning tapes. 0:17:36.280 --> 0:17:39.199 These were tapes back then or c d s, but 0:17:39.400 --> 0:17:41.560 I was. I got hooked up with a company that 0:17:41.680 --> 0:17:45.359 was producing like English learning tapes for the Chinese market, 0:17:45.640 --> 0:17:48.880 and so we would do these epically long voiceover sessions, 0:17:48.920 --> 0:17:51.840 eight hour sessions where I would just be like the 0:17:51.920 --> 0:17:57.159 ball is red. R E d read the ball is red, 0:17:57.400 --> 0:17:59.800 you know, like over and over and over and over again, 0:17:59.800 --> 0:18:04.320 with my perfect crystal clear speaking voice and um and 0:18:04.480 --> 0:18:09.440 non regional addiction exactly. Um. And down the hall they 0:18:09.440 --> 0:18:13.480 were auditioning for some anime. This was like right at 0:18:13.520 --> 0:18:17.960 the um at the dawn of sort of the anime 0:18:18.200 --> 0:18:23.679 DVD market in America. Um uh and you know, early 0:18:23.680 --> 0:18:26.120 two thousands or whatever. And I walked down the hallway 0:18:26.160 --> 0:18:28.199 and because I was doing voiceover and stuff, and I 0:18:28.240 --> 0:18:31.440 auditioned for some anime stuff and I did ug oh, 0:18:31.600 --> 0:18:34.679 and I did some Pokemon and I did some you know, 0:18:34.840 --> 0:18:37.879 some anime stuff, and I was like, this is so cool, 0:18:38.000 --> 0:18:41.160 and and that got me a gig with that company 0:18:41.440 --> 0:18:45.840 h doing one of the teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles voices. Um. 0:18:45.880 --> 0:18:48.360 And the voice director of that was this woman named 0:18:48.400 --> 0:18:52.520 Sue Blue, which who is a legend and um. And 0:18:52.600 --> 0:18:54.800 so from there I just got better at it and 0:18:54.840 --> 0:18:56.760 better at it, and did more and more anime and 0:18:56.960 --> 0:19:00.600 cartoons and video games and uh and from then became 0:19:01.119 --> 0:19:04.679 a voice actor and and director and realized also that 0:19:04.760 --> 0:19:06.920 I don't really miss the on camera part of it 0:19:07.119 --> 0:19:11.879 because it's it's it's not fun. Sometimes you guys are 0:19:11.920 --> 0:19:14.000 better at it than me. But I remember going to 0:19:14.040 --> 0:19:18.080 auditions and like walking into a room full of dudes 0:19:18.359 --> 0:19:22.000 who look exactly like me, except they're just a little 0:19:22.160 --> 0:19:27.080 handsomer and they've got like bigger muscles and stuff. And 0:19:27.119 --> 0:19:30.359 I'm like, I'm the funny looking one here, and the 0:19:30.480 --> 0:19:32.760 part is not a funny looking guy. It's supposed to 0:19:32.800 --> 0:19:35.280 be a handsome guy. I'm not gonna it was awful, 0:19:35.560 --> 0:19:39.439 But with voiceover, it's it's more a meritocracy. And also 0:19:39.600 --> 0:19:41.840 you can you get to play all kinds of different 0:19:41.880 --> 0:19:44.080 parts that you would never play. Bad guys and good 0:19:44.080 --> 0:19:47.800 guys and trolls and mushrooms and turtles, and you know, 0:19:47.920 --> 0:19:51.320 it's it's so great. I love it. And see that's 0:19:51.320 --> 0:19:53.040 the that's the thing we seem to be. You know, 0:19:53.080 --> 0:19:56.640 we're with every We've hit every type of voiceover actor 0:19:56.680 --> 0:19:58.320 you could possibly imagine. We're trying to bring on as 0:19:58.359 --> 0:20:01.120 many different types as you can. We've had strictly video game, 0:20:01.160 --> 0:20:03.760 We've had mo cap, We've had people that do mostly 0:20:03.800 --> 0:20:07.359 animate Megan, yeah, the from that new movie that came out, Megan, 0:20:07.440 --> 0:20:11.400 the voice of Megan. Yeah, that's so cool. I mean, 0:20:11.440 --> 0:20:14.479 just some amazing And the one through line to all 0:20:14.520 --> 0:20:16.040 of this, and I'm saying this to all the people 0:20:16.040 --> 0:20:18.199 that that we want to enter the contest, everybody out there. 0:20:18.240 --> 0:20:22.240 The one through line is everybody loves it so much. 0:20:22.440 --> 0:20:27.240 It is just so much fun and so rewarding, and 0:20:27.280 --> 0:20:30.320 everybody it's the it's pure acting for acting sake. It's 0:20:30.359 --> 0:20:33.040 you and the microphone, and it is just such a 0:20:33.040 --> 0:20:37.199 wonderful side in side of the business that um you 0:20:37.280 --> 0:20:39.160 we you know you do hear people, because you will 0:20:39.200 --> 0:20:41.040 hear a lot of people coming in and going like, oh, 0:20:41.080 --> 0:20:42.720 the on camera side, I don't like this about the 0:20:42.720 --> 0:20:44.960 on camera side. I don't like that about the nobody's 0:20:44.960 --> 0:20:46.359 coming and been like you know what I don't like 0:20:46.480 --> 0:20:50.760 about vo doesn't exist. And so many on camera actors 0:20:50.800 --> 0:20:52.639 who are used to doing TV and movies and stuff 0:20:52.680 --> 0:20:56.560 will come in and are new to animation, and we'll 0:20:56.760 --> 0:20:59.399 we'll play and we'll do a really fun session and 0:20:59.400 --> 0:21:02.200 it'll take you ninety minutes or whatever, and they'll be like, wait, 0:21:02.240 --> 0:21:05.920 what we just did two episodes ninety minutes. This is 0:21:05.960 --> 0:21:07.159 all I want to do for the rest of my 0:21:07.200 --> 0:21:10.800 life the best. I have an interesting question, Sam, or 0:21:10.800 --> 0:21:14.440 at least I think it is right. I know you, 0:21:15.280 --> 0:21:19.160