On Saturday at 10AM, the Hilton Galleria 7 welcomed fans and aspiring performers for “Voice Acting in a Digital World”, part of the Digital Media Track. Moderated by video game producer and longtime voice actor Sean Weiland, the panel featured voice actors Crickett Michelle, Dana Morgan, MC Chris, and writer/producer Melissa Flores. Together, they explored how the craft of voice acting is evolving in an age of remote work, online communities, and social media branding.
The discussion began with how to maintain consistency and longevity in one’s voice. MC Chris, known for voicing high-energy characters since 1999, admitted he once disliked his voice, but what he’d thought of as his weakness became his superpower as a voice actor. He also joked about how the characters he commonly plays scream quite a bit, which “makes home recording a hoot.”
Crickett Michelle, drawing from her background in singing, stressed that vocal care is essential. Pointing out the voice comes from a muscle, she noted the importance of warming up before use, as well as warming down like doing a post workout stretch. “You wouldn’t walk into a gym and bench press 300 pounds right away,” she said. “You work up to it.” She uses tongue twisters to wake up her voice, then led the audience through a brief warm-down exercise. Panelists also recommended hydration, warm tea, apples, and black currant lozenges to take care of the voice, especially leading up to a performance, as well as avoiding caffeine and dairy. MC Chris also stressed resting your voice both before and after a session to protect your voice.
Weiland then asked the panelists how they’ve used digital media? For MC Chris, social media has been essential. He talked about the fact that he works as a small business, and for a creative small business “you’re dead in water if not doing social media letting people you know exist.” MC Chris recalled how he got started with social media on MySpace. He indicated that TikTok is a great resource for voice acting like he has never seen previously.
Crickett emphasized that perfection isn’t the goal with social media. “It doesn’t have to be a three-hour soliloquy,” she said. “Put something out there, even if it’s 30 seconds.” Flores noted the importance of community, networking online leads with others in your area of interest can lead to recommendations and collaborations. She talked about how, during the pandemic, she participated in a Twitch series, Unleashed. It was a scripted series between actors, influencers, and voice over actors and she found out about it through a friend.
Morgan highlighted the value of Facebook groups and Discord for finding voice over work as well as networking because people will recommend people they know.
When Weiland asked the panelists about how to brand themselves online, MC Chris responded, “Your brand will be thrust upon you if you’re lucky,” describing how his personal passions of Bobba Fett and rap, when combined together, led to him getting labeled as nerdcore, boosting his profile.
Crickett advised creators that branding is about authenticity. “Things that light up your soul.” She noted people will find you’re passionate and putting out authentic content that reflects yourself.
An audience member asked the panelists how they decide what voice they will do for a role. Morgan recommended doing multiple versions for a role. Morgan has sent as many as five different options for the hiring person to review. Crickett suggested doing one as directed and a second that is different based upon your gut feel. Multiple options shows your range.
In response to a question for tips and tricks for creating different voices, Crickett encouraged experimenting with physical placements of the voice, noting that she has physical links for details on how to place your voice in different parts of your body. “It’s a physical sensation you can learn.” To wrap the panel up, the panelists talked about how they do voice acting because they have to do it, and noted it is a field with people passionate about voice over.
