And I loved playing with my friends and acting out scenes from movies or stories we made up. I enjoyed “books on tape” (remember those?). I was also a voracious reader my imagination grew and grew as I explored new worlds, people, and stories. There is nothing I would love more than to voice characters that can have such a positive impact on others. Now that I look back, I realize how inspiring the storytelling Teddy Ruxpin and the animated films and cartoons I grew up on were to me. Again, the incredibly talented voice actors that brought the characters to life never crossed my mind. They were mesmerizing, and my imagination took flight as I delved into these stories. Teddy was an animatronic bear that told stories and sang songs. I thought that was really awesome, but the idea that I could do that still never crossed my mind.Īnother huge influence on me, which I still appreciate to this day, was “The Original Animated Storytelling Toy”, Teddy Ruxpin. I remember seeing a “Behind the Scenes” feature of Disney’s Pocahontas on the Disney Channel and seeing the voice actors in the booth recording dialogue and songs. People give characters voices? As a job? People pay them to have fun? Totally didn’t have a clue. ![]() Now, if you asked me back then if I wanted to become a voice actor, I would have had no clue what you were talking about. (I didn’t realize that I was practicing my improv and storytelling skills at the same time.) I did this with some of my friends’ toys as well. I gave voices to my siblings’ stuffed animals and entertained them at home and on road trips with conversations between multiple toys and my siblings. ( TaleSpin is still my favorite.) Without realizing it, all of these great characters made a big impression on me. I loved getting up early to watch Saturday morning cartoons and rushing home from school to catch the Disney Afternoon shows. I grew up on Disney animated films and shorts, and I loved so many other great cartoons of the 80s and early 90s. ![]() However, what I quickly realized I should have told James was that I have been voice acting all my life. And yes, that was the time when I actively pursued what having a professional voice acting career meant and how to go about establishing one. My mind went immediately to my senior year of college when I made the decision to explore what voice acting was all about. I will admit, I was in a bit of “star shock” from finally getting to meet him after so many years, and I couldn’t coherently form a full response. ![]() James Arnold Taylor, one of my voice actor heroes, once asked me if I had wanted to be a voice actor all my life. I usually don’t like to focus on me, but if you’re going to entrust me with telling your story, you deserve to know what makes me tick. My birthday was a couple days ago, the 21st of March, and I thought that, in this week’s blog, I’d share a bit more about myself so you can get to know me a little better.
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