Rolf Veldman is CEO of Voice123, the world’s first and largest online marketplace for professional voice actors. In this in-depth conversation, we delve into the hot-button issues and changes that are already happening in the voiceover industry regarding AI, TTS, and Pay-to-Plays, and how they might play out in the future. I found Rolf to have a very detailed, nuanced understanding of the industry, its future, and V123’s place in it. Please note that this interview was before the merger with Backstage.
Voiceover: How Did You DO It?? Posts
Alessandra is all things creative. A voice actor, vocalist, bass player and producer. From creating characters at the age of three, to singing in front of large groups at thirteen, she knew her place was on stage, in the studio, and on camera. Growing up in a musical family helped, as weekends were spent having family jam sessions.
Soon after her completing degree in studio music, she landed a gig singing with Ben Folds and the Pittsburgh Symphony, sang for Radio City Music Hall as a Rockette, and sang on My Brightest Diamond’s album “This is My Hand.” Studio singing quickly opened up the doors for her as a voice actor, with clients such as Google, Starbucks, Verizon, LEGO, Target, Aflac, Cinnabon, Hello Fresh, Ketel One Vodka, Hasbro, Amazon, Fidelity, iHeartRadio and many others.
With over twenty years as a professional voice actor, J. Michael Collins has worked with some of the biggest companies, brands, sports leagues, and organizations on the planet. In addition to his work in the classic, agency-based world of VO, J. Michael has established himself as a leading authority in the online casting marketplace and has become recognized as an industry leading voice talent coach and demo producer as well. J. Michael is a 38 time Voice Arts Award winner as a voice actor, demo producer, script writer, and casting director.
Khristine Hvam is an award winning audiobook narrator, producer, director, and voice over actress. You will hear her in TV/Radio commercials, video games, animated series, and most notably in over 375 audio book titles. Khristine has been honored with four Audio Publishers Association Audie Awards. AudioFile Magazine has awarded her eight of its Earphone Awards for her performances. She’s a proud mom of two!
Dave Fennoy has been a preeminent voice working in Los Angeles since 1990 and one of the most versatile voices in the industry providing voices for Commercials, Narrations, TV Promos, Award Shows, Animation and Games.
Mr. Fennoy is a sought-after VO instructor, and the subject of a chapter in the book “Secrets of Voiceover Success” by Joan Baker.
Her video game voice work includes protagonist Special Agent Vera Englund in Whispers of a Machine, Viv Vision in Marvel Avengers Academy, and characters in Unavowed, Lamplight City, The Vortex, Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff, Organ Quarter, and many others. Ivy also voices Minthe and Iris in the animated web series Gods’School.
Ivy’s commercial voice over clients include Aquaphor, Sam’s Club, Sesame, Stashable, and more.
David is one of the top voiceover coaches in the business today. He works with clients worldwide and has helped many people get their starts or further their careers in the industry. In his 25 years of teaching and coaching, David has been a private coach to celebrities, and to up and coming voice actors who are definitely on their way.
He is also a casting director for games, game apps, and cartoons, as well as a voice director for a number of cartoon series.
She teaches for Voice Actors of NYC, is on the faculty of the Tom Toddoroff Conservatory, has been a guest teacher for NYU Voice Over program, and has taught at the SAG-AFTRA foundation. As an actor Anna has decades of experience as a VO artist. She can currently be heard voicing the character of PALMON on the DIGIMON animated series as well as Selby the bear on the animated series KIOKA. Anna was nominated best character voice actor for her role as Kiera in the PlayStation games Jak and Daxter 1 and 2 by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences.
Robb is a successful, and currently, working Voice Over Talent and Coach who specializes in both Spanish and English commercial work. With over a decade of acting training through the Fame School of the Arts and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, his acting pursuits in theater took him to the world of voice over, where being bilingual has truly paid off for him and his clients.
Robb is currently the voice of “Pushy the Push Pop” in the US and Canada, and has worked commercially with McDonald’s, Lunazul Tequila, Pepsi, National Geographic, Fisher Price, AT&T and most recently campaigns with Giorgio Armani in English and Yves Saint Laurent in Spanish.