Heading back to State College, PA this weekend for another round of shenanigans at SETSUCON. Note that I’ll be there all Saturday and Sunday morning only. Here’s my schedule:
SATURDAY
Autograph panel 12PM-1PM- Panels 1 room
Anime Password 5:30 – 6:30 PM- Panels 2 room
Dragonball Evolution Roast 18+ 9PM-10PM- Panels 2 room
SUNDAY
Dubbing and Voice Acting 101 9AM-10AM – Panels 2 room
Guest Autographs 10:30AM-11:30AM- Panels 2 Room
The critically acclaimed sci fi racing anime movie, “Redline” has dropped on dvd/blu ray this week. I voice Big Deyzuna, various announcers, spectators, and soldiers. I picked up a blu ray copy and I gotta say, its visually stunning.
Happy New Year, true believers! While the Mayans might think this is the end, I say this is just the beginning. Hope everyone had an awesome and rejuvenating holiday season and are ready to take on the fuuuuuuuuuutuuuuurrrrrrrre! (Doc Brown stance) Kicking off my appearances once again locally, with ANIME LOS ANGELES this weekend. You can catch me at the following panels:
SATURDAY
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Voice Acting Tricks of the Trade
12:00 – 1:30 PM: Autographs
4:00 – 5:30 PM: Broken Spirits panel
6:30 – 8:00 PM: Voices in Video Games
SUNDAY
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Autographs
1:00 – 3:00 PM: Anime Radio Theater
Gonna attempt something a bit different with Anime Radio this time. Inspired by voice actor Tom Weyland, as well as Kevin Smith, we’ll be performing a couple comic books as a radio play. The plan is to display the comic book panels on a projector while the actors read the script aloud. Improv and shenanigans are encouraged.
I just added a few shows to the APPEARANCES page, including stops in Orlando, Michigan, and Nashville, and Wisconsin. Really psyched to take on the new year. Can’t wait to get back in the booth, doing what I love, and traveling to all destinations to meet everyone!
Lastly, if you haven’t heard already, Bandai Entertainment just announced they will be ceasing production of physical media (blu rays, dvds, and manga). While many proclaim that the business model is what preempted the restructuring, many industry professionals, including myself, say that piracy had a huge impact. I did a video blog about this, which you can view HERE. The short end of it is, folks, if you call yourself a fan, PLEASE support the industry and keep it from sinking by purchasing the shows/manga. Fansubs, torrents, scanlations put zero dollars into the hands of the creators, and without them, well……you know. Strength in numbers!
I’d like to take this opportunity to remind everyone following me that I offer Skype VO critiques/mock auditions. This service is aimed for the beginner level. For half the cost of other private voice coaching, you’ll get an hour of one-on-one interaction with a thorough evaluation of your performance. You’ll learn the process of auditioning and recording. I provide script samples for you to rehearse and perform. You’ll get a taste of what its like for the pros, experience the expectations, and juggle cold reading, improvisation, and taking direction. I’d like to share a couple of testimonials from some of my recent sessions:
Getting to work with Kyle was a really great opportunity to learn and improve. We started off with a commercial, moved on to an anime character, and finished up with video games. Kyle had great, well articulated, advice, and gave me an important look into what it is like to work with a professional. He gave me a lot to think about during our session and in my private practice. This was an excellent investment and would recommend it to anyone interested in becoming a voice-actor. What I liked best about the session, was that after we had finished, I felt inspired to become better, but happy with the progress I have made so far. Thank you Kyle!
—-Robbie Friedman
A private session with Kyle is absolutely invaluable if you are looking to gain some insight into how a voice-over session works or if you just have some questions about the industry in general. It was no trouble at all to set up Skype and once it was time for the session to begin Kyle and I were able to speak with no problems. Kyle is very easy to talk to, so if you are nervous about working with him, don’t be. Kyle makes it clear to you in the beginning that he is going to give you his honest opinion about your ability and performance, something that I was glad to hear. Once we got started, Kyle laid out for me how the session was going to work and asked me some general questions about myself and what lead me to request a session. He then sent me some documents that contained lines for me to read and pictures of the characters I would be reading for. One thing that Kyle really wants to do through these sessions is to give you, as much as he can, an idea of what a real audition is like. Once I began reading through the lines Kyle acted as the director and gave me guidance on different ways to read them. It’s what I would imagine actually being in the booth, working with a director, feels like. I read through lines for both anime and video games. Once the reading was through, Kyle spent time as well talking about the voice acting industry and the joys and trials that are part of it. He then gave me his assessment of my abilities as an actor as well as my voice, followed by suggestions for things I could do to improve my skills if I wanted to seriously pursue voice acting as a career. Overall, this is a service that I would highly recommend to anyone who is interested in doing this. A chance to sit and talk for an hour with a professional like Kyle is indeed a worthwhile experience.
——Ben James
I think its important to note how my service differs from other classes/workshops. I DON’T teach acting. I instruct folks in learning the process. Becoming a better actor doesn’t happen over the course of one hour with anybody, no matter how seasoned they are. Taking classes, getting acting experience, networking, living where the work is, and a whole lotta luck is a very painstaking and lengthy endeavor. A ton of risk, and absolutely no guarantees. So if you’re interested, I encourage you to read over the section on my website devoted to my Skype VO sessions HERE.
Hope everyone has an awesome Thanksgiving with their loved ones! I know I am EXTREMELY blessed with all the projects I’ve been fortunate to be a part of, all the awesome people I’ve gotten to meet, and all the awesome places I’ve traveled to. Thanks to all of you for your support! If you’re gearing up for Black Friday, and you’re a Tekken fan, you might consider picking up TEKKEN HYBRID, which features a full length CG movie, “Tekken: Blood Vengeance”. In that film, you can hear me as Kazuya. (I’m not on the game, though). Check out the trailer here:
