when a teacher succeeds…
When a teacher succeeds, it’s because their student’s life has been changed by what that teacher offered. The teacher offered a gift: their knowledge, their ability to communicate that knowledge in a thoughtful way and it blossomed within the student.
I got a note today from voice talent Lisa Biggs who shared a recent experience she had with an experienced voice over pro who is now sharing his gifts as a voice teacher. I’ll let you decide if the lesson had an impact.
After ten years riding the voice over crazy train I still take classes regularly, and work closely and consistently with a handful of professional coaches. Recently I decided to reach out to Rob Paulsen in hopes that I might have the opportunity to learn from him as well. Rob has been a professional voice over actor since the 1980’s having voiced over 2,000 1/2 hour animated episodes to his credit. In 1999 Rob won the daytime Emmy award for “Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program” for his role as the voice of the boisterous and energetic laboratory mouse Pinky in the hit series Pinky and the Brain.
I feel like I’ve grown up with Rob! I remember watching him as Yako on Animaniacs every afternoon, after soccer practice in junior high. So, I was beyond thrilled when he emailed me back to informed me that he’s beginning a new venture as a voice-over coach, he said my timing was “serendipitous”!
One of the things that makes Rob Paulsen’s time and expertise so infinitely valuable is it’s relevancy. He continues to work almost every day! He’s voiced thousands of commercials. He is the voice of “Mr. Opportunity” for Honda, also he works on animated projects on a weekly basis. Rob is the quintessential busy bee and a competitive force in this highly competitive industry. Whether your goal is to learn how to bring absolute believability to a fictional character, or learning to make out of the box choices when auditioning, “Mr. Opportunity” is knocking and you should answer the door. Rob says, ” those gifted with exceptional talent who focus of maximizing their potential by finding their own niche quickly break away from the pack.”
