By Keith Brunson
Today I'll take you inside the mind of the Hollywood Voice Over Casting director. What is she looking for? How can you get her attention? How do you reduce the barrier to entry? And above all, what NOT to do.
Introducing Kelly Moshinski. She's the Owner of THE VOICECASTER. https://voicecaster.com/ Los Angeles' oldest and most established voice over casting office in southern California. Founded in 1975 by her predecessor, Bob Lloyd, who is now in the sunset of his life at 93 years old, Kelly casts union and non-union talent. She's looking for the best. The best in all voices, including celebrity kids, foreign languages, and accents. She's also the principal director of casting for voiceovers of an institution started in 1975.
Kelly Moshinski, the owner of THE VOICECASTER, specializes in casting voices for commercials, video games, and animation.
Nestled in Burbank, Kelly entered THE VOICECASTER after sending some 400 letters to casting directors looking for a place to develop. That was 11 years ago. Six years later, the founder sold the business to Kelly, and now she's the recipient of thousands of talented people that want to break through. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellymoshinski She spends her days with her team pouring through countless demo tapes in search of that special person she can recommend. She's also a sound engineer and demo producer—more on the significance of the demo a little later.
Casting directors don't cast. They recommend. And they do so after sifting through a mountain of talent who want to get noticed. So, the casting director in film and voiceover should be perceived as your friend, not your adversary. They Want you to impress them. They're searching for you. And they find you after you find them. https://twitter.com/thevoicecaster. To become a talent of choice, there is much more than being talented. "I'd recommend someone who is easy to work with before I'd deal with a super talented person who was hard to get along with." Says Kelly. "Being easy to get along with is more important than being good."
Initially starting with the ambition to become a doctor, Kelly slid to a theatre degree and started acting in college and learning the art of performing. "Voice Over IS acting," says Kelly, "and while some people don't realize the reality of voice over, it's ALL acting FIRST."
Companies attracted to a voiceover casting director will come to Kelly to save time. She's sifted through who's out there, and Kelly can bring a talented voice to the attention of a producer and omit the search a production company or ad agency will have to spend to find the person that Kelly already knows and can vouch for the person. https://instagram.com/thevoicecaster. "We know the talent, their versatility, their personal side, and their ability, so we are the connection that talent is looking for if they're truly serious about using their voice to act."
You can't depend on a career just from an agent or casting director, "You have to work for it," says Kelly, "and we present the best possible talent to match the best possible project for anybody and everybody looking for that special voice."
Decisions on who makes the cut occur quickly. "I know within the first five to ten seconds of the demo if that person has "The IT Factor," says Kelly. "I'm listening to their demo and can tell if it's a homemade demo which is not advised." Kelly is listening for the proper production techniques, including technical aspects such as equalization, modulation, and the overall pace of the demo. "Anybody that really wants to become a voiceover actor should a hire a producer who specializes in demo tape production," Kelly tells me. "It makes all the difference in the world to have a professionally made demo by a producer that knows how to produce them." Here's a worthy plug. Kelly produces demos.
The voices you hear that you never see are comprised of a very small group of people. "It's not a big group at all; in fact, it's a very few people that we know personally and stay in touch with that get cast," says Kelly. "With us, we want to know the talent inside and out," says Kelly. "It's hard to self-direct." And therein lies the secret. It's teamwork. The goal is to have a group of people working together to compose a final product that is as good as possible.
Specializing in commercials, video games, and animation, Kelly is presently casting a pilot for an animation series and a national commercial. She's approachable and interested. But you must make the first move. Casting directors do not find you; you find them. And just so you will know, she returns phone calls. She did mine. You're next!
