To say that Byron Wagner is not a wizard is beyond the grasp of how anyone would describe him. As one of the nation’s premier audiobook narrators, Byron is in a distinct fraternity of sound, which is popular only with the very few because “99 percent of all voiceover artists do not work in narration,” he tells me.
Byron describes his youth as less than impressive. ” I was the classic underachiever,” he tells me. Born in Nebraska, the oldest of three boys, Byron now lives in the thick of it in Los Angeles. But he was given a talent grant from Ohio University. And it was there that the philosophy of education was distinct. “Broadcasting and journalism should be fused.” So, under that alignment, Byron began to think of voice and information as one item. “It had a huge effect on me.”
Byron (center) with his family.
Carved out by the system in his childhood as a gifted and talented student, “it wasn’t helpful because schools were molded for the working class,” Byron tells me. So, the now very well-known narrator could lean on his childhood background, being highly involved with acting and magic.
Byron, then and now, using his voice and creating “magic”.
Now, at the peak of his career as a narrator, Byron mentors (25) students at the same time to teach them everything he knows about voice and how to use it in the digital age. “And I realized early on that the radio business was not about art but about sales. “So, upon realizing that, I got out of the radio business.” This opened him up to new audio worlds outside of radio, which was his beginning in the world of sound and voiceover.
As the inventor of audio codec, Byron was in a class of his own.
He created technology and taught others how to develop their talent while working in the voiceover business and audiobook narration.
But to be clear, “I did not create the underlying mathematical algorithm for compressing the digital audio. However, I created the first successful commercial real-time hardware implementation. Disney first used it on Lion King and increased $300 million in revenue.”
Now, at 72 years old, Byron produces thousands of words daily under the glowing pressure of authors and publishers, and it all works well. His career is that of a sophisticated artist in the purest sense. Audiobook narration from top writers. Teaching twenty-five students at a time. And remaining highly active and focused on technology as it continues to affect our modern world.
Just completing the audiobook of Henry Kissinger titled “Genesis,” Bryon is in a unique position. It’s called the top. The top of voiceover where very few can hang. But for the very few that can, they are in a class all by itself. It truly demonstrates wizardry. And that’s what makes Byron Wagner a wizard of words.
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