Debra Mark was born and raised in Southern California, Debra always knew she wanted to be behind the mic or the camera in some way. She was the student who loved to read out loud; loved to be heard. She thought maybe she would become an actor or a news anchor so she went to college for broadcast journalism. Both of these dreams came true in different ways because now Debra is a jack of all trades! You can hear her on KFI 640 AM and KPCC 89.3 as well as see and/or hear her on shows like House of Cards.
Debra's three pieces of advice for being a broadcast journalist or radio personality are to be a good writer, to read a newspaper out loud and work on making it as conversational as possible, and lastly to be natural - be who you are.
Ben Pronsky grew up in Houston, Texas. He was born to a yoga instructor and a military man. He had studied theater and was doing a co-op theater audition in Houston, where he performed monologues that had a lot of distinct characters. One of the directors introduced him to the director of ADV Films who did a lot of anime and dubbing. After recording his first job for anime, he put together a voice over reel, got an agent and began working in the Houston market. Eleven years ago he made the move to Los Angeles for more opportunity. He feels that his work is all about coming from a place of authentic genuine creation of characters. Ben has studied regularly at the Larry Moss Studio and is currently a member of the Edgemar Theatre Company in Santa Monica.
Ben has been lucky enough to work in video games as well as looping and ADR. Looping, or Wala work, is the background noise in a movie. Productions hire voice actors for call-outs, incidental voices and crowd noises. This is necessary for scenes in public such as restaurants, airports, or hospitals. Looping requires a very specific skill set. Ben says, “It is the perfect marriage of improvisation, voice over and stage. You feel like you are in a theater because you are on this big sound stage.” You can hear Ben’s looping work in the recent movie Deadpool.
Ben’s advice is to take classes, work on your technique and your craft, and learn what your unique skill set really is. Secondly, don’t let the self-doubt in. Never second guess yourself. Third, surround yourself with a really good team; meaning your agent and representation, but also your colleagues, friends and families who are rooting for you.
Find out more about Ben Pronsky at www.BenPronsky.com and @BenPronsky on twitter.
For more advice on enhancing your voice over career, visit SixFigureVoice.com.