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Episode 85: Katie Leigh
34 Plays12 days ago
Join us this week as we chat with voice actor Katie Leigh!!!
DISCLAIMER: We are not an affiliate of the Walt Disney Company, nor do we speak for the brand or the company. Any and all Disney-owned audio, characters, and likenesses are their property and theirs alone.
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Transcript
Introduction and Host Team Dynamics
00:00:01
Speaker
Welcome to Sharing the Magic, the podcast that takes you on a journey through the enchanting worlds of Disney. Each week, we're joined by a special guest, whether they're a magician creating moments of astonishment or a Disney expert sharing the secrets behind the magic of the happiest place on Earth. Together we'll uncover the stories, inspirations, and behind the scenes tales that bring these worlds to life.
00:00:32
Speaker
So, get ready to be spellbound and transported to a place where dreams come true.
00:00:53
Speaker
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another great edition of Sharing the Magic. i am your host tonight, ah James. Barry is not here this evening, so I'm filling some big shoes.
00:01:04
Speaker
um He's usually our fearless leader, our host. But I have a great cast of characters with us tonight and a wonderful guest. I want to start with Chrissy.
00:01:14
Speaker
Welcome tonight. She's one of our wonderful co-hosts. How are you doing tonight? i'm I'm well. I'm very excited to be here. I'm glad to be here with our wonderful guest.
00:01:25
Speaker
Awesome. Awesome. i hope I hope you're doing well. hope I hope you feel had a good weekend. but i'm I'm excited for the guest as much as you are.
Guest Introduction and Weather Updates
00:01:33
Speaker
We're going to go next to Brandon. Brandon, how are you doing tonight?
00:01:36
Speaker
Hey, I can't complain. You know, it's nice to see some good faces, you know, and also hear some good voices. So it's good to see where tonight's going to take us. I know, right? And especially with our guests tonight, that that's, I think, super exciting.
00:01:50
Speaker
I want to kick it down to Rachel right now. Rachel, how are you doing? I am doing great in the Panhandle, Pensacola, Florida area. We had some great weather. Last week we had a bunch of snow.
00:02:02
Speaker
So looking forward to our conversation tonight and did my research. And I'm really excited about all the nostalgia that's going to come up. I know, right? I'm um'm waiting on snow right now, so i'm I'm kind of envious because this is our snow time of year where I live in Washington. So, it's yeah, I'm excited for it, too. And I'm excited for, I guess, like the the nostalgia, like you said, it hit right on it.
Brian's Epcot Experience and Jeff Schaefer's Voice Acting Journey
00:02:25
Speaker
Now I'm going to go to Brian. Brian, how are you? I'm good. I just got – I mean, I'm – Basically two or three hours away from landing back from Orlando. um I was down at the ah Festival of the Arts, which was amazing. But I definitely wanted to be part of this interview. So I made sure that as tired as I am and jet lagged that I am ready because i got I got delayed like four hours. It was Oh, um man.
00:02:48
Speaker
um I'm in New Jersey. But the Festival of the Arts was awesome at Epcot. It was really good. One of the better ones I've been to in a while. That's awesome. Well, that that's a good experience to be partaking in. So, I mean, happy to have you Sorry that you're jet lagged, but glad you had that experience. Now, let's go to Lisa. Lisa, how are you?
00:03:06
Speaker
I am wonderful. Checking in here from Indianapolis. Just wanted to report, you know, our good weather that we had. All of our snow has melted and we are at a balmy 44 degrees.
00:03:18
Speaker
So that's it warm for you guys. It is. it's It's really warm for us in February, especially Groundhog Day and all of that. I know this will be played later, but that gives some some perspective on what time of year it is.
00:03:34
Speaker
Yes. Oh, definitely. And I know Poxitani Phil saw his shadow, so has six more weeks. So definitely happening. I want to go to Josh because I'm saying saving one ah of our best for last. But Josh, how are you? What's up? I am good. Josh from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
00:03:52
Speaker
I am pumped for this episode because I've always found voice acting fascinating. that Not just the way you guys talk, but how you develop the characters, which... how you connect those voices to the actual animations.
00:04:05
Speaker
It's crazy impressive. and I can't wait to hear about that process. So I'm happy to be here. Thanks James. Yeah, no, you're welcome. I I've always been impressed by how animation, um, lines up with the voice acting itself.
00:04:18
Speaker
And speaking of voice acting, our resident voice actor himself, Jeff Schaefer, how are you doing today, buddy? How have you been? So excited. Oh my goodness. So I usually, for Katie, for our guests, I usually do like a goofy welcome. I i love voice acting. Damn, usually I do. i I study Bill Farmer's voice intentionally. Creepy, like creepy.
00:04:42
Speaker
I study it very carefully. passionately. and And we've had Bill on here a couple times. We've had we've had quite a few voices. And I'm always the one who loves, um just I love the process. I love learning about not only the the experience of voice acting, but you know, where's it going and where's it heading and just the process itself and and to hear your story. So I'm going to suspend my goofy welcome because itll it might come out a little bit later, but I just, I'm so, you know, we have voice actors on here sometimes and I always feel like, you know, when a voice actor comes on a podcast, it's usually like, ooh, can you do voices for us?
00:05:22
Speaker
But what I like about having voice actors, I'm like, I'll do voices for you. you know, like I want to give you something back, you know, just just ah just to make you smile once in a while or something. So I hope I hope I hope we have a great conversation. I know we will.
00:05:37
Speaker
But um I'm just so Katie, you are i the minute I heard your voice. I'm like, I know that voice. i know I know exactly who you are and what you've done. and just I'm just so happy to have you. I'm starstruck, and that's how, if you watch some of our other episodes, you know, there's people I'm like really cool, and then there's the voice actors. I'm a kid in a candy shop, I'm just so happy you're
Katie's Unexpected Voice Acting Career Beginnings
00:06:05
Speaker
here. Well, I feel very honored. I'm glad to make you smile.
00:06:09
Speaker
Yes, always. so thank you for Thank you so much for being here. I was going to leave it to you, Jeff. You you've you had it going, buddy. Okay, well, all right.
00:06:22
Speaker
I started my... Okay, here's my a little bit of my story. So ah my great-great cousin, again and then growing up as a kid, always heard, you this is your great cousin. This is your great... pat it He was Pat Buttram.
00:06:35
Speaker
Uh-huh. Label Sheriff of Nottingham. He was... You know, he... But growing up as a kid, I loved voice acting because it was like I could connect the voices to that person does this voice or this person does that voice as well.
00:06:50
Speaker
And so growing up, I always, you know, whether was leaving, and you know, ah voice recordings on the answering machine as a kid, you know, well, if you'd like it. I don't know why my parents let me do that, but they just they just did. not?
00:07:04
Speaker
but Yeah, they were so cool. And eventually um i started, you know, i don't I don't know why I bought a ah Labrador dog and I just started doing voices for him. But we will share for some sort of gone up and down and then it sort of got goofy, you know.
00:07:23
Speaker
OK, now. Well, that sort of. what But there was something there. And this is, i ask this question sometimes to a lot of voice actors, like, what was your first anchor voice? I think my anchor voice was Pat Buttram.
00:07:38
Speaker
It sort of evolved into Goofy. But if what was the first voice that you had that sort of was like, oh, I'm really good at this, or I enjoy doing this voice? And how did your voice evolve from from that? Yeah.
00:07:55
Speaker
I don't think I have an anchor voice. Oh, well, you then you're just perfect. then No, that's that's a great answer. it didn't It wasn't like I grew up thinking I was going to be a voice actor.
00:08:07
Speaker
Oh, well, maybe just tell us your story. Maybe a little bit different. i I loved imitating what but what I thought was imitating people, singers and comedians on TV growing up and voices. i don't know. I think I just...
00:08:24
Speaker
did it for myself. Yeah. But when I graduated high school, people started to tell me I sounded younger than I was. And this was not anything I created.
00:08:38
Speaker
um so they suggested perhaps I should go into voiceover and I thought maybe I could do it to make extra money. so i started pursuing doing voiceover as like a side gig.
00:08:53
Speaker
And um I was living in San Francisco. i'm from l LA. And the first job I got was, don't think I was in, I don't even know if I was in the union yet. actually did something in San Francisco while I was in college that got me in the union.
00:09:12
Speaker
But I would come home on Christmas break And my stepmother worked at a very fancy hair salon in Beverly Hills where Noel Blank used to get his hair done.
00:09:25
Speaker
And he was looking, i guess she, they were kind of friends. Maybe she told him about me. And he was doing a film, some sort of short film for um the Shriners Burn Institute, Burn Institute, and they needed the voice of a little girl screaming, being scalded in the bathtub.
00:09:51
Speaker
And she talked to me and said, come on over. And it was very weird because I wasn't really you know, just starting out or, you know, exploring voiceover. And I drove to his house in Beverly Hills. He had a recording studio. And ah we watched, and I screamed, and he said, thank you And um I walked out, and there was Michael Douglas sitting in his tennis shorts on the couch saying, like can we go play now? And i was like, oh, my goodness.
00:10:24
Speaker
So, I mean, a lot of my voice work is, you know, before I created voices was just sounding young, just being, you know, or or imitating. I do a lot of, i did a lot of ah adr work in my life where I would match voices.
00:10:43
Speaker
But they weren't necessarily famous people. So I don't know. the first No, you answered my question. my You know, your anchor voice was you. ah You know? Yeah, I guess. think that's what it was. It wasn't somebody else like me, you know? or But, you know. It was your voice. Seriously, probably the first anchor. I mean, i don't know if you want to call it an anchor voice. I don't know. Yeah, I don't know if that's the thing. When I got the part of Baby Rolf on The Muppet Babies, I really, really worked at trying to sound like Rolf.
00:11:12
Speaker
So that was the first character I i think needed to do because the other ones I kind of created and were just maybe versions of myself. Yeah.
00:11:23
Speaker
You Rolf was like my favorite. That's totally far out, man. Oh.
00:11:31
Speaker
My favorite character i childhood. My childhood. Well, I had this little role of Muppet Babies like figure, and I lost it for like over a year, and I was so distraught. i would always Finally, it came up, and it felt like just my life was restored. He was one of my favorite characters, too. i actually i was told i was one of the few people who auditioned who even knew who he was at the time.
00:11:58
Speaker
Well, because I knew Big Rolf from Jimmy Dean's show when I was a little kid. Big Rolf was good, but but Little Rolf was even better, in my opinion. Very sweet. Thank you. You're welcome.
00:12:10
Speaker
Cool. but So where did the love of Disney come from? and this like How did that love of Disney translate into doing voice acting for them?
00:12:22
Speaker
Well, this is gonna sound really crass. I mean, every voice actor wants to work. If they wanna hire you, I love Disney. yeah Right. No, it's true.
00:12:34
Speaker
mean, you know, but i I did grow up in Southern California. My father, you know, we'd go to Disneyland every year. And for a few years, I lived in Illinois when I was little.
00:12:46
Speaker
And I used to have the strangest dream. I can share this with you guys because this is cuckoo dream i I would have recurring. And it doesn't make any sense. But I was a little girl living in Illinois, and I would dream, because Bewitched was a popular TV show, I think. So I would dream that i was a witch, and i would turn my so I would turn myself into a bird, and I would fly to Disneyland.
00:13:12
Speaker
Just outside the wall.
Katie's Early Disney Love and Career Development
00:13:14
Speaker
du This is the part that doesn't make any sense. Then I would turn into a rubber ball and bounce over the wall to get into Disneyland. So that was my dream. That makes all the sense. it does i Why I didn't fly in there straight, I don't know. but i'm ah I'm a Jungian specialist when it comes to dreams. I'll tell you exactly. Someday I'll let you- For real?
00:13:35
Speaker
Well, i' a little bit. Like, okay, so the bouncy thing is like adaptability. So if you're bouncy, bouncy, you know, it's like, okay, Tigger's, you know, Tigger's tail. Well, the rubber ball is about adaptability. What was the thing you said before?
00:13:49
Speaker
i was a bird. I flew Illinois. Oh, that's about freedom. Yeah, it's about shedding your wings. Like, actually. i don't know. But, yes, i I did. I love Disneyland. I have a picture of myself on the wall when I was little. My dad took of me at Disneyland, so.
00:14:05
Speaker
I actually have really funny picture of me and my sisters at Disneyland. It's on my refrigerator. I could show you. Oh, I want to see. We're audio, but I'm going to describe it to all of our... Well, we didn't go get it? Yes, yes. Okay, all right, hold on. One of my sisters sent it for Christmas. This would be perfect.
00:14:26
Speaker
Oh, i it's going to be great. and Yeah, I mean, Disneyland was a big part life. my life Oh, look at that.
00:14:37
Speaker
Wow, that character does not come out much anymore. No. It's one of the amazing. That's me, brown-haired one, my two sisters.
00:14:48
Speaker
I love it That's great. ah and you And you just got that picture? Oh, a couple years ago. She found it, made them magnets, and sent them to us. Because back then, you know, people used to get dressed up to go to Disneyland. It was big deal. You know, you'd wear dresses and your nice shoes sometimes. Suits and ties. Men used to wear suits and ties to go on rides. You used to get dressed up.
00:15:17
Speaker
You know, because we're you know that's like in the late late sixty s in the city Yeah. Yeah, it's so different. Like, we're going on airplanes, too. We had to get through. It's like going to church. I heard about, yeah.
00:15:31
Speaker
I saw that. and Back in those old days, yeah. And now I'm wrestling through that. I'm like, was that better or worse? And I don't even know. Sometimes I'm like, maybe. Yeah, I mean, honestly, I don't know why my little three-year-old sister is wearing white pants. That does not seem to be a smart choice to me. I have never dressed my kids in white pants to go to Disney.
00:15:53
Speaker
but But that that's a sign of the times too, maybe. I've never dressed my child in white pants daily. Yeah, I mean, it was so special because, you know, that's when we had the tickets.
00:16:08
Speaker
Yeah. And, you know, you had to decide what rides you would go on you know, which, what would you get your tickets for? And then after we did Gummy Bears, I actually got to do the voice for the ride through Gummy Glen that was like open maybe for a year or two. And then they changed it, but that was pretty good. Jet boats. Oh, you said you did the voice for the ride. That's really cool. Jet boats. Did you get to go on the ride while your voice was, that so you could hear your voice?
00:16:32
Speaker
You what? I had to ask, they would not give me a ticket, but one of the producers at you know for the show, I said, I want to go see this. And he said, oh, I could get you. He'll give me like one of his tickets or a couple so we could go.
00:16:49
Speaker
get into Disneyland. They weren't about to give me a ticket to get in to see it. But basically it was just Sunny Gummy saying, bye, bye. You know, the Bank of America signs at the end of the ride, bye-bye kind of thing.
00:17:02
Speaker
but was fun. It's still cool. None of us ever got that opportunity. So there you go. No, it's pretty neato. How about your work on Darkwing Duck? I'm a big fan of Darkwing Duck. Because you like Hucker Butterfoot or what? Yes, definitely. Definitely.
00:17:17
Speaker
I love that. That is so good. That is so good, yeah. So how did you how did you get that opportunity? Ginny McSwain was directing Darkwing Duck, and she knew me from other stuff, and she just called me into audition. She says, just do that little boy voice you do.
00:17:36
Speaker
She had kind of had it in mind, and I did, and they liked it. That's pretty cool. That's so cool. So simple. I mean, you know, being at the right place at the right time, knowing the right people helps too, right?
00:17:49
Speaker
Well, it's simple, but you know, it it actually impacts a lot of people because a lot of us that are fans, we know that and it kind of grows with us and you don't realize the impact you have. Maybe you do, but I mean, there is, you definitely have a lot of impact on people just from your voice and just what our mind associates that voice with.
00:18:06
Speaker
Well, yeah. It's pretty cool. It's very cool. And if you're a freak like me who always loved connecting dots, like, oh, okay, the voice from Darkwing Duck and Gummy Bears and, and, and, you know, and they're all the same person.
00:18:20
Speaker
and there's a Oh, I knew all, as a kid, grow I knew all those voices. I knew, i knew. it You know, we don't know because, i mean, Jeff, what are you in your late th thirty s Oh, thank you for saying that. No, i I'm in my 40s.
00:18:33
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, so, you know, you were little. I was, you know, we don't know who's watching. We don't know the impact until now. I'm just so blessed to, you know, meet you all and hear your stories because you're not going to tell me when you're eight years old, you know, yeah anything. But now i get to hear.
00:18:52
Speaker
It's just, it's this big time gap that... Everybody's, you know, I get to, you like going to Comic-Con, I'm going to Orlando actually on Friday. and ah and a blessing for me because, you know, as a kid or, or Well, we never got to see the faces of of these. A lot of times they didn't put our names in the credits. No. Or they didn't say what voice we were.
00:19:16
Speaker
No. So growing like I said, growing up, I always had to tune my ear. I'm like, okay, I know. je i know okay I would slow down the credits.
00:19:26
Speaker
You know, and I would say, okay, who does this voice? And because I've heard the voice, I was, I'm weird like that. But I always was. Yeah, but you couldn't even do that till we got, uh, No, but now I get to see all your- What are they, DVRs?
00:19:39
Speaker
Yeah. Well, no, we always recorded things on my, on a video. So it would be like, you know, it'd be grainy or whatever. But so if, if like, i You mean like with a video camera?
00:19:52
Speaker
No, no, but i would we would record... That's what I'm saying. There used to not be DVR. VCR. No, it'd be VCR, like Disney Afternoon. Yeah, but we couldn't those. Jeff had his Betamax, yeah.
00:20:05
Speaker
Even before that. When those recorders came out, and then I could set a recorder because before that, if I didn't see my show or I was busy... Yeah, I didn't get to see it.
00:20:16
Speaker
I just saw on YouTube an episode of the Smurfs that I'd never seen before that I was in. Oh my goodness. Who are you in the Smurfs? didn't even think about that. uh, yeah, just, I was, you know, scrolling through. Somebody asked me about something and I started looking and I'm like, wow, I, it was, I was, uh, played the girl, a girl named Denisa who was Gargamel's God niece.
00:20:42
Speaker
Really? Okay. I'm going to, I'm going to hunt that down. and nice i I was, by the way, she was kind of a brat. Oh, so you're going to Comic-Con? Yeah, the anime Orlando Megacon.
00:20:56
Speaker
Oh, wow. what are you going to do have a signing or a panel or what? Yeah, yeah. we're I'm part of what they're calling anime after dark. So only on Friday night and Saturday night are we going to be doing autographs.
00:21:08
Speaker
So i won't be there during the main thing. they're not It's a special kind of event. So we're going to fly in Friday, do it Friday, Saturday night, and fly home Sunday.
00:21:22
Speaker
That's very cool. Very cool. Yeah, but Darkwing Duck was really, that was when the Disney Channel started doing stuff more. and that's yeah That's the role that you do that I, like, okay, Rolf was, okay, that one stars makes me starstruck, but that one does too. Because i'm like because I watch every episode
Character Creation and Impact on Fans
00:21:44
Speaker
Darkwing. I still do. It's a great show.
00:21:46
Speaker
And Gummy Bears, too. I'm like, all right. I mean, really good scripts, but what's great is, and it wasn't until later, too, when I got DVDs and could, you know, focus on it. didn't have my own kids to wrangle, you know, while we were watching TV.
00:22:02
Speaker
And to see the relationship between Darkwing and his daughter was really terrific. Yeah. But you're, okay, so your performance there was, okay, so you, there's some, that that was one that this is this is why I'm a little starstruck about it is because I would to attune my ear.
00:22:21
Speaker
I'm like, okay, this person is this person. And I could pick up on that. But i had no I had no idea that you were in Darkwing Duck. And now I'm like, Got you.
00:22:34
Speaker
ah Yeah, you got me. Well, know, it's funny because Jimmy- Your voice was so different. You pitched your voice so- Jim worked. Jim Cummings worked with me on Dumbo Circus. That was the first thing we did for Disney. Yeah. I can't believe you just said Dumbo Circus because that's like core memory childhood, early Disney Channel for me. Well, that's our show for today, boys and girls. I hope you liked it. No way. Yeah, but when you were- Like, you're Honker. i was like, Honker. I'm like, i know this person. I knew every name. I had i still have every Darkwing Duck action figure that eggs ever existed as a kid, you know.
00:23:08
Speaker
And I just, I'm so happy you're here. I'm just, like I said, I'm just starstruck. Thank you. so Thank you. Yeah, so that was i thought like that was my first actual Disney show. Yeah.
00:23:19
Speaker
I think was Dumbo Circus. and then And then we did Gummy Bears. Gummy Bears. And then you said gummy bears and I remember my very first trip to Disneyland, it was right before is the last like year and a half of the jet boat attraction at Disneyland, they turned into the gummy bear attraction. And i remember that's like one of the first things I saw remember writing was that. So I did hear your voice when you said like, hey, I do remember that.
00:23:45
Speaker
Sonny was such a like a gummy bear. Sonny was such like a ah unique character. Really unique, yeah. I think do you say that? This is so neat because I don't know what anybody thinks about anything, so I'm very interested in what you have to say.
00:23:59
Speaker
Well, for two reasons. One is there were gummy bears. Okay. This is, I'm going to give a ah silly reason. that I'm going to give a ah smart reason. The first, the silly reason is, well, you know, there used to be gummy bears, little toys you'd get in cereal boxes, and it would always be Sunny all the time.
00:24:18
Speaker
And I'm like, well, she must be really an important character. Oh, my goodness. Yeah. so That sounds like she's an expendable crewman. No, i don't think so. I think it was just, it was, she's bright, right? So it was like, oh, people are going to love this. it like And I did. So I was never like, them well, I got another one. But it wasn't a bad thing. It was, um but I don't know. When I would watch the show, there was something about the character.
00:24:43
Speaker
I would have to go back and and sort of... There was something that was like vulnerable and strong, you know, at that same time. And I don't know how what you think about I think have a habit of playing people like that. Now, I keep getting feedback because people will say that about Sheila in Dungeons and Dragons. They'll say that about... Another one, which is...
00:25:04
Speaker
You know, and i I didn't know what people liked and they seem to, you know, even um Alex in Totally Spies sort of similar, that same, you know.
00:25:15
Speaker
i think i think my characters tend to be honest and, also... and um but also ah inquisitive and curious and and bold, which is kind of like me, I guess. which So you probably get asked for things that your personality is suited for. Right.
00:25:36
Speaker
I think that's voice acting. And as we've had some, as we've had guests here, actually think that I i won't even just like, I won't even just say that's just voice acting. I think across the board is we've had guests on the show.
00:25:52
Speaker
That's sort of kind of the, the thing, which is, you know, in life, sometimes you got to be authentic and vulnerable, but you, but you can't just, you got to be confident. You got to be strong. You got to,
00:26:05
Speaker
You gotta move forward. And so i think that's true what you said. Well, as ah as a voice actor and talking to another voice actor. Oh, no, I'm an amateur. Don't even refer to me as that. Well, let me I just want to encourage everybody that, you know, there are things that we're really suited for and some things that we aren't. And yeah you kind of know.
00:26:29
Speaker
yeah Inside of you, if you relate to the character, I think you have a better chance of doing it than wondering what do they want to hear. Right. off Because something just connects and then, you know, you do what you feel is right.
00:26:43
Speaker
And if you're, you know, if it works out, then it, you know, it just feels right to play that character too. Yeah. You don't know this, but I'm like, oh, I really needed to hear that.
00:26:56
Speaker
And it's not even voice acting. It's just my normal job. which Which might be really helpful for people that are listening today. think it is. I think that wisdom that's wisdom, not just in and voice acting, but in our day-to-day lives. It's true. It's the truth. She's right. yeah She's 100% right. All right, someone else. Let's go. So I have um just a quick thing that I've
Industry Changes and Fan Interactions
00:27:20
Speaker
noticed. um And I hadn't even thought about the Smurfs, but like some of the things, some of those ah cartoons that i remember um growing up were,
00:27:30
Speaker
my kids now have access to on Disney Plus, like gummy bears. I thought that they would never get to see them. And so just remember, too, that you're impacting multiple generations. Oh, I know. And I meet families. And I'm so amazed that the parents, like, first of all, im impressed with parents who control the television.
00:27:53
Speaker
They decide what their kids are going to watch. Isn't that, That's great. But then the kids like it. It's like they've created this family bond over things that they enjoy. And in a way, I remember, you know, things that my mother used to like to watch. We'd all watch certain types of movies growing up. We didn't have access to everything like you all do. But yeah, I meet families and, you know, they're big fans and their kids know it. And I can't believe these little seven-year-olds know the shows, you know? so It's so amazing. such a blessing. You guys can't even imagine.
00:28:29
Speaker
But do know that, yeah, I mean, being in media, it kind of lasts forever, and that's huge. But I think each and every one of us has an impact on people in their lives that you don't even realize.
00:28:42
Speaker
You know, we have to take advantage of every interaction we have. But, you know, Still, it's it really blows you away because you know you start out, you just want to get a job, you want to get paid, you do your best, you hope you don't get fired, you hope it gets on the air, you hope you're not replaced.
00:28:59
Speaker
then 30 years later you hear these um wonderful stories of how people, you know, got them through a tough time in childhood or made them want to be a voice actor or empowered them to feel like they weren't invisible or that they could do something because some character that we played on TV, you know, and it's a team. It's not just me. I realize that. But, you know, you're part of this.
00:29:25
Speaker
and And media, I'm sure, has had a huge impact on me growing up, too. We all get it, you know. But to be have a positive influence on people...
00:29:36
Speaker
and to be a you know make them happy and encourage them get them through a tough time i mean like wow that's like a spider-man thing you know this is all that responsibility Very much agree.
00:29:50
Speaker
We're all, you know, if we all tune into those passions um and build those relationships, like you said, kids watching with their parents, if they still do that anymore, makes much, makes it. so they I knew somebody else. I'll say this. I i knew somebody, the gosh, Well, less than six months ago. I gotta be honest about the timeline.
00:30:11
Speaker
It was less than six months, but it was it was somebody that I knew that was like, oh, I've been watching the Gummy Bears with my kids now. yeah and And I think...
00:30:24
Speaker
What's been interesting is, you know, went probably if, um i mean, Katie, I don't, I don't, well, I don't know your experience, but I bet, you know, it I remember being growing up in the, in the eighties and things.
00:30:37
Speaker
Well, you're right. Like, I mean, there were, there weren't a lot of, but there wasn't social media the way there is now, right? The communicative thing. And so a lot of this stuff that's coming out of the woodwork in a beautiful way, it's like,
00:30:53
Speaker
You changed my life. Oh, I love this. And it's all this stuff that, you know, back in those days, nobody had access other than maybe writing a personal letter or something, which then how do they express that to you? So going to a Comic-Con and saying. They're terrific. It's so neat. It's got to be amazing. meet people face to face. Yeah. But you get messages now. I mean, we're all like public figures, aren't we?
00:31:23
Speaker
yeah Do you like that or is it is that a little bit like, oh, shocking, like, or in between? but mo For the most part, it it's it's good. And I think that people don't realize how much access, how easily they can access people.
00:31:40
Speaker
Yeah. You know, it's so different from back in the day where try to, you know, send it. a letter to a TV show or something and hope they get it and then somebody in the office sends you ah see you know a reproduced autograph photo.
00:31:55
Speaker
I mean, people have, we all have so much access to each other. um Well, that could be a bad thing too, right? can be a bad thing. um Because then it's like you get this message on Facebook or something like, oh, I've had a bad day. i don't want to You kind of be I actually got a letter today. Somebody who said he would really like to talk to me for five. I work also on a radio program called Adventures in Odyssey.
00:32:23
Speaker
which is a faith-based radio program. And we've been on the air for 37 years. I've been playing the same character. And so this fellow is a listener. He said, I've been listening all my life, and I'd really like five minutes to talk to him. remember Ventures in Odyssey.
00:32:41
Speaker
I'm a pastor, by the way. You are? Oh, fantastic. So, you know, is huge. I've never said that on this podcast, but... Well, yay. That's all right. Now everyone Now everyone knows. I go to church. Now everybody knows. and but I people. But I, you know, that's huge. And I think that's made a big, um that's a big influence on the parts that I feel comfortable doing because we have such a huge following, not just parents and their kids, but grandparents and their kids and their kids.
00:33:12
Speaker
And, you know, i feel a big responsibility to be careful about what things I do, even though it's a job and we're all acting. Right. I just, I feel like I have a an audience to care.
00:33:28
Speaker
Yeah. I say the same thing, but I feel it's different. It's so funny. I'm like, well, I'm a pastor, right? So I need to be, make sure, like... Where do live?
00:33:38
Speaker
I'm in North Carolina. Fayetteville, North Carolina. Used to live in Kentucky. But, well... You know, I'm a pastor, so I got to be very careful about what I post and how I conduct myself, and both in public. and But then, you know, what's funny is I always say, but I'm also a voice match for Goofy, for the voice of Goofy. Well, he goes to church, too. I hope so. Oh, I'm going to church. Okay. Let's Yeah.
00:34:05
Speaker
yeah um but i always say i's how many people are you know church going people and i know well but i always say i'm like you know the reason i gotta keep it on the straight and narrow i'm like you know i feel guilty about this i'm like well you know because i'm a pastor i should i should feel that way but it's but i'm like but i'm also do a voice match for goofy and goofy can't post anything that pastor's husband is a full-time voice actor Really? Not only that, he's the voice of Venom in the Spider-Man games. He has very scary voice. What?
00:34:41
Speaker
gary boy
00:34:44
Speaker
I love that. so That's so cool. He he has my old, I had a sauna that like caught on fire or something. though the no no just The electrical parts, it didn't work. And I sold it, gave it to him pretty much, sold it to him pretty cheap. And that he tricked it out to paint it like a TARDIS. And that's his recording booth.
00:35:08
Speaker
Oh, there you go. This is my closet. Yeah, well, that I love that. A recording booth can be... That's the best story I've heard all week. Dang it. All right. Sorry. smacked my mind.
00:35:20
Speaker
Yeah. Sorry. Okay, so we kind of got off track. I know. All right, all right. Chrissy, Brandon, Joshua. I'm going to mute myself for a minute, and y'all... Yeah, Rachel, come on, guys. Let's ask Katie.
00:35:33
Speaker
I would love to reel it in into My Little Pony because... I didn't necessarily grow up with My Little Pony, but my daughter was my daughter was obsessed with horses, and it turned into My Little Pony.
00:35:47
Speaker
And we started her out with the 80s, 90s ponies. And a funny story is my husband got on eBay and ordered My Little Ponies in bulk.
00:35:58
Speaker
So we have had all of the My Little Ponies that you have done voices for. So my question is, and I actually told her we were having a interview tonight.
00:36:10
Speaker
She's in animation, 3D animation, and that has changed so much through the years. How old is she? She's 21 right now. okay. And um so she's watched the pony that My Little Ponies from the beginning until um have five kids. I think it's on the air again because we got a residual. I don't know where it's playing. but It's all over the place. and it's it is And the toys are coming. There's something about the toys are coming back out. If you know where it's airing, let me know. I'll send it to you. I found them on YouTube.
00:36:44
Speaker
found the old ones on YouTube. That we don't get paid for. And we have v we still have some of the VHS ones that she used to watch over and over again. Okay, so what's your question? Sorry. See, so the animation has changed so much with the My Little Ponies. It's crazy.
00:36:58
Speaker
um I don't even know what's going on anymore. But how the... has the How has voices, like, how has that changed through the years? Like, from, like, would you say it's ah it's a lot different now, how they would record it and Well, do you see where I am?
00:37:19
Speaker
i'm in my own recording booth. I didn't have a recording booth until about 15 years ago. We would just go to the studio.
00:37:30
Speaker
yeah Now most people have to have their and their own space, either a booth or a closet or yes um'm in quiet something quiet to um record in. And we have to have our own equipment.
00:37:44
Speaker
So it's it's very much an isolated, more isolated experience than it used to be It's not the same.
00:37:55
Speaker
That's for sure. You know, we have to be technical. We have to be our own engineers. I mean, and this booth is not ideal. I mean, it's only four by four. I can't run around, you know, use my arms the way I might in a bigger space where, we you know, we're in a big recording studio.
00:38:14
Speaker
So, you know, we're more limited and that's not to say that people don't record a studio. As matter of fact, Odyssey, we record, we still all go to work together and it was beautiful. it was They said this last week when we went a couple weeks ago was the first time since COVID they hadn't had anybody be ah remotely recorded. We were all together that was really nice.
00:38:38
Speaker
um So that's a big part of it. And you know, like auditions, ah like now we send our auditions in and we used to kind of before we do it at our agents, but like like take the dark wing duck, okay?
00:38:53
Speaker
You know, we called in, they're having auditions, you go in, and then the director gets to tell you what they're looking for. You know, i'm like I said, Ginny said, can you do that?
00:39:04
Speaker
This is what I'm looking for. Okay, like this, maybe a little more like this. So you get to sort of massage your auditions, where now you send it in and like, no, no, no, no. If they don't hear what they think they want to hear and they don't know you,
00:39:19
Speaker
It's like, you know, then and they go through hundreds. There's so many more people now. We got pastors out in North Carolina submitting now. And, well, we used to only have people in Hollywood, right? Well, just happy to be here. yeah So, you know, the pool of talent is, you know, international. It is Hundreds and hundreds. So it's really tough.
00:39:42
Speaker
It's very fast. If you can't. call it the Wild West. It kind of is. And, um you know, I was telling my friend Chris this morning, Chris from Adventures in Odyssey, who's one of my BFFs.
00:40:00
Speaker
This morning I woke up thinking, you know, back in the day, because i I have some friends visiting from Oregon, and I've known them for like 40 years. But anyway, we used to have a life.
00:40:11
Speaker
I had a life, I did lots of things, but I also had work. And now it's like work is everything. And we have to like fit going to visit people or doing this and that doesn't feel right.
00:40:25
Speaker
It feels out of balance and i'm thankful because i am at a point in my life where I think I can make some choices about if I want work to be the only thing I think of when I wake up in the morning till I go to bed at night.
00:40:44
Speaker
Or, you know, let it, yeah i have to curate or pretend like things were like they used to be because we honestly We worked part-time and made a full-time living.
00:40:57
Speaker
Hallelujah. That was amazing. That's most... But now you make you work four times as much to make about the same amount equivalent salary yeah that we made back then. And so it's not... I usually try to discourage people.
00:41:16
Speaker
i mean, voiceover is a great career. You can make tons of money, but not necessarily in animation. Yeah. Yeah. And it's changing too. We've, you know, they're, well, that Katie, that is, oh my gosh.
00:41:30
Speaker
What you just said is like talking about the history of it. Nobody else has ever said that to me personally as a voice actor. And now I'm like, oh no, I've got to think about this, but not in a bad way, in a, in a good way.
00:41:44
Speaker
Well, it's important to be sober-minded, as you know. Absolutely. So, you know, i i coach. I coach people through the Global Voice Acting Academy. Occasionally have classes online. I'm going be at VO Atlanta, which I encourage you to go to, Jeff. and Yes. Well, I'm going to contact you if that's okay. March.
00:42:02
Speaker
I could use a coach. Well, VO Atlanta is a great—now they have voiceover conferences. We never had anything like that before either, you know? Yeah. Yeah. plenty of them around the country enough to go and you get such a good understanding of the business in a very concentrated period of time. It's totally worth it because then you can see where do I fit in What do I like? I don't think I like this. Yeah. You know, or this interests me. This feels like something I could do.
00:42:31
Speaker
Oh, maybe audio books, you know, whatever. You figure out what you're your genre kind of finds you, but you also hear about, you learn about technical stuff. You learn about the business. You learn about casting. You learn about...
00:42:44
Speaker
know, what's really going on? I mean, there's a lot of information you can get from podcasts. People will learn some stuff from listening to this interview. But if you're serious, if you really want to explore being a voice actor, I say go find ah a voiceover conference. They have one in l la in December. They have VO Atlanta. They have the Mid-Atlantic voiceover conference. then they have one in Dallas called One Voice, which is a lot smaller, but it's still- ah great opportunity to get a whole bunch of information about the business and talk to other people and hear what they're doing and oh you know how did you build your booth oh what did you know what did you do how did you know where'd you get the materials you make friends and people network because I don't think you can really succeed
00:43:29
Speaker
Well, I shouldn't say that, but one thing that really helps is networking and having friends. And, you know, people refer me for jobs and and that's wonderful because having that that is ah like having the casting director have a chat with you when you're interviewing. At least you're being recommended by somebody who somebody else trusts because we all want to work with people. we know, like, we trust, right? And I always say it's not who who you know who knows you.
00:43:58
Speaker
And I think that's very important to any job I've ever gotten. And honestly, it's not just you who should be careful what you're posting online because i if I'm coaching somebody, going to look them up, see what's ah what they've you know got going on. You can find a lot about someone's personality.
00:44:22
Speaker
And, you know, all it takes is one post that somebody disagrees with who might hire you goes, I don't want him anything to do. Not me! um I'm clean as the whistle.
00:44:34
Speaker
Well, you know, you just know we're we're not I just don't post anything. That's the problem. ah but so I had a question for you, Katie. um You mentioned something about the hiring process, which flipped my vision of what it was like for you guys.
00:44:50
Speaker
So at first, I imagine like a voice actor gets a project already and works on trying to find the voice to match animation. But you guys are more...
00:45:01
Speaker
Getting the gig idea and sending out what you hope they like. Yeah, absolutely. and And, you know, original animation, they draw to the voices. It's not like anime where you're dubbing and or it's been done in another language and you're trying to match the performance.
00:45:18
Speaker
We're creating it. We're helping give the animators ideas, which is why ah really encourage people I work with. They've got to use their bodies. It's like stage acting, but in front of a mic and, and giving the sounds that they need to hear sure to fit with whatever's going on, or they can use it or they don't have to use it.
00:45:40
Speaker
But if I'm picking up a ah rock and it says, you know, Katie picks up a rock and throws it two feet and I go the like this. That was still pretty good though.
00:45:55
Speaker
Or if I like. I like that
00:46:00
Speaker
sound Can you see the difference in how that could be drawn? And also you've got to have. you've got to have a you know, give people alternative performances too so they can pick what's gonna work. that's So that's my biggest question as a voice actor because I i i say,
00:46:20
Speaker
Well, I admit, i'm i'm I'm still amateur
Voice Acting Techniques and Animation Process
00:46:23
Speaker
level. I've been studying voice acting for a number of years. And um ah recently, there's somebody who like is at Broadway.
00:46:32
Speaker
She's directed before. I'm like, oh, can I pick your brain for like five minutes? She's like, absolutely. Well, that's my biggest problem. When I send um audio files, and I've had that problem sent back to me, if I'm collaborating with somebody, it's like there's ah there's a line.
00:46:49
Speaker
And they will say it basically the same way twice. It's like, no, the first one, say it one way. The second way, give it something completely different. And you just, you just touched on that, which I thought was like, which is cool.
00:47:06
Speaker
I think that's one of the reasons people like to work with me because I usually don't. Because you're smart. My kitchen also, I don't usually cook the same thing twice and I don't usually say the same thing the same way twice.
00:47:21
Speaker
Because I like to find the different nuances. And so if you're acting or sitting in an audition, we always have to remember we're having a dialogue. None of this stuff is a monologue. So you think,
00:47:32
Speaker
what happened before this for me to say this? And and how many different, what could happen like different ways? Because I'm going to react a different way. If somebody says, take this, I'm like, okay, thanks.
00:47:45
Speaker
Or yeah take this. Thank you. You know, you're going to respond differently based on what someone's feeding you, right? it Totally true. And so you have to use your imagination to think how how could this, how these lines have been delivered to me.
00:48:00
Speaker
Did I answer your question, Josh? Yeah, you did. And that's way backwards from what i thought. And I know nothing about voice acting. So I'm coming from a totally like consumer point of view in my own view of it. So I definitely thought it was like animation, how you like animated stuff. So I didn't know they drew. Yeah, i didn't know they drew to your voice. That's actually incredible. Well, what they do generally, they'll have a storyboard, at least back in the day, what they call a storyboard, just like in a movie.
00:48:33
Speaker
So somebody's like rough drawing what the action's going to look like because they kind of time out the cells. And so say when I was doing Darkwing, there were storyboards and the director, gummy bears, they had the boards and they, they're just like big.
00:48:47
Speaker
I have, I have a copy of a storyboard in my house actually. Um, so they're about, what ah is it? Eight by 14 something. with some squares in it and the, you know, so the director could see what the action is so they can see, are you falling two stories? Are you falling from hell? You know, how far, you know, what kind of sound would go with these pictures?
00:49:11
Speaker
So sometimes you get to look at the storyboard or they'd say, here, this is what it's going to look like. But the the director's the one that's kind of telling you what to do. So someone's already sort of sketched it out roughly.
00:49:23
Speaker
Right? So that's, that artwork happens first, but then when they, you know, actually go to, there's so much to it that I don't even know. Honestly, I just don't.
00:49:35
Speaker
There's just the ah animation is ah very complex thing, especially when you're talking about treaty three d is 2D animation.
00:49:48
Speaker
The 3D stuff is computer driven. So what was your favorite kind of piece to, to work on with when you, when you get those roles, what's been either have been your favorite to kind of create or your favorite that you've been a part of? Well, definitely adventures in Odyssey. Cause that's,
00:50:07
Speaker
That's like half my, that's my life, that's my alternate universe and most of my best friends are part of that show. Look, I even have a, somebody crocheted me kind of Kendall doll in here. um That and and I think the Muppet Babies, because I was a huge fan of the Muppets and to meet Jim Henson was a huge dream come true. and To be a part of that. and And what makes me sad is like Disney's, I know this is a Disney fan show, but they pretty much bought it. You can say it's okay.
00:50:43
Speaker
Which really makes me sad because, people don't even know how most of the shows I've done Disney owns now okay Indiana Jones stuff um because I was the voice of the Maharaja and temple of doom I don't know if you guys know that but Disney owns that they own the gummy bears they own the Muppet Babies they own Darkwing Duck Dumbo's Circus will never see the light of day, I'm sure.
00:51:10
Speaker
And, you know, it makes me... I've done a lot of really cool things that I enjoyed, but it's almost like unless you go to a Comic-Con where somebody remembers, new people don't really know about it.
00:51:24
Speaker
have to put her back up over there. What do you think about them closing down the the Muppets um show it in in Orlando, the Muppets attraction?
00:51:35
Speaker
Well, don't really know anything about it, but Disney changes their stuff all the time, so that's cool. Well, thought that was one of the one of the last things that Henson touched, that's why. Oh, do they care?
00:51:46
Speaker
don't think so. Oh, sorry. I mean, you know, they do their thing. I was the voice of world mind for Guardians of the Galaxy for a couple years. No way. And heard they just changed it. Yeah, I was the...
00:52:00
Speaker
Welcome Terrans to the land of Xandar. Oh, cool. What? Oh my goodness. and
00:52:10
Speaker
I don't know. You know how sometimes it's like you have a natural speaking voice and then voice actor will just flip and something that sounds, that was wonderful. Thank you.
00:52:21
Speaker
Okay. So now, no, now I have questions. Oh, Brandon. Hello. So so abandonon hunt yes. ah Adventures in Odyssey, I know that is your that is your thing for many years. I love it.
00:52:35
Speaker
But now that you just spat that out, like, it just came out naturally. So, I want to know, like, between like Disney Junior and Mattel, like commercials, audiobooks, promotions, all that, how do you keep every voice the way it should be every time you need to use that voice?
Consistency in Character Voices
00:52:54
Speaker
Because it that seems like a challenge because most people only stick to like a couple. You know, it seems like. Well, lot of people nowadays, they get hired for who they are, not for their particular voice talents.
00:53:08
Speaker
But like Jeff was saying, he had a, what did you say? ah i said an anchor voice. Anchor voice. But you have. Anchor lines. Yeah, anger lines. That's a better way to say it.
00:53:20
Speaker
So yes like when I would try to remember when I remember when I was working on Muppet Babies and I wasn't sure if I had Rolf's voice and I had watched Muppets take Manhattan to kind of for my audition to prepare me.
00:53:33
Speaker
So I'd say to myself, it pays to know a second language. So that would get me back into, you know. Character. um Every character has Fizzy on my little pony.
00:53:43
Speaker
What does a little pony have to do to get noticed around here? ah You know, Hucker, Mr. Ballard. Yeah. I think Begozzled, you know, if you just think about ah who you are, Sapion, Yo-Kai Watch, Dagnabbit!
00:54:05
Speaker
You know, we all have, you know, in Dumbo, i know how to how the ending, we only did 163 episodes, so I know how that ends every week, you know, and it kind of gets you back into... It recalibrates you, correct?
00:54:19
Speaker
Yes. That's a good yeah it's a good description. So another follow-up question is like, have you ever recorded to where you had to be a boy and a girl or two different characters or in the same, like within the same script and you switch back and forth? That's easy to do. So if I was a girl, probably, you know, I could say, hey, brother, why don't you go someplace else?
00:54:41
Speaker
Why should I? You're such a brat. Yeah, see... change your, you just switch sides of your brain, I guess. This is so cool. yeah and think I think just wanted to hear it more than anything.
00:54:55
Speaker
Girls are stupid. i right That's awesome. but Mine for like, you know, Goofy's like, you know, like, oh, gorsh, you know, the tip of, oh, gorsh, okay. But there's something about like, um I've been doing Winnie the Pooh lately, and it's it's Jim Cummings when he goes, oh, Piglet, why did you, why are you swimming in the popcorn?
00:55:18
Speaker
And Sterling Holloway, no, no, Piglet, no, why are you swimming? in the popcorn. And it's like, is I don't know why it calibrates me back to where it is. It just does. It's just something in my heart. You need anchor line because that's something that gets you. But that anchor line is important in the in your characters or whoever you're doing. It's just...
00:55:43
Speaker
you You nailed it. that That's what helps us, you know, and some of the characters are just my own voice, so that's not a big deal. Yeah. But, like, when we were doing My Little Pony and we were doing, like, 12 different ponies, we'd have to have a reference tape. When you're in the session, okay, could somebody please pay play me the recording of whatever I did three weeks ago? Because I don't remember.
00:56:04
Speaker
But then you hear it, so it gets you back. And that calibrates you back to where... Yeah, you need to have things. I mean... It's a, ah you know, it's the medium is recording, so they better. When I'm doing a show, I tell the engineer, would you please make a file? Keep a library of these voices because I'm not going to remember them. So you can play it for me. So I can write when I come back here in a month or, you know, if I have to do some more, I would need to hear what it sounds like.
00:56:30
Speaker
It's sort of the benefit, though, of like being able to record by yourself, because you can record those things and be what was that thing I said back there? And you can possibly... Well, I mean, it would work if you had an engineer, too. I don't. Okay. All right.
00:56:44
Speaker
That's good to know. I appreciate that. I mean, that's really good to know because i was always wondering, you know, how people would manage switching, you know, instantly or like having to do something like years ago and then coming back and trying to do it again. it's always been, know, it'll kind of kick it back into your memory and, you know, think about it. Some of these shows I was blessed to be on for years. So I kind of know the characters, right? Eight years on this show, nine years on that one. You, you,
00:57:12
Speaker
You don't forget them. um If you're the one random character in an episode, like, don't ask me whatever I did in Tom and Jerry in New York. I don't know what it sounded like. It was just a one-off. But if you're doing it consistently, you know, for yeah, then you kind of know who you are.
00:57:32
Speaker
Because you're not creating, do you know, i I came up with a, I coined my own phrase. You're not just doing a voice. They're voicinalities. They're personalities. They're people.
00:57:44
Speaker
So you and you know you have to know who you are, not just the voice. Because you can do a voice, but it all depends on, like when I coach, I say, it doesn't matter what the line is.
00:57:57
Speaker
That doesn't inform anybody. It matters who you are and you know and why you're saying it and how you're feeling when you're saying it and who you're talking to and how you feel about the person you're talking to and how you feel about yourself in this situation.
00:58:11
Speaker
Changes everything. the Changes the delivery. It doesn't matter what the lines are. It matters who you are. I think that's that's that's good because, you know, that encourages any any listeners that we have that are either, you know, younger, older, whatever, and they want to pursue this, you know, to get their mind, you know, in that process of thinking, hey, you know, it's a character. It's not a voice.
00:58:34
Speaker
You know, if you want to know what you're doing moving forward, make that character, stick with it. Yeah. All right. Well, let's get this here. Show the road. going to make soup for dinner.
00:58:45
Speaker
Okay. My plan. But we want to be very careful about your time, and we love you. and That's okay. This is great. I was listening. i haven't finished listening to your interview with Tad Stones, but his story is so funny.
00:58:58
Speaker
we got a lot. There's so many people I worked with that I don't know anything about because they're on the other side of the glass. They don't tell us. You know, you go in, you'd leave you leave, and... That's, you know, you're actors, but you don't really always know much about the people on the other side of the glass.
00:59:15
Speaker
That's why I love this. That's why i love this. Time is money. We can't sit around chatting with people, you know, when you go to work. It's nice to chat. It's nice to hear their stories.
00:59:27
Speaker
That's why this is. What is your interest in all of this? my i'm I'm just taking it all in. Everyone has covered every topic and question that I've had. So I'm just, I'm just, like know um and I've just been impressed.
00:59:42
Speaker
Like I have like studied your resume and I'm just like, I've been blown away and I've just been appreciating everything that you've had to say. And I'm just drinking it all in. I've just, I've,
00:59:59
Speaker
appreciated it all so much so well thank you don't believe everything you read Chrissy but but Chrissy do you have anything let let's go to Chrissy and we got Rachel too you know let's no well Rachel's question kind of like touched on my question I just wanted to know like over the years because it's what like your your resume is covered so much over so many years like how has it how have have She touched on like, like, how has it, how has everything changed over the years? How has like recording for you changed over the years? And you touched on that quite well. So I just, I just wanted to know how the industry has changed over the years. And you really, you answered that beautifully. So, so I just, appreciated that. Well, my first demo was on a reel-to-reel.
01:00:49
Speaker
Then they went to cassettes. Then they went to CDs. And now we have MP3s. We don't have to have any,
Personal Favorites and Upcoming Projects
01:00:59
Speaker
no hardware anymore. Easier. It's easier now.
01:01:03
Speaker
Yeah. i I'm very curious. What is behind you, Brian? Oh, the Wilderness Lodge and in ah Orlando. It's like my favorite hotel. Oh, is that like the the the California? Yeah, it's like the like like to Grand Californian. very similar.
01:01:21
Speaker
it's The lobby's a little bit bigger. It's really high. It's about, i think, 12 stories high. um But it's very similar. it's a lot its There's a lot of good quality. Their qualities are the same. Yeah, the rooms are a lot the same, too. Yeah, I love that place.
01:01:35
Speaker
That is a great resort. I haven't been to Disney World. Oh, no. Mm-mm. You know what? I have to say I like Disneyland better than Disney World, but I've been to Disney World more.
01:01:48
Speaker
But I do. I do. Yeah. So you're in the right place. Don't worry.
01:01:53
Speaker
I actually secretly agree. Katie, I have a question for you. Yes, Miss Rachel. Growing up and going to Disneyland, um do you have a favorite ride that you just absolutely love to ride?
01:02:07
Speaker
yeah Space Mountain. also a favorite a favoriteite food from Disneyland. Well, I just love popcorn anywhere. So, you know, that smell of fresh pop popcorn always gets you. And i really wanted a Dole Whip the last time was there, but the line was so long. I just wouldn't, I couldn't stand in it. It was just too much.
01:02:32
Speaker
um But yeah, that's... i think I think you need to visit Disney World because... um You can get Dole Whip flights, which there are different flavors of Dole Whip. Oh, yeah, yeah. And if you go during the Festival of the Arts, they definitely have that.
01:02:49
Speaker
Are you in Orlando? I'm in Pensacola, but we we go to Orlando. Yeah, we go to Orlando. My daughter lives in Orlando, actually. so Well, if she wants, I'm going to go to, I think I'm going to go to Disney Springs on Saturday.
01:03:05
Speaker
Because that's where you can get one of them. Okay. Well, then we'll have to do that because our event, like I said, isn't till night and everybody said, well, and I'm only there. That's the only day.
01:03:16
Speaker
Right. Cause I fly on Friday, go to work, have Saturday before. So they say, go to Disney Springs and see it. It's really cool. So I think, um, we have a show that tell you later show that we do.
01:03:28
Speaker
Um, I started with Will Ryan. Unfortunately he passed away the first year we were doing it. And that was lousy, and but I still do it. And it's Patreon supported, but we also have episodes on YouTube and I'm starting to put the first two years were on YouTube and now I'm starting to put the old, cause we, our patrons help support the show. So we didn't want everything on YouTube and just trying to figure out how to do stuff as you guys probably know.
01:03:55
Speaker
Um, so the tell you later we have patrons and one of our patrons is going to be in Florida next weekend. I've never met her in person. So she might pick me up and take me to Disney Springs before I have to go to the convention center.
01:04:11
Speaker
So I'm looking forward to that. I'm sure I won't have time to go to Disney world or anything. Well, there's a place called Swirls on the Water, and that is where you need to go get your Dole Whips.
01:04:22
Speaker
Okay, well, good to know. This is good timing. Good timing. Thank you very much to know that. Hey, everyone else. I want to be very respectful of of of Katie and her time.
01:04:37
Speaker
But would you come back? No. Hey, Katie, would you come back? I mean, we we always like to that have people come back. If you if you enjoy us. Oh, the little swirly thing. Yeah, that's the swirly thing.
01:04:48
Speaker
But Dole Whip's just supposed to be pineapple, isn't it, Josh? Yeah. No, I had a key line ah key lime one the other day with graham cracker sprinkles on top of it. It was like, ah it was mind-blowing. was so good.
01:05:01
Speaker
Oh, that sounds so good. Okay. so in california yeah in California, it is just pineapple. But when you go to Walt Disney World, it's a swirl, which has a vanilla and a pineapple. That's what makes it fun. I completely confused those people at Disneyland with the swirl. And you forgot.
01:05:22
Speaker
i did. Gators. Gators. I know. yes how it Yeah, people mistaken those for animatronics, and they're i trouble will hide away I have to be honest, that really creeps me out, okay? I'm not really excited about that. I know.
01:05:39
Speaker
Yeah, you can't you can have them. I'm perfectly with If you're ever in this. No, my ride, I love, okay, so I love Space Mountain, and I love Pirates of the Caribbean. As a matter of fact, when I was pregnant the first time with my mom,
01:05:58
Speaker
my son, he was the first one, the only way I could get to sleep at night was pretending I was on that ride. Isn't that crazy? was the weirdest thing, you guys. I know I have weird... It's not. i'm telling I'm sharing you two nocturnal weirdnesses about me. So here I am trying to like go to relax and go to sleep, but it was so relaxing to be in that line and the music and the smell of the water and the little fireflies and...
01:06:27
Speaker
So i I'd see myself getting on the boat and going around the corner. And then get this drop. And then you hear, dead men tell no tales. And then I'd fall asleep. I don't know how that worked. But that's what got me. That was my meditation for going to sleep, apparently, back in 1987. I love I feel like you need to make an ASMR of the pirates.
01:06:54
Speaker
Yeah. No, I would like. Because that's exactly what it sounds like, which would be so interesting, really. So we usually try to get on that one, but I totally dig Space Mountain. I just love it That makes me soon, And i like it. and At California Adventure, like the Incredicoaster.
01:07:14
Speaker
I could hop on Space Mountain. It's like, it's the blackness. I'm like, oh, I don't have to look at anything more. I don't care how launches me. It's funny because used to be really scared, like, because you can't see anything, right? It's all black. And I think something's going to hit my head and I will be decapitated.
01:07:30
Speaker
Same. And then one day, Logic hit. And said, well, it's not doing anything to the person in front of me who's sitting up taller than me. I think I'm safe.
01:07:42
Speaker
Space Mountain is like my most relaxing ride to go on. And I feel like a like a freak a little bit because of that. But it's like Pirates the Caribbean, Space Mountain. and i'm like I'm gonna I'm going to have an easy day. feels good.
01:07:56
Speaker
We all well have our own little Disney experiences. Yeah, I know. Yes, we do. Yeah, they're closing Tom Sawyer Island. We were on it. I found out. I know. That's why i was there. I stopped. made sure I went to Tom Sawyer Island and also ah the riverboat because they were, they're both going to be closed.
01:08:17
Speaker
Yeah, I'm not happy about that. yeah Yeah, I was i was not happy. It's historic. and Yeah, it was very i you know was it was so packed. they There was an hour wait to get on Tom Sawyer Island. That never happens.
01:08:30
Speaker
yeah Not when I was here. but All right, well, thanks, guys. Does anybody have any burning questions? that they James, you didn't ask anything. Yeah, did. I asked at the top of the show. I got myself out of the way because I let everybody else go out of the way. I'm like Jeff. I can take up a show. So I just kind of stepped back and let people say what they had to say. And I got my questions out of the way early on. And you know my my questions were really you know the early start at Disney and what that was like. You answered that. And then all the voice acting. I do a little voice acting on the side. So i i definitely but relate to a lot of stuff. And no, I don't have an angry voice.
01:09:09
Speaker
now but No, but James is James's anchor host. He is someone who he and James you're gonna Oh, yeah, that's why I got that. Oh, yeah, that's just for you James. So we'll make sure that I know and he was kidding He's the anchor he he's the anchor of my heart right now now but No, James is... All right, well, if, yeah, if nobody has any... I had one last no question. oh um where Where can we find you if someone wants to look at your work and things of that nature?
01:09:44
Speaker
Thank you, Brandon. find me well i have a website that's
01:09:55
Speaker
on um on instagram katyleighvo i try to post and share what's going on i have a newsletter so when i'm traveling i'm going to be in pennsylvania i'm going to be in illinois i'm going to be in Atlanta in March, bunch of places, um and Orlando next weekend.
01:10:16
Speaker
um And I have a book. Can I share my book? Yes. yeah Yes. Okay, this has nothing to do with voiceover, okay? That's okay. Don't get freaked out.
01:10:27
Speaker
But it's called The Itty-Bitty Book of Codependency, and it's a comic book. How cool. You can order it on Amazon or Barney, Noble, or my website. I'm codependent. codependent, so that's going to hit hard. Do you want an autographed copy through my website? Yes, I There's another book, ah Will and I wrote, Will Ryan, Adventures in Oddity, and that's ah and that's sort of what prompted our Tell You Later show.
01:10:56
Speaker
So we have that, the bonus edition, and ah and an audio version of that, too. So those are my... But this one i'm I'm trying to promote especially. The other one's more appealing to you. Can i see it again? Can see the book cover?
01:11:10
Speaker
It just seems so, i love it. Oh, love that. Yes. I'll read, it's what it is. It's a humorous and thought-provoking look at codependent thinking and behaviors. In this book, you will find entertaining and brain-tickling drawings that expose unhealthy motivations.
01:11:30
Speaker
raise awareness, and encourage recovery from self-destructive behaviors. Oh, boy, I need that. Okay. It's a great book. It is. yeah And I have some some fun little...
01:11:44
Speaker
My friends gave me little endorsements on the back. Chris said, powerful in a very simple way. And my other friend said, I recommend you read this book unless you're too busy or feel I'm being too pushy. That's how you know a good friend. That's like, this is cool. Yeah, and we have a few totally solicited reviews from people who owe me.
01:12:10
Speaker
ah I couldn't put this book down because I promised I would read it. I know plenty of friends who need this book and I'm going to borrow it from them when they're done reading it Okay.
Beyond Disney: Diverse Voice Acting Roles
01:12:21
Speaker
I'm going to buy right now. Yeah, we'll try to get the the link in the show notes, too. Yeah, so there' there's there's links in the Tell You Later show. is We have a lot of voiceovers. it's It's voiceover, pop culture, and beyond. Yeah, and we're not just about Disney. We're not here on this, on this, on this here podcast. We're not just about Disney. We're not we're about...
01:12:43
Speaker
What about this stuff, too? It's about how to, what I always say, story shapes life. And your story and what you've what you've talked about your story, and and it ah it shapes our lives as we listen to it. and And what you're doing now, whether it's it's what you you know are doing or have done you know in your vocal...
01:13:04
Speaker
success or what you're still doing now. Yeah, thanks. Yeah, you can watch I'm the Voice of Lily on Lily's Lab on Answers.tv. We just recorded season three.
01:13:15
Speaker
So it's science, a little science there. And ah Butch Hartman's been doing some cartoons, the garden cartoon. I Butch Hartman. I've done a couple things with him, um voices for that show. oh yeah And there's a couple new virtual reality experiences that are being built in Pigeon Forge and Branson called Truth Traveler. And I am the voice of Pod, the robot that takes you on a...
01:13:41
Speaker
trip through the bible i guess i yeah can't wait to see i don't know what it is i don't can't it i don't know i could it'll be finished being built supposedly in march and then maybe i'll get to go see you hopefully you'll they'll allow you to go see it yes oh they will okay they're not they're they will okay they'll they'll let me see it um yeah so it's kind of fun i think we did something recorded something for the but Creation Museum too? I don't know. Oh, that's yeah. Yeah, there's stuff going on and that's super fun. and And I don't know if anybody listens to other audio dramas, but the reason I'm going to Illinois night in a month is to record Jake Muller adventures.
01:14:23
Speaker
So, you know, a lot of people are getting into voiceover. There's so many opportunities for audio dramas and stuff like that. so And that's what we'll be teaching about at VO Atlanta, John Fornoff and I. And then we're going to do an online class for radio drama in April the 26th is the date earmarked for that. So I'm so just a little, little...
01:14:46
Speaker
Well, you got a lot going on. Yeah. they' Very impressive. Would you mind if I send you friend requests from all angles? I'm, you know, being a ah voice person, I just, I always value insight and and I love to support you. Sure. Whatever you want. That's great. Thank you for having me on your show. I really appreciate it. Just, my God.
01:15:10
Speaker
I'll probably be at the My Little Pony event in Grand Rapids, by the way. They have a My Little Pony convention. ah There's one in Grand Rapids. I think it's in June. the bro Brony World or something? was thata ah I might have to check that out.
01:15:27
Speaker
Pony Friends Forever. There's another one in Maryland, but it's just for a day. I don't know if I'll go to that. My my goal, I want to go to UK PonyCon. Okay. Oh, I'm going to tell my daughter about that. when she won five we took her to my When she was five, we took her to a My Little Pony show, like an actual show.
01:15:47
Speaker
oh yeah. ah Yeah, I did. did the voice for one. It wasn't My Pony, but they it was for like in Saudi Arabia or Dubai. That was a live like mall show. but i and Yeah, that's what it was.
01:15:59
Speaker
Really? Well, that might have been the one I did the soundtrack for because I was Pinkie Pie. ah it was a stage show with the horses they all came out it was great yeah it could be but the guy who was doing it was in dubai um oh my goodness you never know you never know you never know right you never know lot of e-learning a lot of homeschoolers will hear me or people in nursing school will say is that your voice on the shadow health
01:16:33
Speaker
ah Training, yeah, that's me. Time for Learning. That's awesome. ABC, yeah. ah Khan Academy Kids. I do a lot of stuff like that. What a blessing. God tell you.
01:16:44
Speaker
All right. lets Let's get you out of here, Katie, my friend. Thank you so much.
Conclusion and Gratitude to Katie Lee
01:16:50
Speaker
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you again for hanging out with us tonight on another great edition of Sharing the Magic. Tonight's guest, I want to thank you, Katie Lee, for coming on and being a wonderful storyteller, telling us about your career in voice acting, letting us relive nostalgia through you in many different ways.
01:17:08
Speaker
So thank you for that. Thank you for being a part of the show. And we would love to have you back. And, you know, whenever we can get you back, you know, whenever space is available, we'd love to have you fill that.
01:17:19
Speaker
Whenever you run out of guests and say, hey, why don't we have Katie back? You let me know. okay Oh, for sure. So thank you again. Thank you so much. Take care. Bye-bye. Thank you. Thank you, Katie.
01:17:31
Speaker
Thank you for joining us for another enchanting episode of sharing the magic. We are the thinking fans podcast and edutainment show where education and entertainment collide each week. We bring you whimsical interviews with Disney guests who share their magical experiences and reveal how they are woven into the Disney fabric.
01:17:49
Speaker
Don't forget to hit that follow button to stay updated on our latest episodes. Spread the word and let your friends know they can tune in wherever they enjoy their favorite podcasts. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X, formerly Twitter, at at sharing the magic pod.
01:18:08
Speaker
Until next time, keep sharing the magic.