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Voice Coaches Radio #501 – It’s Not Just Who YOU Know
Voice Coach's Radio. Everything voiceover. And welcome to this week's edition of Voice Coach's Radio. I am Josh Heller, she is Marissa Lanczak, and we are delighted to have you joining us. Marissa, how we doing? I am fantastic, but you said you feel like poo. I don't feel great, I'm gonna be honest with you.
That's not fun. I sound, uh, I, I, I sound as... Bad as I feel. I have a cold. Aw. Uh, yeah. It happens. It happens. It's this time of the year though, right? Because like, Well, yeah, I I have the issue where if I sneeze like three times in a row, there goes my voice. And it's because it's like, you know, allergies, and then it's just the change of the temperature too.
So yeah, so I think it's allergies, it's that, uh, this past weekend, uh, I, I took my family, we went to Niagara Falls, and we kinda, kinda ran myself ragged, not gonna lie to ya. Um. And so didn't get much sleep, so I think that didn't help. Also seeing other people, like being around people, probably didn't help.
And then, uh, there's the extra added bonus of my son goes to kindergarten, and that's basically a petri dish of one mother's naughty children. Does my son have a runny nose? Of course he does. He has for like five years. It's funny that you mention that because like my parents always have worked in schools and I remember like I was in between jobs at one point and my mom was like you should really think about being like a substituter or like you know think about trying to work here.
I go no I don't think so. I'm like my immune system is shot as it is. I don't need to be about around all those little germ infested nuggets. I just, no thank you. So he got into Runny nose and and he gave it to me because you know sharing is caring and uh, and here we are. He loves you dad Oh, yeah. No, yeah, that's true.
That's true. But we had an amazing trip to Niagara. It was awesome Yeah, I like I knew that you had a vacation, but I forgot to ask you about it So I'm glad it went. Well, you're just all run down now Yeah a little bit a little because that's what that's the craziest part, right? You always go on a vacation then you need the vacation from the vacation.
Yeah, although I I'm I did a smart thing So later in October Uh, the end of October, we have a wedding we're going to in North Carolina and we're gonna be down there for a week. And it's gonna be a Wednesday to a Wednesday and I took off two full weeks because I want some time after. I'm gonna have to mark that down because that makes me know that I don't have to be here for the pod.
But Kimmy, you're gonna run the pod at that point. It's gonna be, it's gonna be the Marissa Lanczak show. No, no, no, no, no. This is, this is the Josh and Marissa show, so let's just keep it that way, okay? Alright. I can live with that. Fancy like. Means neither of us can get fired anytime soon. Yeah, exactly. It's just See what I can do.
Though, you know what? I like to say it's like, it's um, it's job security. But you know what happened two years ago? Uh, on this day? No. I was in the Bahamas for work. I was doing a live broadcast at the Sandals Resort. Tough life. Tough life. The last thing that I did while I was there was I interviewed the spa while getting a massage.
And seriously, like, we're on the plane going back, and the ratings came out, and I was number one. And I'm like, I actually said, I'm like, wow, Job security, . And then I got back and I got let go. . Sad story. So the last thing I did for that station in Boston was I got an a ma uh, a massage while I was interviewing this boss.
Well, I mean, maybe if they didn't send you to, to The Bahamas to get massages, they could have afforded your, your, you know, exorbitant salary. Oh, are you kidding? They, first of all, that was free and I was, Getting paid so less, so little money that I was like poor in Boston. That doesn't take much. No, it doesn't.
Because poor in Boston does not take a ton. No, it does not take much. Especially if you're trying to live there. Yeah. Um, It's pretty difficult. Yeah, no, there's, there's no, no question about that. Um, so fun story. Yeah. So I was driving back from, from Niagara. Uh, we stopped off in, uh, Rochester at the Strong Museum of Play.
Which was very fun. And uh, and so we are, we are heading back, and I get home, and I'm giving my son a bath, and I don't know why I'm telling you all this particular information, but whatever, it seems pertinent at the time, and uh, I take out my phone, and I have a text message, and it's from a, a cousin of mine, so it's from my, my son.
stepmom's sister, so that makes her my... aunt ish. There's a family tree involved there. There's a branch. We're related by marriage somehow. Yeah, there's like a little tiny branch. I'm sorry. She's a sweetheart. Um, and so this is, so remember when I did the, uh, the book for, for their father? Yeah. So she actually, a lot of the book is based off of, of his journals, their dad's journals from when he was in the war.
And she actually has them. She, she has all of the, the journals and so I, I asked her, you know, next time we see her, I'd love to, to see them. They've been, they're, they're in like a, a little can that he kind of created to protect it when he was, uh, you know, a POW. And so she has all that. So, um, and, and so she, she was really moved by it.
She, you know, she, I talked to her afterward and she loved it. I was like, that's, that's fantastic. I'm, I'm, you know, that's, that's really great. And so she sent me a text and said that she works at a, uh. Older person's home, um, retirement home. Hey, I'm not thinking of words right now, but anyway, and she takes care of, you know, senior living facility or that'll work.
That'll work. Yeah. Um, and, and so she takes care of, you know, people, she's not a nurse there, but like she'll run errands with them, you know, take them shopping. And so she, she works with them. She has a number of clients there. And one of her clients is a 95 year old World War II veteran. And so she, um, cause he obviously knew the story of her dad.
And so she started playing. the audiobook for him, and he really, he really enjoyed it. And I was like, that's, that's awesome, that's, that's so great. Um, and then, she said that, you know, she told his daughter about this, because he had also written some things, and his daughter wanted to know if she could reach out to me to potentially read some stuff from her dad.
Oh wow! And I was like, I would be... See, this is the power of, you know, spreading the word, you know, like, like you're literally, when I, you know, we're at the end of a demo session or whatever, I'm like, you're literally one person away, you know, from potentially your first job, but you've got to talk about it.
You've got to get the word out. And that's just it. And you may think, and, and, and you may be right that there's nobody that you know directly who can... And you may be right, but you don't know who they know. You need to figure out what your, your network is. And it's not just who you know, it's who they know.
Yep. And they're willing to, to reach out to for you. And people are really good about that, right? A friend of mine works for a... Whatever. A buddy of mine is a something and a somewhere. You never know. Right. And that's the thing, like, you know, you're, people like to, they like to have that recognition that they helped you.
Absolutely. So they're going to help you, you know? I joke with people about it. I'm like, I'm like, look, you know, people are going to be, you know, tripping over themselves to help you so that they can then hold it over your head for the rest of your life. That's okay. Let them. Fine. I don't care. Like, oh, remember Marissa?
Yeah. She's a super popular voice actor. Yeah, I helped her get her first job, no big deal. Right, exactly! You know what? Give it to him. Fine. Yep, you did. You go, you, yes. Yes, thank you. Yes, you did. So funny. Right? And so fine, take it. I don't care. Um, but you know what? That's, you never know. You never know. And, and again, I mean, it, it doesn't hurt to, to ask these things.
It doesn't hurt. And, and it may not be right away. It may not be like, oh yeah, a friend of mine works for something. It may just be like, okay, yeah, no, that's, that's really cool. And then, hey, you know what? I actually, I, I, I, I know someone who might be able to help with this. Again, that's how a lot of this is going to, is going to work.
These are easy contacts to make. If that turns into anything, and I don't know if it will, but if it turns into anything, I didn't, you know, market myself to a 95 year old World War II veteran in Cleveland, Ohio. Yeah, it's just somebody said something to somebody else and here we are. Exactly. So, did I technically, quote unquote, do any work to market myself to get if this, you know, if anything comes to pass here?
No. No, I didn't. I was busy marketing myself to other stuff. That's how this works. That's how, you know, these repeat, we talk about repeating jobs, right? Repeating work and how great it is because you're, you're always looking for the new first job while other jobs are repeating themselves. But at the same time you could be looking for new jobs while other jobs are being looked for for you by other people.
Because I wouldn't reach out to this, you know, senior living home. I don't know them. I don't know anybody. That would also be a little awkward, too. It would be super weird. Like, incredibly awkward. It would be... Hi, I know you don't know me, but I know you have a lot of old people living there, and like, they might have journals that I could read.
Can I, can I, do they have any diaries that I could steal? I would, I would love to read about their lives. Yeah, I would like to, to find out about their deepest, darkest secrets, and then publicize those to the world. Is that I don't know any of them, but I'd love to do it. It's not awkward at all. No, no, yeah, so that would be, I mean, it'd be a little weird.
be a little weird. Like, okay, great. I'm going to make a quick phone call. Um, yeah, so that's how you get on FBI watch lists. I'm pretty sure of it. Pretty positive about that. That's how you fly. Like, you know, you're gonna have to come with us for just a quick sec. Um, so again, not something I would do clearly, but something somebody else did for me because they were passionate about it because they enjoyed it because it meant something to them.
And you know, that's That's what we do. That's why we do it. And, and again, if that turns anything, and I don't know if it will and if it doesn't, not a big deal. But if it does, I mean that is, you know, it's something for nothing. Yep. It really is. It's something for nothing. And, you know, that's, that's why we do it.
And let's be honest, let's not put away away the fact that, you know, doing that book, which I did for free, right, for my stepmom, was honestly a labor of love. It was, it was super enjoyable and, you know, it'd be an honor to, to, to do that for, for other, you know, veterans, for other heroes. Come on now, that'd be amazing.
And it's just like that, that just proves the power. Of love. Well, of love, yes. Um, and I can't remember, was that Huey Lewis? It was Huey Lewis in the news, yes. Yeah, I was supposed to start singing, but I don't have it it's the power of love, it's the power of passion, but it's also, like, the passion that you have for what you do, and what it What it can provide for somebody else at the end of the day.
So it's like your passion has been gone, like it's been um, moved from one person to the next. And that's what's triggered this like domino effect, which I think is pretty cool. Yeah. And, and, and again, I mean, you know, not to, to sound trite, but that's, that's what we do. Ideally, in an ideal world, that's what we do.
I mean, you know, we do this for, for what? We do this because we enjoy it. We do this for the money, you know, let's, I'm not going to poo poo that, but. You know, we do this because of, you know, what we get out of it and what others can get out of it. And that's, you know, and to see that kind of extrapolate is, is really cool, is really cool.
And like I said, even if it doesn't turn anything, it doesn't turn into anything. I now know that, you know, a 95 year old World War II veteran probably really enjoyed listening to me, you know, tell a story. And that's, I don't care, I mean, Call Me Romantic if you want to, that's cool. Yeah. Like, that's really cool.
Yeah, it really, it makes you go all those hours that I put into that project. You know, I did it for a specific reason, but now it's going past that, right? Yeah. Like, it's, it's getting to a wider audience and it's making a difference. It's, it's bringing some brightness to somebody else's day. Because they also lived through that.
So that's, I mean, that's awesome. Yeah, no, I, I, and so I just, I wanted to pass that story along. And I'll keep, I'll keep you guys posted, obviously, if it turns into anything. And I have no idea if it will. And, and ultimately, I don't care. I mean, I do, but, you know, I mean, if it doesn't, that's okay, too. That's, that's certainly okay, too.
And that was not the reason why I brought it up, but, you know, I, I will certainly keep you guys, uh, you know, abreast of the situation, cause, you know. Abreast? I'm sorry, I'm 12. Wow. I feel like, I feel like we're all good friends here, and, uh. We are. Which is why I can feel like I can make that joke of abreast, you know?
Yeah, and I'm just glossing right over it. Come on! Come on, it's Friday! I know, and I don't feel well, so leave me alone. I'm gonna poke you from here. That's fair. That's deserved. Deserved. Um. It's funny, I had a, uh, a student who listened to the podcast before his first class, and um, and was like, I feel like I kind of know you already, and I was like, good, that's what I want.
You know, I had that once too, where I had a student come in for their first class, and they had listened to a bunch of the podcast, and like, they didn't know how to react to me. Because they were like, I feel like, I feel like I already know you, and I feel like this is weird, and I feel a little starstruck, and where's Josh?
And I'm like, he's not just hanging out at my house. Sorry, guys. Sometimes. Sometimes. Um, yeah, you know, and, and, and by the way, you shouldn't be starstruck because we're nobodies. Ever. Legit nobodies. But I do like that, you know, you guys know about us, and, and about our trials and tribulations, and, you know, and, and, and again, and, and one of the things that, that, that my student said was he's gonna appreciate the honesty.
Like, when you didn't get jobs, you know, and you're, yeah, I mean, I'm not gonna lie to you guys. We get told no all the time. Oh my god, every day. Well, not every day, but I went through a, I'm going through a little bit of a dry spell right now, I'm not gonna lie to you, uh, which is why I'm very excited about this potential, uh, this potential, uh, uh, you know, uh, phenomena going on here.
But, you know, it's been a bit of a dry spell. I've, I've been turned down quite a bit recently, and it's not fun, but it's life. It's life. And for those of you who are getting into the industry, you gonna, you gonna get turned down. You're gonna get told no. I don't care how good you are. Yeah, everybody does.
We all do. You get told no all the time. And you know, what's funny is like on the flip side of that, it's just when you think all of a sudden like I've been told no a million times that nothing's gonna pan out and then you will, you know, hear from four or five other people where it's like, Hey, do you have a home studio?
Can you do this? Can you cut this? Like, cause that happened to me, where it was like all of a sudden it was like there was nothing. And then all of a sudden there was like a ton of stuff. Yeah. And you just, you can't predict it. But, you know, you take what you can get, and you run with it, and you just have fun with it.
Cause that's what this is all about, is the passion, the drive, the fun. Well, and that's just it, and I don't care, you know, we always talk about when people finish up their demos, that, you know, look, it could take some time when you get started. Right? It could take some time when you get started, but even after you've gotten started, even after you've been doing this for a long time, there are going to be dry spells.
There are going to be times where you don't have any work for a little bit, and you're getting told no more than yes, which by the way is the norm, and, and that's gonna happen. I don't care how long you've been doing this. Look, I always, you know, when I was teaching at the radio school briefly, I said on day one, I want you to go back and I want you to find your favorite entertainer.
I want to find, like, find your favorite actor, whoever, who is like super popular right now. and go back and check out their story, check out their history and see what they had to do to get to where they are right now. Because a lot of people, it seems like, oh, well, this just happened overnight. Well, no, they've been working their butts off for decades, potentially, to get to the point where they are right now.
And if you go to like, IMDB, and you check out somebody's, You know, acting list, you're going to see periods of time where they didn't have a job. You know, they may have been in something super popular, but then all of a sudden it's like three years go by and they didn't have anything. What were they doing in that time?
You don't even know. They may have been working at Home Depot. You know? Talking about Brendan Fraser right now. You're talking about Brendan Fraser. No, I'm, well, he's one of them, but there's a, there's a ton of people, you know, until they've gotten that big job where it's like, all of a sudden they were on a sitcom for 10 years.
And then after that sitcom, they may have nothing, you know, it's kind of crazy. Yeah. And, and, and again, I mean, that's, it's, what is it, it's an overnight success 10 years in the making, right? Yeah. That's, that's what we do. Yes. There is, you know, sometimes it can feel that way. You can feel like, oh, well, finally the dominoes have fell, but you know, that, that didn't happen.
That didn't come from nowhere. It doesn't come from nowhere. We don't, you know, trip on success here. We work for it. We work for it. That is the nature of the entertainment business. 100%. And I can't think of, you know, very many... Again, with the internet age, things are a little bit different. But even so, you still have to pay your dues.
The other thing I like to do if you go on IMDb is just look at some of the garbage Oh my god, there's so much trash. That people have done before they got popular. Take a look at Paul Rudd's IMDb page. Paul Rudd was in an action movie in, I want to say it was either Hong Kong or like Taiwan. And like, I mean, just.
Bizarro world. Yeah. Just bananas, right? So he was in a popular movie called Clueless. Great movie. Um, but where was he after that? In a lot of very smaller, I mean he may have been like the lead, but it was like smaller production type of roles. Very much so. And now he's Paul Rudd. Yep. Funny fact, even when he was in that, that, that action movie in Taiwan, you know, 40 years ago, still looked the same.
Of course. Still look the same. Need to know his skin routine. Like thousand percent. It's bananas. It's absolutely bananas that he looks legitimately exactly, in fact, I would say he looks a little bit better. He actually looks a little bit better now than he did 40 years ago, which is bonkers, which is bonkers.
Um. Yep. Yep. So, again, you never know where these, these opportunities are going to come from. Get the word out there. And don't be afraid, by the way, don't be afraid of these, you know, um, ridiculous jobs that, uh, that may be out there, right? Your own, you know, Taiwanese action movie, ipso facto. I mean, I, I mean, hey, if you get one of those too, that's great.
But, you know, your own. We all do work that's not maybe the, uh, the most glamorous. Yeah, I mean, I mean, we've talked about our audiobook escapades. Yeah. And, you know, are these Pulitzer Prize winners? Probably not. Probably not. But that's okay. These are the experiences. These are the contacts. These are the relationships and the networks that we build and we grow that, that get us to where we want to be and ultimately where we want, where we want to end up.
Um, so, you know, again, my first. Professional paid voiceover job was a voicemail piece. Not exciting. Not exciting. Mine was a dairy video. A dairy farm. See, that's awesome. Is it? Yes. I want to see it. I don't even know where it is. I want to see it. I've never heard it. I'm going to find it, and next week, next week on the podcast, we're going to listen to the dairy video.
That's not, that's not true, because I don't even know. Omaha, Nebraska, somewhere. I have no idea. It may have been for a farm in Iowa, for all I know. I'll find it. The internet's a crazy place. Good luck. I'm gonna find, I'm gonna look up Marissa Lanczak, and I have a feeling I'm gonna find things I don't want to find.
No, I've made that mistake. Don't Google it. I'm also going to find fun stuff. Uh, by the way, if you Google Josh Heller, and you certainly can do that, uh, get ready to find a lot of people who aren't me. There's a lot, like, it's a very common name up there. Yeah, you know what? There's only one me. Which is nice, but...
Then there's also like, you know, you're gonna find every article of like, oh, look, she got a job. Oh, nope. Nope. Never mind She got let go from that one, too. Yeah, so I was a lacrosse player at Cornell Uh, very exciting for me. I was, I'm an actor. I do have an IMDB page Um, I don't know what I've been in but I am an actor.
Um, I have, I'm a rabbi. Uh, I am There's a few more, there's like a bunch, there's a whole bunch of, of, of me's. You're a pretty cool dude. I get around. I get around. Very versatile. Yes. So, uh, Josh Heller, not the most unique name in the world if you're thinking of naming your kid. Uh, Josh Heller. That'd be great.
I appreciate that. Um, anywho, uh, sorry if I was sniffling in the microphone. It's okay. That was me last week. Yeah. That's true. That was allergies. It's bad. Yeah. Yeah. It happens. It happens. I still have my sense of taste and smell. Funny fact, I was, I was making dinner last night and I was cutting onions and, um, You know, I was like, well, I don't know, I'm too bad, I can't smell anything.
And my wife was like, you can't smell anything? We need to go to the doctor right now. And I was like, no, okay, let me rephrase that. You know, if this were a couple years ago, we would have not thought anything. I would have been like, oh, it's just that, you know, it's October. Let me rephrase that. I can smell, I just can't breathe.
To smell. So, that's what I meant by that. Haha, need to watch what I say. Yeah, totally. Um, so, I do have a sense of smell, I just can't use it because I can't get air into my nose. Still, though, cried like a baby with those onions. Oh my god. Burned yeah, so sorry. Yeah, it's all right. That's all right. It happens happens.
We're sautéing some onions for uh, For sure they were hamburgers actually sautéing them and uh with a little uh, a little uh, um, Oh, I haven't had breakfast yet. Stop. Oh, it's all right. It's all right most important meal of the day I know i'm getting there important meal of the day pods first that and coffee that and coffee.
Mm hmm Um, all righty. Well in that case, um Cool, I think that's all I got for today. I don't know. I'm a little spacey at the moment. It's all right Um, so, uh marissa take it home I don't, um, okay, bye. Thanks everyone for tuning in. Uh, Josh at voicecoaches. com, you know how to get in touch with us. Josh at voicecoaches.
com. And, uh, thanks for tuning in this week. We will be back next week. Hopefully I'll be feeling better, but I make no promises. Marissa, you'll probably sound the same. Probably. Cause this is my voice. That's you. Yeah, that's how I sound. This is not my voice. Um, this is my voice with hypernasality. That's his voice with his sniffles.
My sniffles. My snaffles. So, uh, Thanks for tuning in this week and um, yeah, reach on out if you need, if you want, we'd love to talk to you. And uh, until next time, Marissa thanks so much, everyone else thanks so much, so long everyone. Visit voicecoaches. com for more voiceover news and information.
That's not fun. I sound, uh, I, I, I sound as... Bad as I feel. I have a cold. Aw. Uh, yeah. It happens. It happens. It's this time of the year though, right? Because like, Well, yeah, I I have the issue where if I sneeze like three times in a row, there goes my voice. And it's because it's like, you know, allergies, and then it's just the change of the temperature too.
So yeah, so I think it's allergies, it's that, uh, this past weekend, uh, I, I took my family, we went to Niagara Falls, and we kinda, kinda ran myself ragged, not gonna lie to ya. Um. And so didn't get much sleep, so I think that didn't help. Also seeing other people, like being around people, probably didn't help.
And then, uh, there's the extra added bonus of my son goes to kindergarten, and that's basically a petri dish of one mother's naughty children. Does my son have a runny nose? Of course he does. He has for like five years. It's funny that you mention that because like my parents always have worked in schools and I remember like I was in between jobs at one point and my mom was like you should really think about being like a substituter or like you know think about trying to work here.
I go no I don't think so. I'm like my immune system is shot as it is. I don't need to be about around all those little germ infested nuggets. I just, no thank you. So he got into Runny nose and and he gave it to me because you know sharing is caring and uh, and here we are. He loves you dad Oh, yeah. No, yeah, that's true.
That's true. But we had an amazing trip to Niagara. It was awesome Yeah, I like I knew that you had a vacation, but I forgot to ask you about it So I'm glad it went. Well, you're just all run down now Yeah a little bit a little because that's what that's the craziest part, right? You always go on a vacation then you need the vacation from the vacation.
Yeah, although I I'm I did a smart thing So later in October Uh, the end of October, we have a wedding we're going to in North Carolina and we're gonna be down there for a week. And it's gonna be a Wednesday to a Wednesday and I took off two full weeks because I want some time after. I'm gonna have to mark that down because that makes me know that I don't have to be here for the pod.
But Kimmy, you're gonna run the pod at that point. It's gonna be, it's gonna be the Marissa Lanczak show. No, no, no, no, no. This is, this is the Josh and Marissa show, so let's just keep it that way, okay? Alright. I can live with that. Fancy like. Means neither of us can get fired anytime soon. Yeah, exactly. It's just See what I can do.
Though, you know what? I like to say it's like, it's um, it's job security. But you know what happened two years ago? Uh, on this day? No. I was in the Bahamas for work. I was doing a live broadcast at the Sandals Resort. Tough life. Tough life. The last thing that I did while I was there was I interviewed the spa while getting a massage.
And seriously, like, we're on the plane going back, and the ratings came out, and I was number one. And I'm like, I actually said, I'm like, wow, Job security, . And then I got back and I got let go. . Sad story. So the last thing I did for that station in Boston was I got an a ma uh, a massage while I was interviewing this boss.
Well, I mean, maybe if they didn't send you to, to The Bahamas to get massages, they could have afforded your, your, you know, exorbitant salary. Oh, are you kidding? They, first of all, that was free and I was, Getting paid so less, so little money that I was like poor in Boston. That doesn't take much. No, it doesn't.
Because poor in Boston does not take a ton. No, it does not take much. Especially if you're trying to live there. Yeah. Um, It's pretty difficult. Yeah, no, there's, there's no, no question about that. Um, so fun story. Yeah. So I was driving back from, from Niagara. Uh, we stopped off in, uh, Rochester at the Strong Museum of Play.
Which was very fun. And uh, and so we are, we are heading back, and I get home, and I'm giving my son a bath, and I don't know why I'm telling you all this particular information, but whatever, it seems pertinent at the time, and uh, I take out my phone, and I have a text message, and it's from a, a cousin of mine, so it's from my, my son.
stepmom's sister, so that makes her my... aunt ish. There's a family tree involved there. There's a branch. We're related by marriage somehow. Yeah, there's like a little tiny branch. I'm sorry. She's a sweetheart. Um, and so this is, so remember when I did the, uh, the book for, for their father? Yeah. So she actually, a lot of the book is based off of, of his journals, their dad's journals from when he was in the war.
And she actually has them. She, she has all of the, the journals and so I, I asked her, you know, next time we see her, I'd love to, to see them. They've been, they're, they're in like a, a little can that he kind of created to protect it when he was, uh, you know, a POW. And so she has all that. So, um, and, and so she, she was really moved by it.
She, you know, she, I talked to her afterward and she loved it. I was like, that's, that's fantastic. I'm, I'm, you know, that's, that's really great. And so she sent me a text and said that she works at a, uh. Older person's home, um, retirement home. Hey, I'm not thinking of words right now, but anyway, and she takes care of, you know, senior living facility or that'll work.
That'll work. Yeah. Um, and, and so she takes care of, you know, people, she's not a nurse there, but like she'll run errands with them, you know, take them shopping. And so she, she works with them. She has a number of clients there. And one of her clients is a 95 year old World War II veteran. And so she, um, cause he obviously knew the story of her dad.
And so she started playing. the audiobook for him, and he really, he really enjoyed it. And I was like, that's, that's awesome, that's, that's so great. Um, and then, she said that, you know, she told his daughter about this, because he had also written some things, and his daughter wanted to know if she could reach out to me to potentially read some stuff from her dad.
Oh wow! And I was like, I would be... See, this is the power of, you know, spreading the word, you know, like, like you're literally, when I, you know, we're at the end of a demo session or whatever, I'm like, you're literally one person away, you know, from potentially your first job, but you've got to talk about it.
You've got to get the word out. And that's just it. And you may think, and, and, and you may be right that there's nobody that you know directly who can... And you may be right, but you don't know who they know. You need to figure out what your, your network is. And it's not just who you know, it's who they know.
Yep. And they're willing to, to reach out to for you. And people are really good about that, right? A friend of mine works for a... Whatever. A buddy of mine is a something and a somewhere. You never know. Right. And that's the thing, like, you know, you're, people like to, they like to have that recognition that they helped you.
Absolutely. So they're going to help you, you know? I joke with people about it. I'm like, I'm like, look, you know, people are going to be, you know, tripping over themselves to help you so that they can then hold it over your head for the rest of your life. That's okay. Let them. Fine. I don't care. Like, oh, remember Marissa?
Yeah. She's a super popular voice actor. Yeah, I helped her get her first job, no big deal. Right, exactly! You know what? Give it to him. Fine. Yep, you did. You go, you, yes. Yes, thank you. Yes, you did. So funny. Right? And so fine, take it. I don't care. Um, but you know what? That's, you never know. You never know. And, and again, I mean, it, it doesn't hurt to, to ask these things.
It doesn't hurt. And, and it may not be right away. It may not be like, oh yeah, a friend of mine works for something. It may just be like, okay, yeah, no, that's, that's really cool. And then, hey, you know what? I actually, I, I, I, I know someone who might be able to help with this. Again, that's how a lot of this is going to, is going to work.
These are easy contacts to make. If that turns into anything, and I don't know if it will, but if it turns into anything, I didn't, you know, market myself to a 95 year old World War II veteran in Cleveland, Ohio. Yeah, it's just somebody said something to somebody else and here we are. Exactly. So, did I technically, quote unquote, do any work to market myself to get if this, you know, if anything comes to pass here?
No. No, I didn't. I was busy marketing myself to other stuff. That's how this works. That's how, you know, these repeat, we talk about repeating jobs, right? Repeating work and how great it is because you're, you're always looking for the new first job while other jobs are repeating themselves. But at the same time you could be looking for new jobs while other jobs are being looked for for you by other people.
Because I wouldn't reach out to this, you know, senior living home. I don't know them. I don't know anybody. That would also be a little awkward, too. It would be super weird. Like, incredibly awkward. It would be... Hi, I know you don't know me, but I know you have a lot of old people living there, and like, they might have journals that I could read.
Can I, can I, do they have any diaries that I could steal? I would, I would love to read about their lives. Yeah, I would like to, to find out about their deepest, darkest secrets, and then publicize those to the world. Is that I don't know any of them, but I'd love to do it. It's not awkward at all. No, no, yeah, so that would be, I mean, it'd be a little weird.
be a little weird. Like, okay, great. I'm going to make a quick phone call. Um, yeah, so that's how you get on FBI watch lists. I'm pretty sure of it. Pretty positive about that. That's how you fly. Like, you know, you're gonna have to come with us for just a quick sec. Um, so again, not something I would do clearly, but something somebody else did for me because they were passionate about it because they enjoyed it because it meant something to them.
And you know, that's That's what we do. That's why we do it. And, and again, if that turns anything, and I don't know if it will and if it doesn't, not a big deal. But if it does, I mean that is, you know, it's something for nothing. Yep. It really is. It's something for nothing. And, you know, that's, that's why we do it.
And let's be honest, let's not put away away the fact that, you know, doing that book, which I did for free, right, for my stepmom, was honestly a labor of love. It was, it was super enjoyable and, you know, it'd be an honor to, to, to do that for, for other, you know, veterans, for other heroes. Come on now, that'd be amazing.
And it's just like that, that just proves the power. Of love. Well, of love, yes. Um, and I can't remember, was that Huey Lewis? It was Huey Lewis in the news, yes. Yeah, I was supposed to start singing, but I don't have it it's the power of love, it's the power of passion, but it's also, like, the passion that you have for what you do, and what it What it can provide for somebody else at the end of the day.
So it's like your passion has been gone, like it's been um, moved from one person to the next. And that's what's triggered this like domino effect, which I think is pretty cool. Yeah. And, and, and again, I mean, you know, not to, to sound trite, but that's, that's what we do. Ideally, in an ideal world, that's what we do.
I mean, you know, we do this for, for what? We do this because we enjoy it. We do this for the money, you know, let's, I'm not going to poo poo that, but. You know, we do this because of, you know, what we get out of it and what others can get out of it. And that's, you know, and to see that kind of extrapolate is, is really cool, is really cool.
And like I said, even if it doesn't turn anything, it doesn't turn into anything. I now know that, you know, a 95 year old World War II veteran probably really enjoyed listening to me, you know, tell a story. And that's, I don't care, I mean, Call Me Romantic if you want to, that's cool. Yeah. Like, that's really cool.
Yeah, it really, it makes you go all those hours that I put into that project. You know, I did it for a specific reason, but now it's going past that, right? Yeah. Like, it's, it's getting to a wider audience and it's making a difference. It's, it's bringing some brightness to somebody else's day. Because they also lived through that.
So that's, I mean, that's awesome. Yeah, no, I, I, and so I just, I wanted to pass that story along. And I'll keep, I'll keep you guys posted, obviously, if it turns into anything. And I have no idea if it will. And, and ultimately, I don't care. I mean, I do, but, you know, I mean, if it doesn't, that's okay, too. That's, that's certainly okay, too.
And that was not the reason why I brought it up, but, you know, I, I will certainly keep you guys, uh, you know, abreast of the situation, cause, you know. Abreast? I'm sorry, I'm 12. Wow. I feel like, I feel like we're all good friends here, and, uh. We are. Which is why I can feel like I can make that joke of abreast, you know?
Yeah, and I'm just glossing right over it. Come on! Come on, it's Friday! I know, and I don't feel well, so leave me alone. I'm gonna poke you from here. That's fair. That's deserved. Deserved. Um. It's funny, I had a, uh, a student who listened to the podcast before his first class, and um, and was like, I feel like I kind of know you already, and I was like, good, that's what I want.
You know, I had that once too, where I had a student come in for their first class, and they had listened to a bunch of the podcast, and like, they didn't know how to react to me. Because they were like, I feel like, I feel like I already know you, and I feel like this is weird, and I feel a little starstruck, and where's Josh?
And I'm like, he's not just hanging out at my house. Sorry, guys. Sometimes. Sometimes. Um, yeah, you know, and, and, and by the way, you shouldn't be starstruck because we're nobodies. Ever. Legit nobodies. But I do like that, you know, you guys know about us, and, and about our trials and tribulations, and, you know, and, and, and again, and, and one of the things that, that, that my student said was he's gonna appreciate the honesty.
Like, when you didn't get jobs, you know, and you're, yeah, I mean, I'm not gonna lie to you guys. We get told no all the time. Oh my god, every day. Well, not every day, but I went through a, I'm going through a little bit of a dry spell right now, I'm not gonna lie to you, uh, which is why I'm very excited about this potential, uh, this potential, uh, uh, you know, uh, phenomena going on here.
But, you know, it's been a bit of a dry spell. I've, I've been turned down quite a bit recently, and it's not fun, but it's life. It's life. And for those of you who are getting into the industry, you gonna, you gonna get turned down. You're gonna get told no. I don't care how good you are. Yeah, everybody does.
We all do. You get told no all the time. And you know, what's funny is like on the flip side of that, it's just when you think all of a sudden like I've been told no a million times that nothing's gonna pan out and then you will, you know, hear from four or five other people where it's like, Hey, do you have a home studio?
Can you do this? Can you cut this? Like, cause that happened to me, where it was like all of a sudden it was like there was nothing. And then all of a sudden there was like a ton of stuff. Yeah. And you just, you can't predict it. But, you know, you take what you can get, and you run with it, and you just have fun with it.
Cause that's what this is all about, is the passion, the drive, the fun. Well, and that's just it, and I don't care, you know, we always talk about when people finish up their demos, that, you know, look, it could take some time when you get started. Right? It could take some time when you get started, but even after you've gotten started, even after you've been doing this for a long time, there are going to be dry spells.
There are going to be times where you don't have any work for a little bit, and you're getting told no more than yes, which by the way is the norm, and, and that's gonna happen. I don't care how long you've been doing this. Look, I always, you know, when I was teaching at the radio school briefly, I said on day one, I want you to go back and I want you to find your favorite entertainer.
I want to find, like, find your favorite actor, whoever, who is like super popular right now. and go back and check out their story, check out their history and see what they had to do to get to where they are right now. Because a lot of people, it seems like, oh, well, this just happened overnight. Well, no, they've been working their butts off for decades, potentially, to get to the point where they are right now.
And if you go to like, IMDB, and you check out somebody's, You know, acting list, you're going to see periods of time where they didn't have a job. You know, they may have been in something super popular, but then all of a sudden it's like three years go by and they didn't have anything. What were they doing in that time?
You don't even know. They may have been working at Home Depot. You know? Talking about Brendan Fraser right now. You're talking about Brendan Fraser. No, I'm, well, he's one of them, but there's a, there's a ton of people, you know, until they've gotten that big job where it's like, all of a sudden they were on a sitcom for 10 years.
And then after that sitcom, they may have nothing, you know, it's kind of crazy. Yeah. And, and, and again, I mean, that's, it's, what is it, it's an overnight success 10 years in the making, right? Yeah. That's, that's what we do. Yes. There is, you know, sometimes it can feel that way. You can feel like, oh, well, finally the dominoes have fell, but you know, that, that didn't happen.
That didn't come from nowhere. It doesn't come from nowhere. We don't, you know, trip on success here. We work for it. We work for it. That is the nature of the entertainment business. 100%. And I can't think of, you know, very many... Again, with the internet age, things are a little bit different. But even so, you still have to pay your dues.
The other thing I like to do if you go on IMDb is just look at some of the garbage Oh my god, there's so much trash. That people have done before they got popular. Take a look at Paul Rudd's IMDb page. Paul Rudd was in an action movie in, I want to say it was either Hong Kong or like Taiwan. And like, I mean, just.
Bizarro world. Yeah. Just bananas, right? So he was in a popular movie called Clueless. Great movie. Um, but where was he after that? In a lot of very smaller, I mean he may have been like the lead, but it was like smaller production type of roles. Very much so. And now he's Paul Rudd. Yep. Funny fact, even when he was in that, that, that action movie in Taiwan, you know, 40 years ago, still looked the same.
Of course. Still look the same. Need to know his skin routine. Like thousand percent. It's bananas. It's absolutely bananas that he looks legitimately exactly, in fact, I would say he looks a little bit better. He actually looks a little bit better now than he did 40 years ago, which is bonkers, which is bonkers.
Um. Yep. Yep. So, again, you never know where these, these opportunities are going to come from. Get the word out there. And don't be afraid, by the way, don't be afraid of these, you know, um, ridiculous jobs that, uh, that may be out there, right? Your own, you know, Taiwanese action movie, ipso facto. I mean, I, I mean, hey, if you get one of those too, that's great.
But, you know, your own. We all do work that's not maybe the, uh, the most glamorous. Yeah, I mean, I mean, we've talked about our audiobook escapades. Yeah. And, you know, are these Pulitzer Prize winners? Probably not. Probably not. But that's okay. These are the experiences. These are the contacts. These are the relationships and the networks that we build and we grow that, that get us to where we want to be and ultimately where we want, where we want to end up.
Um, so, you know, again, my first. Professional paid voiceover job was a voicemail piece. Not exciting. Not exciting. Mine was a dairy video. A dairy farm. See, that's awesome. Is it? Yes. I want to see it. I don't even know where it is. I want to see it. I've never heard it. I'm going to find it, and next week, next week on the podcast, we're going to listen to the dairy video.
That's not, that's not true, because I don't even know. Omaha, Nebraska, somewhere. I have no idea. It may have been for a farm in Iowa, for all I know. I'll find it. The internet's a crazy place. Good luck. I'm gonna find, I'm gonna look up Marissa Lanczak, and I have a feeling I'm gonna find things I don't want to find.
No, I've made that mistake. Don't Google it. I'm also going to find fun stuff. Uh, by the way, if you Google Josh Heller, and you certainly can do that, uh, get ready to find a lot of people who aren't me. There's a lot, like, it's a very common name up there. Yeah, you know what? There's only one me. Which is nice, but...
Then there's also like, you know, you're gonna find every article of like, oh, look, she got a job. Oh, nope. Nope. Never mind She got let go from that one, too. Yeah, so I was a lacrosse player at Cornell Uh, very exciting for me. I was, I'm an actor. I do have an IMDB page Um, I don't know what I've been in but I am an actor.
Um, I have, I'm a rabbi. Uh, I am There's a few more, there's like a bunch, there's a whole bunch of, of, of me's. You're a pretty cool dude. I get around. I get around. Very versatile. Yes. So, uh, Josh Heller, not the most unique name in the world if you're thinking of naming your kid. Uh, Josh Heller. That'd be great.
I appreciate that. Um, anywho, uh, sorry if I was sniffling in the microphone. It's okay. That was me last week. Yeah. That's true. That was allergies. It's bad. Yeah. Yeah. It happens. It happens. I still have my sense of taste and smell. Funny fact, I was, I was making dinner last night and I was cutting onions and, um, You know, I was like, well, I don't know, I'm too bad, I can't smell anything.
And my wife was like, you can't smell anything? We need to go to the doctor right now. And I was like, no, okay, let me rephrase that. You know, if this were a couple years ago, we would have not thought anything. I would have been like, oh, it's just that, you know, it's October. Let me rephrase that. I can smell, I just can't breathe.
To smell. So, that's what I meant by that. Haha, need to watch what I say. Yeah, totally. Um, so, I do have a sense of smell, I just can't use it because I can't get air into my nose. Still, though, cried like a baby with those onions. Oh my god. Burned yeah, so sorry. Yeah, it's all right. That's all right. It happens happens.
We're sautéing some onions for uh, For sure they were hamburgers actually sautéing them and uh with a little uh, a little uh, um, Oh, I haven't had breakfast yet. Stop. Oh, it's all right. It's all right most important meal of the day I know i'm getting there important meal of the day pods first that and coffee that and coffee.
Mm hmm Um, all righty. Well in that case, um Cool, I think that's all I got for today. I don't know. I'm a little spacey at the moment. It's all right Um, so, uh marissa take it home I don't, um, okay, bye. Thanks everyone for tuning in. Uh, Josh at voicecoaches. com, you know how to get in touch with us. Josh at voicecoaches.
com. And, uh, thanks for tuning in this week. We will be back next week. Hopefully I'll be feeling better, but I make no promises. Marissa, you'll probably sound the same. Probably. Cause this is my voice. That's you. Yeah, that's how I sound. This is not my voice. Um, this is my voice with hypernasality. That's his voice with his sniffles.
My sniffles. My snaffles. So, uh, Thanks for tuning in this week and um, yeah, reach on out if you need, if you want, we'd love to talk to you. And uh, until next time, Marissa thanks so much, everyone else thanks so much, so long everyone. Visit voicecoaches. com for more voiceover news and information.
This week, Josh and Marissa talk about networking. Its important to find out what your network is before you look to expand it. And that is not just who YOU know…it’s also who THEY know.
