VC Radio
Voice Coaches Radio #551 – The Power You Hold
Voice coaches, radio, everything voiceover. Here we are a brand new episode of voice coaches, radio. My name is Marissa hoping this is finding you. Well, this might bring a tear to your eye today. Um, you know, I was just every once in a while, you know, I, I hit up, uh, Google and I go to news and search voice actors and, um, or voice acting or just to see what kind of topics are out.
there. And maybe some things that we can discuss right here on the podcast, the questions that might be, you know, or things that might be coming up in your own mind. But this one, this hits home, right? Because I think this is actually something that a lot of us wish we had with relatives or friends or acquaintances of our past that that have, you know, passed away.
Uh, we wish That we had something with their voice on it, so I'll get into this story in a moment But I will tell you this a couple years ago at Christmastime I was still living in Boston, and I thought that this would be a really really good thing not just for myself But for my grandmother as well. I had come home, and you know I'm one of the My family we take Nana everywhere.
Uh, we do everything for her, you know, because she can't drive, uh, even though there are a lot of, lot of relatives, uh, you know, it always ends up being one of us that are, are taking her around and, uh, I typically take her out one or two days to do a bunch of Christmas shopping and this day it was like Nana's day out, right?
And I take her over to the mall here in Albany because I was visiting at home and we went over to build a bear. And I was like, I had an idea. First of all, I thought it would be kind of fun, that you get to go ahead, pick out a bear, you know, and go ahead and, and, uh, make, make something for me. And I can make one for you.
Because, I'm not home, and, and you always say how you miss me, and uh, you know, then you can hug this at night and press a little button and it's gonna be like, I love you Nana. And she thought that was the, the best idea. But I, then I threw it out and I'm like, how about you do this as well while we're here?
Why don't you make one for Mom and Dad? And we'll go ahead and we'll, that can be part of their Christmas present. Uh, because that way they can, you know, always press that little hand and it'll say something to them. And she thought, like, that was like the best thing ever in her eyes, right? So we did that.
And, and it's like, you kind of think about it, you know. If something were to happen all of a sudden one day. I mean, Nana's 90. Um, at that point she was 87, 88. Uh, and. To have that, where I get to press a little bear button, and it's gonna be like, Hello, sunshine. I love you. Uh, you know, it's gonna be like the cutest thing, and it's always gonna bring a tear to my eye.
Uh, but, this, this happened, uh, for, for this gentleman. His best friend. Ended up being a voice actor, very successful guy, part of the Final Fantasy XIV series. And like, I think he had been a part of a lot of the Final Fantasy series itself. Uh, but September 19th, 2021, Stephen Critchlow, who again, very prominent voice actor, passed away at the age of 54.
He was known as the voice of Count Edmund de Fortemps, which I'm probably completely mispronouncing. Uh, but Players from all over the globe came out to pay tribute to him. They held mass vigils. Um, they were just doing everything to remember and honor him and his best friend. Ended up listening to, I think it was, what did they say?
194 hours in the multiplayer universe just to hear his best friend's voice again. That is the power of voice, right there. You know, you do this, this job for so many reasons. Right? You do it because you love it. You do it because you're bringing joy and entertainment to somebody else. You do it because it's like, there's too many people out here that suck at it, so I gotta do it better.
Um, you know, and you're like proving something to yourself. But what you don't realize is sometimes the power of what you're doing and what you're presenting. And, and the difference that you're making in somebody else's life. Um, you know, for, for this gentleman, obviously this is, this is bringing a personal relationship.
And, and allowing it to be long lasting after the passing, uh, because of the job that he did. But, you don't know what you're doing for somebody that you don't even know. Like that's, that's the power of voice at the end of the day. I, I can tell you right now just from being on the radio, um, that I've had people come up to me that I have never, ever personally met, that I have never personally had a conversation with, maybe has never even, like, communicated with me on social media in any kind of way, and they've come up to me and they've quoted things that I've said that I've completely forgotten, and...
Just told me like you have no idea. Like I was going through X, Y and Z at that period of time. And every single day I tuned in because it felt like I was hanging out with my best friend and somebody that understood me and could be a nice distraction from what I was going through. And when, when all of a sudden you weren't at that station, it felt like I lost, you know, somebody that I, I had cared about so deeply without ever actually knowing you.
And like, that's the kind of thing that. I'm sure it might creep somebody else out, but like, that's, those are the relationships that you build over the course of time. Like, when I, I've told this story to some listeners, because what we always say is it comes back to a couple simple things. It's like, you're just you and you're talking to your best friend.
Like, that's what voice acting truly should be. And when I got let go from my one job right here in Albany that I had for a very long time, I did afternoon drive at this pop station, um, I, I remember like the, the biggest comment that I kept getting from every nook and cranny was, I feel like I've lost my best friend.
And I'm like, all right, I did my job. Like, as much as it hurt losing that, that gig, it was like, okay, I, I, I did what I was supposed to. My time here is done. Uh, you know, and as much as I grieve that job as a death, because that was my dream job, I can tell you right now that I did it very successfully. I was number one rated for a very long time, the entire time I was there, honestly.
Uh, and, and just those comments right there. That is exactly why you do what you do. It's because you are making, you are building that relationship and you are doing your job the way you're supposed to, you know, and when you are doing it the way you're supposed to, that is the comment that you get, but there are people like when you, especially when it comes back to the platform that I have been a part of, if you are not liking somebody.
On the air, if you are not connecting with them, you might not even realize that's not why you don't like what you're listening to, but that is probably why they're doing something that is not allowing them to, to be talking to their quote unquote best friend, AKA you, you know, and, and that's what I've always prided myself on no matter whether you're here on the podcast in class with me, whether it's on the radio, whether it's, I don't know, anything, social media, like, That's what You are always gonna get me.
Like, it is the same human. Um, you know, and when it's, even when it's, uh, a commercial, or it's an audiobook, or it's whatever's put in front of me, I will be honest, like, You're still gonna get me. I'm just now reading a script. It might be something I wouldn't typically say in life, but all of a sudden, boom!
Sounds like me. You know? And that's the whole point. Like, I mean, you want everything to be you at the end of the day. And the hardest thing to do is be that, uh, be you at the end of the day. We've talked about that before. Um, but, clearly, Steven Critchlow, Did that and did it very well because even though he was acting as a character within Final Fantasy 14 His buddy goes up on there and and he just sits there and he is in that MMO as they call it in the gaming universe and Just he just went and in 194 hours of Final Fantasy just to hear his best friend's voice Um, you know, that is, that is the power of it all.
So don't take what you do for granted. Um, you know, you are much, much more impactful than you probably even imagined up until this point. Uh, but that is the power of voice. That is the power of what we do. And we will have brand new episodes of voice coaches, radio coming your way next week. You can always hit up the podcast at info at voice coaches.
com. I hope this is finding you well. Visit voice coaches dot c
there. And maybe some things that we can discuss right here on the podcast, the questions that might be, you know, or things that might be coming up in your own mind. But this one, this hits home, right? Because I think this is actually something that a lot of us wish we had with relatives or friends or acquaintances of our past that that have, you know, passed away.
Uh, we wish That we had something with their voice on it, so I'll get into this story in a moment But I will tell you this a couple years ago at Christmastime I was still living in Boston, and I thought that this would be a really really good thing not just for myself But for my grandmother as well. I had come home, and you know I'm one of the My family we take Nana everywhere.
Uh, we do everything for her, you know, because she can't drive, uh, even though there are a lot of, lot of relatives, uh, you know, it always ends up being one of us that are, are taking her around and, uh, I typically take her out one or two days to do a bunch of Christmas shopping and this day it was like Nana's day out, right?
And I take her over to the mall here in Albany because I was visiting at home and we went over to build a bear. And I was like, I had an idea. First of all, I thought it would be kind of fun, that you get to go ahead, pick out a bear, you know, and go ahead and, and, uh, make, make something for me. And I can make one for you.
Because, I'm not home, and, and you always say how you miss me, and uh, you know, then you can hug this at night and press a little button and it's gonna be like, I love you Nana. And she thought that was the, the best idea. But I, then I threw it out and I'm like, how about you do this as well while we're here?
Why don't you make one for Mom and Dad? And we'll go ahead and we'll, that can be part of their Christmas present. Uh, because that way they can, you know, always press that little hand and it'll say something to them. And she thought, like, that was like the best thing ever in her eyes, right? So we did that.
And, and it's like, you kind of think about it, you know. If something were to happen all of a sudden one day. I mean, Nana's 90. Um, at that point she was 87, 88. Uh, and. To have that, where I get to press a little bear button, and it's gonna be like, Hello, sunshine. I love you. Uh, you know, it's gonna be like the cutest thing, and it's always gonna bring a tear to my eye.
Uh, but, this, this happened, uh, for, for this gentleman. His best friend. Ended up being a voice actor, very successful guy, part of the Final Fantasy XIV series. And like, I think he had been a part of a lot of the Final Fantasy series itself. Uh, but September 19th, 2021, Stephen Critchlow, who again, very prominent voice actor, passed away at the age of 54.
He was known as the voice of Count Edmund de Fortemps, which I'm probably completely mispronouncing. Uh, but Players from all over the globe came out to pay tribute to him. They held mass vigils. Um, they were just doing everything to remember and honor him and his best friend. Ended up listening to, I think it was, what did they say?
194 hours in the multiplayer universe just to hear his best friend's voice again. That is the power of voice, right there. You know, you do this, this job for so many reasons. Right? You do it because you love it. You do it because you're bringing joy and entertainment to somebody else. You do it because it's like, there's too many people out here that suck at it, so I gotta do it better.
Um, you know, and you're like proving something to yourself. But what you don't realize is sometimes the power of what you're doing and what you're presenting. And, and the difference that you're making in somebody else's life. Um, you know, for, for this gentleman, obviously this is, this is bringing a personal relationship.
And, and allowing it to be long lasting after the passing, uh, because of the job that he did. But, you don't know what you're doing for somebody that you don't even know. Like that's, that's the power of voice at the end of the day. I, I can tell you right now just from being on the radio, um, that I've had people come up to me that I have never, ever personally met, that I have never personally had a conversation with, maybe has never even, like, communicated with me on social media in any kind of way, and they've come up to me and they've quoted things that I've said that I've completely forgotten, and...
Just told me like you have no idea. Like I was going through X, Y and Z at that period of time. And every single day I tuned in because it felt like I was hanging out with my best friend and somebody that understood me and could be a nice distraction from what I was going through. And when, when all of a sudden you weren't at that station, it felt like I lost, you know, somebody that I, I had cared about so deeply without ever actually knowing you.
And like, that's the kind of thing that. I'm sure it might creep somebody else out, but like, that's, those are the relationships that you build over the course of time. Like, when I, I've told this story to some listeners, because what we always say is it comes back to a couple simple things. It's like, you're just you and you're talking to your best friend.
Like, that's what voice acting truly should be. And when I got let go from my one job right here in Albany that I had for a very long time, I did afternoon drive at this pop station, um, I, I remember like the, the biggest comment that I kept getting from every nook and cranny was, I feel like I've lost my best friend.
And I'm like, all right, I did my job. Like, as much as it hurt losing that, that gig, it was like, okay, I, I, I did what I was supposed to. My time here is done. Uh, you know, and as much as I grieve that job as a death, because that was my dream job, I can tell you right now that I did it very successfully. I was number one rated for a very long time, the entire time I was there, honestly.
Uh, and, and just those comments right there. That is exactly why you do what you do. It's because you are making, you are building that relationship and you are doing your job the way you're supposed to, you know, and when you are doing it the way you're supposed to, that is the comment that you get, but there are people like when you, especially when it comes back to the platform that I have been a part of, if you are not liking somebody.
On the air, if you are not connecting with them, you might not even realize that's not why you don't like what you're listening to, but that is probably why they're doing something that is not allowing them to, to be talking to their quote unquote best friend, AKA you, you know, and, and that's what I've always prided myself on no matter whether you're here on the podcast in class with me, whether it's on the radio, whether it's, I don't know, anything, social media, like, That's what You are always gonna get me.
Like, it is the same human. Um, you know, and when it's, even when it's, uh, a commercial, or it's an audiobook, or it's whatever's put in front of me, I will be honest, like, You're still gonna get me. I'm just now reading a script. It might be something I wouldn't typically say in life, but all of a sudden, boom!
Sounds like me. You know? And that's the whole point. Like, I mean, you want everything to be you at the end of the day. And the hardest thing to do is be that, uh, be you at the end of the day. We've talked about that before. Um, but, clearly, Steven Critchlow, Did that and did it very well because even though he was acting as a character within Final Fantasy 14 His buddy goes up on there and and he just sits there and he is in that MMO as they call it in the gaming universe and Just he just went and in 194 hours of Final Fantasy just to hear his best friend's voice Um, you know, that is, that is the power of it all.
So don't take what you do for granted. Um, you know, you are much, much more impactful than you probably even imagined up until this point. Uh, but that is the power of voice. That is the power of what we do. And we will have brand new episodes of voice coaches, radio coming your way next week. You can always hit up the podcast at info at voice coaches.
com. I hope this is finding you well. Visit voice coaches dot c
This week on Voice Coaches Radio, Marissa dives into the true importance and power of what you’re doing as a voice actor. Something maybe you didn’t even realize.
