INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
1. FOR ALL THE VIEWERS READING, PLEASE KINDLY INTRODUCE YOURSELF.
My name is Sarah Noel. I’m a voice actor native to Los Angeles.
2. PLEASE TALK ABOUT HOW YOU GOT STARTED IN THE VOICE OVER INDUSTRY.
I started with group Zoom classes at a place called Kalmenson & Kalmenson. I learned the basics as well as what next steps to take to get my foot in the door, which was hiring a private coach, getting a commercial demo produced, and reaching out to talent agencies for representation.
3. WHAT MADE YOU GET STARTED IN THE VOICE OVER INDUSTRY?
Like a lot of others at my level, Covid! We all seemed to have the same epiphany during quarantine: we’re stifling our creativity and not letting it be a priority. I had always wanted to be a voice actor but thought it was nothing but a pipe dream, and was unrealistic to pursue, so I never looked into it. The catalyst was that I had a dream job offer unrelated to voiceover, that turned out to be too good to be true. It fell apart in a very traumatic way, and I was distraught, and I couldn’t bear the thought of being back to having nothing but my day job. So I pivoted, and threw everything into VO.
4. PLEASE SHARE A MOMENT WHERE YOU FELT YOU WANTED TO BE INSPIRED TO BE A PART OF THE VOICE OVER INDUSTRY.
As soon as I learned how voiceover worked, which was when I was gifted a behind-the-scenes book about Rugrats, my favorite show when I was a child. I was about ten years old, and the section of the book on the voice actors and how they did their jobs absolutely fascinated me, more than anything else in the book.
5. PLEASE TALK ABOUT THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE IN THIS INDUSTRY AND HOW YOU OVERCOME THE CHALLENGES.
It's a very volatile industry. Things change all the time and it is hard for me to deal with inconsistency. I thought the biggest challenge would be not getting a part I auditioned for, but that actually hasn’t bothered me too much. I’ve learned that parts you do get offered sometimes fall through, for all kinds of reasons out of people’s control. So far, I haven’t been met with much else that has really felt like a hardship other than the disappointment of being excited about something and then being let down. It’s also hard when there are periods of time when nothing seems to be happening, which can feel discouraging, especially when you see your peers sharing a lot of casting announcements. The only way I can get through these moments is to just keep going. I focus on how far I’ve come, and on continuing to audition and train. It won’t be the last time a great opportunity comes along. The future is full of possibilities and that’s exciting, and I sometimes have to remind myself of that excitement.
6. JAPAN IS KNOWN FOR SO MANY GREAT ICONIC VOICE OVER PEOPLE, SUCH AS CHARACTERS FROM ANIME OR MOVIES AND DUBBED TV SHOWS. WHO IS SOMEONE INSPIRATIONAL THAT YOU ADMIRE IN THIS INDUSTRY?
7. IS THERE ANY PROJECT OR PEOPLE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO WORK WITH OR COLLABORATE WITH?
Like everyone else, I would love to be involved in a project at Disney or Nickelodeon. My biggest goal in this career, though, is to work on South Park.
8. PLEASE TALK ABOUT WHAT TYPE OF WORK YOU ARE CURRENTLY FOCUSED ON.
I haven’t narrowed it down to any one genre, but mainly I’ve been submitting for commercial, animation, video games, and dubbing. I’m also learning more about audio description for the visually impaired. I’m interested in that because it combines doing what I love with helping people.
9. PLEASE TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU LIKE ABOUT HOLLYWOOD ENTERTAINMENT.
I love movies and TV shows. I love storytelling, and I love a good performance. I favor originality, so when I see something new that’s not a reboot, sequel, prequel or spin-off, it feels refreshing and much more stimulating. Imagination and creativity are the heart of the entertainment industry and we’ve lost a lot of it, so I really appreciate it when I do find it.
What makes a good voice actor. Improvisational skills and the ability to take direction are additional musts. Voice actors who are well-prepared, have a good attitude, and show up on time are the ones who will continue to get hired.
10. WHAT VOICE OVERS DO YOU ADMIRE THE MOST FROM HOLLYWOOD?
Maurice LaMarche, E.G. Daily, Hank Azaria, H. John Benjamin, Debra Wilson, and the late Mary Kay Bergman.
11. WHAT MAKES A GOOD VOICE ACTOR?
It’s generally agreed that authenticity and the ability to live truthfully in the moment are what makes a good voice actor. Improvisational skills and the ability to take direction are additional musts. Voice actors who are well-prepared, have a good attitude, and show up on time are the ones who will continue to get hired.
12. NOW IN TODAY'S SOCIETY, EVERYTHING IS DONE BY REMOTE WORK. DO YOU ENJOY THIS PROCESS, OR DO YOU PREFER TO SHOW UP AT THE STUDIO?
I can appreciate the convenience of recording at home, but I definitely prefer being in-studio, by far. Nothing feels more legit than being in a glass booth in a professional setting, with a director and an engineer just feet away. That’s how you really feel the magic happening, and the excitement of artistic collaboration.
13. WHAT TYPE OF SPECIALTY IN VOICE OVER WORK DO YOU LIKE TO FOCUS ON, OR DO YOU HAVE SEVERAL TYPES?
I love being a character. Anything that allows me to do that is the best, so I do focus mainly on animation and video games since those are the most obvious avenues for that. I have a good ear and am a strong mimic, so I also do accents, voice matching, and creature sounds.
14. WHAT'S A TYPICAL DAY IN THE LIFE OF A VOICE OVER ACTOR?
Auditioning. Lots of auditioning. I spend a lot of time recording multiple takes and then editing down to the best one or two, and lightly cleaning up the audio so it sounds as professional as possible. There’s also a lot of interacting on social media and LinkedIn, marketing yourself and maintaining relationships with people like directors, casting directors, producers, and others who can be beneficial to keep in touch with. The same with colleagues. I talk to other actors like myself on a pretty much daily basis. Keeping up with each other, sharing resources, giving advice, celebrating our wins, and venting our frustrations! It’s important to have that community and be active in it.
15. WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND FOR ANYONE THAT IS INTERESTED IN VOICE OVER WORK?
Save up your money, and train, train, train! Learn as much as you can from reputable teachers and coaches. Strengthen your skills as much as possible. A lot of people (myself included) start out with the misconception that the sound of your voice and how much you can change and manipulate it is so much more important than it actually is. You have to be able to act. The voice is just a matter of personal taste to casting directors, if they even factor it in much at all.
16. IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT MAKES A GOOD VOICE OVER ACTOR?
The voice actors I admire are ones that are full of personality and put everything they have into their characters, and have great comedic timing. I do love it when I can’t recognize the actor’s voice from one character to the next, and though that’s not necessarily what makes someone good, it is an extra layer of talent that I think puts them over the top.
17. YOU ARE CURRENTLY ACTIVE AS A VOICE OVER. WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR 2025? WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM YOU FOR 2025?
My plans are to book more mainstream professional jobs. I’ve been at this for three years as of this month, and have almost exclusively worked on independent projects, mostly unpaid, to build my resume. Now that I have representation in the LA market, I’m hoping to start working on features, series, and games on major networks and platforms. I’m not in this for the money, I do it because I love it and need to be doing it, and this is the next step in growing my career. That said, it is a business that I’ve invested a large sum of money into, and I have to work on making back that investment!
18. CAN YOU SHARE ANY EXCITING PROJECTS THAT YOU ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON NOW?
I wish I could! I’ve got some things lined up that are confidential. I’ve been cast in a couple of anime series. I recorded a few characters for a free-to-play mobile game last year. It’s all under non-disclosure agreements so I can’t wait to be able to announce them.
19. IF SOMEONE WANTS TO HIRE YOU FOR ANY VOICE OVER WORK, CAN YOU PLEASE LIST YOUR WEBSITE AND HOW PEOPLE CAN REACH YOU?
My website is www.sarahnoelaudio.com and I’m also on Instagram at @notthe1stnoel
20. ANY LAST MESSAGE YOU'D LIKE TO SAY TO ALL THE READERS ?
I hope anyone reading this was able to learn something new or be encouraged to get into this career, too, if they’ve been thinking of doing that. It’s important to take the risk to dive into something you feel in your soul you should be doing with your life. I’m very glad I did.
