Banging On All Cylinders with Tawny Platis

S7, Ep 209

Meet Your Actor Series - Tawny Platis

Meet Tawny!

Tawny is a voice actor and content creator who has worked with clients like:

Disney+, HULU, Warner Brothers, Genshin Impact, Angry Birds, Raycon, and Harvest Snaps

Videos games and animated works like Symphony Of War 2, House on The Outlands, and Garbage People

She has also narrated novels alongside Aaron Shedlock for USA Today Bestselling authors, Macmillan publishing, and award winning author Natalie Symons.

Tawny has been featured in publications like People Magazine, Newsweek, and MSN in addition to being a featured guest on the comic-con cruise with Jason Issacs, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, Alex Kingston, and Felicia Day. 

After getting her start in San Diego, California as a local child actor, she began working in entertainment and creating content full-time in 2017. 

Tawny creates content across platforms (Tiktok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook) for over 2 million followers.

Website - https://tawnyvoice.com/

IG -https://www.instagram.com/tawnyplatis/?hl=en

YT - https://www.youtube.com/@thetawnyplatis

This is a shareable podcast where a group of creatives join together to  document their creative voiceover & on-camera journeys in real time. 

We hope this podcast creates inspiration, stirs up a few ah-ha moments or maybe brings to the surface a feeling of "you're not alone" while navigating the creative process. Either way, we are glad you are here.  Oh, and we also pull into our conversations at the chaos table industry professionals along with other fellow actors, to share their stories, experiences and knowledge - so we can all connect, share, learn, grow and expand together.  

This podcast is for entertainment and not educational purposes!  

Enjoy and thank you for listening to our Creative Chaos!
 
*Have a creative story or journey to share, we'd love to hear it - email us at chaoskeepers411@gmail.com or jozlynrocki@gmail.com
 
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Transcript

Angela Cortez 0:02

This is a podcast where a group of friends document their creative paths in and out of the booth and beyond the screen while also exploring the journey and origin stories of other fellow actors to learn from, get inspired by, and connect with our community as we share our ups and downs and of course our chaos along the way. Welcome to Keeping Up with Chaos from the Booth and Beyond.

Jozlyn Rocki 0:27

Hey guys, welcome back. It's Jocelyn. This week, Gabby's with me, Lloyd joins me, and we have a special guest for our Meet Your Actor series, Tawny Platist. Yay, we're excited that she's here. Uh Tawny is a voice actor and a content creator. She has two million followers and counting. She's worked with clients like Disney Plus, Hulu, Warner Brothers, uh Genshin Impact, Angry Birds, you name it. She's done it. And um she's also been involved in Symphony of War II, House on the Outbounds, and Garbage People in terms of video games. She's also narrated several novels for audiobooks with um best-selling authors and award-winning authors. Now, she started when she was six years old in San Diego, and I can't wait to hear more about her story and her journey and how she came to getting into the world of voice acting. So, um, and and just sharing with us like all the nuggets of wisdom that she's collected and wants to share with us from her journey. So, on to the conversation. Thanks for being here. Please share us and cheers. It was so bad. I mean, they can be very helpful. Steroids can be very helpful for sure.

SPEAKER_02 1:40

Yeah. Yeah.

Jozlyn Rocki 1:42

In like the right circumstance, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:44

Yeah, in the right circumstance and on the right body. My body did not have the best reaction. It was the worst reaction I've ever had. I it was so insane. But it did help me um realize that you know you can't be afraid to do things in life and that really your health is the one and only problem you should have in life. Like that you should focus on right on problems. Everything else is just like superficial.

Jozlyn Rocki 2:16

Yeah. Yeah. That's that's like a really good point. We could always keep that. That's like we do get trapped in like worrying about different things that are just so surface, superficial level of like worry. And then it causes us to like it causes health issues, you know what I'm saying? Like, and then or or you know, like upset stomachs or headaches or migraines or whatever, however it impacts your life. I mean, and then it's like I'm trying to retrain my brain to know like I'm safe in this body, I'm grounded, like I'm safe in my house, I'm safe in like what I'm choosing to do, you know. And um totally agree. So that like I don't allow the anxiety because like worry will spark anxiety, anxiety will spark a stomachache. Oh my microphone is like way too far away. Um exactly.

SPEAKER_02 3:08

So and that will just lead to illness, which once you get that, that will be your only problem. Illness. Everything else will like fly out the window, doesn't matter. And then you'll just sit there thinking about all the things you didn't do because you were scared or because of um some excuse you were you were getting. And be you know, yeah, yeah, because you get time, sickness makes time for you to really think about all that. Because it's the only problem you have.

Jozlyn Rocki 3:42

Yeah, yeah. That's very that's like a very um good point. Because I was thinking to myself, I'm like, you know, what am I afraid of? Like if I want to advance in my day job, if I want to advance in whatever area of my life that I choose, why hold back? Because you're never what do you what are you waiting for? The perfect time to be completely ready? Like you're never gonna be completely ready. You're never gonna have enough time ever. You know, so it's like I was just talking to my sister about that today. Like I made a bold choice in my day job and just kind of like, you know, put myself out there and um and it was like I I started to like go down that rabbit hole of like, oh no, what did I do? Hi Donnie. You know, and it's it's like um, you know, it's like what um oh I thought she was frozen for a second. Hi Donnie. Um, I was like, I was like, why why am I worried about this? Like I I see a clear path forward. I see exactly what I want to do, you know, I see an opportunity. And why am I why am I worrying about making a bold choice or or making it known to the people that need to know that this is what I want to do, especially after losing Frankie? You know, like I mean, and we haven't really unpacked that and we don't have to right now, but I mean it's like you you just you can't hold yourself back. No, no, you can't. So maybe can you hear us? No, she's figuring it out. Okay. Um is Lloyd coming? Is that what he said? Yeah, he's gonna be a little late, but he's okay. Looks like she's figuring it out. Yeah. Okay. Okay, so you just don't worry about it. Like I I've you you take care of you, you take care of your health, you sit in and hang out, and it's just nice to see you because it's been a little too long. Yeah. It's been too long. And it's still I'm not used to you having braces. So weird. I know.

SPEAKER_02 5:51

It is.

Jozlyn Rocki 5:52

Is it like is it hard? Like, are you used to them now? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:57

And I think um with voiceover, it hasn't been a problem. Um I thought it would be.

Jozlyn Rocki 6:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:06

But no, I just let wax on them and yeah, I'm gonna get together. Hi, Tani. Hi Tawny.

SPEAKER_04 6:10

Hi, sorry about that. I don't it's so weird how sometimes Zoom will connect with the preamp and then just sometimes it doesn't. It's so weird.

Jozlyn Rocki 6:18

Yeah, tech. It's technology. I know. It's like so weird. It's like so great, but then it's so weird. Yeah, sorry about that. Oh my gosh, are you kidding me? This is the chaos table. Like anything goes. Like, I mean, trust me. We yeah. Um, Lloyd is joining us, but he's gonna be a little bit late, so that's chaos. But um, we were just talking about how sometimes you just have to say, you know, screw it, like, you know, life is too short, you know, don't hold yourself back, just push forward and and be make bold choices and whatever you're choosing to do. Because, like Gabby was saying, your health is so important to you, you know. Yeah, um, your your health is like super important to you. Oh my god, I just realized I left my dogs outside, it's 90 degrees, and I fed them early, so I'll be right back. I'm so sorry. I like apologize. Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, I'll be right back. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_02 7:05

Hi, Johnny. We are so glad that you can make it and that you're here. We are very excited to have you on. Um glad to be here. So sorry if I I'm sticking a little strange. It's I'm getting over some shit this uh like a virus thing.

SPEAKER_04 7:22

Oh no, I'm sorry. Yeah, that's that's lame.

SPEAKER_02 7:25

Yeah, that's why we got on the whole health issue.

SPEAKER_04 7:28

Oh, the whole health thing. Yeah, yeah.

Jozlyn Rocki 7:31

I mean, you get to a certain age and stage in your life where like health, like Gabby was saying her point was is that you know, health is all you have. You know what I'm saying? So not to worry and allow like the little like tiny things to like hold you back or you know, ruin your day or give you a stomachache, or you know, yeah. It's important.

SPEAKER_04 7:52

Easier said than done, right?

Jozlyn Rocki 7:53

Oh my god, totally, totally. So we're so happy that you're here and like hanging out with us and accepted our invitation. And we love um, we love like meeting other voice actors and actors and you know, highlighting and hearing how you got your start because I feel like it's so relatable, and I always feel like everyone has a story to tell. Um, and and sometimes it's inspiring, and then sometimes it's validating, and then sometimes it's just like just relatable, you know? Sure, yeah. I and I also I have a son who's a voice actor, and you got started when you were a child, so I think that's really cool. So how did you get started in voiceover? I mean, at six, that's young.

SPEAKER_04 8:33

Yeah, yeah. Um, we were not in a good financial spot. My parents were super young and they saw a potential moneymaker, so they put me into acting. Wow. And yeah, did you like it? I mean, when you were younger, I mean Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I liked it. Um, I I think that there is a difference between like telling, you know, your child in elementary school, like you have a job and you need to go to your job and do your job and kind of focus on that, and then like doing, you know, community theater and like and that kind of stuff for fun. Um so yeah, it's uh it's it's a lot of fun. I'm I'm not a huge advocate for the business side of it for kids. Like I think that there's exceptions to the rule, of course. But um, yeah, jet generally I'm like I just in my experiences with it, I'm not I'm not the biggest fan. But um, yeah, like I I got my first commercial when I was six years old for a local radio station in San Diego, and I did theater as well as voice acting and uh just kind of anything that I could we could get our hands on.

Jozlyn Rocki 9:35

Wow. Yeah, my youngest is um, he's been doing it for a couple of years, but it was one of those things where it was a little bit of a different experience where I was doing voice acting and taking classes and coaching and you know, starting to get my career going. And then he started telling everyone he was a voice actor. So I was like, all right, well, let's put your, you know, let's put the money where your mouth is, you know, like let's get you some coaching, which is kind of hard to find um, you know, voiceover coaches for kids. It's you know, there are a handful of them. And um, and so anyway, so like, but now to the point where you're saying, I always say, your agent or your manager sent you an audition. Here it is. Do you want to do it? No? Okay, fine, moving on. You know what I'm saying? Or totally or I give him the choice too. But you know, also there's been times where he's like, I get to leave school early, hooray, you know, like yeah, there's always a bonus to that. Um, so so you've kind of guide us through that. So, like you started on camera acting, yes, or or more voiceover acting, or both, really.

SPEAKER_04 10:34

Yeah, I was doing both. Um, when I was an infant, I was doing print modeling. So that was like um, I think the very first one was like a baby blanket like ad kind of a thing. Yeah, and I was I was somewhere in that six-month-ish range with that. So I was doing like um, yeah, and then on-camera commercial stuff with baby stuff. I don't I don't even remember that kind of thing. It was the 90s, it was the nineties, it was the early 90s too. So I like have nothing from that time at all. But uh, yeah, it was it was stuff like that. Very local in San Diego too. So and and very like, you know, as we were finding it and it was a different time. And yeah, I I got an I didn't get an agent until I was like around that, around that time, I was like six years old. And even then, um, my agent didn't get me a lot of work. We were getting me my own work. So that was uh I don't know if you uh remember this at all, but there was stuff like we have in San Diego called the San Diego Reader, and that stuff is kind of uh in there's a version of that in different cities, is what I've heard. So it's like you have like your little local like reader newspaper type of thing.

Jozlyn Rocki 11:37

They post like jobs and gigs and stuff like that, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 11:40

Yeah, yeah. So posted their Craigslist too at the time. So we found stuff on Craigslist, found stuff at colleges too, because uh, if you would be in the like student films or in like the um college productions, then you could get training from those professors a lot of times. So sometimes it was like a trade. So it's like, yeah, I'll be in your play because you need a kid for this, college, you know, SDSU. And then you got to get the training from the the professors at SDSU, which was awesome.

Jozlyn Rocki 12:10

Yeah, that's so cool. I I do that now. Like we have, you know, Miami Dade and University of Miami in Florida. Um, I've done a couple different like college and college and indie films, you know. So it's like a great way to get on set. It's a great way to meet people and understand the industry and learn from like the inside out. So I think that's like a really good point, you know. Yeah, when did you transition from kind of you started off because your parents made the decision for you when you were younger to transitioning into where you were kind of making the decisions and you were making the choices for your own career, you know? Like was that like later in, you know, when you were older or yeah, that was that was more in the teens.

SPEAKER_04 12:52

So that was like late teens, 20s. Uh hi. Mrs. Lloyd. Oh it's nice to meet you.

Jozlyn Rocki 13:00

Early 20s.

Lloyd Waller 13:02

Can you guys hear me well?

Jozlyn Rocki 13:02

Yeah. So early 20s, you said. So and then so did you kind of like your parents were like, okay, it's you're the in the driver's seat now. This is your career. This is your, you know, this is your choice. And um, and interestingly enough, like I have uh this is like a dual question. So like when you were younger, they made the choice for you, and then you were kind of like you guys were doing it together, and then then they just you took over your career, or were they still a part of it?

unknown 13:27

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 13:28

Yeah, I I uh I moved out pretty young. I was somewhere between 18, 19 when I moved out, and I was working full-time and then doing uh acting part-time, and I saw at that time it was like 2009, 2010. Okay. So that was when we were getting uh more of an online voice acting what would you say? Um voice acting like community, presence, presence. And uh, so you know, we had the casting sites, and I was looking at stuff and I was like, oh, I think you can do this from home, you know, and I think I can do this part like part-time while I'm uh working the day job. So I I was doing that, I was hustling, I was still, you know, just kind of picking up anything, was recording out of a closet in my apartment. And uh as soon as that started, I you know, and I'm socking away a bunch of money during this time too. And as soon as my voice acting income was like getting comparable to the day job, um, quit that and just went full-time into voice acting and then was hustling so really hard for a few years, and then so yeah, like you know, overnight success for uh uh only took 30 years. But um so about a couple of years ago is when I was finally like feeling like, okay, I feel like I'm like established, I'm solid, and I can kind of take a breather now.

Jozlyn Rocki 14:46

How many years was that though? Do you think it took you before you and well from going from day job, you know, full-time to part-time voiceover to flip-flopping to full-time voiceover and you know, phasing out the day job?

SPEAKER_04 14:58

So that was 2009 to late 2016, early 2017. Okay, so it took a while, you know.

Jozlyn Rocki 15:05

Yeah. I think people like have that misunderstanding or like they have like that, um they think it's just gonna happen so quickly and it's not.

SPEAKER_04 15:14

Oh, definitely. And I think it it's tough when you see those exceptions happen right now, especially. Like we'll see like TikTok and Instagram, etc. And these people will be like, yeah, I just posted one day, and then like an agent reached out to me, and now I'm like have 12,000 million gajillion followers, and I'm like, you know, working at Crunchyroll really consistently. I don't know. And I think that's always like, you know, because it can happen. There's a component of luck, uh, you know, right place, right time, right person sees you. That that is the exception to the rule, though. That doesn't happen for most of us. Most of us are grinding for a really long time for years, if not decades. Oh my gosh.

Lloyd Waller 15:55

As soon as you said 2009 to like 2016, I was like, Oh, you're telling me I still got four more years I hated my job. They know they know I can't stay at my job.

SPEAKER_04 16:08

How how far how far into it are you? Like when was when did you start?

Lloyd Waller 16:12

And uh, I think professionally I started 2023, but like we have known each other probably like two years before I had started, like I got my demo and actually started auditioning and what have it.

Jozlyn Rocki 16:25

Yeah, you know, 2020 end of 2020, like 2021, when we all kind of started training and and um you know, trying to professionally train and get coaching, and and then um within like a year, year and a half, you know, into 2022, 2023, I think we all ended up with our demos. You know, so we've been out there in the wild for a little bit. We're still kind of like considered, you know, under five years, you know. So we're still in the grind.

SPEAKER_04 16:54

I'm like, you're you're f you're fresh into that hustle. Oh, I'm not j I'm not, I'm not, I don't miss it. I'm sorry.

Lloyd Waller 17:02

Well, it's that's okay. Good for you.

Jozlyn Rocki 17:06

I mean, I feel I feel for you.

Lloyd Waller 17:09

It's and it's you did the work and you are where you are.

Jozlyn Rocki 17:12

Yeah. And also, too, I think you um you are you kind of were on that sweet spot too, where you had started, you you know, the I have a friend that got in right at like 2016 to 2018, you know, where it was kind of like I feel like at the the tail end of like the golden era. And then all of a sudden, like right into 2020, it was like a boom, like an explosion of voice actors, just wow. It was like, you know, and I think it's just a lot tougher on any oh yeah, which way you try to get into voiceover. I'm not saying that it's not doable because I'm sure you coach, so you, you know, you probably have fresh voice actors coming in all the time, you know. So what are your thoughts on that?

SPEAKER_04 17:50

It's a totally, it's totally different than how it was. And I think that is really the case for any industry and including all of entertainment too, where how you got in five years ago, ten years ago, however many decades ago, it's not it's not gonna be the same. And I think we've seen that throughout film and television and entertainment history. There's evolution and things are are different all the time. And yeah, like people will ask me, like, like, well, how did you get in? I want to do that. And I'm like, you can't do that anymore. It doesn't exist, it doesn't exist, you know. I'm like, I I hate to say, um, so what I tell people now, if you want to get into it, I'm like, you need to plan on being a content creator, in my opinion. You know, and you're gonna hear different things from different people. Okay, all always. Everybody's gonna have a different perspective on this depending on where they land in the industry. But I I personally think if you want to be competitive these days, like you need to plan on being a content creator and having an audience that you can bring to whatever it is you're doing the voice acting for.

Jozlyn Rocki 18:44

Okay, that's so interesting. Go ahead, Lloyd. I know you wanted to jump in there.

Lloyd Waller 18:48

Oh so there's two things. The first thing is I literally just left an an anime industry mixer with somebody from Shonen Jump whole thing, and they were talking about how like when they want to work with people, a lot of the times, like they're not just working with anybody who just started making contents, like somebody who's been they've been putting stuff out for a while, like they have like an established body of work. My question for you is what brought you to the conclusion that that's what you needed to do.

SPEAKER_04 19:20

Yeah, that's a good one. So I I kind of saw the writing on the wall back in 2016 because that was when we already were hearing AI voices and people were talking about AI voice acting and everything. And I was like, Oh, you know, what so okay, so what what do I do to combat that? And I graduated high school in 2009. So that was right when Facebook was getting popular, like and it was getting kind of more known, you know, in the zeitgeist. And I was seeing how people were using it. I was, you know, very familiar. So I I kind of came up right in a good spot with social media as far as like, you know, being like 18 and like uh, you know, uh having money, being independent, being an adult, but then like also getting to see how social media was working. So I was just kind of putting all those pieces together and I was like, okay, I think what's gonna happen is you have to be famous to get cast for stuff. It's not gonna be the other way around where somebody sees your potential and they want to foster that. Like you already have to be an entity of your own and like basically have some kind of like a business on the on your side, you know. So it's like an all-inclusive kind of thing. Like, what can you what can you give the client that other people are not going to be able to, or what's gonna make things like really easy for them? So it's like all inclusive. So that that was the plan back back then when I was going full time. I was like, okay, I have to figure out how to make myself very desirable right off the jump, you know. Like, oh, we we know who that is, we really like her, she's cool, she's fun. We people, if we use her voice, people are gonna recognize it and they're gonna be like, Oh, that's the the lady from the thing, you know. So it's like you have to figure out how to be the lady from the thing in in voice acting in general, and in my opinion, again, like you're gonna hear different things from different people, and it's such a big industry, too. Yeah, um, like anime and dubbing is its own specialized thing, subgenre and voice acting. So I I think that's also important to keep in mind. This is you know, coming from my perspective, where I work in the industry, but like overall, I think it's a pretty common theme. Yeah.

Jozlyn Rocki 21:24

I think that's so cool. I mean, I feel like content creation um is not it looks easy, but it's not. I mean, I feel like it's it's it's you you really have to and you have to have a pretty specific direction, I feel like, that you're and then it might spin off into other directions because you've got a bunch of different kinds of content that you put out, which I think is interesting. We can talk about that. But I mean, I've tried it and it's it's tough, you know, like and my my middle was like, mom, um, can you just not? Because my friends, like, they actually found you on TikTok and now you're the TikTok mom. And I'm like, no, no, I'm not. But anyway, so you know, so I mean, like, you I mean, and Lloyd's been doing he's he's he's on his own like little journey. Yeah, he's on his journey.

Lloyd Waller 22:12

Yeah.

Jozlyn Rocki 22:12

Okay, we'll just leave it at that. Oh, okay.

Lloyd Waller 22:15

I I don't know. I I'm constantly stopping myself from being like, I'm gonna make a hundred TikToks in a day because I've done that before, and I don't have the bandwidth or capacity to do that with everything else that I'm doing. So at this point, I'm like barely making these videos at all. It's hard. Like, what if I just said it?

SPEAKER_04 22:36

No, it is. It's it's a lot, and I mean, I I worked up to the point that I'm at too. This wasn't like in you know, that conversation I had with myself in 2016, 2017. I was not like, okay, that's it. And then it works and we're great and everything's fine, and my life is balanced and I'm not burned out. Like, that was not what happened at all. You know, there's been a lot of trial and error, and at this point in time, this, you know, it's been it's been like 10 years. Um, so a decade later, now I have people, I have assistants, I have editors, I have management, you know, but it's it took a decade, you know, to get to that point. So in the beginning, it was very much like, oh my gosh, how do I balance all of this and figure out how to do all of the things? And I I think something that's really helpful to keep in mind is like whatever makes sense to you and whatever's working for you, do that. Like that's the thing I I can't tell people enough, is it's like I'm I'm giving you because so many people ask me, they're like, Well, well, what do you do? What do you think? And I'm like, this has been my experience, you know, so this is my my perspective. But if you're seeing something that makes sense to you, you know, and and it's working, do that, you know, because it's gonna be your perspective and it's gonna be your career and the things that you're noticing.

Jozlyn Rocki 23:46

That's like a really interesting point because I feel like all too often we like put these, like, I don't know, like you have to do this or you have to do that, or you know, I I kind of started off in voiceover too, like thinking, oh, I have to do it this way, or I have to do this or that to do this, and and now I'm like, no, no, I'm no, I'm not. This is what this was this is what works for me, and this is what I'm gonna do. And might not work for you or you or you, but it's gonna work for me, you know?

SPEAKER_04 24:12

Yeah, there's some stuff where it's like if you want to do something in particular, there is like kind of a path to go about doing it. So I do always tell people that, you know. Um, like with traditional agency work and demos and agents and everything, there's generally kind of like a step-by-step that you want to follow to do that. But I I think just with the way everything is nowadays and everything we're seeing, it is really about like figure it out, you know, like figure something out, see an opportunity and go go for it.

Jozlyn Rocki 24:43

I um so okay, so you do a lot of different kind of sketches, which I think I was like so funny. Like you have a bunch of different create like characters, like, and they're authentically real. Yeah, they're like great. It's so funny. Inferno Inc. I'm like, uh oh. Oh, yeah, yeah. That's that's the passion project. That's the series, yeah. So funny. And then um, what was the one series that you you retired? Like, was it the your fate? Is it your your favorite TV show says a lot about you? Or was it and you were the Aunt Tawny, and then you got a little bit of pushback from that? Because I think that's that's hilarious.

SPEAKER_04 25:20

Thank you. Yeah, so what what your favorite says about you, it was based on when I did drag, like we would read each other to filth. And if you're not familiar with drag, that's like when your easy way to sum it up is like you tease each other and it's it's all done in love. Um, so it was yeah, what your favorite says about you, and it was all stuff that like I watched, which is why I could talk about it, and right, which I thought was very obvious. Like you, you know, I know so much about it and give so much detail. It's like, well, she's clearly watching it, she likes it, you know. Um, but yeah, I uh I ended up retiring the series after I think it's been like three years, four years maybe. I it's been a while. But um I I think that it was hitting a lot of people's feeds that didn't get it. And I think that with the current climate that we are living in right now, it's really hard to tell if somebody's joking. Myself included, there over the years, I'm just like, oh, that person's clearly being sarcastic and hyperbolic. You know, they it's funny because they don't believe that. And then, you know, you come to find out, oh wow, they're a terrible person. I thought they were joking because nobody would ever say something like that.

SPEAKER_05 26:23

Right.

SPEAKER_04 26:24

Um, and I think that just like as the absurdity of the reality that we're living in continues down that path, it it's maybe just not the right time for for that kind of of humor and that kind of uh I hate to call it art, but because it sounds so pret pretentious, but like that kind of uh uh performance piece, I guess that sounds pretentious too. That kind of stuff.

Jozlyn Rocki 26:48

I think what Lloyd would say is everything is performative, right? Is that what you're gonna say?

Lloyd Waller 26:53

Everything is performative, and I don't think that there is any like when you go I don't think it sounds pretentious, and maybe that's because I'm the type of person who whacks poetics a lot, but like art is art, yeah, you know, it's it's I would consider it art. You you put your time into it and you're making people feel feelings and you're expressing your ideas, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 27:16

You know, I I appreciate that. I'm I'm always a little hesitant, like as somebody who has like a background in comedy, because it's just you know what I mean, like calling a comedy art and just being like my dick joke is art, like it just sounds so you're like, come on.

Lloyd Waller 27:30

Even even that I would say is art, but then I would question what it says about the person telling that joke.

SPEAKER_04 27:36

Right? Yeah, was it a good dick joke? Yeah. I didn't even ask. Can I say that on the screen? Oh, absolutely. Yeah, yeah.

Jozlyn Rocki 27:46

I think we always say swearing happens, drinks are walking. Oh, you did say that. Neither are like required for the conversation. Yeah. So um yeah, yeah, yeah. So but you one thing that struck me when I was kind of going through some of your um pieces is um you talked about the different I love that you're able to literally zone in on tones and like just pick apart everything. So like the most recent one was the obviously the double bears Prada. I mean, there's the new, the newest, you know, sequel to that movie. And you picked apart one of like the most famous like scenes within. And it's just like, wow, like, and then you also did a posting where you talked about like the 10 different tones that are, you know, that most voice actors should either have in their tool belt or under have an understanding. Like, hi, can I hire you? Can we sit down and like talk about my like how I can you know find my 10 different tones? Because I feel like that's the hardest part, you know, is knowing, you know, how what to each project to approach and going, okay, yep, that's this is the tone that I need to bring to the table.

SPEAKER_04 28:49

You know, I think I think a lot of that has to do with just being somebody who this is this is my this is my my special interest. This is like the thing I've been doing for so many decades. So it's it's also a little obsessive too, where it's like I'm superpower. It's a superpower. That's nice. But like I like I'm one of those weirdos, like I watch the commercials. I always have watched the commercials. I I like the tones of commercials, like as a little kid, like I would, I would hear them and I'd repeat them, you know. So it'd be and it would be anything. So it's like, you know, Swiffer, wet jet mop. And like they would say that, I'd say it. I would just be like, I don't know if you if you guys are in the right age range for this, but there was something called like a yak back back in the 90s where it's like you would record your voice on some on your voice on this little thing and it would talk back to you. I was like a human yak back, like I was just repeating everything that I was hearing, you know, like side effects may include. Um, so you start to like notice those patterns when you do that. And I that never went away. Like I when I watch stuff, I don't skip the commercials, I watch the commercials because I l I'm listening to them. And you notice with your voice acting, the specs on the script and the people that you hear who get hired for those in the actual commercial. So you start to make those connections. So, you know, when somebody's looking for a warm voice in um uh a Pillsbury ad about holidays, and then you see that ad, you're like, okay, that's what warm means. That's what they were looking for. And you know, bright, what does bright mean? Oh, it's amaz even like before you hear the commercial, you just know the commercial. Like you'll see the department store and they want a bright read, you know. And everybody talks like this. It's exciting. Like in your Macy's ad. Macy's. I was going, yeah, Macy's. But and you see that in there, so it's like, you know, Coles, Macy's or whatever. And it's like, you know, one day only, and you're like, okay, I've seen this commercial before. I know what they want. Like, that's what bright must mean then. Um, and you know, and we learn that in class too. Like they go through like what that means and script interpretation and delivery. And uh so that was, I I think it's just so many years of that. So being able to like make those connections, and then again being being in a position where I'm seeing those scripts and then I can see the finished product, like uh the detached voice for Poppy. Like when I got when I saw that script in the Super Bowl ad, when I saw that script, and then when I heard what they were looking for afterwards, when I saw the commercial, I was like, oh, oh. Like that that's a that's a change. Okay, so we're going from conversational to that. And it's been such a controversial tone, anyway, like in voice acting. It's so funny to hear everybody talk about it because they're like, We're it's just a flat read. Like, what are we even here for? Like anybody could do that. Um, so that that's been really interesting to see too. There's been a lot of evolution of that throughout the years.

Jozlyn Rocki 31:38

That's it's funny that you said that because I I auditioned for like a um Blue Cross, Blue Shield, or some sort of insurance company, you know, and they're like, it's always conversational, you know, um relaxed, friendly, like you're the you know, next door friend or whatever. And then I, you know, I did that, I did relaxed and I, you know, I did conversational and and I gave them two takes and got feedback from the client saying, you know, this was really good. Thank you so much. We appreciate it. Well, I didn't get hired, but then I heard the commercial on the radio and I was like, that is not conversational. That is not relaxed. That is literally, you literally took a Macy's read or a Cole's read or a grocery store read and you insert it into an insurance read that is not warm and conversational, relaxed. You know, like I'm so frustrated.

SPEAKER_04 32:24

And well, and well, typically what happens with that is somewhere in between when they spoke with you and then when that product was finished, they went in a different direction. I know. And that's always what I tell people too, is I'm just like, that's why you have to submit and forget, is because there's so many steps in between. Yeah. Like that audition and then what comes out. It's like, uh oh, okay. Like you you can't ever like get too hung up on that kind of stuff unless there's like a big pattern that you're noticing for a long time, in my opinion. Because I I just being in the back room of that too, like on the back end of things, like seeing as somebody who does help with casting and helps with like the production side quite often with a lot of these clients, they they're they change their mind all the time. I'm sure. You know, so so often it's not you. It's it truly, it's like, it's not you, it's me. Like that, it's so it's actually true though. Yeah. In a lot of those scenarios, they for whatever reason they just go a different direction. It has nothing to do with your skills or anything. Yeah.

Jozlyn Rocki 33:17

That's interesting. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_02 33:20

Yeah, yeah. Um, I also want to say that I love your series on accents.

unknown 33:25

Oh.

Jozlyn Rocki 33:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 33:27

Yeah. Like a Midwestern and then like a Southern Ball. Oh, oh, thank you.

Jozlyn Rocki 33:35

You featured a couple of those in your characters in the Inferno Inc. too. So you have like the Southern lady, and then you had like the Midwestern, like maybe she was more from like Minnesota, right?

SPEAKER_05 33:44

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Jozlyn Rocki 33:46

I mean, that's hard to do, you know. I mean, like, how did you perfect that?

SPEAKER_04 33:50

I mean, probably Oh, because they're because they're not perfect, is like the most thing. They're they're caricatures. Like, if anybody actually, if I actually got cast to do something like that, it would be offensive. Like in something that was supposed to sound realistic and like a drama or something. Um, though those are very much caricatures, and like I know enough about those accents to hear where I'm doing it incorrectly too. Um, but those are not spot on. Like I we always know somebody who does talk like that, but it it is somebody who's the exception to that. Like most people in Minnesota do not talk like that character. Um I I I kind of liken it to like uh like family guy, yeah. Or like Lois, like there are absolutely women who do sound like Lois in this world, but you know, most people in New England aren't walking around talking like this. Like they they don't most people don't sound like that. They sound like that very turned down. Yeah so it's it's very much like supposed to be cartoonist and humorous, yeah.

Jozlyn Rocki 34:44

Yeah, humorous, yeah. Yeah. Um, so what would what would you say would be like your if if something was living for rent-free in your brain in terms of like a project that you worked on? Is there like something that you just kind of like always stays in your brain where you're like, oh, that was just like the best. I had a great experience, A to Z, you know, that you worked on. You know, it could be previously, you know, when you were younger or now, currently.

SPEAKER_04 35:08

Yeah, yeah, that's a good question. Um something I worked on recently. I'm in the uh follow-up to the Symphony of War video game. It's like kind of like a cult classic, and they're coming out with a sequel, and it was such a collaborative experience. And and that's what I loved about it, because I think so often in what we do, they just give us the direction and it's kind of like, you know, do the trick, monkey, and like you do the trick, and then it's like, okay, thank you, goodbye. Um, which is fine, you know, like that's part of why we're hired is because we can do the thing really fast and like we know what they're talking about and we're very easy to work with, and you know. But this was really cool because it was just such a collaborative uh uh artistic uh experience, like so getting to work with the the uh creator and like really flesh out that character and have her go through different iterations and talk about her her experience and like her um her motivations and like why she is what how would she be talking the situation, how would she react and making sure that was consistent. Like anytime I get to do something that's not corporate or commercial and is like really artistic, like that is really cool. And the other one is when I got to do the audiobook for Marion um with Macmillan, I that was super cool because the same reason, like it was working with the director on that project was something that like really took me back to like the theater days where it was like, you know, let's like really dive into this character and what they're feeling and their motivations and like do the like let's explore it. And I was like, oh my gosh, yeah, that's this is why this is what I love about this. This is what I like doing this, and you know, so often we you know, we have to make a living, so we're doing the corporate and the commercial stuff, which isn't to say we're we don't enjoy it, we're not grateful for it, but there's there's not a as much character work in that kind of stuff. So getting to do that, like and being able to do that more and more and more in my career and kind of shifting over into that. Uh there's so I wish I could give more answers because there's stuff that I I'm under NDA and it's like these big anime these big animation projects that like take years. So like I wish I could talk more about it, but it's been so cool to be able to like start to transition more over into that kind of work.

Jozlyn Rocki 37:22

Do you that's cool? Yeah, that is cool. Um, do you enjoy doing the long form? I mean, it sounds like you do. I mean, because I feel like sometimes, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 37:33

Oh, I hate it, it's the worst.

Jozlyn Rocki 37:38

It's a lot of work. People don't realize how much blood, sweat, and tweet tears goes into like the long form, and it's not a lot of pay. But like you said, there's a passion behind it because you get to like flush out those cool characters, yeah. What were you gonna say, Lloyd?

Lloyd Waller 37:51

Oh, I just anytime I think about audiobooks, I'm like, man, I would really love to do an audiobook, but the first time I ever did an audiobook, they know, was was just uh every single day I would send like a summary of things that frustrated me to our group chat about this audiobook. Yeah, and I was like, Oh, yeah, I definitely did not quote them enough for what they're asking me to do.

SPEAKER_04 38:16

I'm so glad you said that because there's so often people like they they just see per finished hour and they don't realize if you're good, if you're fast, if you are experienced, you are the top of your game, it's gonna take you six hours to produce that finished hour. Yeah. So that means a lot of people, if this is, you know, kind of your first venture into audiobooks, like you're probably looking at eight, ten, twelve more, you know, and then we're not necessarily having audio editors, you know, or anything at that point either. Not everybody. Um, the the only reason I did Marion is because I was like, this is a really cool book. Like I really I got the audition and I really connected with the character, and I was like, oh my gosh, I love this. And then they were like, you will have a director who is gonna be punching and rolling for you and directing you. You don't have to do I'm like, that is level. Oh man, if only oh my god, yeah, no, I was like, I was like, okay, I will do it like I will do this with audiobooks moving forward. But that's yeah, I just it's it's a lot. And even then with and Macmillan's wonderful. Like I love working, I love working with Mac Millennium, they're amazing, but like even then, just with my my particular personality type, it's like I'm very picky about the audiobooks I'll take because it is it is exhausting. It's so much work, and then it it is tough, like with the pay rate too. When I look at that, where I'm like, okay, that was, you know, 20 hours of work or whatever. And it's like I just made that in five minutes on a commercial that I just like they were like, yeah, great, sounds good, cool. You know, and then they sent they Venmo me, and I'm like, this is hard to justify. Yeah. But so it's gotta be something really, really cool for me to take the audiobook. Like, I do have to be very artistically fulfilled to do it at this point.

Jozlyn Rocki 40:03

That's a really good point, though. I mean, it's good to be like picky or it's good to have boundaries, it's good to know like what you will do and what you won't do for what amount of time, because time is money, money is time, you know. Like, and and and also, yeah, and like you said, there's preparation, and then you know, there's so much more behind the scenes before you just even jump on the mic and crack the mic. Yeah.

Lloyd Waller 40:24

Um I think it's funny because it's really it literally is like I could send an audition to somebody and they take the read just as the finished thing and put that out there, and then I just go read the book for myself and I have any word, any work associated with it and call it good. Like uh that, you know. Yeah, yeah.

Jozlyn Rocki 40:49

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Tony, did you ever um think about do you do on camera still now, or are you mostly like a voice actor? You know, like just yeah, working in the audio landscape of like acting.

SPEAKER_04 41:04

Yeah, right right now it's mostly audio. I do a podcast, which yeah, I'm so old that it's like it's to me, I still like I it's so weird for podcasts to be a visual medium at this point. Because I always want to say, like, I yeah, I do a YouTube series, but everybody's like, it's a podcast. And I'm like, no, that's for audio, but I'm like, I don't want to be that old woman that's like, you know, back in my day. So like it's a podcast, but it's like so it's on camera. Um, so I'm doing that, but it's not as character driven I'm posting. Um and then the stuff on which I I think we're moving more in that direction anyway, the stuff that uh I'm producing that is the uh vertical content uh and doing that with other people and getting slated for that. But I so that that is like on-camera work, but it is not the traditional Hollywood on-camera work. But like I said, I I really kind of foresee us moving more in that direction just as time goes on. Yeah.

Lloyd Waller 41:57

Uh do you have that?

SPEAKER_04 41:59

Go ahead, you go ahead, Lloyd.

Lloyd Waller 42:00

I I have to ask about verticals just uh as an on-camera person. I feel like every conversation I've had with someone about verticals in the past three or four months, people who have like done on-camera work, it's always, well, the quality's not that great, but the pay is good, and I feel very weird about that because I feel like it's not hard for the quality to be great, right? But you you don't see a lot of it. Yeah, like you you what how what are your thoughts on being involved? Like, do you feel like the stuff that you're doing is more uh see, I feel like I'm putting you on the spot with this question.

SPEAKER_05 42:44

No, go ahead, go ahead.

Lloyd Waller 42:45

Do you feel like the stuff that you're doing is more uh quality? Like there's more quality than you see by and large right now.

SPEAKER_04 42:54

For for the most part, yeah. Like I and I think like I I use vertical too. I know what people are talking about when they say verticals, and when I mean vertical, I just mean that that shape, you know? So that includes Content. So that includes like Buddy Bistro too. Like if if you're familiar with that, where you have that one guy who's playing a bunch of different parts and it takes place in a restaurant and he's playing men and it's playing women. Um, I would consider so that and that's like a series that he releases. I think he puts out a new episode at almost every day. And it is well made, it looks good, and it is a one, it's one guy performing every role, and it's him and his wife, and they I his wife, uh, I think. And they're they're writing the scripts, they have the green screen, and they're producing that stuff, and it is it is good, it's so good. Uh, we see Julian uh I've never actually heard his last name pronounced. Um S-E-W-E-L-L Julian Sewell Sew Sewell. Um but he has he did that 80s uh vertical series where it was there wasn't any talking, it was all text over the screen, and he was playing all these different characters. characters. He kept his beard when he was playing the women, but had like the wigs, had the makeup, had like other people start coming in. And it was like this 80s soap opera. And it had like the 80s music behind it. And I think he stepped back from it a little bit. But oh my gosh, I was so I was just I was so sad. It was funny. It was good. It was like interesting. And I I see that happening more. I see us going that direction more because it's like who's it's so accessible for so many people to be able to tell stories in that way. You know, you can get like if you have some friends that are all interested in that and you're all willing to get together, you can produce a series very consistently. Yeah. And so when I say verticals, like I I mean that in a very broad sense. The ones that you're talking about I it's a specific genre I think of vertical. And I think that's gonna I think it's gonna develop more as as time goes on and we're gonna have that. And it's just like the way that we have traditionally watched entertainment where you kind of have a little something for everybody and some of us might not watch some stuff but it's very very popular among a certain you know group of people. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And we might kind of like you know look down at it but it does great you know it's amazing. People are hooked on it and then you have stuff that is like more pretentious and artsy and there's like a little subset that like is really into that. And then a lot of people are like yeah okay. So it's and then you have the stuff that's kind of like everybody really enjoys it. And I think that that is going to translate over into verticals and we're in a building stage for for that there is a um a comedian and I can't his name is totally like slipping my mind.

Jozlyn Rocki 45:32

I was like gonna go look for it but I'm not going to I'm not gonna waste my time right now looking for it. But um and he does the same thing he's like acts as a if he's God and then he has like all the different years and each year is an is a character or he'll do like the he he has different characters so one's a millennial one's a boomer one's an Xer one's you know one's a Yes you know him he's famous yes yes yes yes I don't remember his name either Michael I I I don't even remember he's brilliant but he does the whole thing yeah yeah he dresses up as each generation and they're talking about something and the millennial's always like drinking and like this oh no that's that's a great example it's like it's like kind of an ongoing series and um I I we we see that also there's another comedian like that too where he has it looks like a reality show and he's parodying the the Kardashians when he does it.

SPEAKER_04 46:22

Yep there's another there's a girl that does that too yeah where there's um start her name starts with a Y. Yes I know who you're talking about. Yeah she's she's genius same thing she does parody of the Kardashians like and it's it's very common and it's very successful and we're seeing it more and more and I just I think that that's we're in the the beginning stages of that we're in the ground floor of it and I think as voice actors too that gives you a lot of opportunity to like kind of create some kind of series around that you know like you can you can do something as long as you're showcasing your voice.

Jozlyn Rocki 46:56

Yeah that's interesting that's it's a lot of work though though I mean like that's a lot of work there's you know there's costumes there's planning there's script work there's voice you know yeah there's camera work it can be it can be I think and I think that you can take that as as as far as you want to you can make it like that.

SPEAKER_04 47:13

And I think that you could also do something that simple is is is much more simple and it's like showcasing that you know and and it can be something that's a lot easier. Like I I go the full spectrum I have stuff that's like very time consuming to produce and I have stuff that's much faster to to produce. And I think it is really about kind of finding like something that inspires you having an idea and it's like okay what what can I do to showcase my my talents and my skills and then I think collaboration right now is so important to like reaching out to other people where it's like okay I do need somebody who can edit or somebody who can shoot or or help me script write or something like that who's another creative and reaching out to them and doing a revenue share together as well. Like I think the revenue share model is is getting um so much more popular I keep seeing that with a lot of really successful creatives creatives is that they're doing a a revenue share model.

Jozlyn Rocki 48:09

Well that's interesting I've never heard of that before I have to tell you there's some content creators that my kids watch and they put it the it on the YouTube, on the TV, in the living room and I'm like, why are they yelling? They're literally yelling you're screaming at the top of their lungs. What are they yelling about? They're yelling about watching other people yelling playing a video game or like a a TV show. So there's like all different kinds of subgenres of like what you're talking about the vertical social media content which is different than the verticals I think Lloyd was referring to which is more like film and TV verticals. Yeah. Um wow that's so interesting I wish I was that interesting like I automatically am like I don't know if I'm that interesting like I don't know I mean maybe being not interesting is like interesting. Who knows?

SPEAKER_04 48:53

I'll have to find I'll have to find a quite well and and again I think part of it too is also like doing what works for you. If you're doing something that's working for you and it has nothing to do with social media keep doing it. Yeah you know if you're inspired if like you see that path like as being something that you could pursue sure you know go go for it. It just it it that's what really I think matters at the end of the day is like do you see a path forward for you? Yes.

Jozlyn Rocki 49:19

Yeah go ahead Lloyd you were gonna say something.

Lloyd Waller 49:22

I was just gonna say everybody's interesting. Everybody's interesting to some that's true demographic of people.

Jozlyn Rocki 49:28

That's true.

Lloyd Waller 49:30

And everybody identifies with other people's experiences in a way that would make them want to consume the content they create.

Jozlyn Rocki 49:36

Yes exactly and there's also people like me I would say okay so maybe I don't want to be necessarily forward facing in terms of creating content I mean but I am podcasting so that's like this is interesting and it's a passion project and you know and I've been doing this for five years and I love it audio video. And then also like I also like helping other women edit and produce their podcast audio mostly not video. So um but you know I mean like you said it everybody has something thank you Lloyd you're right the voice of reason is spoken um so so how did you come up with the idea of like making friendship bracelets and then bringing on other actors because I mean I'm a big I'm a big fan of that because like this is how we created the Meet your you know meet your actor series because it's like I love talking to other actors other content creators other you know creatives you know because it's fun it's collaborative and you know we're all kind of doing this together you know so how did you is that kind of like the basis of where you created the let's make friendship bracelets and talk about whatever we want to talk about because I think that's fun.

SPEAKER_04 50:38

Yeah thank you um I I wanted to create something where it gave people the opportunity to talk about something that they wanted to talk about that maybe they didn't always get to like as we do a lot of like press junkets and advertising podcasty kind of stuff where we get asked like the same before panels at conventions we get asked the same like five questions like every time which makes sense too in the context of what a lot of us do and is understandable. But I did want to give people that space to like talk about like I'm like what what is it that you're like God I wish people would ask me about this more I wish I could talk about this more and just giving them a platform to do that. And then I think that when you have an activity a lot of times it's easier to relax and talk to people because so often we're like like what do I do with my hands or like you know we fidget and everything. So if like you have a task you know it's it takes that away like oh I I I'm doing something. And then yeah just like the being able to bring funds to organizations that needed them with the connections to the people that I have because everybody I invite on is people that I'm I'm friends with or friendly with. It's gonna be it's gonna be pretty we don't have to you know be weird and have icebreakers. This is gonna be a pretty easy like hang. Yeah um have them come on and then they're cool. They have people that think they're cool so they'll want to buy bracelets from them and then we can put that money towards an organization that they're really passionate about and something that they want to get uh the word out about too I like that a lot like I think that's like really cool.

Jozlyn Rocki 52:15

It's like paying it for a word. Yeah yeah I like that that's very cool.

SPEAKER_02 52:19

Question Kevin What is something that you wish people would ask you more talking about that. Because I mean you can't really answer that on your own.

SPEAKER_04 52:30

I mean you could but you're the host yeah they there's a lot of my guests that they they want to ask me questions and I like I always feel like super awkward about it because I'm like I'm trying to give you this space and they're just like I'm just so curious about what you do. Um that I that I wish people asked me more. I I I don't know I it's so weird because I don't think I uh I'm glad you asked me that because I have to think about it.

Jozlyn Rocki 52:55

How about well you're you're you're uh kind of like scratching your arm and you're I mean I'm curious about your tattoos like how did you start mixing yeah like I'm starting at half sleeve and you I you started oh really from the yes you started from the top like I've started at from the bottom up so I'm going up but like you started What do you have?

SPEAKER_04 53:12

I mean butter you're asking me you're turning the tables uh butterflies and um I'm so glad Gabriella asked me this I think this is that like oh no maybe this is my passion is tattoos I want to talk about tattoos.

Jozlyn Rocki 53:25

Well no I mean like how did you did when when did you get your first tattoo and like what you know what motivated you to to do that.

SPEAKER_04 53:33

I uh I got my first one when I was like 20 21 somewhere in there but it was it's this right here and it's this uh geometric design uh that I was like drawing a lot in high school and I got that one and then my next tattoo was a sleeve yeah so I would tell people yeah I was like this is for me um and this is all uh studio Ghibli artwork um yeah so thanks I got so cool I don't know if you're gonna see it um hypermobility here coming in clutch I have Ponyo right here like you can see your little orange head and then I have no face and then it goes yeah and then it goes down to Howl's Moving Castle right there. I got oh man Totoro down there. Got those are so funny all the different all the different stuff. But um I saw I saw Pony Ponyo was one of the um movies that made me really want to like get serious about voice acting because it came out when I was in my late it came out when I was in my late teens and I was it was one of those ones that just it was like that was kind of a turning point for me. Like I was voice acting I was you know acting and doing all this stuff but I watched it and I was Miyazaki's one of those brand I don't know what you would call it. Like those those Miyazaki movies have really good dubs. And you know his historically speaking um dubbing it can can go either or like you never really know what you're getting into. You know and I because I don't want to talk trash about my fellow voice actors or anything like that. There are some amaz there's amazing dubs out there and it it is only getting better as time goes on. But um you know we we were very much you know when I was watching this stuff in my my younger years it was a uh Wild West newer newer industry. So you know you were never kind of quite sure what you were getting into. And at that time Miyazaki was one of those ones where it was like every single movie if you were watching the dub because that was a lot of what was available at the time too was was dubbing um it was good. It was so good. And Ponya was that one where I was just like it it gave me goosebumps that whole movie everything about it I was like I was like oh my god like and so much of the artistry was from the the voice acting in it and a lot you know and it just like with the the visual art artistic animation side of it with that voice acting combined it created this just complete story and I I loved it so much and I was just like I just I need to be a part of that in any way that I can and uh so yeah it's just it's it and it's one of those film those films are those types of films that always like really make me feel you know like it's you you watch those and it's full body goosebumps you're you're misty eyed during the whole thing you have the chest the chest feels like the swelling in the chest and it it's it was I I get stuff on my body where I'm like I know this is going to be a very consistent thing that I am going to love forever. Like I always really sit on my tattoos for a really long time. And uh this is one of those ones I'm like no matter what these movies are always going to be things that are so meaningful to me and have were such an impact on me and are so gorgeous and like such a beautiful part of the life experience. One of my favorite parts of life was getting to watch these films and feel that way you know that's cool. Be able to know I can feel that way about stuff.

Lloyd Waller 56:57

Yeah yeah that's awesome that's I mean go ahead go ahead Lily one one I'm not at home so I apologize for the extra noises. Here it goes um but two I just want to say you just made me realize because I I don't have any tattoos and I've always been the type of person who's like I will never get a tattoo unless it it means the world to me. And you know what's crazy is I love you sharing why Pony specifically but Miyazaki movies are are special to you because I realized just now my sisters I'm the oldest of seven and my sisters are between different states. Panho is the only movie I have ever seen in theaters with all three of my sisters. That's crazy. And what yeah and one of my sisters used to like it would be this whole thing where she would not greet me normally she would run into a room and yell Pano and she would get so mad at me or she would go she would call she would say Sosuke and she would get so mad at me if I didn't yell back Pony.

SPEAKER_05 58:00

Pony loves Sosuke that's maybe that's in the in the tattoo bank of possibilities now.

Jozlyn Rocki 58:15

Might be the one it might be well I feel like we're we're like we're rounding down the the conversation I don't want to take up too much of your time um so we always do like a a fun like question at the end and or like closer to the end and then um I guess and then we'll ask you your final question. But for the fun question it's a round table and we all get to answer it. So you can just pick any number you want to it's like one to like it goes all the way just into the hundreds. So you can pick any number you want Tani gets to pick it 43. Okay I gotta back it up I was way into the hundreds uh let's see hold on you keep going so high that people pick low I know hey but this is a good one this is a good one which Mario Kart character are you? Oh jeez that kind of goes with like you know the newest Mario movie just came out in the movie theaters and like I I actually okay Gabby I can see that you want to go first because I can see you're you're just Yoshi I'm gonna go with Prince Princess Peach. I mean like I mean yeah I don't know Tawny do you have one?

SPEAKER_04 59:28

Oh I I wish I I I know I know Mario but I don't like no Mario to be totally honest um okay I have one I saw the movie um that little the little ghost that's like we're all gonna die oh man all right I feel bad because I wanted to say Yoshi and then Gabby said Yoshi.

Lloyd Waller 59:51

You can still say you can still choose Yoshi is Diddy is Diddy Kong in the new Mario Kart games oh is it the game? Yeah no I was saying with the movie I mean or whatever you can you can do the game well just the games have a more expensive expensive cast okay then all right well what's the reason is neck again all right go ahead oh my gosh no I uh it would probably be Yoshi or Diddy Kong but if I say Diddy Kong then my brain goes well Diddy Kong had his own racing game and I like that more than Mario Kart but nobody ever talked about it.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:26

I think that's a good answer.

Jozlyn Rocki 1:00:28

That is a good answer.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:29

Yeah that out that opens up to conversation yeah exactly fair Diddy Kong Racing.

Jozlyn Rocki 1:00:35

Yeah I love Super Mario just because like that's like those were like some of the first video games that you know besides I'm I'm a lot older than you guys. So um yeah I just I love Mario Kart I love being able to play Mario Kart I'm glad that it's like still popular to this day. You know I mean it's a it's a classic really and the movie was excellent. Like I really I actually like got teary eyed at the end where I was like girl power yes like the sisters are together like they found each other and and my my boys are like really oh so this is the most recent Mario movie oh yes I'm sorry got you the Mario movie.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:08

Gotcha gotcha I just saw the first one because my my friend wants to see the second one and we still haven't seen it but so I just watched the first one and I love that little the what is that what is it called in the cage that they're in prison with over the lava and it's like you know like we're imminent peril into the void.

Lloyd Waller 1:01:27

Them like the little ghost boo is that her name the the I haven't seen them the new movies but generally the ghosts in the Mario games are called Boo.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:38

Okay gotcha. It's on social media a lot too it's on social media a lot too where it's like it's in a cage like swinging above lava and it's saying these like really like awful things and it's like really cute voice and I'm like I it's like the best part of the movie.

Jozlyn Rocki 1:01:53

It's been a minute since I saw the first one. It's been like a minute and like I just went and saw the second one in the movie theaters recently so that's like fresh in my brain right now and they had the tiny tiny little Bowser like he had like the baby Bowser. And then anyways yeah with Jack Black he's like he was perfect for that.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:08

Jack Black was great in that movie. I uh now I wish I was more into Mario like we my first video game was Tony Hawk Pro Skater on the PlayStation that was my very first for you it was and then it was uh what was it we had Rayman and we had uh Crash Bandicoot so those were like I we didn't we didn't have like the Mario stuff we had PlayStation when I was growing up so I'm like I feel like I missed out on this like big cultural thing.

Jozlyn Rocki 1:02:36

What is your first video game Lloyd?

Lloyd Waller 1:02:39

My first video game that's a hard question to answer. I could probably like it it's probably uh there was an there was it was probably Super Mario like the original Super Mario because we had like and my mom had like an Atari and a Super Nintendo what have it first game I ever beat I know was Super Mario 64 because I made it everyone's business that I beat that game by myself nice yeah I'm I'm a huge gamer so yeah Gabby what was your first uh first yeah uh well it was on my brother's PlayStation but it was Dexter's lab I don't know Dexter's label Dexter's laboratory wow yeah so specific it was a dance game and I loved it you're so funny I love that I don't even I don't know Dexter I'm gonna have to look that up I'm gonna have to look it up but um well thank you for coming on today we have one final question we always ask I'm gonna have Lloyd ask it um oh time yeah I'm gonna have you do it I'm gonna put you on the spot and it's just for you and then yeah go ahead go Lloyd cool also yes thank you for being here yeah um of everything you have done in your life what are you the most proud of I'm most proud of of everything I've done in my life what am I the most proud of um going out on my own and like the yeah like like leaving a community that I was born into that was not healthy and like completely walking away from absolutely everything and just starting out com totally on my own young with not really any safety nets or anything because it was really scary but I I'm really really glad it worked out and I think that I I if I had stayed I don't know if I would have survived but it's it's one of those things I'm like I'm I'm actually healthy and like happy and that was something that I didn't have until I got out of that community was in I was in my 20s.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:46

Wow I'm really really proud I was able to to do that. I love that for you and that's really relatable too that takes so much courage. Yeah it does a lot of yeah it's scary as fuck because there's times where you're like you know when when shit gets bad you're like I don't I don't have a safety net I don't know who to go to like do I go back? Like will they even like take me back or anything and right you know building up a family that's completely found family. And you know it takes like some time to build that and then to feel secure in it too. And yeah just I I don't know like proud I yeah I guess I'm proud of it but I'm like I'm very grateful more than anything I would say.

Jozlyn Rocki 1:05:24

I love that I think that's important because I think like you know just blood doesn't necessarily mean family. You know like you can create your own family you know from all different places and phases and areas of your life and that's so important you know yeah what are you guys the most proud of oh no gosh wow has has anybody turned the tables on you before the turntables I mean I would have to say my boys but like you know I mean in this lifetime if we you know in this lifetime the one thing I'm most proud of are my boys. And um, and that's you know, most parents gonna say that. But I also am proud of the point that like I too left a toxic um, you know, place in people and and and it opened up spaces and places for me to bring in more positivity. And so um I'm proud of, you know, it's hard to do, it's a very difficult thing to do. And you get a lot of pushback from a lot of people who don't understand because they, you know, they just don't. So Lloyd, definitely. Yeah, we'll do another little round table.

Lloyd Waller 1:06:30

Yeah, um, I I think that I if I were the thing that I am most proud of is where I the journey I am currently on in life, because it is one that I never thought I would be on. Um I was always like uh I was always I was always like I love reading and writing, but never like any kind of performing arts. And the amount of I actually had someone say to me on Wednesday, because I do a lot of improv, somebody who's been doing improv for a long time was like, I feel like you've been doing improv for like a decade. And I was like, I've been doing improv for like four years. And like somebody who I really like a couple of people who I really respect and think they're great, and then they started dropping compliments on me, and I'm not good at taking compliments, and I was like, thanks guys, we can we can chill now, but like I I will say that I am very proud of like that's cool the constant uh drive I have had to do things that scare me so that I can live the life I want to in the future.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:40

I love that. That's awesome. Yeah, that's awesome, man. I love that.

Jozlyn Rocki 1:07:44

Thank you, Gabby. Do you want to feel proud of you, Lloyd? I know. Do you want to chime in? Thank you.

Lloyd Waller 1:07:49

And my friends, I have such amazing friends. Okay, okay, sorry.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:54

We're not getting out of here until somebody starts crying.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:59

Well, um my first answer, obviously, as a as a mom, I have to say my son. But um other than that, uh I I would say my um my will to keep going and moving forward because I um there there has been many phases in my life where where it's been difficult and you kind of hit rock bottom and you don't know which direction to go to or who to look for guidance. So those are the moments where I felt the darkest, and yet my will like allows me to see a light. And so that has I would say for me, that's what I most. I like that.

Jozlyn Rocki 1:08:47

I like that.

SPEAKER_05 1:08:48

I like that.

Jozlyn Rocki 1:08:49

I love that. Oh, all right, no one's crying. All right, we're all we're all happy, it's all happiness now.

Lloyd Waller 1:08:56

Um happy crying inside.

Jozlyn Rocki 1:08:59

Happy overcrying. Oh my gosh. Tony, so um, do you want to share with us like a little bit about like maybe some how someone can get a hold of you or how they can find you so they can see your content, or maybe they want to reach out to you about coaching or you know, um you know, consulting, or you know, how to get started in this business because I know you do a lot of that stuff, and maybe they just want to see your fun videos that you put on Instagram. Yeah, actually TikTok, you're all over, you're everywhere.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:26

I'm everywhere. Anywhere you can be monetized. Um so I am not coaching or consulting one-on-one for the time for the the foreseeable future. I will do pop-ups every once in a while where I will do like group sessions and classes, but um, I am I am booked out for the foreseeable future. Um, so I am not doing one-on-ones, unfortunately. Um, but I do have materials that I make available to uh folks. Okay, so you can find that on my YouTube. I'm at the Tawny Platys on YouTube. Everywhere else, I'm just at Tawny Platys. And uh if you want to hang out, come come to San Diego Comic Con. I'm gonna be speaking on a panel about uh women in entertainment. I'm representing the voice acting section of that. Very cool. And my website is tawnyvoice.com. If you get really lost, you can find all the things there. That is the hub.

Jozlyn Rocki 1:10:16

Awesome. Thank you so much. Thank you so much, Tony. Thank you for coming on. It was really nice to meet you and talk to you and hang out.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:22

So thanks for having me. This was a blast. I appreciate you guys. You're welcome.

Jozlyn Rocki 1:10:27

Appreciate you. Um thanks, Gabby, for bringing her for inviting her. Thank you, Tony, for accepting. I know. Thank you, all of you, for being here today. You you are definitely a host on a podcast. You like that's awesome. Um, I'm not, I'm I'm like, we're done. I'm not gonna pause it officially though. So um just just in case you never know, because I always get in trouble from these guys because I'll hit pause and then like something gets said, and then they're like, Why did you hit pause? And I'm like, I don't know.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:59

I know, I know, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:00

No, we're we're all good. Everything is cool with me. Like, so you I mean, you're welcome to send it by if you want to, but like I can tell you right now, whatever you guys want to keep in, take out, do with art titles, anything like that, whatever makes sense to you, and however the algorithm is treating you right now that works, do that.

Jozlyn Rocki 1:11:14

It's hard. I mean, it's like you know, it's you can it's like an avalanche of like, yeah. So we're everywhere, everywhere, but we're also sort of indie and like, you know, and pushing out stuff, but at the same time, unless you push out something like a hundred TikToks in a day, it's hard to like climb that mountain. So Oh, it's a lot.

Lloyd Waller 1:11:33

Like, I'm and even then it's still hard.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:35

Yeah. Yeah. No, I was gonna say, like, even if you have all the tools and the resources, like I I have a studio that is my studio with a director, with a producer, with an editing team, with a scheduler. And it's like we're still like I'm not in the top 100 or anything, like you know what I mean? We're we are doing all the consistent posting and everything, and like we're just grateful that we were monetized within two months. Like now we're making like decent, decent money off of it within two months, and that is like huge. That is huge. Even yeah, so it's like it's paying for itself. But even at even like with that, it's like you can have everything right, and there's still stuff that it's like it just doesn't take off for whatever reason, and we have everybody who's like in the know working on the stuff, and it you don't know why. Yeah, I know it's yeah, I it's it is what it is. So I always tell people that too. I'm just like, it doesn't mean your stuff's not good if it's not going viral.

Jozlyn Rocki 1:12:21

It's just because like you're buried underneath like all this other content and people, and that's uh that goes with voice acting too, you know. I mean, it's like that just because like you auditioned and it it you could have been excellent, but like there could have been like 10 or 15 other women that were also excellent, you know, and and it's just a matter of like the voice that was in the head of the person who's choosing, and this other person sounded like that voice in their head that they were looking for. Yeah, it is I don't know, it's just like right, right time, right place.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:49

I tell everybody that too, where it's like there's you can do everything right, and so much of it is still dependent on being right place, right time, which really means luck. And that's what's so scary, is because you can do everything right, and it doesn't mean anything because you have to have the luck in there too. It has to be you have to be banging on all cylinders, which is also why I recommend networking. I tell everybody, I'm like, try to make friends, as many friends in places as you possibly can, because people like to hire their friends. That is something I have noticed across the three decades I've been doing this. Is I I don't get hired through auditions, I get hired through people that like me, who know me, who I've met, who find my content, and they're like, oh, she's uh you know, oh, I really like her. I click with her, I just like her a lot, and then they will offer me the thing. So I don't I don't even really audition very much anymore unless it's something that like is really cool that's being brought to me where it's like and and you know everybody's gonna be auditioning for it, but it's something huge where it's like a you know title series, like a you'd be like one of the title roles on a Disney series. I'm like I'll audition for that. But um the rest of the stuff, I'm like, I I I don't do it anymore just because it's so competitive. I'm like, I want to make those direct connections with the voice seekers.

Jozlyn Rocki 1:13:59

Yeah, that makes sense. That's like a I like that. That's awesome. That that's like I that's a goal. That's like a that's a career goal. Like that's a direction to get to. So yeah, yeah. Right now we're kind of in that space where it's like we have to audition for anything and everything, and like it's all about the numbers game, you know.

SPEAKER_04 1:14:16

But that's like that's okay because that's like how you move forward and like do the work and you know, and there's some people I know too, like one of the guys, one of I'm one of my best friends, he's also a voice actor, and he's one of the top earners in our industry, and he auditions all day, every day, and he that's how he does his stuff. That's the vast majority of where he's getting his work. It didn't work for me, yeah. You know, so that's why it was like I did the social media route, and I love it, yeah. And we do about the same, you know. So, like I I went that route because I'm like, okay, this makes more sense to me. This is what's working for me. This isn't working. Yeah, okay, what what makes sense? What would I do? Like, what again just makes sense to me? Yeah, and and you have I feel like you just have to do that in everything that you approach with with life. With it's just like is this what everybody's telling you to do? Because it's what the experts say, which is worth listening to in a lot of circumstances. But like, what where do you see a again, a clear path for yourself and what makes sense to you? You know? And then a lot of times it, you know, you might think that you figured it out and you didn't. You have to try something else and all part of it.

Jozlyn Rocki 1:15:19

Yeah, that's like Aussie. That's why we don't pause. That's why we don't pause. Well, you said you weren't pausing. I had to give you something. I love that. Thank you, thank you, thank you. And thank you for so much.

Angela Cortez 1:15:34

Yeah, thanks for sharing your time with us. I appreciate it. That's a wrap. Tune into our next episode and continue the creative conversation. Feel inspired, share this podcast with a few friends so we all organically grow and feel connected. Follow us on social media to keep up with all the creative chaos.