Sometimes fate has a way of stepping up and directing you on a path and you don’t even realize it…at first. Dan Friedman began his professional career as an audio engineer, not a voice talent. But after years of working with some of the greats in voice-over on the other side of the glass, today Dan is a nationally respected voice talent, audio producer and author. Here’s his story.
VOICE-OVER IS A PRETTY UNIQUE CAREER CHOICE – HOW DID YOU GET STARTED, DAN?
I started as an audio engineer. After working in live sound, studios and radio for a few years I began working on the production side of voiceover. I took a voiceover workshop in Atlanta with the late Paul Armbruster. He was amazing! His coaching provided me with a solid foundation in voice acting, script interpretation and the methods we use to communicate a script effectively. Although I wasn’t quite ready to start a career as a voice actor at that time, his training was critical to my work as a producer and director. I was recording, directing, producing and mixing all types of voiceover projects. The most important part of my job was to ensure that a client was getting exactly what they were wanting to hear from their chosen voice actor. Occasionally, an actor would struggle with the delivery or with their interpretation of the copy or the direction given by the client. If the actor continued to struggle, and after all other methods of direction had failed, I would offer a “line read”. Most often the client would respond by telling the voice actor to, “do it just like he did it!” On several occasions, after a session, the client asked me to replace the voice actor they had originally chosen. It was at that point that I knew it was time to get more serious about working as a voice talent in addition to my other roles.
WHEN YOU WERE YOUNGER, WERE THERE ANY VOICE-OVER TALENTS WHO INFLUENCED YOU OR WHO YOU ADMIRED? WHY/HOW?
Casey Kasem is definitely someone who stands out. I loved the sound of his smile and that friendly-gravel in his voice. I’m also a product of the Saturday morning cartoon generation. Although I was not necessarily paying attention to who the actors were back then, I sat in front of the TV for hours watching and listening to Bugs Bunny, Scooby Doo, the Super Friends and the Flintstones (just to name a few).
WITH WHICH BRANDS WOULD PEOPLE MOST ASSOCIATE YOUR VOICE?
For just over three years I was the national voice for Moe’s Southwest Grill. I’ve also been the national voice of Hulu Plus, Heinz (with REAL Jalapeño!), and Crowne Plaza Hotels. I’ve been on hundreds of local and regional radio and TV campaigns for brands such as Hardees, Walmart, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Florida Power and Light, Dollar Bank among others.
WHERE WAS/IS THE MOST UNIQUE PLACE SOMEONE WOULD HEAR YOUR VOICE?
I don’t know that there are any “unique” places per se, but when people hear me locally on TV, radio or Pandora, they’ll often give me a shout out. “Hey Dan I just heard you on…!” That is always fun!
IF YOU HAD TO PICK YOUR FAVORITE KIND OF VOICE-OVER PROJECT, WHAT WOULD THAT BE?
Network promos.
WHAT ONE BOOK HAVE YOU READ THAT REALLY HELP SHAPE YOUR LIFE, EITHER PERSONALLY OR PROFESSIONALLY? HOW?
The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. I was in my early twenties when I read it and the book struck a chord with me. It helped me to finally realize that I couldn’t control everything and that it was a waste of time and energy to even try. (After all, the rats were controlling the outcome of our experiments on them. Haha!) I began to look at life differently and, as a result, I became a much happier person.