Here we go for my second, and final news post of 2024!
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Parroting off of my last Lowdown, First off, I've been voice acting way way less.
Crunchyroll auditions stagnated into nothingness, until I heard from my agent, Patrick McAlister, for the first time in months. Well, the first BITE that I had gotten all year, really. That I was wanted to record for some racing anime. I've already forgotten which.
The problem, however, is that I moved to Denver, Colorado with my wife in June. Loaded up a truck with all of our belongings, and got the hell out of Texas, for the first time in my life.
Oh yeah! We live in Colorado now. Didn't mean to gloss over this, but yeah, I guess that's kind of a big deal. Here's us having our first meal after freshly moving this past summer.
But yeah, Crunchyroll needing a voice wasn't the problem. The problem was that Crunchyroll records their anime dubs in-house, in Coppell, Texas.
They didn't know that I had moved, and I still want to record voices for them.
Living where I had been for the entirety of Covid, (not gonna lie, most of my life) at my Mom's house, that was about a fifteen minute drive. Living here, now, that's like a twelve hour drive. OR an expensive round-trip flight from Denver International to DFW or Love Field. It ain't impossible to make by car, but we're down to one vehicle, and I can't do that to my wife. Who's about to start a new job while I work from home primarily.
We spent all of our savings on the move, but I'm willing to make the journey for a voice role- that's my dream career, taking after my Dad who did it professionally all my life. So we booked a flight, and we got everything in order for me to fly down and do the gig.
A day or so later, they call Patrick back and decided "Hey, nevermind, we don't need this bit role anymore."
And I'm thinkin' "Bit role!?" I'd be in the red, that's like an "In-and-out, you get paid for a one hour minimum" That's not enough money to recuperate the flight ticket.
That's like a background role that you hear once. Which, I've gotten a lot of. Huh...now that I think about it, that's kinda all that I do for Crunchyroll, is bit roles. One Piece were at least re-occurring bit roles for a while. But everything I've done in Vinland Saga (one bit role), Black Summoner, (one bit role), even Gundam Witch From Mercury. Those were several bit roles, spread out through the show.
I'm grateful for them, and I know as a professional, you have to start somewhere, but this is sinking momentum. I've been "starting somewhere" since the 90's as a child voice talent. These dry spells are killing me. Killing my enthusiasm. I need to breakout somehow. I need that role that turns heads and gets people's attention.
So Crunchyroll cancelled on the only opportunity I would've had all year from them. Thankfully we got the flight refunded in time. Patrick's been a ghost until I texted him Merry Christmas, and he replied to that. So, cheers from Colorado, Patrick. May we meet again unburdened by the whole Agent and Talent dynamic, but rather as fellow talents.
I apply to Denver Talent Agency's. All of them ignored me, and one simply replied that I wasn't a good fit for what they're looking for. Looking at their website, it's all commercial industrial stuff. Which is still good money, but it isn't the character work that I've been doing since...well, most of my credits are characters.
It just means I need to re-record a new demo reel. One that'll appeal to their needs.
It's a feast or famine industry. Sink or swim. I'm hungry, and I ain't sunk yet.
In fact, the only big VO news that I've got to share is for an indie game called Mekkablood.
My wife and I did ALL of the voices for this game, and it's coming out in January! So, check it out, and with its success, hopefully that'll mean more business down the line!
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I missed the deadline for the Transformers Collab, because I've been stagnating on my own projects from preparing for, executing, and settling after the move. That's pretty much 2024 in a nutshell for me. Thankfully, working on Delfrig's Number Lore has been keeping the money flowing. And the creative skills are sharpening from the tasks.
He'll still have me do animatics for the show, but he's been trusting me more and more to render background art, foregrounds assets and props, as well as animating full-bodied characters, their movements, and anything else visually that he needs. This is all incredible opportunities to practice, as an animator, that I never fully received in my time in Cyanide & Happiness.
Even then, I'd express a want to animate, but my skill level must not have been there yet.
Just as, in all likelihood, my skill may not be fully ready for a more involved voice role.
Huh...that just occurred to me, writing this. I need to be training my voice skills so that I CAN nab that role that I've been looking for.
There's just a lot of work to be done on all fronts. Even still, every day I practice. Every day I do something with my voice, and every day my styles graces my XP-Pen tablet.
Oh yeah! I'm not a Wacom user anymore! I have an XP Pen Tablet now!
And a split keyboard to help out with ergonomics working around this massive thing. Thanks Kubesh!
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Also this marks the first year that I've ever completed an entire Inktober. I did this entirely with Alphabet Lore characters, as a tribute to the fans that were getting restless waiting for the release of 5.1 after 4 was uploaded months ago.
Check it out in my Art section!
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As for Number Lore- we're still busy as hell! In fact, it's become my fulltime job. For the first time in my life, as a creative, pivoting as an animator, not just pre-production animatics. New reel here! And a newer reel coming soon once 5 is fully out.
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Thanks for reading! I'll make a new post when I have something significant report! And I'm working hard to ensure that's soon.
2025 is what we make it. I'm going to make it busy as hell. See y'all soon!
-GG-
