In this episode of the GTT Performer Friendly Podcast, George Whittam talks with voice director, casting professional, producer, writer, actor, and VO coach Andy Lerner about the intersection of performance, audio, and modern voiceover.

Andy shares how he moved from engineering and comedy radio production into directing and coaching, including his work in the SpongeBob SquarePants universe during COVID. He also offers practical advice for newer voice actors on training, rejection, improv, mic placement, and avoiding overly edited, lifeless auditions.

00:00 — Sponsor Message 00:31 — Sticking With Acting 01:49 — Meet Andy Lerner 03:29 — VO Atlanta Highlights 05:55 — Bridging Tech And Talent 08:34 — From Engineer To Studio Builder 14:02 — Comedy Commercials Era 15:19 — Edgy Ads And Changing Norms 18:09 — Joining SpongeBob During COVID 22:01 — Directing A Legacy Franchise 26:48 — Remote Workflow And Cast Praise 29:01 — Fans, Conventions, And Voicelings 33:27 — Neurodiversity In The VO Community 35:54 — Showrunner Role And ADR Pickups 38:56 — ADR Fixes Explained 39:50 — Why Andy Coaches Newbies 42:41 — Handling Rejection Gently 44:50 — What Casting Wants 47:44 — Be 401, Not 400 50:13 — Training Before Voices 51:29 — Mic Placement Mistakes 53:21 — Stop Over-Editing 01:00:08 — Workflow And Software 01:03:14 — TwistedWave Special Paste 01:06:05 — Know Your Genre 01:09:42 — Workouts And Where To Find Andy 01:12:22 — If You Feel Cringe, Quit 01:13:49 — Stick With It Anyway 01:15:23 — Final Thanks And Wrap

What makes a voiceover audition feel bookable — and what makes casting hit pause?

George the Tech sits down with Kim Hurdon of KH Casting for a deep conversation about the casting side of voiceover, especially in video games, animation, and remote audition workflows. Kim explains why human performance still matters most, why over-editing can hurt more than help, and how actors can avoid sounding processed, artificial, or disconnected from the role.

They also explore the post-COVID home studio divide, the value of hub studios and engineers, video game realism, effort sounds, PCAP, inclusive casting, NDAs, and why booking often comes down to fit — not just skill.

00:00 Sponsor and Sound Check 01:07 Meet Kim Hurdon 02:19 Headphone Geek Out 04:39 Audition Mistakes: Editing, Breaths, Music, and Overprocessing 08:29 Kim’s Casting Origin Story 12:55 The Home Studio Divide After COVID 16:01 The Gaming Boom and AAA Workflows 18:38 Mics, Movement Rigs, and Remote Recording 21:59 Authenticity in Games and Inclusive Casting 25:01 Efforts, Levels, and Clipping 29:01 Hybrid Workflows and Hub Studios 30:57 The Laptop Mic Disaster 33:03 Building a Studio Checklist Mindset 34:52 Ensemble Sessions vs. Solo Sessions 36:26 PCAP Explained 38:21 Gameplay Lines and Alts 39:09 Booking Fit vs. Skill 41:36 Game Timelines and NDAs 43:49 NPCs and Long-Running Game Work 45:22 Favorite Work and Family 49:05 Zoom Auditions and CAVA 51:24 AI Laws and Advocacy 52:56 Conferences and Community 55:15 How to Book More 56:09 Coaching Without Overdoing 59:02 Where to Find Kim 59:15 Final Wrap and Thanks

In this episode, George talks with Jodi Gottlieb, a voiceover coach with more than 20 years of industry experience and a background working with major networks. Jodi shares how she coaches established voice talent who are ready to raise their game, especially in commercial auditions where subtle, natural choices can make all the difference.

George and Jodi discuss common audition mistakes, why dramatic pauses often work against you, how to use two different reads strategically, and what it really means to “show range” without ignoring the specs. They also explore the impact of AI on the voiceover industry — including Jodi’s concerns about lost opportunities and her belief that audiences can still hear the difference when a performance is genuinely human.

George the Tech sits down with longtime client Sara Van Beckham to unpack what it takes to build—and sustain—a voiceover career across multiple genres.

Sara shares how acting training transformed her reads, why SOVAS sparked a major career reset, and how she transitioned to remote work long before it became the norm. She also gets real about vocal health, promo pressure, tech anxiety, and the standards that separate working pros from everyone else.

00:00 Sound Check Promo 00:21 “Kind, On Time, Good” — The Core Formula 00:37 Meet Sara Van Beckham 01:52 Conferences & VO Community 02:42 SOVAS Wake-Up Call 04:22 Switching to Atlas Agency 06:51 From Wisconsin to Voiceover 08:55 Acting Training & Meisner Influence 11:39 NYC Audition Hustle 12:49 Going Remote (2013 ISDN Era) 14:14 Vocal Surgery & Recovery 15:06 Audiobooks as Daily Practice 18:44 Cracking the Promo Market 19:52 Landing ABC & Fast Turnarounds 21:12 What “Pro Turnaround” Really Means 21:59 “Kind, On Time, Good” Revisited 22:32 Self-Recording Promo Work 23:39 The Ephemeral Nature of Promo 24:57 Live-Directed Commercial Sessions 25:54 Campaigns Come and Go 26:45 Relationships with Engineers 28:06 Actors as Their Own Tech Team 30:31 Tech Anxiety & Triggers 32:13 Advocating for Yourself 33:39 Confidence & Professional Standards 35:34 Everyday Gear Setup 36:50 Tribooth Studio Setup 37:41 Closing Thoughts

George sits down with longtime client and voice actor Chris Fries to talk about what it really looks like to build a sustainable, high-level voiceover career.

Chris breaks down how commercial work became the backbone of his business, why promo is a completely different beast, and how trust—not just talent—keeps you booked on long-running campaigns.

They also get deep into studio design, workflow, and the gear choices that support fast, reliable sessions.

00:00 – Sound Check Promo 00:22 – Three Traits of Voice Actors 01:00 – Ramble and Rapport 02:31 – Meet Chris Fries 04:04 – Booking Commercial Campaigns 06:42 – Why Chase Promo Work 09:12 – Session Workflow and Downtime 11:43 – Long Running Campaigns 12:42 – Becoming the Owl Character 16:16 – On Set Ad Libs and Improv 22:34 – Tech Talk and Gear Plug 24:42 – Building the Home Studio 28:05 – Treated Office Workflow 29:34 – Video Game Audio Standards 31:34 – Motorcycle Commute Era 35:02 – Booth Gear Breakdown 38:04 – Mic Switching and Cough Mute 41:12 – Desk Side Routing and Monitoring 43:28 – Phone Patch and TRRS Setup 46:21 – Set It and Forget It 47:50 – Coaching Origin and Process 52:19 – Travel Rig Upgrades & Farewell

What does it take to survive (and thrive) through every era of voiceover?

Studio engineer, producer, and VO talent Mark Graue joins George Whittam to share stories from radio hustle to Hollywood studios, working with legends, and building a career that adapted from analog tape to today’s digital world.

From a near-disastrous timecode session to landing VO work at Hanna-Barbera, this episode is packed with hard-earned lessons on engineering by ear, storytelling in demos, and knowing when to step away.

00:00 – Audio service promo 00:22 – Cold-call spec spots: the original hustle 03:12 – Breaking into Cherokee Recording Studios 03:36 – The Van Halen spec spot gamble 04:39 – Building a Warner interviews archive 06:10 – The open audition that led to Hanna-Barbera 07:39 – Buying Studio 5 and going independent 10:26 – Moving to Burbank and evolving the business 12:47 – Surviving the analog → digital shift 15:09 – The timecode session disaster 15:54 – Handling pressure when everything’s on the line 16:17 – Why great engineers use their ears, not just meters 17:13 – Storytelling secrets in voiceover demos 18:01 – Memories of Don LaFontaine 20:10 – The “voiceover gypsy” era 21:46 – Life beyond LA 23:45 – Travel, boundaries, and no mobile rig 24:37 – Coaching talent and modern home studios 25:32 – Gear graveyard stories 27:16 – Where to find Mark

What happens when a seven-time Emmy winner realizes his audio isn’t good enough?

We’re re-releasing this episode with CBS Sunday Morning correspondent, Emmy Award winner, and New York Times bestselling author David Pogue to celebrate his new book, Apple: The First 50 Years, which recently debuted on the NYT Best Sellers list.

In this conversation, David joins George the Tech to break down how his echoey home office got upgraded to broadcast-ready sound—without a booth—and why most people misunderstand how to fix bad audio.

You'll also hear about his years covering tech for The New York Times, and why he’s turning down voice-cloning deals in the age of deepfakes.

If you record from home—or care about where tech is headed—this episode hits both.

00:00 — Big Question: AI Utopia or Dystopia?

00:30 — Introducing David Pogue

03:30 — What He Actually Does Day-to-Day

07:00 — His Music Background (Broadway → Now)

10:00 — The Windsor Castle Story

16:30 — Why He Needed Help With Audio

18:30 — The Big Misconception: “Just Get a Booth”

21:00 — The Facebook Thread That Changed Everything

23:00 — The Actual Fix

25:30 — The Last 5%: Clarity VX

28:00 — Workflow Friction (Final Cut Issue)

31:00 — Broadcast Reality vs Perfectionism

34:00 — The Challenge of Great Audio + Great Video

36:30 — The “Perfect Zoom Background” Problem

40:00 — AI Tools He Actually Uses

43:30 — Deepfakes: Real Risk or Overblown?

47:00 — Turning Down Voice Cloning Offers

50:00 — AI Lawsuits + Ownership Questions

54:00 — Where to Follow David Pogue

From closet booth to NFL sidelines—Queen Noveen didn’t just break into voiceover, she built her own lane.

In this episode, she joins George the Tech to share how viral moments, relentless hustle, and smart social media turned into real bookings—including the San Francisco 49ers, NASCAR, and NFL Honors.

But it wasn’t smooth. Along the way, she faced noisy apartments, blanket booths, online trolls—and figured it all out in real time.

If you’ve ever wondered how VO careers actually take off today…this one’s a must-listen.

Learn more at: www.queennoveen.com/

00:00 – Soundcheck Promo 00:21 – Handling online hate 00:45 – Meet Queen Noveen 01:52 – Closet studio beginnings 02:59 – Juggling early jobs 04:20 – Moving from Connecticut to LA 05:15 – How voiceover found her 06:36 – Dealing with noise interruptions 08:44 – The “blanket booth” era 13:50 – Upgrading to a real home studio 15:51 – Self-directing vs. being directed 17:06 – Going viral on TikTok 20:58 – Managing comments & negativity 24:27 – Learning mic technique the hard way 26:32 – The story behind “Queen Noveen” 28:12 – Turning social media into bookings 29:19 – NFL Honors + 49ers breakthrough 29:54 – NASCAR opportunity chain reaction 31:24 – Inclusion, opportunity, and pushback 34:13 – Australia TV interview experience 35:43 – Editing yourself on camera 38:13 – Launching Ready. Cue. Announce! 39:59 – Curriculum + how it started 44:16 – Who the program is for 46:52 – Measuring student success 49:03 – How to enroll 50:28 – No “get rich quick” promises 52:16 – Wrap-up + community