Episode 93: "Our 18 Month Check-In" with Kiff VandenHeuvel

I've missed you!! Kiff drops in for a quick moment to swap howdys and share a few tips and tricks, and plug his coaching and "VO Therapy" services, as well as letting folks know that there are more conversations coming.To reach out to Kiff and book a session, visit "www.kiffvh.com" for schedule and pricing.

After a massive hiatus, Kiff returns with a brilliant new conversation with voice actor MARIE WESTBROOK (Jujitsu Kaisen, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners) where they discuss her life and career, her process of striking a balance between the business acumen side and artistic side, and what it takes to not only survive but thrive in the highly competitive and challenging world of voice over. Follow Marie on Instagram at @mariewestbrookvo

This week, Kiff welcomes actor/director Francesca Calo to the show. A spirited and fascinating conversation about the impact of a theatre background, dubbing, acting, and self-talk.   Francesca is a bicoastal actor, performance capture, and voice actress. Born and raised in New York City, she is half Chinese and half Spanish, and spent her childhood on film and television sets with her parents. She began her studies of the performing arts at the age of seven with the Academy of Dramatic Arts, and has since enthusiastically followed her passion for acting. She studied and performed with theaters such as the Moscow Art Theatre Company and New York Stage and Film, as well as with acclaimed international director Adolf Shapiro. She can be seen alongside Sandra Bullock in the Warner Bros film, Ocean's Eight, most recently in the hit HBO TV show Mare of Easttown, and can be heard as various characters in Disney XD's Pokemon, Cartoon Network’s Boy, Girl, Dog, Cat, Mouse, Cheese the popular video game, Wasteland 3, and more! Check out more of Francesca's work at her website: www.francesca-calo.com You can follow her on IG @frananagrams

SNEAK PREVIEW!! On May 1st, BETWEEN TAKES with AMANDA TROOP AND ZEHRA FAZAL drops. Since you subscribe to ALL OVER VO, I think you'd really love the insight and the comedy that runs throughout this unique show. Enjoy! You can subscribe to BETWEEN TAKES https://open.spotify.com/episode/7iNxOJvTtDQTYRRRQYb0Wj?si=_BADkP4eQg6p5GbSs77URQ

This week, Kiff welcomes video game director John Dower (https://www.johndower.co.uk ) to the show. John is the co-founder of The Mocap Vaults, a spectauclar international motion capture training program. We talk about his coming up, the nature of being a director, the skill sets involved and what that means for actors in the volume. It's a fantastic conversation that sheds light on a wide array of topics that are vital to the working actor in today's emerging interactive market. Per our conversation: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/JohnDowerDirector/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/john_dower_director/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-dower-8219b22/ Website - https://johndower.co.uk/ Vimeo - https://vimeo.com/user6120374 MOCAP VAULTS LINKS - Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/themocapvaults/ INSTAGRAM - https://www.instagram.com/themocapvaults/ Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-mocap-vaults/?viewAsMember=true X - https://twitter.com/themocapvaults Website - https://www.themocapvaults.com/ Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7JkokMS2XUFZte1k6iEFkw It's time to learn Motion Capture acting! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SIDGtJ1v4k&t=7s BOOK - Performing for Motion Capture - A guide for Practitioners Bloomsbury - https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/performing-for-motion-capture-9781350211254/ Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Performing-Motion-Capture-Guide-Practitioners/dp/1350211257 Audible - https://www.audible.com/pd/Performing-for-Motion-Capture-Audiobook/B0BZ6FPJL4?eac_link=VcUbtL47Bilz&ref=web_search_eac_asin_1&eac_selected_type=asin&eac_selected=B0BZ6FPJL4&qid=JRznBQOVpw&eac_id=141-4319817-9818831_JRznBQOVpw&sr=1-1 Reparations Links - Heirs of Slavery - https://www.heirsofslavery.org/reparations Danish TV Documentary - https://vimeo.com/809696603?share=copy Password - Grenada Note - Press cc for English captions Guardian article on the apology - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/27/british-slave-owners-family-makes-public-apology-in-grenada

This week, Kiff is joined by the extraordinary Ally Dixon (The Croods: Family Tree, Thelma the Unicorn) in a spirited and dynamic conversation exploring self-care, expectations, and lifting up 1999's The Mummy. 

After over a year long hiatus, Kiff welcomes the fabulous Morla Gorrandona (Destiny Franchise, Call Of Duty, Moss, Mars Express) to the show. Morla explains the Linklater method and why it's been radically transformitive in her work, and breaks down her process for character creation and exploring her range, and shares several impressions as they talk voicematching, creatures, and many other topics in this fantastic episode. Worth the wait! Learn more about Morla and connect to her socials from her website: https://www.morlagorrondona.com/ 

This week, Kiff sits down with the brilliant and hilarious Sirena Irwin (SpongeBob SquarePants, director on The Croods Family Tree, Baby Shark, many more) to discuss her path to the director's chair, casting, character choice, specificity and rejection in a fascinating, hilarious, and unmissable All Over VO.   Follow Sirena on IG: @sirenairwin  

This week, Kiff welcomes the incredibly talented and hilarious actor and director JB Blanc (Vander in Arcane, Caustic in Apex Legends, Director of COD Vanguard, Kano in Mortal Kombat 11, Blisk in Titanfall, Batir in Barry, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul) who shares his experiences working for the past 30+ years in the business of show and how he stays in, continues to develop and grow to new opportunities, and how the more you practice, the luckier you get.  Follow JB @thejbblanc or meet him at a convention near you! Follow him for dates and appearances! www.jbblanc.com 

This week, Kiff welcomes the extraordinarily talented actor-director-casting director-studio owner Amber Lee Connors (My Hero Academia, Jujutsu Kaisen, Borderlands 3, FNAF: Help Wanted) to discuss her incredible journey from Ohio to Los Angeles, the challenges and traumas of life, and how her drive, work ethic, and personal sacrifice helped her build the career of her dreams, and how connecting to an online community and online resources that were available helped her transform her situation and lead her to this next phase of her journey, acting and directing in some of the premiere video games and anime series currently available.  You can follow all her socials @amberleeconnors and check out Amber's reels and work at http://www.amberleeconnors.com