Few things are as difficult or confounding to an actor as trying to interpret commercial copy. Especially in this age of self-submissions where actors are left to fend for themselves often without any direction whatsoever. The good news is, that copy you’re holding very likely contains all the clues you’ll ever need to hit the bullseye dead center – if only you knew where to look for them.
Join commercial casting director, trained voice actor and former advertising creative, John McKinney as he shares this decoding rulebook. With insights from both sides of the mic, John has the unparalleled ability to help actors translate those silly sounding scripts into the kind of rich, layered reads ad agencies look for. Through a combination of short lectures, graphic aids and student participation, actors will learn how to zero in on the emotional drivers behind different types of scripts, resulting in more artful, confident reads and more satisfying and successful auditions.
Class begins at Noon PT / 3 p.m. ET
REQUIREMENTS
This is an advanced level class. For members with 2+ years experience doing voiceover at a professional level. This is class is not appropriate for beginners. Seats are limited so every participant will get a chance to read.
INSTRUCTOR BIO
John McKinney
As owner of John McKinney Casting, John routinely casts and directs voiceover talent for national TV and radio spots as well as occasional film and animation. Recent clients include Volvo, Coty, The Hartford, Anchor Steam Ale, Sony, Bismarck Industries, Dr. Pepper and Illinois Lottery. Prior to that, John worked as Casting Director for Pomann Sound where he worked on Verizon, Heineken, Castro, Fisher-Price and Michelob. John has also spent over twenty years as a copywriter writing and casting national TV and radio campaigns for major New York ad agencies, including Grey, McCann Worldwide, Grey Entertainbment and Gotham. All the while he kept a hand in doing voiceover work himself, voicing commercials for General Foods, Verizon and other national megabrands. John also works as a voice coach and voiceover demo producer. As a three-time published and twice-award-nominated playwright John is used to working with seasoned stage actors and often draws from the theater world when casting commercial projects, and vice versa.
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