Greg Houser's Voiceover workshop at J1-Con 2018

One of my highlights from J1-Con is attending Greg Houser’s voice-over workshop. Known for his work in One Piece, Tales of Vesperia and many other animated series,  Greg brought his talent and experience to Atlantic City. Greg was funny, engaging and interesting to watch as he shared his background and interacted with panel participants.


A running joke throughout the panel was channeling your inner Julia Childs.
Greg invited a small group of people to participate in the workshop. He handed out sample scripts and each participant took a crack at it, attempting voice techniques (voices) taught to them by Greg.
First up, was the head voice, then the eyes, which is often referred to as talk with your eyes.  Followed by The Throat which can be a painful technique. Greg emphases that if it hurts don’t do it. Then they moved on to the chest which is known as the hero’s voice.  The fifth voiced shared was the diaphragm which is commonly known as the villains’ voice and for women, this can be their sexy voice.
A real-life study for understanding the diaphragm is to watch a child or animal while they sleep. If neither is available, you can learn by laying on the floor and feeling your diaphragm as you breathe, this will help you to understand the technique a bit better.
Another thing emphasized by Greg, worry less about how you look when delivering and also be physical with your delivery whenever possible. The physicality will help the lines feel more real making for a better performance.
As someone who at a point in my life wanted to pursue a career in voice-over, and attended a few workshops in the past.  The information and tips provided in this panel were priceless.
Thank you, Greg Houser and J1-Con for providing tips for aspiring talent and fans alike.

Have you ever thought about doing voice overs?