We recently connected with Maccabee Griffin and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Maccabee, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

The most significant risks that I’ve discovered so far on this rollercoaster I call my life started three years ago when I decided I wanted to be a voice actor. I went from having a nine-to-five job at a pharmaceutical company that paid pretty well, even though I hated being there, to being a full-time stay-at-home dad, voice actor, and podcaster. Then, God only knows why I decided to start writing and helping people create better characters for their stories. Each thing I’ve done within the past three years has been a risk because I haven’t been paid 90% of the time. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve gotten paid for most of my voice over; however, I haven’t been able to pursue them much in the last two years because money has been tight, and God has had me transition into podcasting. It seems the podcast being thrown into my lap is supposed to be the flagship of my brand, and I’ve recently been contemplating changing the name of my brand from Mack Griffin VO to Beyond the Pen, the name of my podcast. The journey has been risky because I’ve been putting a lot of money into the podcast and haven’t received any monetization yet. Although, I recently signed a contract for the brand to be on Traverse TV through Roku, Amazon Fire, Google Play, and the Traverse TV app for Androids. The show should be on Apple TV and iTunes in the next few months. I’ve also been hustling to create multiple affiliations and long-term partnerships with Indie publishers and be their go-to podcast to allow their unknown and newly published authors a platform to tell everyone about themselves, their books, but most importantly, the story behind the story.
All of these things are risks in themselves, especially the writing because I’ve never written a book in my life. Only short stories that many would say aren’t literarily and grammatically correct. This is because I was never really great at English, nor did I go to school for it. So I’m taking another risk by helping authors, creative writers, and storytellers look at their characters from an actor’s point of view by looking more at the psychology and emotions and the way they interact and react to the world the authors are building around them. I hope this answers the question.

Maccabee, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Maccabee Griffin, and I’m a voice actor, podcaster, and writer. I grew up in the theater and found it comforting to live someone else’s life on stage. It’s a lot easier when you already know what to say and how the situation will conclude, all while in front of a multitude of people judging your performance of the story before them. After serving in the Army for nine and a half years, I went to school for logistics, dropped out to take care of my family, worked a nine-to-five job I hated, and then was released because of COVID. Thankfully I was voice acting part-time while having a full-time job, which gradually evolved into interviewing authors and experts in the publishing world on my podcast. This has allowed me to present myself as a resource for them if and when they’re ready to create an audiobook for their unknown or newly published book(s). I’ve also been developing a new service to help authors create more realistic and well-developed characters for their readers from an actor’s point of view instead of a writer’s. So far, the feedback for the service has been positive, and I’m still improving on it as I write this.
Overall, I want people to know that my brand and I are constantly evolving to stay in front of the bell so that I can help people develop their storytelling skills while finding an audience to tell it to. I’m proud that God put me on this path of creativity that I can reflect on and be proud of. It’s not an easy one, but it never is when you’re the one creating the path that someday will become a highway for others down the road.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Ultimately, I am looking to create a one-stop-shop for future authors and publishers to come to for everything publishing. Think of my goal is to become the Amazon of the Indie world. A place where you can find all the resources needed to be successful: publishing companies, coaches, editors, copywriters, ghostwriters, illustrators, graphic designers, voice actors, podcasters, marketing/media companies, etc.

Have you ever had to pivot?

All I wanted was to become an actor as far back as six years of age. However, I didn’t feel I was good enough to do it. Mainly because I didn’t feel I had the face, body, or desire like so many others in the industry. So I gave up on the idea until a few years ago when I saw a bunch of nerdy voice actors sit around, roll dice, and play Dungeons and Dragons. I was inspired by their improv storytelling, tried it myself, and fell in love with theater all over again. This time I found I wanted to become a voice actor instead. So I did everything I needed to do so (by the equipment, receiving proper coaching and mentoring from accredited sources, learning how to market myself, etc.) and have been doing it ever since. But I noticed that I wasn’t getting a lot of projects either because I didn’t have enough experience or people didn’t know who I was. So I had to do something about that and started looking into the industry more and see what was on the rise more: commercials, audiobooks, or animation. All are doing well, but even though I didn’t particularly appreciate reading books, something was pulling me towards that the most. After doing some research, I realized that authors were being overcharged and under-educated. So I dove headfirst into audiobooks and the publishing industry to learn as much as possible. Now, I have a podcast that helps me talk to authors and Indie publishing companies and gives them a platform to tell their stories while educating and inspiring myself and my audience. Now I’m developing long-term beneficial relationships with them that’ll give me a better chance to become a priceless resource for them when they need me. Either for recording audiobooks, interviewing new authors, or working with them on their books.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mackgriffinvo.com and https://www.beyondthepenpodcast.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beyondthepenpodcast
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maccabee.griffin/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maccabeegriffin/
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/macgriff909 and https://www.twitter.com/beyondthepenpod