We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Marc Graue a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Marc, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?
As a Voice Over Artist, Studio Owner and Producer for the past 4o+ years in LA the changes to the Voice Over and Post Production business have been immense! With the advent of recording digitally and being able to transfer files electronically as well as a number of programs that offer point-to-point “real time” recording you no longer need to physically live in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, etc. With the technology available now you can literally be anywhere in the world and be recorded in any studio around the globe. This has also put immense pressure on SAG-AFTRA ( the union that represents voice over talent ) in that there is now a huge proliferation of NON-UNION work. There are so many production companies, studios, streaming services etc. that it has become a sea of competition with people just getting started willing to take much lower wages to get their “foot in the door”. The biggest issue the Voice Over and really the entire Entertainment Industry face right now is Artificial Intelligence. Cloning actors images, voices, etc is already a major problem that no one is quite sure how to address yet!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’m a Hollywood kid inside and out! I was born in Hollywood where my Dad had a number of TV shows he hosted at KTLA so I was pretty much raised on the lot there. Bob Hope, Dinah Shore, Gene Autry were all “Uncles” and I’d spend hours watching a live puppet show called “Time For Beanie” with the amazing Stan Freberg and Daws Butler( who was my Godfather) doing voices..I was hooked!! Many years later after trying my hand at radio in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Oregon and eventually San Diego I realized that my real passion was doing character voices. I made the move back to Los Angeles and made friends with the top voice over Agent in Los Angeles at the time, Don Pitts who got me an audition at Hanna-Barbera Animation Studios and at the same time I had built a small Voice Over Studio in the guest house I was renting in East Hollywood off Prospect! Over the years as my Voice Over career expanded so did the studios from Hollywood to the current Burbank location where it’s been a fixture on Burbank Blvd for the last 40+ years!. Career highs are voicing the Blue Pirate Heckler on the bridge on the Pirates Of The Caribbean ride at Disneyland & Disney World and hundreds of cartoons, video games, promos. commercials and narrating the Alaskan State Troopers series. In 2021 The Society Of Voice Arts and Sciences awarded me the “Lifetime Achievement Award” in New York and the One Voice Awards presented me with the “Voce Over Artist Of The Year ” Award!
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
If you have a dream follow it…no on else will have the passion or commitment you have! The journey is NEVER going to be as you planned it..lots of twist and turns but if YOU believe in your dream it WILL HAPPEN!!! My Dad was the most negative of all when I built my first studios. He thought I was completely crazy until he stopped by my studios and ran into Debbie Reynolds who was recording a project..all of a sudden I WAS LEGIT!!!
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Just be ready to change your business model if it’s not working. I had just moved into my Burbank Studios which are huge ( 5 studios ) along with a huge price tag , employee’s etc. and my biggest client, Dove Audio built their own studios and I lost 150,000 a year client!! After lots of soul searching I built an ADR stage that has been incredibly busy ever since IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?companies=co0005520
Contact Info:
- Website: www.marc-graue.com
- Instagram: marcgraue
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marc.graue.3
- Linkedin: marc graue voice overs
- Twitter: @marcgraue
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtEtAtYnpaFe1bYIQC2a61g
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/marc-graue-recording-studios-voiceover-and-post-production-burbank