Mitch Leschinski Interview: Voice Acting Tips & Podcasting

We had the pleasure of chatting with Mitch Leschinski all about voice acting and the acting world. If you are interested in learning some tips and tricks, following Mitch’s creative journey, and learning more about podcasting this read is for you!

What inspired you to become an actor?

Watching Jim Carrey as a kid. He was so fun and animated! Even the bloopers of his movies, you could tell people were having fun being around him. So, being goofy and fun, getting a laugh, getting to play and be someone or something that wasn’t me was appealing early on.

The turning point was in high school. I didn’t have a group, and I barely had friends. One of my classmates convinced me to go to a tryout for the first play of the year with him. He never showed, but the theater kids and the director Angela Hillman made me feel welcome immediately! I was hooked.

Start now! Start listening and watching the type of work you want to get into. Heck, all genres can give you insight on the differences and nuances of the VO world. Find scripts online or write your own and start playing with reading copy. Search for a voice acting group that can help you on the path, you don’t need to do this alone! Voice actors are some of the most welcoming and helpful people in the artistic community, most will help you along the way.

What do you do to take care of your voice on a daily basis?

Hydration is important of course. Tongue twisters, vocal and resonance warm-ups also help before performing. If I feel myself straining for the day, I give myself permission to cool it for a bit if I have the chance.

What has been the most rewarding project you’ve worked on so far?

Audio drama productions with Shoestring TV (Leo Brawn, Topaz & Stillman, Magnetar) have let me explore a HUGE variety of characters and given me so much freedom within different genres. This amazing opportunity to act for the LOVE of it, gave me a leg up when it was time to audition for paid work in the audio drama realm (The Chosen People, Pray.com). Audio drama has now become one of my favorite genres in the VO world.

What goals or dreams do you have for your acting career in the future?

Short term – I’d love to land a recurring role on an animated series, and if that were in the adult genre – all the better!

Long term – Become a more involved person in a production company via writing, casting, and/or community building. Then eventually, lead my own Michigan based production company.

Biggest success story so far?

I did it. For real. All of it! I committed myself to this thing. Got representation, landed gigs, made friends, said yes to things, made a podcast (Mitch & Mike’s Voiceover Journey), made money…
I am successful at not giving up. That’s pretty damn cool.

Tell us about your podcast

Hey, woah! I did NOT see this question coming!

Mitch and Mike’s Voiceover Journey is a podcast born from the question “how do we get seen?”

It morphed from us chatting about our own journey to interviewing others about theirs. I love everyone’s stories and hearing their similarities as well as their differences. Then I’ll take the credit for the great idea of interviewing other non-VO creatives, who are equally as interesting.

We laugh, get serious, play around, tell advice, do whatever we want!

We have learned so much, but I really love this lesson – there is no ONE right way to do a thing (VO included).