Adam Murciano is a Canadian voiceover actor and fiction podcast creator. He founded the podcast production company 911 Podcasts at the end of 2021 with the debutsci-fi podcast series ‘Cascadia’ which he stars in as Declan Walters. In 2022, Murciano starred in 911 Podcast’s second series, the horror/mystery ‘ICE-CREAM’ wherehe plays the deranged ice cream truck man, Mister Handsome. Both series have been earned over 100,000 global downloads in over 100 countries and was named “Best New Fiction Series” by Spotify.
1. What inspired you to become a voice actor?
A: I’ve always been fascinated by voice acting! One of my earliest memories of acting, before I did theatre or film/television, was being a little kid and spending hours in my walk-in closet just recording on my little cassette recorder. My mom would always have garage sales and I would set up a little booth and tried to sell my cassettes – no one would buy a tape made by a 6 year old (LOL) but looking back, that was definitely the seed that was planted that I wanted to entertain via my voice for people. I think younger me would be pleased to know I’m still doing it and people are listening this time!
2. Can you describe your process for preparing for a voice acting role?
A: To me, my prep work for film/tv is no different than it is for voice. The only difference is with voice, I don’t have to worry about what I’ll look like when I’m saying the line. In fact, it’s a little harder because on film a simple look to the opposite character in the scene can say a million words, but we don’t get that luxury in voice work – so you have to do it in your tone of voice and or beats/pauses in the scene to convey an impactful or a thoughtful moment.
3. What has been your biggest challenge as a voice actor and how have you overcome it?
A: In the beginning, I was never satisfied with the takes and would want to do it over and over again. I believe that came from insecurity and not being confident in my ability as a voice actor. I overcame this by taking extra time to prepare the character and the script and really letting myself go in the scene by trusting my scene partner and the exchange to be authentic and raw. Whatever happens happens! And to me, that’s when the magic happens.
4. Can you tell us about a particularly memorable project you’ve worked on and why it stands out to you?
A: I would say my first fiction podcast ‘Cascadia’ because it was the first thing I, starred, wrote, produced, and edited. I made it with my co-creator and director, Antonio Cordero, during the pandemic and to watch it grow into what it has become is truly one of the greatest joys of my life. I’m so proud of this piece and all the people who’ve worked very hard on it. It was because of this show that made me fall in love with voice acting and gave me the confidence to do what I do now. So for that, it’ll always have a special place in my heart.
5. How do you handle the pressure of performing in front of a microphone?
A: The only real pressure I sometimes feel is time. Sometimes we have to get through a certain amount of scenes in a day due to schedules or studio times. Sometimes you only get 2-3 takes to do it! But that’s why it’s important to go in prepared and ready so you can be on the ball and not feel the pressure.
6. Can you share any advice for aspiring voice actors just starting out in the industry?
A: Take acting classes! Learn the craft! At the end of the day this is a job and people hire professionals. Learn your voice and what you can do with it and how to market it. Learning accents and dialects will only broaden your wheelhouse and opportunities for more gigs. Lastly, purchase yourself a decent mic. You can get pretty good quality ones for $100 or less. This is important as most of your auditions will be self tapes, so submitting good quality tapes just helps further your chance.
7. Can you tell us about a time when you had to adapt to a new character or voice?
A: In my recent show ICE-CREAM I play a deranged ice cream truck man. That was such a fun character to play because he mirrors anyone he is talks too. So for example: if he’s talking to a child, he talks more in a baby voice, and when he’s talking to adults his voice is more grounded and mature. Vocally it was fun because I was able to go all over the place. I took a lot of my inspiration from Pennywise of Stephen King’s ‘IT’.
8. How do you stay motivated and engaged during long recording sessions?
A: I think there’s something so magical when you’re working with a great cast and a great script. It energizes me like crazy and inspires me to do the best work I can do.
9. Can you tell us about an experience you had while working on a project where you had to improvise or come up with an unexpected solution?
A: A lot of ‘Cascadia’ was improvised! We would always do scripted takes first, but then once we were warmed up to the scene, our director Antonio would always let us play around and improvise. Most of the takes that ended up being used in the final edit were the improvised ones because of how authentic they came across.
10. Can you share a funny or interesting story from your time as a voice actor?
A: There were a lot of funny moments while working with the cast on both shows! It’s hard to pinpoint a specific moment, but mostly just goofing off in between takes and the improvising scenes usually ended with us belly laughing!
11. Can you share your favorite voice acting moment or performance?
A: Again, it’s super hard to pinpoint. I’ve loved every moment of working on both ‘Cascadia’ and ‘ICE-CREAM’, we record our sessions in person in a live-room in the recording studio, which we’re very lucky to do – so having that authentic experience between the actors is so euphoric to me and really brings the characters to life.
12. Can you tell us about a time when you had to take on a role that was completely different from what you were used to?
A: Definitely the role of Mister Handsome in ‘ICE-CREAM’ – not to give too much away, but he is a psychotic killer who is haunted by his past. I’ve never played a serial killer before, so this was fun for me to dive into.
13. What are your thoughts on All Ages of Geek and what can we improve on to make it a better platform?
A: It does take quite a while to get on the website. The loading screen says it’s checking to see if the site connection is secure and it took about 3 minutes. However, once I’m on the site, it looks great!
14. Where can people find you online?
A: You can find me on both Instagram and Twitter @AdamMurciano 911 Podcasts – Instagram: @911podcasts // Twitter @911_podcasts Both CASCADIA and ICE-CREAM are available to stream wherever you get your podcasts! Thank you for this interview!! 🙂
