Alicyn
Welcome to Alicyn's Wonderland. I'm your host, Alicyn Packard. Join us as we journey through the looking glass and down the rabbit hole into the wild and wonderful world of animation and video games. Hey, do a girl a favor, and please subscribe to this podcast and go on iTunes and leave us a good review. If you like the show, please help spread the word. It really helps us to get heard by more people. Thanks so much!
Hi everyone. Happy Wonderland Wednesday. My name is Alicyn Packard, and welcome to Alicyn's Wonderland. Hey guys that are just joining. Thank you so much for tuning in live. Tonight we have a very special guest: Pat Brady Joles aka the one and only Pat Brady.
Pat is actually an animation voiceover agent. She's been in the business for about 40 years. And she's actually my agent. She's going to be on this week. She was originally going to be on last week, but something came up last minute so if anybody was wondering where we were last week, that was why, but we're back again. And we're really excited to get started with Pat. You all here.
Pat Brady
Oh, God.
Alicyn
There you are. Hi! You look gorgeous.
Pat Brady
I put on big hair and I put so much makeup on so you could not see all the bruises on my face because I love you.
Alicyn
Oh, thanks. I’m so glad to have you on here.
Pat Brady
Oh, it’s funny.
Alicyn
It's been a while since I've seen your face because of course…
Pat Brady
Yeah.
Alicyn
Global pandemic has put a little bit of separation in our ability to see each other but—
Pat Brady
To me, the best things is that I have not had color on my hair. October. So seriously, dude, this is my color. I'm so—
Alicyn
Wow.
Pat Brady
Happy!
Alicyn
I love it, like a toke?
Pat Brady
All this gray is like I had highlights and they didn't cost me 290 bucks.
Alicyn
Natural highlights! I love it.
Pat Brady
How are you? How’s my boy?
Alicyn
Oh, my son Bodie is doing great. Yeah, it's been quite the journey. But fortunately, he's back at preschool now. And they're doing an awesome job. And we feel very grateful. Their classes are all outside and social distancing.
Pat Brady
That’s nice.
Alicyn
Yeah.
Pat Brady
I won't let my grandson go back. I just won’t—
Alicyn
Yeah.
Pat Brady
Because he's 13. And they get into much mischief when they're at school. So I just like I don't trust anybody else.
Alicyn
Not much outside there.
Pat Brady
No, but you look beautiful. I love your studio.
Alicyn
Thank you.
Pat Brady
It’s very cool.
Alicyn
Thank you. So, I was doing some research, Pat and I actually didn't know this. But you were a musical theater major?
Pat Brady
Yes, I was.
Alicyn
Wow, that's amazing!
Pat Brady
UCLA 1973. But they closed the program in 1974 Just when I graduated because I was eight months pregnant with my son when I graduated. So yeah.
Alicyn
Oh my god.
Pat Brady
Oh, please. I just wanted to grow up and be Dorothy Loudon. That's all I wanted to be a character actress on Broadway. Not a—
Alicyn
Mission accomplishd!
Pat Brady
I can't play. Yeah, I wish I could sing. I could dance. But I was a better singer actress. But now, it was like it went from musical comedy to stand-up comedy, did stand-up for quite a while. And then one of my best friends at the time said you're wasting your time not making any money and why don't you go work for my agent and boom. This was, that was 40 years ago.
Alicyn
And where did you get started?
Pat Brady
I started working for a woman named Donnelly Davies. And here's a Karma thing. Donnelly Davies had a very small voiceover agency with an on camera, commercial, commercial department for kids, and I took that over. But she taught me all the voiceover gigs.
So then, at that point, 1984 I think it was Roger Halfond at Joseph L. Braun, Rex died. And they offered Donna the job. The job is voice over Egypt. But at the same time, TJ Escott had offered her a job to run the voiceover department at CD. So she went there. I want to go on for as an on camera agent for the longest while but the thing is when I got to CESD, 18 years ago, I got her desk because she had passed away.
Before I got there, but yeah, well, well small world. I swear to God, we all know each other's blood type. It's agency business. I don't know who's watching this or who's listening to who have agents. We all know each other. Don't think we don't.
Alicyn
Now, so you've been an agent. Is that right? For 40 years.
Pat Brady
It was 40 years, January 8th—
Alicyn
Okay.
Pat Brady
2020. And of course, weary teeth. I became a cripple, but I'm still an ancient so that's a good thing.
Alicyn
Powerhouse.
Pat Brady
I'm a powerhouse.
Alicyn
So what is the most fulfilling part of your job then?
Pat Brady
What's funny? Elson when I became an agent, I said to my best friend who said, I'm like this, my agent needs an assistant. Oh, please, I'm an actor. I'm not gonna do that. And then I thought to myself, 10% of the rejections a hell of a lot better than 100%. And that's why I became an agent. I swear to God, I just be an effin mess. Every time I got rejected, you too fat. You're an alto not a soprano, you can't dance. You have no motor skills on the left side of your body. Well, that's true. But still, I would be so depressed here. I was a single mom.
And then I thought, You know what, I'd rather take 10% of the rejection. And it's true. I'm devoted to my clients like, like you. When you don't get something I am. I suffer as much as you do. Or but then again, it starts to roll you start get as you have done, you get on a roll, and you do really well. And that fulfills an agent fulfills me. I can't speak for other items.
Alicyn
Do you think there's something that separates your clients that get on a roll? Is it attitude? Is it talent is a combination?
Pat Brady
Oh, it's always talent. I don't care what anybody says. I don't care what anybody says. Is it talent is they say, oh, no, only 10% of talent. Bullshit. Bullshit. You have to have the talent.
Years and years ago, it was like who do you know what can you do? The more versatile you are and I'm speaking just voiceover of course.
Alicyn
Yeah.
Pat Brady
You are versatile you are the better it is. If you can do a kid, a dog, a monster, a reporter, a captain. Definitely books you. There's lots of one trick pony. I gotta say there are a lot of one trick pony. Lorenza music who was Garfield and Carlton your doorman. one trick pony but what a trick.
Pam Adlon originally was like a one trick pony all she does little boys. And now she's doing old Jewish ladies and Oh, Pammy’s working all the time. And she has her own camera series. But the thing is she was pigeon holed is just kids but not anymore.
You don't do kid just kids anymore. Tony was saying Richard Horvitz. Oh, I saw this thing down there. I love Richard Horvitz;I saw his name down there. I love Richard Horvitz.
Alicyn
More than, uh, definitely not a one trick pony there.
Pat Brady
Not at all. Oh, my God. Not at all. Okay, hit me again.
Alicyn
Yeah. Oh, I'm just curious. So now for people that are like just getting into voiceover, I know we have a few people on here that are voice actors made matcha. That's pretty amazing to know that Jeff can just go by his first name.
Pat Brady
Just like all the hair. Yes.
Alicyn
Jeff with the hair. So for people that are looking to start their animation, voice acting career, what do you recommend?
Pat Brady
Okay, thing is with animation, as you, of all people knows, like I said versatility, but you need to get into a good class. I'm not dissing, like community colleges or anything like that, about their voiceover. But they cannot compare to taking a voiceover class. From a professional. I always recommend somebody who's been the business for a very long time, much like Richard Horvitz, much Pat Fraley, Derryberry those, there's a Bob Berg— Bob Bergen, of course. But the casting directors are very important because they hear something and if they're working as casting or they're working as director, they'll think of you.
Whereas like a Bob Bergen, he will hear you say, oh, you know what I'm working on this one series. Let me talk to the casting director. Same thing with Horrigan, same thing with Pat Fraley, they, everybody has a connection. But somebody who's at a during a junior college will give you mic techniques, which is imperative. You need to learn those. And if it's not going to cost you money to learn that, do it.
Alicyn
Yeah, the first classes I ever took were in Boston. The very first one was a community college. And then from there, there was a casting agency called CP Casting. And I took some on camera classes there and they had started bringing me in for voiceover auditions. And I it was just one of those situations where I was only like, maybe 19 or 20. And they were looking for teen boys. So it was like, it was just right there. And that was gave me my first opportunity.
Pat Brady
And you are still there. You are still there.
Alicyn
I was still in Boston.
Pat Brady
You still sound like a teenager.
Alicyhn
Yeah, the range, right? It's it. That's part of it, too. I think a lot of people I talked to want to come into voiceover and they want to specifically do animation, but what I find is it seems like most agencies seem to rep across the board. Do you find that to be true?
Pat Brady
Oh, please, of course, if I have a triple threat, or just made it somebody who can do commercial, promo, and animation, which also includes video game, that's a triple threat. You want that. You really want that the hardest thing to get into is promo. It's the toughest thing because there's a handful of people who do it. And now they're opening up more for women, but not that much more.
Animation… When I started, it was a boy’s game. It was a boy’s game. The only people who the females that worked were Tress MacNeille Lindy bread, Susan Silo, June Foray, they had it cornered, so it's so hard for women to hear.
But now they've opened up this world and like Kathy, my partner says, Because of streaming, there's so many availabilities. I had five breakdowns today, five!
Alicyn
Wow
Pat Brady
And they were all for streaming.
Alicyn
Yeah.
Pat Brady
And if your viewers are watching, and they have an agent, or in case of like CESD, Kathy and I do animation Sumeet does video games now. Bonus commercials and endorsements, Vinnie those promo trailer narration, you need to know who you need to talk to. If animation is what you do. Talk to your animation agent. If you're not getting what you want, from video game, talk to the person who's doing them. It's really important.
Alicyn
Do you find that— Do you have any clients that just do animation? Because generally, it seems that's less likely to just be taken on as an animation client?
Pat Brady
You know what? Unless they are like I called them a one trick pony. They ordinarily do animation, but commercials now all you have to do is listen to the mouse. And there's so many natural voices, or what so much cartoony, but odd voices are those guys lend themselves to animation. That's the Lonnie Rosses of this world. They have a very odd voice. So they'll work animation and the work video game and they'll work commercial.
So everybody, right now is an open field. I'm sure Horvitz has been booking commercials and animation because he's got a very unique voice, the things with Rich, he knows how to orchestrate for the gig.
Alicyn
Yeah. And it is that so those subtle nuances of knowing the medium, which defines Yeah, like the difference between a preschool show, which is going to be maybe paced a little bit slower than a six- to eight-year-old show. And maybe the characters can maybe be a little bit more colorful. And then you get into the video games where it's still a sense of it's still a character. It's still character acting, but then it's often very realistic. And
Pat Brady
I have a client who is on the raunchiest show, want to show on Adult Swim he could ever believe. And she does the cutest preschool show on Disney. Oh, unless it's a contractual obligation. They can do whatever they bloody well, please. And it's just amazing how it's opened up compared to what I went through 40 years ago.
Alicyn
Yeah, we always in animation, or did you start in a different facet?
Pat Brady
No one to my own. You start as a voiceover agent. You do everything I did. Everything is matter of fact, I love the show business story. And very most of your people watching or you are very familiar with Keith Ferguson.
Keith Ferguson works nonstop and animation. But 25 years ago, I went to a voiceover workshop. We used to do that all the time. And it was a commercial workshop because I did work voiceover commercials. And this kid stands up there and goes, “Okay commercial.”
And then one of the guys in the back behind me said, “Do your Ross Perot impression.” He does a dead on Ross Perot, I said, Okay, of course it was election time. So I said you me now. So he went outside. We talked. I said, I need you to come to my office tomorrow. And I need you to do some auditions for me.
So he came the office, and he did some auditions and then I gave him one as Keanu Reeves for a national commercial I just got and he did it dead on. So he got an agent and national commercial on the SAG card all the same day.
Alicyn
Oh my gosh, that is a pretty average.
Pat Brady
Oh, you never know. Right now the hook is I kind of tell you is voice matching. Yeah, killing it in voice matching. It's a great area, because especially I don't just do animation, neither does Kathy we do ADR as you will know, doing voice matching for feature films. And we do we work with a Barbara Harris or Terry Douglas for adding into a looping group. We don't represent looping groups. I get a call that they want some Somebody can do a particular voiceover match. Boom, I got him. We just got love him.
We just took a brand new client. His name is Chris Murrow. Great guy, dead on impersonator. I want to Jim Mesclun and PR pals. And both booked him on a commercial yesterday. A voice match. So it happens if somebody in your audience is watching they do great voice matches. It kills. It really— it does.
And if their agent has the ability to hook into that stuff, man, it because this is one thing that some actors don't know that if you get well, friend, of course, read the voice matcher Fred Tavish or I'm not even gonna go there with him. What? I'm seeing all these scrolls at the bottom, what happens is that you have so many agents who do everything and when they can share information like that. If— Alicyn, I know that you can do a dead-on Drew Barrymore.
And then Bo needs Drew Barrymore is to meet needs. It's a team situation. And even though we're at home, we talk to each other all day long. We have the inner office situation here with our home computers. And so we might as well just be in the office. And every week, Paul puts up a zoom for us all to talk. But we do we all talk every day.
Alicyn
And that's something I'm also curious about is how has quarantine changed your job? Since… my strap keeps falling? Uh, hey, guys. Let's get this party started. No, but how has quarantine changed your position and your day to day activity?
Pat Brady
Okay. That's a tough one. Because we are and you've obviously experienced this, we are 10 times busier than we've ever been. Because we are the only area of show business right now. That has been working since COVID hit.
Alicyn
Yeah.
Pat Brady
We're it? That's it. Not a question. You can't go on camera. And now they're starting to loosen it up a little bit. So boppers are starting to work some features with traveling better, but man for six months, we rip. And at that point, all the managers who represent the celebrities that we have either theatrically or on camera endorsements, wanted their clients to work. It's all about the work.
And then your wonderful union brought up the great new health plan. So you have to make X amount of dollars to cover your family. And so we have been bombarded by actors. “I need the job, I need to work.”
And we want you to work. We really want everybody to work. So it's been COVID has been very hard on show business. I hate to say other than us. Because like you, Alicyn, you have an amazing setup. You do broadcast quality, not a problem. We have clients who have lived up their voice over money who never did that.
Alicyn
Yeah.
Pat Brady
And by the time this hit, they didn't have the money to do that. Anyway, my husband and I were very unfortunate by paying not unfortunate but uncomfortable paying $3,000 upgrade our studio, so he could do his Disney show from home.
Alicyn
Pay out of pocket?
Pat Brady
It is what it is. Every actor has to pay out of pocket. No agency is gonna pay for it. No production companies don't pay for it. Sometimes they'll send kits and kits and they want them right back. Bob did a video game for me. And they sent the kit and he did the gig. And then he was done like at six o'clock and they texted him and said, “Okay, we'll pick it up at seven.” No, give me time to back this sucker up. So—
Alicyn
Yeah. It's funny the range two, it seems like I had a really good setup here as we discussed, but I had a game and for consistency purposes, they sent a kit, but they actually sent someone to set it up and I was so grateful because I just usually use George Widom for all my home studio needs and just tend to outsource that. It just makes it easier. But it's something that I think it's always been important.
Pat Brady
I can't let somebody in the house! I don't know how many actors are married to a hand to disabled people, or over the age of 65 or whatever. But I can't have some stranger in the house. I just can’t. Thank God he figured out himself. He's a very smart—
Alicyn
Hey, guys, this is Alison Packard. Sorry to interrupt, but I just wanted to let you know that if you like the show, please please, please remember to subscribe to this podcast and leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps us to get heard by more people. Thanks so much.
Pat Brady
Oh, wow. Oh, and Screen Actors Guild, okay, the protocols. Bob was more comfortable. His best friends in New York go. “Don't do it dude! Don't go there. Fuck you. He's gonna leave. Because that's all there is to it. He's going.”
Alicyn
Yeah, the protocols are specific. Designed to keep actors safe, so…
Pat Brady
So great, right? They're great.
Alicyn
Yeah. Yeah. So it's so interesting. So you did speak a little bit about oh, and I want to be conscious of time, because I promised I would keep it at 30.
Pat Brady
Love you.
Alicyn
What was that?
Pat Brady
I said I love you for that.
Alicyn
So the business has been shifting to more of this home studio model for years now. And then we are seeing with COVID it being the only option. And you mentioned that animation, the business of animation and voiceover is the only or has been the only gig in show business. Are there any other changes? Those will sound positive or neutral? There any negative changes that you've seen?
Pat Brady
Oh, not now. Like I said, at the beginning, it was very negative because a lot of our actors don't didn't have a studio, so they didn't have a perfect studio, like you would see with you or a Pat Fraley or a Fred Tavish. Actually, no, Fred Tavish not have a studio. You need to know this. Yeah. When the COVID hit, he and Merce had just had the baby. He was barely a year old. And they bought a house. And March, April and March, they bought a house.
So he had to take a room that they hadn't planned on it because he had an office in Burbank that had all his studio stuff, and basic needed it. He never knew how to use it. So he had put everything in the house. He learned how to do it. I was so proud of him. But it was a big deal.
But then again, like I said, at the beginning, it was so hard because so many of our actors didn't have the studios. They were so used to at the very most doing auditions on a cell phone, or auditions on the computer, but they didn't have broadcast quality.
And with animation, you really have to someone they start a Disney, I can only speak for Disney, Cartoon Network. Netflix, those are my buyers. When Disney started opening up the studio, I allowed it was a godsend. It really wasn't about them because these actors did not have the studios. Nolan Nors of this world, James Patrick Stewarts of this world live. They have beautiful studios at home. But then again, they don't live in the studio area. They live in palace where it is they live in Simi Valley, whatever.
Alicyn
Oh, yeah.
Pat Brady
So it's changed a great deal. I hope to God that the studios will stay open. That would be nice, but we have so many idiots in this city knows. Oh my God, my best friend from high school just joined.
Alicyn
Oh, hello, Lyn.
Alicyn
That's how we all get connected. So do you go back to animation demos? So what are some of your preferences for animation demos?
Pat Brady
First things first? Who are you auditioning for the agent? Or is your producer auditioning for the agent? It is so bad. I have a real problem with overproduced animation demos because I don't care how many bells and whistles there are I don't care. I want to hear you. A self-made demo is fine. You don't have How have the music in the background. Unless you are a musician or married to a musician or a record producer. You can have that thing. What I want. And I'm sure most of the animation agents out there feel the same when you open your demo with your own voice. Seriously, I don't care if you are a police captain, I don't care if you are stewardess. I don't care if you are doing a video game.
But it has to sound exactly like you never slept on your desk or never never. And then you can go on to your sillies. But the one at the very the, to me, you get six to eight voices. And the seven voice should always be a song if you like as a you sing like a dream. So I want to hear just one little blip of you singing. Yeah, that's really important. If you can't say, just give me all your crazy characters and accents.
And if you don't do them well, I'll tell you, because I have I have that kind of ear. If I don't think an accent is good. You're toast. And I'll tell you know me, I'm so bloody honest. It's scary.
Alicyn
What's what we love in terms of professional development for any of our viewers that are already voice actors already working, but might want to know what they can do to develop their career further, is there anything you recommend or any advice?
Pat Brady
Keep a loyalty to your agent. If your agent has done well for you, and also do you think the grass is greener on the other side? That's not cool. That's just not cool. But if you feel as though you need to talk to your agents that no, you're not getting enough of this, you're not gonna talk to your agents, if they're assholes about excuse the language, by the way, so the upward age limit on this show, if they don't want to talk to you, number by if you have an agent who is approaching you, and believe me, I'm the biggest thief in town, I have gotten to so many actors with other agents. But because they weren't happy with the other agents, I knew that and I made it to my advantage.
Because if your agent’s going to be noncommutative and addict to you. What do you need? But if your agent is doing their very best, they're doing their very best. And you're in communication with them. They will call you or they email you and boom, they get, get… they get right back to you. Don't be a putz. Give that agent a shot. It's really hard because there's only so many of us. There's only 16 of us.
Alicyn
Wow.
Pat Brady
Compared to the theatrical agents in this town and the commercial on camera commercial agents in this town. Oh my god, but there are only 16 Voiceover agencies. Yeah. Yeah. In New York is the same New York, our office in New York kills and I think Atlas and CESD is the only one that go across the country.
Alicyn
Just that's why we need more around.
Pat Brady
Oh, you and your hair!
Alicyn
Oh, let's see. Okay, so Jeff did have a couple questions, but I'm not seeing it in the question box. Let me see if I can go back and find how is the puppetry business doing during the crazy?
Pat Brady
Oh god, okay for the first six months dip nothing. And then they started figuring out the COVID way to do things. So I've got puppeteers in Vancouver right now working I've got puppeteers in New York working. I've got puppeteers work, working show— three shows here in that way. So yeah, no, it's doing well. But boy, I hope to God you never have anybody says, “Oh, I can do that.” Because he's a Punch and Judy show when you're in high school, or you did an avenue cube show in high school. You ain’t no puppeteer. If you can work.
When I interview new puppeteers, I think I told you that Alicyn, I love to start when a brand new puppeteer comes to me, of course, before COVID. And he wanted to sit and talk to me, he had to raise his hand like this for 20 minutes. And if he could do this for 20 minutes, and not take any attention away from what he was saying, then boom, I talked to him. Because the thing is, with a puppeteer, you need to have your on camera and you have to have a monitor at the bottom. So everything's asked backwards. So when the director says, Okay, we want you to move to the right, you're gonna move to the left. It's a tough job, and I've got the best.
Alicyn
You sure do. Okay, anybody else have some questions from the audience? I'm happy to take them now. I know, with the VP presidential debates this evening. We're gonna keep it tight. Pat, we're some people.
Pat Brady
TiVo!
Alicyn
Your TiVoing them? Yes. Me as well.
Pat Brady
Ready when my girl gets up there beats is that answer? Yeah.
Alicyn
Great. For anybody that just tuned in. We just sat down with Pat Brady animation agent at CESD Talent. If you might have missed the live stream, you're welcome to go back and watch the replay. Any more questions? Just lots of compliments. Lots of people. Oh, there is one more question from Jeff again. Oh, okay. Oh, prolific signing on, which is has the process of signing actors during COVID changed?
Pat Brady
We sign actors. We sign one year to 18 month contracts. The minute you start, that's all there is to it. Yeah, I know that marinara is the same. There are other agencies DPN, ICM, agencies that don't sign contracts, so we're not stupid. And the thing is, a contract is basically just a good faith relationship with your agent. If you don't make any money in 90 days, you can bail and they can bail on you.
So basically, even though we say 18 months, it's 90 days. But we want to show our good faith in you. It's not cheap to sign somebody to a contract. We have to have the assistants do it. We have to go to the county department. We have to send everything to the state In California, it's not cheap. So we're investing in your career when we have not seen a cent from you.
And we only see money from you guys, when you book. So we have actors who years have not made a bloody penny, but we have faith in them. So we keep sending them auditions. But you know what it happens. And then and I'm sure the next question is gonna be, how long till you drop somebody?
We have clients have been with our agency for 30 years who haven't booked in 10 years. But they're really good clients. They love us. They're supportive of us. They speak well of us. We give them every opportunity we can. And then there's others that buy books in the year Abyssinia, you know what, not my fault. Seriously, I've given you and we look at our history, you've gotten 150 opportunities in a year, and you haven't booked one. Maybe you need to take a class. Or maybe you need to sit down and talk to yourself. Like, why haven't I booked anything? Because it's not your agents fault.
Alicyn
Right. No, I think also he was asking specifically like now during COVID So are you doing like zoom?
Pat Brady
Yeah, we, we send contracts via email and Docusign. Uh huh. Yeah. And then the interviews on Zoom or something? Oh, please. Yes, we have. They had one yesterday. We're gonna have one tomorrow. Yeah. We’re interviewing clients via Zoom. And we're all on the picture. There's Kathy up there. And there's me and there's Sam. So, Sumeet, Vinny, Beau. Yeah. Both in charge of this of the of the zoom. Lucky Beau.
Alicyn
That that millennial Beau.
Alicyn
Just got two kids. The poor little thing. I swear to God, she worked her ass off as a voiceover agent. And then she's got two kids at home. Who both need schooling.
Alicyn
Yeah. 2020 is full of challenges.
Pat Brady
It's very, so anything else you need for me, sweetie pie?
Alicyn
No, I'm so grateful that you came on to sit down and chat with us, Pat. And absolutely. Yeah, we'll see you guys. Next week. We have Melissa Hutchinson coming on.
Pat Brady
Oh I love her!
Alicyn
Yeah. Okay, great. So thanks.
Pat Brady
Love you!
Alicyn
Okay. Take care.
Pat Brady
Bye!
Alicyn
Goodbye. And for anybody that's just tuning in, feel free to subscribe if you want to get more of these. We're doing them every Wednesday at 6pm Pacific Standard Time. I will let you guys go to debates now. But I hope to see you again soon. Thanks, Jeff. Thank you guys so much for –
Alicyn Outro
Thanks for tuning in to Alison's Wonderland, where we explore the wild and wonderful world of animation and video games. Please remember to subscribe and leave us a review. For more episodes of Alison's Wonderland. Please visit us at www.AlisonPackard.com See you next week.