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Our Instructors

Think of Edge as a top university: each instructor is recruited to teach their specialty, so you train with voice over industry experts matched to your voice, ability, and goals, while filling your resume with recognized experts’ names.  Our team of instructors at Edge can offer the most complete, trusted, and recognized voice over education.  Edge Studio is proud to exhibit an international team of voice over experts, who help you start, build, and grow your voice over business.  To find a coach who may be right for you, browse the profiles below:

Instructor Search

David Goldberg

Art Bruder

Ashley Adler

Bill Lord

Brian Wiggins

Carolee Goodgold

Christy Spadafore

David Wallen

Erica Brookhyser

Ernesto De Villa Bejjani

Jake Bazel

James Andrews, M.Sc.

Jennifer Sims

Joshua Wise

Lara Hirner

Liz Drury

Malik Rashad

Marc Thompson

Nazia Chaudhry

Simone Kliass

David Goldberg

Lead Voice Director, Audition Expert, & CEO

Locations: In Studio (NYC), Online via Zoom

Specialties: Commercial, Corporate, Documentaries & Film, E-learning, In-Show (Broadcast) Narration, Inspiration & Meditation, Medical & Pharmaceutical, Narration, Promos & Imaging, Telephony & IVR (Interactive Voice Response), Tours

To schedule with David, please visit the Voice Over Training with David Goldberg page on this website.

A leading authority on voice-over and Chief Edge Officer of Edge Studio, David Goldberg has cast and directed thousands of voice-over productions. He has also coached innumerable voice actors, from beginners to top working pros and celebrities.

David says, “Although I don’t have a golden voice, I guess my ears work pretty well.”

Indeed. David’s ears are considered the best in the industry.

He’s known for an uncanny ability to provide super-quick yet precise direction. Because he sees things from all industry perspectives, many veteran voice actors rely on him as their mentor. David is also one of the most active directors and speakers, frequently illustrating his practical answers with fun anecdotes from his many years of experience.

Soon after founding Edge Studio as a music-recording facility in 1988, David added spoken voice recording to its repertoire. In response to many clients asking him for voice over guidance, David wrote the first edition of the ‘Voice Over Performance Guidebook’ in 1992.

Since 2000, Edge Studio has focused exclusively on spoken voice, and is now one of the world’s premiere voice over facilities.

Clients and agents rely on David Goldberg’s ability to pinpoint the right voice actor for their production. Voice actors rely on his ability to help them find their full potential, benefiting from his perception, straight-forwardness, production savvy, and those acute ears.

People and companies that David Goldberg has worked with at Edge Studio include: Nickelodeon, Disney, Pixar, Chrysler, The US Postal Service, Scholastic, IBM, The United Nations, countless radio stations, National Public Radio, ESPN, Discovery, Mel Brooks, Joan Rivers, Eartha Kitt, Tom Brokaw, John Ratzenberger, Denise Austin, Mark Linn-Baker, and scores of leading Broadway and TV performers.

Edge Studio remains one of the country’s most acclaimed voice over facilities, known around the world as being the best in the industry for voice over production, casting, and education.

Art Bruder

Private Coach, Class Instructor, Home Studio Coach

Locations: In Studio (NYC), Online via Zoom

Specialties: Commercial, In-Show (Broadcast) Narration, Narration

Art Bruder has had an impressive career in voice-over and the media industry. He has voiced countless commercials, promos and tags for major brands, as well as narrating corporate videos. He produces radio station imaging and is the voice for iRock Radio and other Internet radio stations and podcasts. Art has also worked extensively as an audio engineer and audio producer recording voice actors and musicians as well as writing copy. Art lives in Central Connecticut, and we’re proud to note that he got his start in voice over right here at Edge Studio!

Formerly, Art was the regional director at Connecticut School of Broadcasting (CSB), where he inspired and instructed many new students in audio production and voice acting. While instructing at CSB, Art produced a television show and a radio show with his students, utilizing industry standard equipment, software and hardware and techniques. He would take his students on video shoots for musician performances to give them a feel for the real world of broadcasting, and even organized trips for his students to attend the History Makers Awards shows.

Now, as a coach and instructor with Edge Studio, Art is always striving to give students a top-notch education. Teaching and coaching voice actors in both performance technique, as well as the technical aspects of voice over, is his passion.

Besides offering private coaching for students at Edge, Art also teaches various classes and webinars rooted in the production side of voice over, such as DAW for Beginners (focusing on the audio recording software basics of Audacity, ProTools, Adobe Audition, and Twisted Wave), Mics & Interfaces, Studio Acoustics, and also offers private DAW Consultations.

If you’d like to hear Art Bruder speak more about his coaching practices and background as a performer, click here to watch Edge Studio’s Ask Me Anything session on our Youtube Channel.

Art says it’s the best feeling in the world to get an email from a student who is excited to share their first gig and maintains that there’s nothing else like it.

Ashley Adler

Animation & Videogame Voice Director, Voice Actor, & Private Coach

Locations: In Studio (NYC), Online via Zoom

Specialties: Animation, Character, Commercial, E-learning, Jingles & Music, Narration, Promos & Imaging, Video Games

Ashley is SO amazing!  She’s a Drama Desk nominated actress, award winning singer & voice actor. Her voice can be heard in over 75 TV and radio commercials, as well as videogames, animation, trailers, award shows, audiobooks, promos, dubbing foreign films, e-learning, and documentaries. She has voice-matched over 25 celebrities for films, videogames, toys, theme park rides and more. She works with Marvel, Disney & Pixar on a regular basis in a variety of mediums. 

 

She’s been the voice of: Old Navy, Honda, Crest, Walgreens, Clorox, McDonald’s, Oreo, Walmart, Oprah Magazine, Verizon, AT&T, & the Make-A-Wish Foundation, just to name a few. 

 

She’s worked with notable companies such as: HBO, CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, MTV, TCM, Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Square Enix, Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, Disney Jr., Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Fox Sports, Walt Disney Pictures, Mattel-Fisher Price, Bandai-Namco, Marvel Studios, Pixar, STX Films, Universal Studios, Disney Imagineering, Walt Disney World & Columbia Pictures. 

 

Some projects her voice can be heard in: We Bare Bears (Cartoon Network), Captain MarvelAnt Man and the Wasp (Marvel Studios), What If…? (Marvel/Disney+), Glitter (Netflix), Disney Infinity 3.0Pete’s Dragon (Walt Disney Studios), Samurai! Daycare (YouTube/Smosh), Vice (Sony), Office Christmas Party(Paramount), Jimmy Kimmel Live! & the MTV Movie Awards

 

She can currently be heard as Eliza in Final FantasyWar of the Visions, Thelos (the Sun G*d) in Atlas Fallen, and as the Narrator of Disney Dreamlight Valley

 

She’s performed Off-Broadway & regionally in musicals and operas at NYC Town Hall, NY City Center, Wolftrap Opera, the Hollywood Bowl, The Greek Theatre and has worked frequently with both The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players and The National Yiddish Theatre. She toured the nation with an award-winning one person show about Anne Frank. She has sung with the bands Mostly Kosher, the acclaimed Eagle Rock Gospel Singers, Tom Kenny (SpongeBob) & the Hi-Seas, and many, many others. BFA in Acting from SUNY Purchase.

She is a graduate of the Acting conservatory at SUNY Purchase and studied voice privately at Manhattan School of Music. 

AND GUESS WHAT? She began her voiceover training right here, at Edge Studio!

Bill Lord

Private Coach

Locations: Online via Zoom

Specialties: Audiobook

Bill Lord is a recipient of an audiobook Earphones Award, which are given by AudioFile Magazine to truly exceptional titles that excel in narrative voice and style, characterizations, suitability to audio, and enhancement of the text. He earned this award for his performance in the ensemble cast of Jimmy Dean’s Last Dance by A.K. Alliss. Bill reads for major and indie publishers and enjoys narrating both fiction and non-fiction, his favorite genres being Mysteries, Thrillers, Memoirs, Science Fiction, and Children’s stories. 

Some of Bill’s audiobook narration credits include Extra V****n Olive Oil: The Truth in Your Kitchen by David M. Neuman, In a Green Dress Surrounded by Exploding Clowns and Other Stories by Robert Jeschonek, Start the Game Galactogon by Vasily Mahanenko, Student Voice: The Instrument of Change by Russell J. Quaglia and Michael Corso. A list of Bill’s other narrated titles can be found on his Audible page.

Bill has also led sessions on vocal booth design and website design for the highly respected Audiobook Biz Workshop Series presented each year by notable narrators Johnny Heller (Edge Studio instructor, as well) and Scott Brick. 

Bill Lord is a former student of Edge Studio’s training program who went on to perform as a live-announce talent for major conferences and has given a voice to audiobooks, e-Learning modules, corporate explainer videos, and whiteboard videos. After finding success in the voice over industry, Bill led Edge Studio’s Investigate Voice Over classes in Washington, DC for several years. Prior to studying with Edge, he wrote, produced, and voiced thousands of commercials across all product categories in his 17-year career as a radio presenter and production manager.

Bill’s first love is audiobooks, and he has dedicated himself to advancing the craft and understanding the business of audiobooks. His relaxed style of teaching makes it easy to learn while also having fun.

Brian Wiggins

Class Instructor, Private Coach

Locations: Online via Zoom

Specialties: Audiobook, Commercial, Narration

Brian Wiggins is a Voice Arts® and One Voice Award-nominated voice actor, and has lent his talents to clients such as Southern Comfort, Netflix, Champion, Tyson Foods, and Santa Helena Winery, as well as nearly 100 audiobook and narration projects, including the award-winning Frith Chronicles series. In 2022 he published his first book, The Narrator’s Guide to the Universe of Audiobooks. He has also waded into the world of audio production, acting as producer on full-cast audiobook and audio drama projects.

While born in the sleepy South Jersey town of Medford (where fun goes to die), he’s been living in Philadelphia for the last 20 years and proudly calls it home with his wife, and their two rescue dogs Dakota and Hurley. He cut his teeth in the media world interning for Radio Hall of Fame inductee Preston Elliot at a local modern rock radio station, and later as a video editor and producer for a news broadcast, writing scripts for voice over veteran Mark Peebles.

When not fighting evil, ne’er-do-wells, and dastards via narrating a great audiobook, he can be found putting his character voice skills to the test while running Dungeons & Dragons games for his friends, or teaching Brazilian jiu jitsu (aka involuntary yoga, or Folding People’s Clothes While They’re Still Wearing Them).

Brian Wiggins received his B.A. in Communication from the acclaimed La Salle University School of Communication (as well as a Bachelor’s in English), and his M.B.A. from Strayer University. After fumbling around in the dark for several months at the beginning of his voice over career, he finally wised up and received training from coaches such as James Andrews, Jennifer Sims, and Jay Snyder at Edge Studio in New York City.

Read Brian’s latest articles on the Edge Studio blog, where he discusses the importance of being kind to people in the industry and how his training in jiu jitsu has prepared him to be a working VO actor. Watch Brian show off his home studio on the Edge Studio Youtube channel in the premiere episode of Home Studio Show & Tell.

Carolee Goodgold

Private Coach, Class Instructor

DEMO

Locations: In Studio (NYC), Online via Zoom

Specialties: Jingles & Music

Carolee Goodgold has earned a living singing and speaking for over 30 years! She has been called “the girl Robin Williams” because of her versatility and humor. She has recorded Jingles, Records, Song Parodies, Industrial Shows, Children’s Books, Anime, Audiobooks, Toys, Video Games, Workout Tapes, TV Themes, Cruise Ships, Theme Parks, Musicals and anything else one can sing or speak on!

Some of her clients include: Cheerios, IBM, Cingular, Dentyne, Verizon, Jell-O, Downy, American Express, Merill Lynch, Napier and many more.

She has sung with Carly Simon, Larry Gatlin, Rosie O’ Donnell, The Chieftains, Keely Smith and more. Carolee Goodgold has also written, performed, musically directed, and directed many corporate shows. Her anime credits include: Animation Runner Kuromi, Photon: The Idiot Adventures, and RG Veda.

Christy Spadafore

Class Instructor

Locations: Online via Zoom

Specialties: Marketing

Christy Spadafore is a voice actor, singer/songwriter and teacher, who has voiced projects for Amazon, HPE, Gentex Corporation, and Marsh McLennan, among others. Her work is primarily in corporate narration and eLearning, with the occasional commercial thrown in. While pursuing her singing/songwriting career, she worked numerous jobs in a wide variety of industries. She feels that this extensively eclectic background has been the most useful thing to her as a voice actor, with endless answers to the question – who are you talking to?

As a teacher, Christy worked as both a classroom and a general music teacher, and later as an early childhood music specialist. She has created and delivered curriculum for a wide range of students in both public and private settings. As a New York City Teaching Fellow, she earned her M.S. Ed from Lehman College while teaching at PS 70 in the Bronx. Some of her favorite aspects of teaching involved teaching song form, helping students create their own compositions, and finding the hidden musical talents within her students.

After completing her initial demos with Edge Studio with coach James Andrews, Christy turned to a number of different methods of booking work, including online casting sites.

Christy lives in Kansas City, MO, with her husband and three children. When not working in VO, she is likely either singing, writing, involved in disability advocacy, or driving her kids around. With the last option being the most statistically probable.

David Wallen

Private Coach

Specialties: Commercial, Narration

In constant demand for his storytelling skills, David’s voice has been featured on commercials for Kraft, TD Bank, Sears, Coors, Pizza Hut, Kitchen Aid, Midas, Mercury Marine, NHL, Newfoundland & Labrador Tourism and many others.

A professional voice performer since 2000, he began his career writing and producing advertising at major international agencies. This qualifies him as a member of a somewhat exclusive circle of folks who have worked on “both sides of the glass” – both as a creative professional casting and directing talent and also as performer. He brings a highly nuanced writer’s perspective about how to interpret a script in order to deliver a distinctive performance.

David holds a Bachelor in Applied Arts – Radio and Television Arts from Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) in Toronto. He is also very involved with the Canadian performer’s union ACTRA.

In his spare time he makes music with 3 Chord Johnny, a roots, blues and R&B band, roasts coffee for friends and neighbors, and walks Aries, the goofy golden retriever.

Erica Brookhyser

Private Coach

Locations: Online via Zoom

Specialties: Medical & Pharmaceutical, Narration

Erica Brookhyser is an accomplished voice actor with over 15 years of performing experience. Her work spans several genres, including medical narration, eLearning, commercials, museum tours, audiobooks, explainer videos, and documentaries. Among her clients are Apple, United Nations, Astra-Zeneca, Novartis, Bausch+Lomb, The Washington Post, Nokia, and Microsoft.

A passionate teacher, Erica draws on her background as a professional opera singer, linguist, and actor to help students unlock their expressivity, and use their voices to transform the written word into a connection with listeners.

Erica uses her voice to empower others as a volunteer with Women in Film and Video New England, hosting their monthly Networking Wednesdays events, and as the host of The Warm Up, a bi-weekly voiceover forum. Erica lives in Boston, MA with her amazing wife, two rambunctious kitties, and some not-quite-dead-yet plants.

Ernesto De Villa Bejjani

Private Coach: Spanish Language

Locations: In Studio (NYC), Online via Zoom

Specialties: Commercial, Narration

A Mexican–Lebanese actor, Ernesto De Villa Bejjani began his career in 1984, completed his professional studies at the National School of Dramatic Arts at the National Institute of Fine Arts in Mexico City, and since has worked as an actor, director, producer, acting coach and voice over coach.

Living in New York City since 2003, Ernesto has been directing at his theatrical company, 88 Performing Arts, produced several theatrical shows, like his play “Sofia’s Desire” and has conducted many acting and voice over workshops. During the last thirty years Ernesto has worked without stopping teaching acting and voice over classes. As a bilingual talent and coach, diction and accent reduction are one of his major assets. Besides coaching and acting, Ernesto casts and directs TV and radio commercials in Spanish for the United States market.

Some of Ernesto’s awards include Male Revelation Actor (2004) of the Year and Best Director (2013) from the Association of Latin Entertainment Critics. Also, he won the awards of Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor (2008) and Outstanding Achievement in Direction (2013) from the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors.

In his own words, “The act of forming voice over actors and professionals is my passion”.

—-

Un actor mexico-libanés, Ernesto De Villa Bejjani inició su carrera en 1984, completó sus estudios profesionales en la Escuela Nacional de Arte Teatral del Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes de la Ciudad de México, desde entonces se ha desempeñado como actor, director, productor, coach de actuación y locución.

Vive en la ciudad de Nueva York desde 2003, dirigiendo su propia compañía teatral, 88 Performing Arts, ha producido varios espectáculos teatrales, como su obra “El deseo de Sofía”. Durante los últimos treinta años Ernesto ha trabajado impartiendo clases de actuación y locución. Como coach de voice over bilingüe, la dicción y la reducción del acento son uno de sus principales puntos a desarrollar. Además, Ernesto es director de casting para comerciales de radio y televisión en español para el mercado de los Estados Unidos.

Algunos de los premios de Ernesto incluyen Actor Revelación Masculino del Año (2004) y Mejor director por su trabajo de “El deseo de Sofía” (2013) de la Asociación de Críticos de Entretenimiento de Nueva York. También, ganó los premios de Mejor Actor Masculino (2008) y Mejor Dirección (2013) de Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors.

En sus propias palabras, “La tarea de formar actores y locutores profesionales es mi pasión”.

Jake Bazel

Private Coach

Locations: In Studio (NYC), Online via Zoom

Specialties: Animation, Character, Commercial, Video Games

Animation, Cartoon, Characters, Talking Toys, Video Games, Kids’ Apps, Commercials – when you hear personality-driven voice actors, you’re in Jake Bazel’s world!

Jake is a voice actor, writer, puppeteer, voiceover director and coach with over a decade of
experience working in children’s media. No matter his role on a project, he always
approaches his work with a sense of curiosity and play in an effort to build character-driven
stories that resonate with multigenerational audiences.

Jake was most recently seen and heard off-Broadway, playing Winnie the Pooh in Disney’s
Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Stage Adaptation. Originally brought on as a writing
consultant in the early developmental stage, he was honored to then bring the Bear of Very
Little Brain to life in the show’s world premiere run. He subsequently reprised the role at
Chicago’s Mercury Theatre, and is attached to open the show in London’s West End in Spring
2023.

As a puppeteer at Sesame Workshop, Jake has worked on the flagship series Sesame Street
(HBO/PBS), as well as several outreach initiatives, digital releases, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. He was thrilled to return to the parade in 2016, opening the event with The Muppets (Disney).

Jake served as an ensemble puppeteer for Seasons 2 and 3 of Sesame Workshop’s Helpsters
(Apple TV+), and can be heard taking on a number of characters throughout the series. In
2020, he created the original preschool series Duncan the Skunk and the Big Costume Trunk!
for the Kidscreen Award-winning interactive platform Hellosaurus.

Other favorite credits include Emily Arrow’s Story Bike (Audible Original), Spongebob’s
Pineapple Playhouse (Nickelodeon), zivaKIDS, The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show, Paddington
Gets in a Jam, Paddington Saves Christmas, Sandra Boynton’s Frog Trouble, Tim Kubart’s
Songs for Chickens, Jim Henson’s Dinosaur Train Live!, an array of animals for Dodo Kids, and
various ad campaign collaborations with The Mill. Jake has directed two national tours of The
Very Hungry Caterpillar Show, as well as an international tour and two regional coproductions.

Jake has been working as an Animation Voice Acting coach since 2018, and it’s truly one of
his favorite hats to wear. It’s an honor helping beginners and pros alike connect with their
confidence, their voice and their inner cartoon character in a new way. He’s a firm believer
that animation should be wildly fun and joyfully messy work!

James Andrews, M.Sc.

Private Coach, Class Instructor

DEMO

Locations: Online via Zoom

Specialties: Character, Commercial, Corporate, Documentaries & Film, E-learning, In-Show (Broadcast) Narration, Inspiration & Meditation, Narration, Speech Language Pathology, Telephony & IVR (Interactive Voice Response), Tours, Vocal Health

James Andrews is a veteran commercial voice actor whose talents are always in demand. James has voiced hundreds of television commercials for clients such as Lincoln, Toyota, BMW, Chevrolet, Wrigley’s, General Mills, McDonald’s, Samsung, TD Bank, Bosch, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and many more. He has also voiced dozens of corporate narration projects and e-learning modules and has done promo work for such prestigious brands as Smithsonian and Sundance Channels. He is also well known for his character and animation work, as well as a wide variety of dialects.

Such diversity is based on a background equally varied. James holds degrees in English literature and education, and has a master’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Prior to becoming a voice actor, James worked as a speech-language pathologist for several years. James is a proud member of ACTRA.

James has also taught English literature and ESL at Columbia University and The School of Visual Arts in New York City, and at the University of Toronto.

Although his voice-acting career keeps him very busy, James found he missed teaching, and so he was thrilled when the opportunity arose to join the Edge Studio faculty and work with students again. His background in speech-language pathology completes the unique skill set that he brings to voice-over education. At Edge Studio, James coaches students in commercial and narration, as well as teaches the popular webinar, the Science of Speaking Like a Pro. In this class, James breaks down and demonstrates the importance of phonetics and the component sounds of the English language to help you speak like a professional voice actor.

James lives in Toronto with his wife and two children.

If you’d like to hear James Andrews speak more about his coaching practices and background as a performer, click here to watch Edge Studio’s Ask Me Anything.

Jennifer Sims

Private Coach, Class Instructor

DEMO

DEMO

Locations: In Studio (LA), Online via Zoom

Specialties: Commercial, In-Show (Broadcast) Narration, Narration

With experience as both an ad agency producer and voice actor, Jennifer Sims brings a unique perspective to voice acting from both sides of the glass. Jennifer has produced/voiced hundreds of spots for clients such as Wells Fargo, Volkswagen, Vons, Cigna Healthcare, CVS, ABC Family and the OWN Network.

After graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles, Jennifer segued into a career in advertising, climbing the ranks of one of the top agencies in Los Angeles to become a commercial and radio producer. As a producer, Jennifer had the pleasure of working with top voice over talent including the legendary Don LaFontaine.

Jennifer now combines her love for both advertising and acting. As a coach with Edge Studio, she is passionate about helping fellow creatives find their own unique essence, coaching students with wit and warmth. At Edge, Jennifer  coaches commercial and narration and teaches the Investigate Voice Over (IVO) webinar. Jenn also instructs the performance-based Auditions 101 class, which is designed to help provide students with the necessary skills and knowledge to ace their voice over auditions, stand out from the crowd, and land acting jobs. As a coach and instructor, Jennifer specializes in helping students deliver friendly and conversational reads.

In addition to a successful career as a producer/voice over artist, Jennifer is now an on-camera commercial actor, having starred in commercials for Uber, Snapchat and WebMD. She is also an accomplished improv actor at the Upright Citizens Brigade in Los Angeles.

Jennifer lives in Los Angeles with her husband and Dexter, the most handsome dog in the world (well, according to Jennifer).

If you’d like to hear Jennifer Sims speak more about her coaching practices and background as a performer, click here to watch Edge Studio’s Ask Me Anything, and then subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up to date.

Joshua Wise

Private Coach

Locations: In Studio (NYC), Online via Zoom

Specialties: Commercial, Narration

With more than 20 years experience in the performing arts and a lifetime’s worth of experience in music, Joshua takes a unique and instinctual approach to the world of voiceover. Trained in choral and ensemble singing, he has developed the self-awareness necessary to adapt the minutest of details in his vocal performance to the needs of the moment. With a BFA in Acting from Pace University in New York City, Joshua has performed in numerous theatrical works, from two-man one-acts to fully-produced three-hour-long musicals.

Since graduating, he has worked his way through increasingly-demanding positions on a great deal of projects, from performing artist to music director to director, and also led an improvisational comedy troupe in Brooklyn for three years. On the purely vocal side, Joshua has also provided his voice for both live and recorded narration for a number of presentation events, hosted several orientations, English dubbing for foreign language film, and promotional material for coffee houses, music stores, and more.

As a seasoned and professional musician and composer, Joshua has studied keyboards and singing in multiple genres, and plays regularly with wedding and event bands all over the northeastern United States. He has produced and arranged folk, theatrical, jazz, rock, and neoclassical music, which has garnered him a skillful ear for detail and engineering knowledge.

All of this education, training, and experience pair well with Joshua’s goofy and enthusiastic nature, which translate into a continued love of cartoons, Dungeons & Dragons, and a good pun. To work with Joshua is to apply a performer’s perspective to the craft of voiceover, and to view every read – from a simple telephony job to a multi-character animation – as a chance to dig deep and learn something new about yourself.

Lara Hirner

Speech Pathologist

Locations: Online via Zoom

Specialties: Speech Language Pathology, Vocal Health

Lara Marie Hirner has unique skills that help voice-actors please more casting agents, impress more engineers, and book more jobs — especially long-form narration — by reducing abusive behaviors and techniques that contribute to vocal fatigue and throat discomfort, training proper coordination of breathing and speaking, decreasing mouth clicks and pops (which save editing time), and maintaining a healthier voice for a more lucrative and sustainable career.

There are definitely compromises voice actors are asked to make – long sessions that are demanding on the voice, certain affects (breathy, gritty, raspy…) that can, long term, damage your voice. Lara helps new and pro voice actors stay in business for longer and/or handle more work per day, by balancing good vocal health with the specific demands of voice over clients.

How? Combining her degrees as a Speech Language Pathologist, her experience as a professional voice actor (credits below), and her breathing techniques as a performance singer (credits below), she is happy to share her experience in the fields of performance, vocal pedagogy and therapeutic treatment with the Edge family to help foster a better understanding of the voice and how to best care for it when your career depends on it!

Lara Hirner is currently maintaining practice in Boston, MA. She graduated from Harvard University in June of 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts in Music and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies as a participant in the Music Department’s Five Year Performance Program for voice. Theater credits include Mabel in Pirates of Penzance, Rapunzel in Into the Woods, the title role in Rossini’s La Cenerentola, and Cunegonde in Candide.

In concert work, she performs as a frequent soloist with the Mark Morris Dance Group, the New York City Ballet, the Juilliard Choral Union at Lincoln Center, the New York Pops Orchestra at Carnegie Hall and was featured at the Bernstein Festival Gala Concert at Sanders Theater. She was a 4 year member of the Marble Collegiate Sanctuary choir and continues to perform with her vocal jazz quintet, West Side 5. In workshops, masterclasses, and concert performances, Lara has worked with Jason Robert Brown, Steven Schwartz, Mandy Patinkin, Joel Cohen and the Boston Camerata, Christopher Hogwood, Robert Levin, and Judith Clurman.

In addition to her singing career, Lara has also appeared in several independent films and an animated feature which are currently in production. She maintains an active career as a voice over artist and has recorded three children’s audiobook series for Disney and the Smithsonian Institutution, and two audiobooks for Random House. She is also the voice of the online dating site, howaboutwe.com and regularly records teleprompts, children educational media and industrials for companies including WebSense, Chase, and EduJoy. She will also greet you on the Edge Studio voicemail system if you are ever calling after hours! She manages her voice over career with the help of Linda Weaver at Access Talent.

Lara currently holds Masters Degree Speech and Language Pathology from Columbia Teachers College and now practices as a member of the Massachusetts General Hospital inpatient team in Boston. During her training, she treated clients with a range of voice disorders and now provides vocal care consultations for professional voice users such as teachers, voice over artists, and singers.

Liz Drury

Class Instructor, Networking Coach

Locations: Online via Zoom

Specialties: Commercial, Narration

Liz Drury is an alum of Durham and Bradford Universities in the UK, and has a PhD in Archeological Science. When her work on prehistoric chewing gum hit the headlines she was interviewed by a number of local and national radio stations. It was then she realized that a life behind the microphone might be for her. Her first taste of voiceover was a few years later during her time working as a presenter at a local cable TV station. However, it wasn’t until her husband’s job was temporarily relocated to the USA that she got the opportunity to train in voiceover properly, and she discovered Edge Studio.

Liz trained with Edge for about 6 months in 2013/14 and made her first demos at the Washington DC studio. She is now back in the UK where she works from her home studio for clients around the world. She primarily works in the corporate narration and e-learning sectors and some of the companies that have used her voice include Nestlé, JCB, Booking.com, Hilton, VW, Danone and many others.

One of the methods that Liz uses for marketing is business networking, and she has been asked to speak on this topic a number of times for voiceover audiences, including Edge students, and also at VOAtlanta.

In 2017 Liz Drury Voiceovers was picked out as one of that year’s top 100 UK small businesses by the Small Business Britain team. This resulted in a visit to 10 Downing Street, the residence of the UK Prime Minister. In 2021 she was named as one of the #ialso100 female entrepreneurs of the year (women who also do many other things besides run a business), and this led to a visit to the House of Lords.

Some of the ‘other’ things that Liz is involved with include two community theaters and her local church, and when she’s not in her booth or one of those places you can find her out running with her dog Marble.

Malik Rashad

Private Coach

Specialties: Commercial

 

A gifted storyteller who brings words to life…Brooklyn, New York native son, Malik Rashad is an African American voice actor with an authentic sound and diverse range that universally resonates with students, clients, and brands. With over seven years of experience in the voice over industry and over a decade in music, he has the unique ability to bend voice over genres from urban to corporate, character to poetic, educational to sensual. His talent and versatility also show in his ability to provide a voice that spans anywhere from a teen/young adult to middle age. Malik has voiced countless projects and campaigns for major brands such as the NCAA, YouTube’s Celebrate Black History campaign, NYC’s Wear a Mask Contest, McDonald’s, Samsung, Ziprecruiter, Under Armour, Budweiser, VEVO, American Cancer Society, ESPN, the New York Historical Society, Morgan Stanley, NBC, TD Bank, and many more. He is currently the voice behind White Claw’s 2022 summer campaign. He has also voiced numerous podcasts and audiobooks, notably voicing many characters on the popular romance podcast, Meet Cute, which can be streamed on Apple Podcasts, and narrating the YA Audio for the superstar Chef Kwame Onwuachi’s audiobook Notes From a Young Black Chef

Aside from being an accomplished voice over artist actively working in the VO industry, Malik has worked extensively in many areas of the performing arts, including television, media, theater, film, and is a musician. Malik’s expertise in all of these areas make him a well-rounded coach who brings his experience to the table when working with students.

Malik Rashad believes in a quote the late great Maya Angelou once said “words mean more than what is set down on paper, it takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning” and truly brings that meaning to all of his work.

Marc Thompson

Private Coach

Locations: In Studio (NYC), Online via Zoom

Specialties: Animation, Audiobook, Commercial, Video Games

Marc Thompson is super well known in the voiceover world. He has worked in voice over for over 20 years. His voice is used in countless animation, audiobooks, commercials, video games, films, television and more.

He graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a B.F.A. in acting.

Since then he has found much success.  He’s a feature voice on cartoons such as MTV’s “DARIA”, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”, “GI Joe Sigma Six”, “Yu-gui-oh”, “Poke’mon”, “P.king Duckling”, “Transformers Cyberverse”, and “Karma’s world”. He’s narrated over 70 Star Wars audiobooks, and has won an Earphones award, an Audie award and a SOVAS award for some of those titles.  In addition, he’s acted in plays off-Broadway, starred in the film “Bringing up Bobby”, and made his Broadway debut in the Tony nominated revival of “Talk Radio.”

Marc looks forward to passing on what he has learned, and sharing his experience with you. An amazing opportunity!

Nazia Chaudhry

Private Coach

Specialties: Animation, Commercial, E-learning, Narration

Nazia Chaudhry (Naz) is a 2-time Voice Arts Award nominated voiceover artist, and accomplished vocalist, actor, producer, and educator with a performance career spanning well over 25 years. From singing to selling, to the special way each story needs telling, this multi-faceted performer and brand voice is recognized as an industry leader of total vocal versatility and excellence from stage to screen, as well as behind the mic.

As an experienced voice and acting coach, Nazia Chaudhry is known for transforming budding and working artists into consistently confident and successful performers. She offers a distinctively comprehensive perspective to coaching from her diverse experience as both a well-rounded actor and musician. Holding an undergraduate degree concentrated in opera and a master’s degree in jazz voice, Naz has a vast knowledge of vocal mechanics, vocal health, and performance techniques that help her students effectively free the voice and actor within. With her experience as an actor on stage, on camera, and in voiceover, Naz coaches students toward the current trends in acting to master the subtle nuances of a stellar voiceover performance in the booth.

Naz is dedicated to providing curated talent solutions across most genres of voiceover and vocals for trusted global brands, and networks alike, such as IBM, Intel, TIME, Ford, McKesson, GlaxoSmithKline, Sirius XM, Pandora, NBC, CNBC, and PBS. Other voice acting credits include Disney, Marvel, Nickelodeon International, ViacomCBS, Cartoon Network, Funimation, Audible, Dreamscape Media, RBmedia, Netflix, Paramount Plus, and many more. 

Naz’s debut jazz album, Time After, landed at #1 on the CMJ Top Jazz Adds Chart, while also topping on CMJ’s Top 40 Jazz Charts. You can hear her critically acclaimed debut jazz album on Pandora, iTunes, and other online streaming services. Naz has toured nationally and internationally throughout her career, and performed alongside GRAMMY Award-winning musicians Bobby McFerrin and Nestor Torres. She also performed with legendary actor/singers Clifton Davis and Harry Belafonte. Other singing credits include: The Kennedy Center, London Symphony Orchestra, Jazz Orchestra Atlanta, Georgia Symphony Orchestra Jazz, Rialto Center for the Arts, Woodruff Arts Center, and RFK Stadium. To learn more about Naz’s journey through the world of performance, go to NazVoice.com.

Simone Kliass

Private Coach: Portuguese Language

DEMO

DEMO

DEMO

Locations: Online via Zoom

Specialties: Commercial, Narration

Holding a Drama degree from the Célia Helena Center for Arts and Education and a Business degree from the higher education institution and think tank Fundação Getúlio Vargas. Simone Kliass has embraced an entrepreneurial mindset to build a career as a leader in the Brazilian voiceover industry. She currently records for Globo TV, Sky Pay TV, LATAM Airlines, and the São Paulo International Airport, among numerous other enterprises.

As lead ambassador for Women in Voice, Simone leverages her industry know-how to advocate gender and racial equality. She’s a judge for the Sovas Voice Arts Awards, held annually in New York City, and vice-president of the Brazilian Extended Reality Association (XRBR), where she researches voice applications in virtual reality, augmented reality, and the Metaverse. In 2020 she narrated the Brazilian VR experience “The Line,” which won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Innovation in Interactive Media.

Prior to the pandemic, Simone traveled extensively to address audiences on topics ranging from voice branding to voice tech to voice for immersive content. She gave talks at SXSW and VO Atlanta in the United States, offered workshops at the VoiceOver Network in Europe, and took part in debates at the Rio2C, Path, HackTown, and Pixel Show festivals in Brazil. In 2022 she was invited to return to SXSW as a voice mentor.

Simone’s recording studio has been featured in the premier audio-tech magazine Sound on Sound. With a professionally engineered room-in-a-room isolation booth equipped with a 300-Mbps fiber-optic network, studio lighting, 4K cameras, a collection of industry-leading gear, and a full library of UAD plug-ins, this space delivers pristine 48kHz, 24-bit recordings to clients around the globe. Sessions are conducted via Source-Connect, Source Elements, and other software, while a customizable recording chain ensures professional results for every project she records.

Simone Kliass now coaches exclusively with Edge Studio, offering online sessions in Portuguese and English from São Paulo, Brazil. She tailors her one-on-one sessions to address the specific needs of each student – striving to give practical advice focused on identifying strengths and booking work in today’s competitive market.