When I went to visit Joe Loesch in Nashville I didn’t know what to expect. I knew that he was an accomplished Audiobook Narrator but I had no idea to what degree. I also knew that he was a darn good voice over character actor. But when I met him at Middle Tennessee State University, he was imparting some of his VO knowledge to some students in a crash course. When I walked into the class I was greeted by the nicest guy with the most welcoming smile and coolest salt and pepper hair I had ever seen. And as I set up my video equipment to film his session, he was so friendly. Although I was there to shadow him for the day, Joe was just as interested in me as I was in him.
And as his students entered the classroom, Joe shared that same enthusiasm with each student. He greeted each one and seemed to remember everyone’s name throughout the class. This wasn’t an act. He was a genuine guy and consummate professional. As he shared some things he may have considered to be basic voiceover knowledge, I found myself taking mental notes. He so engaging with his lesson, employing a mix of storytelling, animated character voices, charm and love for sharing. And all in all, not only did the students learn a little bit about this field of voiceover, but also connected with a guy who is a shining example of what a successful VO Coach, Character Voice Actor and Audiobook Narrator should be like.
Joe and I spent the entire day together. After his sessions at MTSU, I figured that we would head to his house for the interview. And we did head to his house, but the stay was short. Joe introduced me to beautiful wife Lori who was just as kind and talented as an artist, as he is as a voiceover guy. From there, we headed out to dinner where I learned so much about Joe, his family, his faith and his passion for the Road Crew, his band of buddies who have travelled the Route 66 roadway for many years entertaining crowds.
From there, we headed back to the house, where Joe showed off his major league recording studio, his awards and his record selling audio childrens books series. Over the years, Joe has written, published and narrated his own series of books covering Route 66, Bible stories and American history stories. While Joe produces and narrates the audioboks himself, he also employs other professional voice actors as characters.
To understand what makes Joe the complete package in voiceover, you have to know his history. He started out very young as a ventriloquist where he developed his skills as an unabashed performer. He moved into advertising where he got a few big breaks and was pulled into projects as a character actor. He has become a skilled videographer, audio engineer, voice over coach who has worked with celebrities like Reese Witherspoon on accent reduction. Joe has developed his skills over time by employing several methods which I derived from interviewing him.
- Networking- By delivering high quality work to big names like Loretta Lynn, Garth Brooks and Dave Ramsey, Joes name and reputation have grown amongst influential circles . With those kind of credits behind you, shopping your work to other clients is a bit easier. He has also voiced commercials for big brands.
- Joe makes work for himself. He has established a niche as an audiobook narrator where he has his own product to sell. With something tangible in hand, he can market to customers and not just to clients. He also offers his expert services to others who want to learn what he knows about the voiceover industry and produces VO demos.
- And most importantly, while we joked about the pajama bit, Joe never rolls out of bed and goes straight to the studio. Why is that important? Because Joe treats his voiceover job the same way he would treat any other job.
Joe and his wife both work from home but they are both highly disciplined workers. Joe keeps a focused schedule on how he runs his day. He and his wife start their day off with prayer and coffee every morning and then they separate and go to the respective offices; one upstairs and the other downstairs. Joe does research everyday to find voiceover work as well as auditions, contacts clients and students he coaches, and develops new ideas for his books and other projects. He also keeps an active yet non-controversial social media profile. Most of his post are about voiceover.
Joe Loesch has been an example to me in my voiceover career with his professionalism and positive attitude. I have developed the habit of waking up early in every morning, going to the gym, coming home, showering, dressing up for work and getting to my voiceover office space everyday at the same time. I develop a to do list every week which I execute a portion of every day. I’m hoping to be like Joe Loesch one day, but something tells me he’s not going to slow down so I can catch up.
To Learn More About Joe Visit http://www.joeloesch.com/
If You Are Interested In Being Coached By Joe Visit http://boothcamp.net/