Community Highlights: Meet Paulette Lifton of I have 2 – Oracle Sound and Voice and Voice Masters: The Art of Voice

Today we’d like to introduce you to Paulette Lifton.

Hi Paulette, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
From Runaway to Reinvention: A Hollywood Kids’ Journey
Like many Angelenos, my story is anything but conventional. I actually ran away to Hollywood at 14. I left my small Valley house still wearing my candy striper uniform from volunteering at a local hospital. I didn’t have a plan—just a lot of pain, stubbornness, and a deep need to find something more.

Those early years were scary. I couch-surfed. I sold cosmetics door-to-door even though I was painfully shy. I lied about my age to get jobs (I still lie about it—just in the other direction now!). But a moment that sticks with me is meeting a man at a party who gave me a piece of life-changing advice: “Act as if, and the feelings will follow.” That mindset—faking confidence until it became real—has guided me ever since.

By 18, I became the first female DJ at the iconic Rainbow Bar & Grill. At 24, I opened my own full-service salon in West Hollywood. At 35, I sold that salon, went to film school, and by 38, I wrote and directed my first feature. Reinvention didn’t just save me—it became my superpower.

Since then, I’ve worked as a Producer, Director, Writer, Supervising Sound Editor, Voice Casting Director, Audio Description & Dubbing Producer, and now, Podcaster. I’ve been fortunate to win two Emmys, six MPSE Golden Reels, two SOVAS awards, and recently celebrated an Emmy nomination and ASSG win for my sound work on Netflix’s Blue Eye Samurai.

But none of that would’ve happened without mentorship, community, and a willingness to take leaps. I didn’t finish high school or have money for college. I did, however, have incredible mentors like life coach Barbara Deutsch, who helped me say YES to scary opportunities—including becoming a DP in China and editing music videos and producing commercials in Nashville for A-list talent. Later, my ex-husband Jimmy Lifton and I built three post-production facilities and worked with every major network and studio, diving into animation with shows like SpongeBob, Penguins of Madagascar, and Kung Fu Panda.

After our split, I had to start over from scratch. That’s when I landed the Weinstein Company’s entire animation department and went on to co-produce Spy Kids: Mission Critical for Netflix. It was a new chapter—and led me to co-found Voice Masters: The Art of Voice with my incredible creative partner Mimi Maynard. Together, we coach and cast voice actors and are currently directing anime series for Amazon Prime Video. Nothing brings me more joy than hiring talent from our program and making that life-changing call: “You booked it.”

At the heart of it all is this: I believe in reinvention. My newest venture is starting a talent and artist agency with Jonathan Reiner, I believe in taking risks. And I believe we don’t have to be one thing—we can be many.

And I wouldn’t trade that journey for anything.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Definitely not a smooth road—and honestly, I’m grateful for that. Growth never happens on flat terrain.

I left home at 14 with no plan, no diploma, and no financial safety net. My parents gave me a bag of groceries and $200 a month, and that was it. I didn’t finish high school. I didn’t have the money for college. I just knew I had to build something different for myself.

I was fired from my first jobs (more than once), lived in stranger’s homes, navigated some incredibly dangerous and lonely situations, and was constantly figuring it all out on the fly.

Later, as an adult, I walked away from a successful career as a salon owner to pursue filmmaking—sold my house, most of my things, and moved into a converted garage in Venice. Reinvention always comes with sacrifice.

Then, after building three post-production facilities with my (now ex) husband, our relationship ended—and I had to start over completely. I lost nearly everything. But that low became the launchpad for something better.
Each time I hit a wall, I found a way over it, around it, or through it.

The road’s been bumpy, unpredictable, and full of left turns—but that’s what made the journey so worth it and what it means to be persistent.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I run two creative companies that represent the two sides of my career: Oracle Sound & Voice, a full-service post-production and creative casting company, and Voice Masters: The Art of Voice, a voice and demo production school for voice actors.

At Oracle, we specialize in voice casting, voice direction, dubbing, audio description, sound editorial, and full post for animation, film, and series. We’ve worked with every major studio—Netflix, Amazon, Paramount, Nickelodeon, DreamWorks—and have cast and directed some of the biggest celebrity talent in animation and foreign dubbing. Our credits include Spy Kids: Mission Critical, Blue Eye Samurai, Lioness, Yellowstone, 1883, 1923 and many more. What sets Oracle apart is that we handle both the creative and technical side of the voice process under one roof—and we do it with heart, speed, and soul.

At Voice Masters, my partner Mimi Maynard and I teach the craft and business of voice acting to talent all over the world. We’re known for our hands-on, industry-facing approach—we train actors based on what real casting directors and producers are looking for right now. Our classes include animation, dubbing, commercial, narration, and business intensives, and we produce high-quality voice demos that help actors book real work. and land agent reps. Many of our alumni have gone on to work for Netflix, Crunchyroll, Disney, and more—and we regularly cast directly from our student base.

What I’m most proud of, brand-wise, is that both companies are built around one core value: we believe in voices being heard—literally and metaphorically. Whether it’s helping a new actor find their niche or shaping the sonic identity of a major project, we do it with integrity, creativity, and a deep passion for storytelling.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I believe the voiceover and content creation industries are entering a bold new chapter—and I’m ready to lead that charge.

I’m launching PaRé Artist and Talent Management with another ncredible partner, Jonathan Reiner, because now, more than ever, artists need advocates who understand both the art and the business. We’re not just trend-watching—we’re helping shape the future. We see a world where multi-hyphenate creators are empowered to monetize across mediums, where voice actors are not an afterthought, and where representation is more strategic, holistic, and soul-centered.

The big shift? The era of passive talent and artist management is over. The next decade belongs to champions, collaborators, and creatives who dare to do things differently. That’s The PaRé Way and those are the types of voice actors and creators we intend to represent.

Contact Info:

• Website: voice-masters.com and oraclesoundandvoice.com
• Instagram: paulette_lifton
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulettelifton/
• Youtube: Voice Masters@VoiceMasters
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/voice-masters-the-art-of-voice-los-angeles-3
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0896139/?ref_=fn_all_nme_1

Image Credits
Chris Jon, Suzanne Gagnier