Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyler Rhoads.
Tyler, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I came out to L.A. from Missouri to join the industry as an actor. I have a background as a performer in theater, but I fell in love with the film-making process in my final years at college. After dipping my toes in the on-camera world and feeling like I was spinning my wheels, I asked a friend about some voiceover work he had started doing and asked where I could take a class. He pointed me to Bill Holmes (The Voiceover Doctor), I took his introductory class, and everything just sort of fell in line for me.
I studied under Bill for a number of years and then began coaching other actors myself, as well as producing demos, directing, dabbling in casting for some independent projects, all while maintaining and growing my acting career. Around five years ago, I branched out on my own as a freelance director, working for a time as a booth director at the VoiceCaster in Burbank, then as a director/adaptor in the dubbing world, and most recently as a director for several projects in the video game market.
Voiceover saved my life, I don’t think I would’ve lasted in L.A. much longer had I not found my way into the community. The voice acting community are some of the most supportive and generous people I have ever known. That coupled with the fact that I have been a fan of this genre of storytelling my entire life (animation, video games, audio drama, etc…) made it the perfect place for me to find my footing.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Never! I don’t think there is such a thing as a smooth road, particularly in the entertainment industry.
A lot of the struggles are the same as you would find in any freelance career path. Relationships are tricky and can be incredibly beneficial and incredibly detrimental to your growth. I, like so many others in my field, deal with a fair amount of anxiety and “imposter syndrome”. Which is kind of a trope nowadays, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t true! There are sacrifices, particularly in stability, that you are forced to negotiate in order to make an honest go of it, and knowing when and how to pull that trigger is incredibly difficult.
I have been very fortunate, though, to have the support of an understanding wife and family, strong mentorship from a couple of guys who have been doing this stuff for a while, and the hard work and collaboration of a thousand incredibly skilled co-workers along the way. All of that provides a foundation on top of which I can do my work.
Please tell us about King of the Rhoads Creative.
So, within the field of voiceover, I am a bit of a jack of all trades. Which I honestly think is a tentpole in the success of my business. I have learned so much from so many different facets of this industry that each hat I wear compliments the next, everything I do informs and is informed by everything else.
As I mentioned before, I direct a lot these days, which keeps me busy. Especially during these Unprecedented Times (TM), the video game industry has actually seen a little bit of a boost in that it is work that we can still do from home. While under the stay-at-home edict, I have also done some casting consultation for various projects, script adaptation for dubbing projects, as well as both group and one on one coaching for some fantastic actor clients with whom I work. I am also still auditioning regularly and have worked a handful of jobs as an actor from my home studio.
On hold right now are classes I would usually be teaching, which include a six weeks Intro to VO class, a four weeks sort of specialized workout group, and an Intro to Dubbing for the Actor. I haven’t found a way to effectively simulate the in-studio relationship for these, and I just think it’s really important. I also am not making demo reels currently for safety reasons.
While all of that looks a little spread-shot (and feels ridiculous to write out), the tie that binds is simply: I love storytelling, which makes me sound like the guy you move a table down from at your favorite coffee bar in Hollywood cause who really wants to listen to that?! But it’s true, that’s the tenet by which all my work is done. And, to further make you wish you got your latte to go, I have to say that I have spent a lot of time and hard work getting really good at it.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Oh man! There’s a curveball!
Actually, this hits a pretty raw place for me, as I am a new father with a two months old son. I have been thinking a lot about my childhood and how different he is going to be. As I think I stated in an earlier question, I am from Missouri and grew up in a pretty small town. Not small by Missouri standards, but L.A. makes Jefferson City look like a cornfield! And it’s funny, you spend so long trying to get out of a place only to find you miss the very things that drove you crazy about it. Hey, look, you asked…
For several years, after school I would come home, drop off my books, change, and hop on my bike with the understanding that I needed to be home for dinner at 6:00. The hours in between would be spent getting lost in woods, sneaking to the river bluffs, running through creeks, and generally having my run of the world at large. Which sounds a little more bucolic than it actually was, but I think the reason that it is what is popping out right now is I know that, while he will have his own version of it, my son isn’t ever going to have that experience. L.A. is more complicated and dangerous and anyway, there aren’t any creeks for miles and miles and miles. And while there are a lot of things this city is going to offer him, and a lot of things mine could never give me, I don’t think that kind of freedom is going to be something we share. Which makes me sad and grateful.
Contact Info:
- Website: tylerrhoadsvo.com
- Phone: 5733532854
- Email: [email protected]
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