Today we’d like to introduce you to Liisa Lee
Hi Liisa, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Liisa Lee is an award-winning voice actor, VO coach, director, singer, performer,
and producer in Los Angeles, originally from Orlando and NYC.
Growing up she split her time from the rustic woods of Florida to the bustling streets and rehearsal halls of NYC. She followed in her mother’s artistic footsteps, who was a dancer with the New York City Ballet, then quickly set her sights on musical theater and broadway.
With 30+ years in the industry, and an alum of the Beverly Hills Playhouse,
Her career spans musical theatre, professional ballet, tv, film,
broadway national tours & vocals in 2 rock bands.
She can be heard in national campaigns like Keep America Beautiful, & Schweppes, film, tv, animation, audio books,
ADR/dubbing, a contributor with quotes in two books on the voiceover industry,
& Video games including: Hunt: Showdown, Evil West, Devil May Cry 5, DyingLight 2 & more.
Her national commercial spots have been used as examples,
to teach natural reads in LA voiceover classes.
Other initials in her arsenal of skill sets are: published RPG writer, gaming consultant with a quote in Forbes, and PR Marketing Director.
She’s been a dance captain for film choreography, performed live stunt combat,
and her own equestrian stunts for film.
She rode elephants before she could ride a bike,
and has been killed by a horse kick, but that’s another story.
Liisa’s been coaching, directing and casting voiceover for the last 5 years.
She’s helped thousands of actors as a top ten coach at SkillsHub, casting for video games, her own, former, 1.5k member club in Clubhouse, and coaching privately through her website and for creative projects.
Liisa teaches privately for auditions, one-on-one sessions as well as weekly group workouts and her Career Group via her website and other coaching platforms.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There have been so many, and in all of them I know this: Find the people you feel safe with, who truly support you and fully have your back to keep going. Find the people who hold you up without judgement, without invalidation, and without pressure or conditional approval.
When I was 10, I auditioned & was accepted into Julliard’s youth program, but after we’d signed the papers, sitting in the office, a woman came in to apologize and rescind the invite. I had a knee injury on my medical record and that made them cancel my acceptance. They apologized profusely. Mom and I were heartbroken and in shock. (She had been a dancer with NYCB) Without missing a beat, mom marched me down to the village, to Joffrey Ballet, and I spent that summer dancing my heart out. From there I studied at Alvin Ailey, American Dance Machine and Steps. That was a win. Some challenges weren’t so positive.
A resentful casting director in New York City, Vinny Liff, seemed to make it his mission to never cast me in broadway shows. It was quite the hateful, catty vibe. I never understood why. It always got down to me and another girl for a role in a show and the other girl always got it, with some nasty quip from Vinny. 15 call backs for Cats, plus cat school, and skate school for 10 call backs for Starlight Express, always down to that last moment in the room and I’d lose the part if Vinny was making the call. It was devastating. After 5 callbacks for a principal role, equity rules are, you get paid like it’s a rehearsal. I made some very good money on all these callbacks, had a blast at skate school, cat school, but it was always just an “almost”. I didn’t have any kind of team around me to help me understand it was his own issues. I’d never had a confrontation with him. I didn’t have a support group to help me find better casting agent avenues, or urge me to keep going. I’d never been so crushed.
That sent me to college, and then LA where I was scouted for some work and found the Beverly Hills Playhouse, film, tv, and voiceover.
Communication skills are something I urge folks to hone, and being able to spot the difference between mental health or depression, versus grief, and owning only what you’re truly responsible for, not other people’s projections. Don’t let anyone label you with these things if it doesn’t ring true for You.
Facing adversity from other people who, for whatever reason find a bone to pick with you, means finding the people with high integrity and great communication to help you navigate those issues. When you’re facing challenges with health or injury, find a team of helpers that support you. It makes a huge difference in peace of mind, healthy healing and success.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a multi-faceted creator and I love it. I’m a theater kid at heart and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Actor, voice actor, voiceover coach, director, casting, food photographer, RPG writer.
The through-line of all the things I do or have done is Storytelling.
From my years in ballet, musical theater, acting in tv & film to food photography, stunts, singing in rock bands, PR Marketing director, voiceover as well as coaching others,
it’s all about telling stories in different mediums, and striving for excellence.
On stage, on set or behind the mic, I want to move people, teach, heal, touch, laugh, grieve, inspire, make them think or uplift people. It’s the shared experience of making people feel emotions.
When I’m coaching or directing I love helping actors find that great read and that golden moment that gives goosebumps.
It’s always fun to hear a great scene, and throw my hands up to cheer on actors.
There should always been fun & joy in the work.
Quotes on acting and voiceover: The Little Black Book of VO, &
Improv for Gamers 2nd Ed.
Quoted in Forbes on RPG game play.
3 time ENnie winner
Village Voice People’s Choice Best Bartender NYC
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I will always say: “Never learn or coach from anyone you have to heal from.”
The ’80’s are over. No one has to “suffer for their art.” It’s a myth perpetuated by broken egos. I dislike teachers who are bullies.
Break the cycle.
Study with several coaches and find what feels connected, true and successful for you. That’s what matters.
There are a bunch of really great teachers out there, who teach for the right reasons and who are really skilled a teaching. I list some of my favorite on my resources page on my website to help people navigate the enormous choices they have of coaches these days.
And there are a handful of really problematic ones who teach for pure profit, or ego, or attention.
Be discerning.
Avoid the classes of cliques.
I don’t mind a task master, if and only if, they focus on your work and improvement with respect & acknowledgement, not from their ego or issues.
Great examples of this in dance are Fosse, Lee Theodore, Michael Shawn, & Gene Kelly. “Once more, get it right, get that Line! 5,6,7,8!” ::then an eye twinkle of conspiratorial support::
I adore coaches and teachers who keep the creative energy up by sharing the joy of creating with excellence.
I adore teachers who are great at showing you the fun and joy in art, like Ann Reinking’s class, Wayne Cilento, Gwen Verdon, Buzz Miller, Burt Reynolds, who was in acting class with us until just months before he passed, or Andrea Toyias, who’s kind supportive guidance brings acting gold from people no matter where they are in their voiceover career.
The cast of Critical Role have all taught me profound lessons in kindness, integrity, dedication, teamwork, friendship, loyalty, and the ongoing study of skills and craft that go beyond just acting.
My favorite example of mentors sharing the joy in art was Nanette Charisse. She taught ballet class at Steps every day and her love of dance and dancers was felt through the packed studio. She’d rap her cane on the resin scented hardwood and singsong a yell of “THAT’S IT! DANCE!” as we sailed across & above the floor in the last flying, grinning groups of grand allegro. I’ll never forget that collective uplifting happiness she brought to us all. Cheering after class, and after callback combinations is something we should bring to more art.
I’ll also shout-out the Love That Guy podcast. Ronnie Gene Blevins and Brendan Reynolds talk with journeyman actors about their work, stories on set and ask insightful questions with a positive lens, about all the experiences it takes to live the actors life. I learn something and get inspired from every episode.
Definitely Do go give them a listen. I urge every actor to listen in as homework for their career.
To wrap this up, find mentors who you connect with, who don’t bully, who can teach with integrity, not ego, that have great teaching skills beyond cool marketing, and where you feel safe to be vulnerable and learn.
Learn, travel, read, live life, experience new things, new foods, new music, new art, find spontaneous delight.
And Dance, even just a little, whenever you can.
Pricing:
- Weekly VO Workout $25
- 30 min Coaching $60
- 45 min Coaching $100
- 1 hour Coaching $120
- 3 – 1 hour Coaching Package $360
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.liisaleevo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liisalee/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LiisaLee2
- Twitter: https://x.com/Liisabelle
- Other: https://www.sugarstudiosinc.com
