John Wray

I suppose that above all else I would call myself a story teller. Not the theatrical, tall tale variety, although I can do that, too. Maybe truth teller would be more accurate, if it didn't sound so damned mystical. Give me a true story or a literary story that tells a real truth and I'll nail it every time. Don't get me wrong, I can do accents and character voices. I've done over a dozen audio books, half of them novels. But what I do best is to take a piece of material, dig down to the real core message, and tell that in a way that the listener can relate to and trust.

 Training

As a young man I spent 10 years in the East Coast theater scene. That period included my first voice acting experiences, doing radio drama for station WBAI in New York City. I then moved away from the theater to get a "real job", get married, and help raise our son. I started acting again about fifteen years ago, here in Seattle. What I said earlier about digging down to the truth really began during this period. I simply didn't have the life experience as a young man to understand the nuances of the stories that were being told on stage.

In terms of training strictly for voice over, my primary teachers have been Kathy Levin and Pat Fraley, two of the best in the industry. I also learned a great deal at the two VOICE conventions that I was fortunate to attend. I was chosen to be "the Voice of the 2012 VOICE Convention".

 Experience

My favorite clients are the people at Studysync.com. I have done about 30 readings for them, including works by Edgar Allen Poe, Thomas Jefferson, O. Henry, Benjamin Franklin, and others. They send me the BEST material! Most of my audiobooks are available on Audible.com.

 Specials

I do most of my own recording, proofing, editing, and processing. While I would be a novice at recording a band, I can deliver thoroughly professional results when recording my voice.