What sparks your ideas for your own video series like “Suit and Tie”?
My Flashback Friday videos which I do every Friday are because I’m a big pop music fan and I used to keep lists of my favorite songs and I used to make a list every week. I have these lists going back into the 90s. I thought why not do a little show where I count down top 10 songs from years in the past. I just sing them. It’s turned into a little thing and people seem to like it. It’s fun. I’ve started to do different topics now. I either do Top 10 of a year for that week or Top 10 of a topic and I count them down. The closet is because it’s easy for me to do it there as it doubles as my voiceover booth. I do a lot of voiceover work so it’s in there. I also do videos on Tuesdays which are either these Mr. Collins-esque song parodies or food challenges where I eat a certain type of food in a day.
The Mr. Collins song parodies started because the fans wanted to see Mr. Collins do a Rick Roll, which is singing Rick Ashley’s “Never going to give you up”, and it got a great reaction so I decided to do a couple now. I did “Thrift Shop” and this week Justin Timberlake’s “Suit and Tie.” I will definitely do more of them as the fans seem to like them and they’re a lot of fun. Having a Mr. Collins type character say the words to a pop song seems to be ridiculously funny. I have to make sure I don’t crack up when I film it. I’d love to do a bigger one someday and get out of the closet. There are a lot of requests now for songs so I have to pick a good one for Tuesday.
How did you get into audiobooks and what’s been your favorite one to record?
I got into that as I went to a meeting about audiobooks a year and a half ago at SAG. It was a general meeting about audiobooks and how to get into it. I thought I could do that. I auditioned for a few by unknown authors for little pay and I got those and that gave me a reel of material I could use. From there I started to get contacted by different publishing companies, like Random House to do audiobooks. I mostly do young adult audiobooks as my voice tends to fit well for the young guy’s voice. It’s been great. As an actor you’re always looking for as many different areas to keep you employed. To find this was so great. I love books and getting to read them aloud is pretty awesome. It’s really neat.
I guess my favorite, that’s tough. I’ve recorded about 30 now. You can actually see them all; they’re on Audible.com if you search my name on there. A few stand out. I got to record a book called My Brother’s Voice which was written by a Holocaust survivor about when he was there, he was a boy there. I got to tell that story which was incredibly emotional, obviously. I got to talk to him before I did it which was incredible for me. I would highly recommend if you do want to listen to any one of my audiobooks to choose that one as its something everyone needs to hear. On a lighter one, I did a book called Hokey Pokey which was really cool. It was about leaving childhood behind and growing up. There was another one I just recorded called Joshua Dread. It’s about a kid with super villain characters. That was a lot of fun.
What’s next for you?
One more School of Thrones. I am going to continue to make my YouTube videos on Tuesdays and Fridays. I want to make bigger and better ones. I want to expand now; the trouble is having the time to do that. I have two more audiobooks lined up that I’m scheduled to record in the next weeks. Beyond that, I don’t know what’s next on screen other than my own YouTube channel.
I auditioned for plenty of things so I hope they pop up. Like today I had an audition for something really fun and cool, and it would be cool to get. You just don’t know. I don’t find out about auditions until the night before and you learn your material, you go out and do it, and who knows what that could turn into. That’s just the business. I will not be disappearing that’s for sure!
Fans know of your obsession with Disneyland, what’s your favorite ride there? Why do you love it so much?
My favorite ride is Space Mountain. I like to end my night actually at Space Mountain. It’s the ultimate thrill to close your perfect day at Disney. Growing up, I was obsessed with Disney and still obsessed with Disney today. It’s sort of a reflection of my whole way of life. I am a very happy, positive person and Disneyland brings out the child in every one of us. Whether you are eight or eighty you still see smiles on people’s faces there. There’s something about the Disney magic that only Disney can have that just makes people happy. It is my favorite place. There will always be a Disneyland Castle for sure.
School of Thrones episode 3 airs on 24 March at 12pm PST.
The Lizzie Bennet Diaries will end with episode 100 on 28 March at 9am PST.
Image credits: School of Thrones
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