Today we’d like to introduce you to Mallorie Rodak.
Mallorie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Thanks so much for the opportunity to share my story! You know, sometimes it can feel difficult to describe myself in a way that feels singular. I’m a multipotentialite, a term that describes people who have many interests and creative pursuits in life. Ultimately, I’m a communicator. An actress, advertiser, and author. (The alliteration doesn’t hurt, either.)
Most people know me through my ten-year career as a professional voiceover artist and actress. I’m that voice that you recognize from that commercial, for brands like Jeep, Pizza Hut, Albertsons, and Dish Network. A familiar voice from your favorite video game. And if you watch anime, chances are high that you’ve heard my voice in one of hundreds of series I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of, like Fairy Tail, Goblin Slayer, Overlord, Black Clover, and My Hero Academia, to name a few. Outside of voiceover and acting, I’m a director of brand strategy at one of the largest advertising agencies in the US, speaking and authoring think pieces to help grow the industry.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There have been a few moments in my career where I felt like all hope was lost. I remember one moment so distinctly: I was sitting on the floor of my apartment on a dreary Dallas day after just being laid off from my advertising agency job. The agency had just lost their biggest client and nearly half their workforce as an unfortunate consequence. I sat there on my floor going through a box of my things from the office, including a big pile of handwritten “to do” lists that I’d saved. These lists that signified years of my life spent helping my clients and agency grow. Years that I grew professionally, as well. But it also meant years that I didn’t grow as a voiceover artist. The truth was, I had neglected working on my voiceover career during my time at the agency, and now that I’d been laid off, I had nothing. No job, no real VO experience to my name. It felt devastating.
In retrospect, getting laid off was one of the best things that could have happened to my career. It ignited a passion within me that jumpstarted my voiceover career. I realized in that moment that if I wanted to start building a career for myself in VO, I needed to get serious. During my unemployment, I built a website, finished my voiceover demo, made connections in the industry, and got an agent. The devastation of my layoff fueled my fire to make something of myself in the voiceover industry.
During this time in my life, I learned the importance of patience. I remember being so eager to break into the voice acting industry that I searched for any opportunity to make a connection. There was one particular organization that I wanted to work for, but I had no connections at the company. I did some Googling and found a random email address on the Internet. I emailed that address to say that I could be at their studio in under 30 minutes and was willing to do “walla” sessions (an industry term for imitating background crowd noises in a scene). I sent the email and waited. No response. Days, weeks. No response. Months, and then years. No response. I had all but given up hope until an incredible four years later, I finally got an audition. My name had been sitting on a list for all those years, and I had no idea. Fast forward six years, I’ve worked with this company on nearly 125 titles. Whenever people ask my advice about how to break into voice acting, I tell them that initiative can give you an edge, but “patience and fortitude conquer all things” (Ralph Waldo Emerson).
And if we’re talking about struggles, I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about what’s happening today. COVID-19 has dramatically upended the lives of millions of people, especially those in the entertainment industry. One of my favorite parts of being a voice actor is meeting fans at anime, gaming, and comic conventions. And at the beginning of this year, I was set to announce more appearances at cons that I had ever announced in my career. To help prevent the spread of coronavirus, most conventions and large-scale events are postponing or cancelling entirely. It feels sad to have to miss these opportunities to meet fans and scary to think how these and other gig cancellations impact the financial futures of me and my fellow actors. However, I firmly believe in the importance of social distancing to flatten the curve of this virus and save lives. If you’d like to donate to help those in the entertainment industry, SAG-AFTRA is currently taking donations for their COVID-19 Disaster Fund.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
Some of my proudest acting moments have actually been in front of the camera (versus behind the mic). I co-starred in a very emotional episode of The Long Road Home, a National Geographic miniseries about the Iraq War. And this year, I’m excited to have my Amazon Prime debut in The Vast of Night, a film that garnered rave reviews at the 2019 Toronto International film Festival.
Beyond acting, I am especially proud of having been a contributing author to the book Model of Country Concept. It had always been one of my childhood dreams to be an author. I remember my heart pounding the first time I held the book in my hand, cracking open the spine and seeing my name printed in fresh ink. That special moment made the weekends upon weekends of writing and editing feel worth it.
Whether I’m acting, authoring, or advertising, I hope that the variance in my background and interests is what makes me unique. When I’m in the booth reading a script, I think about the advertising strategy that grounds the words on the page, or what that character might be feeling that affects their decision-making. When I speak at advertising luncheons and events, I can sense my background in theatre helping me capture and keep the attention of my audience. It’s this combination of passions that make me distinct as a communicator.
What were you like growing up?
Before I even knew what a career in communication was, I was exhibiting characteristics of a budding communicator. While other toddlers my age spoke in their own incoherent language, my family recalls that when I was young, I communicated quite well for my age, speaking in full sentences with crisp diction. After reading aloud in my fourth-grade class, my teacher remarked to my parents that she could see me one-day reading books on tape. (Spoiler: she was right!)
When I was little, I just couldn’t quite decide if I wanted to be the communicator with a pen or a microphone: I vacillated between wanting a career on the stage and screen, to wanting to live a life away from it all as a children’s book author in Maine. That dichotomy continued throughout school as I juggled my interests in yearbook, theatre, and choral music. Ultimately, that dichotomy shaped my careers and became an essential part of who I am.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mallorierodak.com
- Email: info@mallorierodak.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mmmallorie/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/mall0rie
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrodak/
Image Credit:
Rico DeLeon
WFAA
Kelly Williams
National Geographic
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