New Yorker of the Week

FebMon 2010 Filed in: New Yorker of the Week

Johnny Lancaster

Craft: Voiceover Talent
Lives: Tribeca
Why we think he’s cool: Has done everything from Dermabond to Hotels.com
Where to find him: Discovery Channel
Interview by: José

Jose: Where did you go to school?
Johnny: I went to Chico State in Northern California, where I started doing a lot of theatre. I graduated with an English major and minor in theatre. Got into De Paul for grad school, where I launched sort of an acting career in Chicago.

J: Is acting the reason you moved to New York?
J: Well, to be honest, I was in love with a girl in grad school. We moved to LA, and as soon as she started getting movie roles, things changed for us. That’s when I made the decision to move to New York 12 years ago.

J: How was your first year in the city?
J: The first year all I did were restaurant and catering gigs while I lived in a tiny studio apartment with my best friend. It was the most fun year, but it was really hard.  After eight months, I picked up Backstage magazine. There was an ad in there looking for a TV host for Blues Clues.

J: Did you get the audition?
J: They didn’t give me the job, but they liked me enough to keep asking me to come in for auditions. After awhile they sent me to Abrams, where I was introduced to some agents. My agent at the time, Robyn Starr, sent me out the next day to do a voiceover audition for Dermabond, and I got it.

J: Did you quit your restaurant job?
J: Not my first year. I started to make a little bit of money. It wasn’t till my second year that I was able to quit working in restaurants and do voiceovers full-time. It just took off. It went from 0-100 pretty fast.

J: Tell me about your first big job.
J: It was for Pepsi Twist. Remember where they zip down and the body falls away, and you had Halle Berry, then at the end it was Barry Bostwick? I did that one. I say, “Like Twist? Try New Pepsi Twist in regular and diet. A brand new twist on that great Pepsi taste.” That was huge.

J: How does it work when you do a commercial? Do you get residuals?
J: It normally goes in 13-week cycles. Sometimes you may have a cable buy-out, where they pay you all at once. It all depends on how the agents negotiate. With the 13-week cycle, you continue to make money till it ends. If the agency wants to renew it, it starts up all over again.

J:  Can you do a voiceover that I might recognize?
J: [clearing his throat] “Hotels.com - we know hotels inside and out." [Laughs]. I did that for years! Right now, I do a lot more promos. I’m the voice of Discovery Health. Today I did a bunch of stuff for Dr. G. I do a lot of stuff for USA. I do the ones for Psych, and I just finished the ones for the Westminster Dog Show.

J:  Are you always on call?
J: Always. Tonight I’ll go to bed and think, “Oh, I only have one thing tomorrow.” I’ll wake up in the morning and have five emails asking me how soon I can get somewhere. It happens all the time.

J:  That’s got to be annoying.
J: It can be, but you know what? It’s a great job. I have to sometimes check myself when I complain. I’m just happy doing it steadily. Most people in this business have to supplement their income with another job.

J: Is it weird to hear your voice on T.V.?
J: Not at all. Right now with the Olympics being on USA Network, I hear it all the time. I’m so used to it.

J: Let’s say five years from now, jobs run out. What would you do?
J: If I work for the next five years in this business, that would be great. I would probably move back to California. I just opened up a frozen yogurt shop in Las Vegas called Poppy’s with my sister. So who knows? Anything is possible.

J: How do New Yorkers react to what you do?
J: They think it’s really cool. Most people say “Oh, I always wanted to get into that.” I think everyone thinks it’s easy, but it’s not just talking into a microphone.

J: Explain why it’s not easy.
J: Without the acting training I had, it would’ve been difficult. There are skills you learn, such as operatives. You and I talking have a natural speech, but when you’re recreating it, it’s not natural, because we’re not inventing it in our heads; we’re reading it off a piece of paper. If you’re not hitting those operatives, then it’s going to sound fake. It’s got to be nice to listen to, but you have to sell the product.

J: Do you feel the pressure from the advertisers?
J: No. I try to remind myself that these advertisers are spending over $100,000 a commercial and this is the voice they’ve chosen for their product. That’s pretty cool. It’s an honor when they pick you. I want them to sell that product.

J: Are there any voiceovers you didn’t feel comfortable doing?
J: I was doing the US Army for awhile. I was always conflicted with that one. That was a tough one.

J:  Is there something you haven’t done that you would love?
J: My dream of all time is to do a Super Bowl ad. I still haven’t gotten one and it’s killing me. I want one so bad.

J: Last question. What does your girlfriend think about your voice?
J: [laughs] She’s always very complimentary of it.

How did Johhny answer our Outsider questions?

1. If you could have any job in New York City for a week, what would it be?
J: Luis Castillo's job (from the NY Mets). I think I'd do a pretty good job.
2. List a few things in your fridge.
J: Organic yellow mustard, Coors Lite, sauteed spinach, apples from Farmer’s Market, and aged cheddar.
3: What freaks you out about New York?
J: People on the subway. Trying to fight for a meaningless seat on the subway, and getting through the doors first.
4: Describe your ideal NY date.
J: Start off at a bar near St. Marks called Angel’s Share, and have a couple of drinks. Then head over to the Planetarium, where on Friday and Saturday nights they play rock music with a crazy CGI show. Then we would go to Karaoke 17 on 17th Street between 5th and 6th and end the night at the Blue Ribbon and have oysters.

Tags: Jose, voiceover