By Jefferson Jay
In last week’s blog, I wrote about our wonderful experiences working with Anthony Whiteford. I loved directing him when The Hunt for the Holiday Spirit was a stage show and was sad when he moved away. I hoped in my heart to get the chance to work with him again somehow some day.
It’s Like Magic…But It’s Real
In 2018, when The Hunt for the Holiday Spirit began its journey as an animated series, I dreamed of reuniting with members of our original cast. I had stayed in touch with folks as best I could, although with a pandemic and several other factors, finding, much less RECORDING voice actors, was a challenge. But when you stick with people, it comes back around in ways beyond imagination.
Persistence and resilience will show their value over time. As years passed, I stayed in touch with Anthony’s dad, Paul, after their move to Ohio and finally, earlier this year, I called him about the real prospect of Anthony recording his old part of Kid 4 at a studio near their Ohio home.
Paul took my call and told me they had moved to West Virginia. He was pleased with our progress and was happy to have Anthony participate in our project. Anthony was also excited. So was I. Next Step: Find a studio in West Virginia to record Anthony.
A recording room at Big River Media.
Navigating to the Big River
My first call was a dark warning about ongoing events in their area. A frightened fellow answered. He wished me luck, in hushed tones relating that their industry had been ravaged by the opioid crisis. He thought everybody working in recording and production had either died or left.
After that first foreboding phone call, I rang Big River Media (formerly Big River Records) in Dunbar, West Virginia. I caught Karen on my call and it was clear right away that this was a perfect fit. Chemistry, destiny, call it what you will: Karen was moved by our mission with The Hunt for the Holiday Spirit and felt confident that her husband/partner Tony, the recording engineer, would be, too.
We both got progressively more excited as the conversation continued. Big River Media had extensive experience with all kinds of clientele, a true spectrum of talent. We penciled in a date and I confirmed it with Anthony.
Studio space at Big River Media.
Capable and Compassionate
Weeks later, the date arrived. I would have loved to be there in West Virginia, but felt great knowing the task was in such capable, compassionate hands. Tony and Karen reported afterwards that the recording session went GREAT. Tony told me Anthony was excellent, that he was able to overdub the lines as they came up and went by. Anthony was able to place them in the spot perfectly. This is difficult to do.
Placing lines precisely is not the only task our actors pulled off professionally. The circumstances of several of our voice actors did not allow for much rehearsal. Many of them delivered powerful performances based on the ability to remember lines they said in 2014. We all have incredible different talents to share. That is the point of The Hunt for the Holiday Spirit. Sharing that is our reason to be.
Scene from the Pilot Episode.
Sharing Is…
We had several hugely gratifying productive recording sessions a few months ago. It was a special time. We look forward to sharing more animated, voiced clips with you in our upcoming trailer. Working with these actors is what started this mission and has been my favorite part the whole time. I was glad Karen, Tony, Paul and the whole Big River crew got to share in that, too. To The Whitefords and everyone at Big River Media, our heartfelt thank you.
To learn more about Big River Media, check out their website here.
Workspace where the magic happens at Big River Media.
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