Meet Sarah Stallman | Voice Actor & Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sarah Stallman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sarah, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
I think there’s a misconception about voice actors and musicians in general that having an agent or manager automatically means you’re going to be successful. As awesome as that would be, it’s just not true. Sure, it’s a step that can improve your chances of booking work, but it’s not a magic wand that makes work suddenly appear. Those agents and managers can only get you work if you’ve done your own work first. In both music and voice acting, it’s all about running yourself as an entrepreneurial business. Learn your craft (and keep learning), have materials online where people can see your work, have the right equipment (and know how to use it), connect with other creatives, and one of the most important elements that people tend to forget – lift each other up! I get most of my work, especially in music, through referrals. If you’re kind to others and easy to work with, the sky’s the limit. My mantra is: Do the work and don’t be a jerk. Those two things will get you so far in both your self-booked work and the work you do through your agent or manager.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My career has had a few different facets, which can be confusing artistically at times for an audience, and even for myself. I’ve had moments where I’ve asked myself – who am I? Am I musician? A voice actor? A singer/dancer? A wrestler? Or can I truly be all of these things? I’ve learned to embrace the creative in me and bring all of these elements together into who I am as a professional. They’ve all come from some genuine side of myself as a person, and they all come from the same place of wanting to connect with people and/or tell a story, just in different mediums. Besides, I never liked being put in a box anyway!  But it can be really hard to figure out and embrace who you are as a person (and as a professional) when you let the pressures or preconceptions of an industry get to you. I’ve learned that it is vastly important to learn from others, but if what you’re hearing or seeing isn’t serving you or connecting with you, then find a different way. Seek out resources and people whose messages speak to you – they are likely the ones that will serve you to become your best self. And when you find peace with yourself, it’s much easier to find peace with your work.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Being from the Midwest, I love driving visitors down the PCH to see the ocean. I don’t visit the west side too often, but going there to look out over the water is always a beautiful sight to this Iowa girl. For food, a trip to Pink’s is always in the cards! We have this book of Secret Stairs in LA which is a lot of fun – we’ve done one in Silver Lake and one near Brentwood on the Murphy Ranch Trail. It’s a cool way to get some steps in and check out parts of town you might not otherwise see.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I can’t begin to count the people who have helped me get to where I am now. Tim Friedlander and the LA voiceover community have been absolutely instrumental in helping me build my VO career, and I’m forever grateful for the resources they’ve provided. Chuck Wright, Paulie Z and Maureen Davis for making me a part of the Ultimate Jam Night family, where I began fulfilling my dream of being a backup singer. Tim Davis for opening up the world of session singing and bringing in new singers to learn the craft. Jackie Lynn and Lisa McCormick of Gypsy Dreams for their dedication to building our band and encouraging me to embrace playing keyboards. Richard Dorton and the MoCap Vaults for opening the doors of the amazing world motion capture world to new students like myself. David McLane for seeing something in me and believing I could translate my skills into professional wrestling, and working tirelessly to elevate women’s wrestling as a whole. This is a long list! And proof that it takes a village to build a career, and I’m so grateful these and many more people who have helped me get to both where I am and where I want to be.

Website: www.sarahstallman.com

Instagram: @thesingersarah, Gypsy Dreams: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac @gypsydreamstribute

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/sarahstallman

Twitter: @thesingersarah

Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/sarahstallman

Image Credits
Official Casey Dakota poster: @wow_martz
Profile Pic: Colleen Callahan