JOHNNY HELLER
www.edgestudio.com
Presenting:
AUDIOBOOKS – Characters: How to Create and Maintain Them
Most books have dialogue. That requires character voices, and that calls for making the right choices. Anyone who wants to narrate audiobooks needs to understand—at the very least—the basics of finding and using characters. My presentation is about defining, determining and maintaining character choices in audiobook narration. You’ll learn my methods for finding the right character voice to keep your narration true to the author’s intent, as well as ideas, clues and ways to find the heart and voice of your characters.
Career training level: all
About Johnny Heller:
Johnny Heller is praised for his adult, personal development, history, comedy and children’s book narrations. He has recorded nearly 400 titles, touching on almost every genre.
Johnny is a 2008, 2009, and 2011 Best Audiobook winner, a 2008 and 2009 Publishers Weekly Listen Up Award winner, a 2005 and 2009 Audie Award winner, a double Audie nominee in 2012, one of the top 50 narrators of the 20th century selected by AudioFile Magazine, and a multiple Golden Earphone Award winner.
A cum laude honors graduate of Loyola University Chicago, Johnny worked as a reporter for the Chicago SunTimes before pursuing a career in acting. He studied theater in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles and appeared for a number of years in the long-running hit Shear Madness. He also worked at the Northlight Repertory Theatre and the Goodman Theatre. His plays have been performed in New York and Chicago theaters and he is currently writing a book for young adults.
After studying comedy improvisation and performing in a traveling company, he found success as a stand-up comic working at clubs across the country. He still does stand-up on occasion, but his major focus continues to be in the world of voice overs. A distinctive voice has always kept Johnny in demand in the commercial voice over industry and in audiobook narration.
The Library Journal says Johnny has “the voice of a master storyteller.” AudioFile magazine calls him “the best narrator for children’s books around.” His narration skills led the School Library Journal to say, “Listening to Heller is so much fun it’s difficult to imagine simply reading the book.” And AudioFile says “Heller makes nonfiction as thrilling as any action-adventure.”
