Your bio sounds interesting. Can you tell me more? — Susan Rademaker, Austin, TX
Great voiceover is not just a good voice.
It is the whole persona.
Great voiceover is rooted in experience and life experiences.
That’s what makes great voiceover!
Susan – Thanks for asking. I’m very proud of what I have done over the years…few regrets. So here’s some details…
Born in Ohio, I graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara and then earned a PhD in Political Science at the University of Oregon. At Oregon I specialized in “political behavior”, that is, why and how people react and respond politically.
Wanting “real-world” political experience, I was hired as Policy Director for a major political committee within the US Congress in Washington, DC. There I learned quite quickly that real-world policy-making was quite different than what was taught throughout academia.
I then entered the heart of the political world, where he would sparkle as Chief Speechwriter for one of the two US political parties. Later at the Senatorial Campaign Committee I helped develop 3 Senate campaigns.
With numerous successes under my belt, I was invited to enter the Executive Branch at the Office of Secretary of Defense, launching a fulfilling career as Foreign/National Security Advisor to several Secretaries of Defense.
Over the years at DOD my greatest success was developing, organizing, and fielding the Defense Department’s International Counterproliferation Program. This Program was designed to train and equip the new nations of the former Soviet Union and Eastern/Central Europe to prevent the movement of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) across their borders. (Goal: To prevent WMD from entering the US.)
Following his government career I wanted to reinvent myself…something new, capitalizing on my skills: Acting!
Harlan went through actor training at the Shakespeare Theater, the Stella Adler Studio, School for the Visual Arts, among others. Training led to roles and gigs, including SNL, Jimmy Fallon, and a role in the TV series “House of Cards.”
With dwindled acting opportunities in COVID times, I decided to train and enter the voiceover world in 2020.
As I developed voice acting skills — that included coaching by Paul Liberti and Bryant Falk — it became clear that all my past experiences were leading to what has today become voiceover actor success.
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