Looking for a Professional African American Voice Actor? Meet Zippy Kaufman!
As a kid who grew up on Venice Beach you’d think he loved the California sand and sun – but Zippy Kaufman preferred being indoors watching pro wrestling on TV! And yet, he didn’t leave that easy-going and casual west coast vibe behind. It’s part of his personality and clients love working with him because he brings it to his voiceover work.
Zippy’s childhood love of WWE brought him to their writing offices as an adult but, in a plot twist he didn’t anticipate, he was quickly laid off. So, he seized the opportunity to start investing in another interest–voiceover. As he likes to say, “Losing my dream job led to my dream career.” His training in improv at Westside Comedy Theater in Santa Monica and theater at CalArts set him up with the acting skills he needed to eventually become the voice of major brands like Honda, Google, and BET, plus many Democratic candidates. Of course, his friendly, conversational, and “professional-but-not-stuffy-because-no-one-likes-that” tone make him an easy casting choice for a variety of genres.
When he’s not behind the mic, you can catch this movie lover debating the greatest film ever made (it’s The Last Dragon) or in the kitchen wishing he could recreate the dinosaur rib at Terry Black’s BBQ in Texas.
If you’re looking to hire a Professional African American Voice Actor with a conversational style for your commercial, a business casual vibe for your corporate narration, and that conveys intelligence for your progressive campaign, hire Zippy Kaufman!
Tell us a Little About Your Broadcast-Quality Home Studio. Where is it? What Kind of Equipment Do you Have? What Do you Like About it?
After years of blankets and pillow forts, I was finally able to invest in a custom-built Studiobricks VO booth a few years ago, and it’s been worth every penny! It’s not completely soundproof, but my complete loathing of all things leaf blower has definitely mellowed out since Studiobricks came around. Mic-wise, I use a Townsend Sphere L22. I also have a Sennheiser 416, but that one’s the star of my travel rig these days.
What’s Something that Most People Don’t Know About You?
The origin of the nickname ‘Zippy!’ I’ve been wearing it since I performed a monologue in a talent show in 2nd grade where it was the name of a character I was playing. The nickname stuck, and I’ve been ‘Zippy’ ever since.
How Did You Get Into Voiceover Work?
Once upon a time, I moved from L.A. to Stamford, Connecticut to work my dream job as a writer for WWE. A mere three months into the job, I found myself laid off from my dream job with two weeks of severance pay. I took that money and invested it into something I had always been interested in (but kept coming up with excuses to avoid): voiceover. As I like to tell people, losing my dream *job* led to my dream *career*!
Do you remember the first voiceover job you ever did?
Honestly, it was probably those intercom announcements I’d make giving out Lakers playoff scores to patients when I was Clinic Manager at a student acupuncture clinic for eight years.
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What Can You Offer to a New Client Who’s Working With You for The First Time?
I’m a firm believer in rolling with the punches. There are a lot of moving parts that go into a project, and something that a new client (or any client, for that matter) will get with me is a sense of, “everything else may be completely chaotic, but at least Zippy is cool, calm, collected, and smells great (just trust me on that last one).”
What Has Been Your Favorite Voiceover Project – Political or Otherwise – to Date?
With the attacks over the last year on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives, I’m really proud to have leant my voice to a few DEI eLearning projects pretty recently.
What is Your Biggest Voiceover Pet Peeve?
There HAS to be a silent leaf blower model out there that everyone can just agree to start using…
If you Could Tell Political Voiceover Clients One Thing That Would Help You Do Your Job Better, or Help Them Get What They Want Faster – What Would that One Thing Be?
If you’re wondering whether or not I can pronounce that word or name, assume that I can’t and give it to me phonetically!
Also, chocolate chip cookies (no nuts!) help me, umm…do my job better or something…
What Advice do You Have for Talents Who Want to do Political Voiceover?
It’s cliché still rings true: Don’t be afraid to be uniquely yourself. Especially in politics, there’s no reason not to bring all of your personality into your reads.
What Hobbies Do You Have Outside of Your Voiceover Work?
Catch me outside on the grill or the smoker, but don’t ask me for a plate. I *love* cooking, but I’m also very critical of my kitchen skills- nothing is ever good enough to share if you ask me!
Any Final Thoughts?
Angela Bassett was absolutely robbed of the 1994 Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Tina Turner in ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It.’ Argue with your momma!