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The man behind a thousand voices By VERA Files | The Inbox – Mon, May 12, 2014 By Mariah Nicole Santuico, VERA Files Voice Master Pocholo Gonzales While children his age were busy watching television, this 7-year-old would instead be tuned into the radio. There was no TV set in his home in Bataan. So he killed time listening intently to the range of voices, especially of radio news broadcasters and drama talents, coming out of the small box. When he felt he had heard enough, he would do something that would make him extraordinary. He successfully imitated the voices. Today, at 34, Pocholo Gonzales is acknowledged as the “Voice Master.” He is the voice of more than a hundred characters that have become familiar to radio, television, movie, computer game and anime aficionados: Cha cha in “Bubu Cha Cha,” Kuro Chan in “Cyborg Kuro Chan” and Shan Cai’s father in “Meteor Garden.” But Gonzales has gone beyond voicing and dubbing characters. In 2005, he formed CreatiVoices Productions, the only Philippine-based online voice-over company, and began teaching Filipinos the art of acting with their voice. “Voice acting for me is not a work or a career; it’s my craft,” Gonzales said. “It’s my Mona Lisa. It’s my masterpiece.” Not that success came easy. Gonzales joined the voice acting industry when he was 16 after winning a voice acting competition of a radio station. But he would soon discover that the industry was unfriendly and mafia-driven. “They don’t want newbies. They don’t want new people. They don’t want new voices,” he said. He resigned three times in various companies as a voice artist, but he was undeterred and even expanded from radio to other mediums. Changing one’s voice is complicated, and it will take years to explain everything about it, Gonzales said. Fortunately for beginners, including students of CreatiVoices, they learn the three basic techniques in changing one’s voice. One, changing the pitch. Two, changing the pitch’s character or making the voice huskier or thinner. Three, changing the tempo. But the main key to changing one’s voice is to identify with the character. “Be the character, and your voice will change automatically,” Gonzales said. Gonzales considers all the characters he has dubbed his favorites because, he said, he put his heart in every one of them. He identified with each character and became the character, including those in anime, of which he has really never been a fan. CreatiVoices is Gonzales’ way of helping create a better future for fellow voice artists. He holds voice acting and dubbing workshops with a single-mindedness to make artists out of his students. “There are dubbers and there are voice artists,” Gonzales said. Voice acting, he said, is not about the money but about passion. And when your voice is heard by thousands of people, someone would remember and recognize you, he added. Because voice actors are heard, not seen, Gonzales lamented that voice acting is among the most unrecognized crafts. It also saddens him that Filipinos mostly dub the work of foreigners when they could have been the best producers and content creators in the animation industry. So Gonzales has turned himself into a motivational speaker as well, drawing inspiration from national hero Jose Rizal. Like Rizal, Gonzales said he wants to motivate the youth the most because he believes they are talented but cannot express themselves freely. One of his goals is to create a venue for them where they can express their thoughts and opinions. In his talks, the Voice Master likes to cite his own experience to show his audience how to overcome adversity. “I am a fan of my own story because I came from nothing,” he said. Given his family’s tight finances, studying abroad to hone his craft even after Gonzales discovered his talent was out of the question. So he studied voice acting on his own until he got the chance to learn more about it in U.S. 11 years ago. He received the Youth Action Net Award sponsored by the International Youth Foundation and Youth in Action Award by the Global Youth Action Network in U.S. Again, Rizal was Gonzales’ inspiration. “He saw the world without money. He just had the passion,” he said. Knowing his voice is one of his biggest assets, the Voice Master takes extreme care of it. He does not strain or abuse his voice. He gargles with warm water and salt every morning. But he knows full well that the time would come when his voice would get weaker and might just be gone one day. That doesn’t worry him too much. By then, he said, he would have created many other voice artists. “So they can be my voice, and they are already my voices, so I can claim I have thousands of voices,” Gonzales said. In the end, what matters most is the person has lived the life he or she really wanted. “Do what you love and love what you do—and you will die happy,” said the Voice Master. (The writer is a Film student at the University of the Philippines-Diliman who submitted this story to her Journ 101—Introduction to Journalism—class under VERA Files trustee Yvonne T. Chua. VERA Files is put out by veteran journalists taking a deeper look at current issues. Vera is Latin for “true.”) source: https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/the-inbox/man-behind-thousand-voices-025733230.html

Pocholo "The VoiceMaster" Gonzales: Bringing Voices to Life Filipinos, in general, love teleseryes. In fact, a craze that had ilipinos hooked in the early 00s were locally dubbed foreign shows aka the influx of Koreanovelas while Filipinos belonging to the younger set also enjoyed cartoons and movies dubbed in the local vernacular. Dubbing the shows in Tagalog has made it more relatable and exciting to the masses. Bringing life to these voices is Pocholo "The VoiceMaster" Gonzales. Pocholo, who grew up without a television, turned to radio dramas for entertainment and that was where he honed his talent of imitating voices. At the age of 16, he joined and won a voice acting contest for local radio station DZMM and soon became an anchor, scriptwriter, and co-director for one of its shows. A graduate of BA Communication from the University of the Philippines, Pocholo always believed in the power of using one’s voice, “Our voice is the missing link in the art of communication, and this is what made me fall in love with voice acting. Imagine a world without voice-overs. Imagine a radio program, a television show, a computer game, or an animation without voice, it’s like there’s something missing in the puzzle. You need to finish the puzzle to see the whole image.” While most people would overlook the importance of voices in our day-to-day lives, Pocholo sees the beauty of it and translates this into his life’s mission, “I have a vision, and that is to make the Philippines the center of voice-over excellence in Asia. I believe that Filipinos are really good when it comes to voice acting.” It is this vision that has inspired him to establish his own company, Creativoices Productions. He also aims to fulfill this mission through Voiceworx, the first and only voice acting and dubbing workshop in the country. Now, inspiring voice actors have a home they can call their own. Voiceworx has then produced a new breed of voice artists who share the same visions and goals. Instead of letting technology intimidate Pocholo, he uses it to propel his cause further. As a founder of the Voice of Youth Network (VOTY), an advocacy organization committed to promoting youth participation and development through education and support, he makes use of both traditional media (radio) and new age media to get his message across. VOTY utilizes the Internet in order to make his radio programs accessible anytime. The radio program is also captured in all formats – audio, videos, photos and uploaded through social media. It is this mix that encourages youth to not just tune in but get involved as well. He also sees new age media as an opportunity for voice talents everywhere making the loved radio dramas available for anyone, anywhere, “Through technology, I revolutionized the radio drama industry in our country. For several decades, radio dramas have the same sound, the same feel, the same voices. But now, through VOTY, I was able to create a new breed of radio drama talents and produce a series of radio drama episodes that are more relevant and caught up with the modern times.” For an optimist like Pocholo, the opportunities are endless. He says, “I only have two goals in life, to make people happy and to make people better. I see myself as a modern day Jose Rizal, and because of that, I strongly believe that the youth is the hope of our nation.” He capitalizes on this by using his greatest talent, his voice, to encourage others by being a youth advocate and a motivational speaker through the Voice of the Youth Network. As one of the most sought after speakers in the country, he shares his knowledge in Voice Acting, Communication, Personal Branding, Guerilla Marketing, and Youth Empowerment and Development. His latest advocacy is the Voice Care for Teachers program. This program gives teachers tips on how to take better care of their voices and how to use voice acting techniques in making their classes more fun and effective. As previously mentioned, VOTY has encouraged young members of society to believe in themselves enough to create positive social change. This has also garnered him international recognition such as YouthActionNet Award from the International Youth Foundation in Washington and the Global Youth in Action Award in New York City. For Pocholo, his talent has evolved over the years, not just bringing life to the characters on screen but also lending a voice to the issues that ultimately matter the most. Check out Pocholo's profile at http://raket.ph/VoiceMaster Authored by our very own Carla Bianca V. Ravanes! Check out her profile! source: http://raket.ph/featured-resources/pocholo-gonzales-bringing-voices-to-life

Empowering Filipino youth through radio Voice of the Youth Network gives the youth a platform to share their stories and inspire their peers SIGNING UP. Voice of the Youth Network is essentially a volunteer driven network. All photos by from Voice of the Youth Network SIGNING UP. Voice of the Youth Network is essentially a volunteer driven network. All photos by from Voice of the Youth Network Disc Jockey Pocholo De Leon Gonzales combined his lifelong passion for radio and youth empowerment in forming Voice of the Youth (VOTY) Network in 1996. “In a nutshell, VOTY is a volunteer youth organization that aims to inform, inspire, involve and empower the Filipino youth through media and information and communication technology (ICT). We encourage young people to speak out on issues that affect them, and to believe in themselves in creating positive social change,” Gonzales said. VOTY now has over 100,000 members, all while being running and operated completely by volunteers. Gonzales said that the volunteers broadcast, produce their own radio drama, and cover events and participate in other initiatives all over the country. BROADCASTING. The man behind Voice of the Youth Network DJ Pacholo de Leon Gonzales. BROADCASTING. The man behind Voice of the Youth Network DJ Pacholo de Leon Gonzales. Planting seeds Gonzales wants these VOTY efforts to change the way that youth are usually portrayed. He said that discourse on modern youth tends to show them as either narcissistic selfie addicts or out-of-school delinquents. While these stereotypes may be true, even if in a very small minority, Gonzales wants to focus on positive youth examples and youth advocacies. “Our radio programs feature young people who have talents, stories, and advocacies to share,” he said, adding that the hosts of their programs create segments spanning technology, environment, school, health, and many more. What’s interesting about this content is that it’s not adults producing what they think kids would like to hear about. It’s youth creating content around what they think is important. This is a fine but important distinction. Gonzales is giving them what he said equates to self-expression, which is an empowering feeling for a young person to experience. PASSIONATE. The passion of its members is one of the factors Voice of the Youth has been around for two decades despite being volunteer driven says Gonzales. PASSIONATE. The passion of its members is one of the factors Voice of the Youth has been around for two decades despite being volunteer driven says Gonzales. The hope is that these youth will encourage and inspire their peers. Yet despite this noble goal, VOTY still has to contend with the challenge of operating with an entirely voluntary staff. Of the challenge of finding committed people who stick through thick and thin, Gonzales said, “I always say that ‘Many are called, but few are chosen… and even fewer remain, sometimes none.’” Gonzales said he overcomes this challenge by planting seeds, in a manner of speaking. He said that as a motivational speaker, he gets to interact with youth across the country at schools and universities. “Whenever I have speaking engagements in schools, I get to establish a VOTY chapter in that location, and the students are the ones who build it from there,” he said. In the wake of manpower issues, what Gonzales looks for most in prospective volunteers is their availability. He said that it doesn’t matter how much talent, wits, sense of humor, or knowledge that a person has. “If you are not available to take the opportunity, then you have no place to express your talents, wits, sense of humor, and everything else,” he said. The fact that VOTY has run this way for so long surprises most people, according to Gonzales. “It amazes people to know that VOTY has been operating like this for two decades, and some even wonder how we survive without money,” he said, citing also his reputation in the field, his professional network, and the passion of the kids themselves as factors that have assisted with their longevity. VOTY has 25 radio programs all over the Philippines, including everywhere from General Santos to Batangas to Iloilo. MOTIVATING. As a motivational speaker, Gonzales gets to interact with youth across the country at schools and universities. MOTIVATING. As a motivational speaker, Gonzales gets to interact with youth across the country at schools and universities. Bringing the youth to radio In addition to practicing their soft skills, some students get to prepare for a planned career in the field. Gonzales said that a lot of VOTY members are communication students and most of them aspire to be a program host, a radio drama artist, or a news reporter. “I always believe that there are only 2 skills you need to master in life: 1) knowing how to communicate, and 2) knowing how to do what you communicated,” he said. “Through our radio programs and other initiatives, VOTY members are being harnessed in both verbal and written communication – broadcasting, marketing, writing and event organizing." VOTY tries to achieve the digital omnipresence that content creators try to strike online - they try to make their programs accessible anytime, anywhere.To accomplish this goal, they capture each episode in a variety of formats - audio, video, photos - and upload it across their social media profiles. “In doing so, we are able to encourage more youth not only to tune in to our programs, but to get involved as well,” Gonzales said. His immediate goal is to bring the youth back to radio, particularly AM. This was a larger challenge in the beginning because there was no youth-oriented content back then. “But now that there’s VOTY and our many radio programs, we are able to produce content that’s for the youth, from the youth and by the youth,” he said. – Rappler.com Rappler Business columnist Ezra Ferraz brings you Philippine business leaders, their insights, and their secrets via Executive Edge. Connect with him on Twitter: @EzraFerraz source: http://www.rappler.com/business/features/99163-voice-of-the-youth-network-voty

Hands-on Voice Acting Workshop and Dubbing Class in Manila – Creativoices Voiceworx When In Manila, you can find the best and the only Voice Acting Workshop at Voiceworx by Creativoices. If you find yourself immitating someone’s voice – a character perhaps like Pokemon or Stitch, reading the newspaper out loud like a news anchor, or re-enacting your favorite TVC, then it’s time to officialy learn the art of voice acting. With Voiceworx, you get to discover the secrets of professional voice artists and dubbers. Yes, you will actually learn from the best voice artists in the Philippines! Over the 3 weeks of attending the class, I actually met different teachers every week who has vast experience in the craft. Among the list of their voice acting gurus are Pocholo “VoiceMaster” Gonzales, Brian Mathew “Godpodder” Ligsay, Alfredo “Alexx” Agcaoili, Neil Ericson Tolentino and Danny Mandia. Lectures The class usually starts with a lectue for 30-minutes to an hour. It really depends on the topic the instructor needs to teach on that day. Mostly, you would learn about the voice acting and dubbing profession, a little technical knowledge as basic as how to hold a mic, ethics and work professionalism, different sources of voices, knowing how to target your audience and even working with scripts.

It’s an all-around workshop that will get you equipped with your voice acting career.

 Brian Ligsay

 

 Pocholo Gonzales

 Danny Mandia Active Workshops

The classes usually happen every Saturday, unless given another notice otherwise. In every session, you get to practice how to use your voice. If you are the shy type, this is your chance to overcome that fear. Most uf us students in the room attended our first day, very shy from each other, from performing – and from using our voice to it’s full capacity. After a few sessions, even the meekest of us all would now confidently take the stage and participate in the different FUN activities we have. FUN is really one word I would like to describe this class. You would learn a lot, but you will definitely have fun learning all these new techniques.

 Recording sessions

Mock Dubbing and Recording Sessions Creativoices is a full-on facility for voice artists with classrooms and dubbing room. Students would get to experience actual dubbing. We got to experience the real deal – being directed by top voice artist directors in the Philippines, using the mic, actually dubbing and using our voice to act and the having performance butterflies in our stomach. There is no promise to land you a voice acting job at the end of the sessions, but you will get to know the directors who – just might need your voice for one of their projects. Dubbing an anime clip Based on my personal experience, it doesn’t mean that when your voice is good, they will definitely get you. Sometimes, they will match your voice with the characters that they need. It all depends on a project-to-project basis. So with this said, there is no such thing as an ugly voice. Embrace your own timber and tone. At the same time, learn the techniques you need when you finally audition for that dub. When in Manila, transform your voice into art!  VoiceWorx Batch 23! (Morning Class) More photos here. CALL 239-6468 AND REGISTER NOW! CREATIVE CENTER 1745 Dian St., Palanan, Makati City 1235 PHILIPPINES 02-239-6468 Location and Map Facebook: facebook.com/CreatiVoicesProductions Twitter: twitter.com/creativoices Youtube: youtube.com/pochology Read more at http://www.wheninmanila.com/hands-on-voice-acting-workshop-and-dubbing-class-in-manila-creativoices-voiceworx/#0lAk8xiSevbMtSZd.99

Sungduan: Extramural Training 2015 SEVERAL award-winning journalists and well-respected media personalities in the country are set to converge and share their expertise to communication trainers and campus journalists in Summer Media Extramural Training 2015. Dubbed "Going beyond the Conventional: Training the Trainers, Campus Press and Communication Students" the activity will make April a significant month to remember for all participants as they will be undergoing an intensive training in the field of broadcast, and online journalism. Organized by the School Press Advisers Movement Inc. (SPAM, Inc.) under the auspices of founder and president Melanie Briones, the media training aims to help all participants understand more about the craft and art of news production for radio and give them tips on news writing, news delivery and broadcast. The journalism skills of the participating delegates from the different schools will also be more honed as they will learn new techniques needed in news, sports, and sci-tech writing including the Online Journalism craft. Expected to give lectures and trainings in Extramural Training 2015 are the Voice Artist for CreatiVoices Productions CEO and Managing Director Pocholo “Voice Master” Gonzales, UP Diliman Professor and DZUP Radio Program Director Mel Estonilo, and blogger, online journalist, social media professional, and educator Mark Pere Madrona. Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) Correspondent and TV Host Tonette Orejas is also one of the invited lecturers with Ben Domingo Jr., Chairperson of the CHED Technical Committee for Journalism and a member of the CHED Technical Panel for Social Sciences and Communication. Domingo, a former columnist of the Sports Weekly Magazine is accredited/certificated referee of the Badminton Asia Confederation. Kim Joshua Daño who made a name as an award-winning Graphic Artist during his campus journalism stint and now a Division Trainer for Campus Journalism in the Division of Imus City for Editorial Cartooning and Collaborative Publishing complete the list of lecturers. The summer media training is open to all communication trainers, students, and campus press or members of student publications. This will be held at Marello Retreat House, Tagaytay City on April 28-30, 2015. One should never stop learning. Attending seminars and workshops is very important to learn the necessary skills needed to be competitive and discover the new ideas on how to be more effective and efficient journalists and campus paper advisers. For comments and topic suggestions please email alahsungduan@gmail.com source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/baguio/opinion/2015/04/16/sungduan-extramural-training-2015-402835

4th Student marketing conference gears up for ASEAN integration challenge The University of San Carlos, through Integrated Marketing Association for Growth and Excellence (IMAGE) in cooperation with the Philippine Marketing Association (Cebu Chapter) together with the participation of other universities in Cebu, gathered for the 4thStudent Marketing Conference with the theme: “Glocalized Marketing: Readiness to the 2015 ASEAN Integration” last September 26, 2014. “Are you ready?” – this was the powerful question posed during the event to prepare students regarding the challenges of a globally competitive marketing world. Yayu Javier, President of the Philippine Marketing Association (National Chapter) and the event’s keynote speaker, shared relevant insights on several brands that garnered recognition across countries. She also gave the students some tips to “glocalize”. As the term suggested, it means making one’s local products globally competitive. “The first step is to know your ASEAN market,” she emphasized. It is important to research on rising ASEAN industries to align the country’s curriculum to its ASEAN neighbors. Together with Javier in the panel discussion participated by selected students to represent their school is Jay Yuvallos who also spoke about ASEAN Integration 2015 Landscape. As food for thought, questions from students from different universities were addressed to the different speakers. At the end of the session Yuvallos left an inspiring line to the audience: “Do not limit yourself to what your school provides; there is no excuse not to be educated. The line-up of speakers included: Eugene Erik Lapasaran Lim who talked about Products and Services in ASEAN 2015. He discussed the open market opportunity in the coming integration. He also stressed the importance of digital media in creating one’s enterprise brand. Other speakers Doods Policarpio, Carla Adlawan, V.J Eugenio and MeAnne Bundalan discussed their knowledge about segmentation and branding strategies to localize a global brand making countries look into Philippines. As coined by Bundalan, “Make your product’s brand exceptionally well.” To close the whole day discussion on ASEAN integration Pocholo Gonzales, President of CreativeVoice Production, caught the students’ attention through his versatile skills in voice projections. Gonzales was up to challenge the students in ASEAN times. “You will never know how good you are unless you go out and compete.” Gonzales encouraged and challenged the Filipino youth to create their own brand. The event was made more interesting by several performances from various schools and was ended up on a great note by USC Marketing Cluster Head, Ivy Jumao-as. Source: Natalie Andres The Executive Chronicle 3 October 2014 http://usc.edu.ph/4th-student-marketing-conference-gears-up-for-asean-integration-challenge/

On Friday, June 15th, we were invited back to the Disneyland Hotel for the VOICE 2012 Garden Party. It was hosted by charming, VO Buzz Weekly guest EP 9 and EP 10, Joe Cipriano. It was the perfect weather for a party in the garden and people were dressed in bright colors, festive hats and big smiles. We did not bring our camera this time, we just wanted to mingle with the fabulous people and be social. Some of our other promo voice buddies were there as well like Scott Rummell, Stew Herrera, Dave Fennoy and Paul Pape. There were so many poignant moments for us like getting to talk with Gina Marie, what a beautiful, talented and courageous woman. Meeting the resilient voice actor, Steve Cilurzo who had just undergone heart bypass surgery only weeks earlier. Pocholo Gonzales from the Phillipines who had to wait months to get a VISA to come to the US for the convention. We met so many other fantastic people with great stories like Darrell Brown, Dave Courvoisier, Maya Trabulsi, Susan Bernard, Chris Thom, Johnny Kavadeas, Connie Mustang, Luis Garcia, Rachelle Reghers, Terry Daniel, and so many more amazing people. The “icing on the cake”, pun intended, was watching voice over teacher Marc Cashman light up when he arrived at the Garden Party to a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday” sung by the entire group. Come on now, voice over people are just the best people in the world! Thank you all for the wonderful memories, love and praise you showered us with at VOICE 2012. We are forever changed and honored to have been able to share this experience with you and look forward to more great times in the future. Be sure to stay in touch with us on Facebook, Pinterest and of course 24/7 at VO Buzz Weekly! Posted by: VO Buzz Weekly source: http://www.vobuzzweekly.com/blog/26/The-Party-in-the-Garden.html

Pocholo Gonzales, Philippines’ Voice Over Master Like any country in Asia and Europe, the Philippines is rich with voice over work, mostly focused on dubbing projects in television, radio drama, and educational videos. The Philippines is a pioneer in the movie and radio industry in Asia, with their first silent feature film shown in 1919 Dalagang Bukid (Country Maiden). And with the emergence of the First Golden Age of Philippine cinema in the 1940’s and 1950’s, grew the love affair of the Filipinos with anything entertainment. Pocholo Gonzales is one of those Filipinos who got bitten early on by the acting bug – and in particular, the voice over kind. Pocholo is known as the VoiceMaster of the Philippines. He is a 20 year veteran voice artist and voice director, experienced radio broadcaster, internationally-awarded youth advocate, author, and a highly sought-after trainer and motivational speaker in his country. Pocholo shares with us how he got his start in the industry, and how throughout his career, has helped foster this same love for voice acting with aspiring voice over talents in the Philippines. “My love for voice acting started when I was 7 years old, growing up in our humble home in Bataan, one of the provinces here in the Philippines. Back then, we didn’t have television at home, and most people would be asleep as early as 7:00 PM because there wasn’t much to do. Every night at 8:00 PM, I would listen to a radio drama called Gabi ng Lagim (Night of Doom). I started imitating the character voices I heard – little boy, Grandpa, monster – and I enjoyed it! Eventually, I practiced by imitating famous cartoon characters, personalities, and yes, even my grade school teachers.” At the age of 16, Pocholo started his professional voice acting career when he won a radio drama and singing contest in one of the country’s top national radio station. “I bested 10,000 other hopefuls and became part of a group of young voice artists who performed a live radio drama every Sunday. Eventually, I became one of the program’s anchor, scriptwriter and director. It wasn’t long before I got into doing voiceover for commercials, dubbing for localized anime and foreign soap opera, and more radio drama.”

“I believe that the Filipino voice acting talent is globally competitive…”

In his 20 years in the industry, Pocholo worked on numerous notable projects locally and internationally. One that stands out would be his work with Biblica, the largest distributor of the Holy Bible in different languages around the world. “I am the voice of the Tagalog Audiobible. It is fulfilling to represent my vernacular in one of the worlds most widely listened to audiobook.” He was also the Voice Director of the first full-length animation film in the Philippines, Dayo: Sa Mundo ng Elementalia (Visitor: In the World of Elementalia). “I also voiced two monster characters in the movie. This film was memorable as it birthed a whole new genre in the film industry in our country, and it’s a pleasure and an honor to become part of it.” Pocholo’s voice can also be heard in various SEGA Games. “I believe that the Filipino voice acting talent is globally competitive. In 2008, I presented the Filipino voices to the most popular gaming company, SEGA Games and I had the opportunity to voice and voice direct their arcade games such as “Harley Davidson King of the Road,” “Golden Gun,” “Venus Wiliams Flash Game,” “Operation Ghost,” and the ever-famous “Transformers.

“Teaching is the noblest profession…”

His rise to success was not bereft of industry politics. He encountered a lot of frustrations and rejections, and been told that he was not good enough to be a voice over artist. But that experience ignited in him the vision to make the Philippines as the center of voice over excellence in Asia. In 2005, he founded his own voice over company, Creativoices Productions. Creativoices Productions is not just the premier voice over company in the Philippines but also houses the first and only voice acting school in the country, the Philippine Center for Voice Acting. “My mission in creating this school is to open the doors of the voice acting industry to all aspiring voice artists, and to promote voice acting as an art. I am proud to say that for 11 years, the school has produced more than 1,000 graduates. Hundreds of them are now establishing their own careers in the world of voice – as voice overs, hosts, broadcasters, and even as public speakers.” Pocholo has also shared his knowledge in voice over with not just aspiring voice talents but also with school teachers. “I always believe that teaching is the noblest profession. Teachers stay in the profession because of their passion to hone young minds, and I can totally relate to that as a youth advocate. I wanted to do my share in helping teachers cope with the demands of the 21^st century classroom, which has greatly changed since the previous generation. So in 2013, I created a training program called “Voice Acting for Effective Teaching” My goal was to teach teachers the basics of voice acting, storytelling and even gamification that they can use to effectively teach the students in their class. “When I first conducted the training, one teacher approached me and asked, “This is great, but how can I (teacher) use my voice acting skills if I don’t even have my voice to teach my class the next day?” “That question brought me to the huge realization that there is no program for teachers here in the Philippines on how to take care of their voice. And as a professional voice user, I can totally relate since I know what it feels like to wake up with a painful throat, or to wake up without voice on a day when I have to teach class or do a recording. “This realization was followed by several months of research and developing of my Voice Care for Teachers workshop. It is a 2-day workshop that includes voice care tips, vocal exercises, science of voice production and many more. The Voice Acting for Effective Teaching is also part of the program. Pocholo published a version of the workshop “Voice Care for Teachers” which is also helpful for aspiring voice talents, singers, public speaker, and anyone who uses voice in their profession.

“To all aspiring voice talents out there… Believe that you can do it!

“Seek a good voice acting training. One of the myths I usually have to dispel amongst aspiring voice artists is the belief that all they need is a “good voice” in order to get into the industry. But it’s like saying, “You have nice, long legs, you should join Ms. Universe! “Voice acting is an art, and it is an ensemble of tools, techniques, skills, and even qualities that need to be honed, developed and practiced in order to make it in the industry. Learn from books, attend workshops, watch videos… get your hands on all the information you need in order to develop your voice. If you are serious about getting into voice acting, you must be willing to invest your T.E.A.M. – time, effort, ability and money. “Get into voice acting ONLY if you’re passionate about it. Most people salivate over the fact that voice acting can be a good way to make money. It could be true… I mean, who wouldn’t want to earn a few hundred dollars for a few minutes’ work, right? BUT, if you are only in it for the money, I can tell you right off the bat that you will not last long in this industry. Your passion will drive you to audition one more time after several rejections and frustrations. If you pursue voice acting as a passion, there’s no easy or difficult project. Free or paid, you would not just do it… you would do it with heart. “Believe that you can do it. I think one of my biggest contributions to the voice acting industry here in the Philippines is that I have helped so many aspiring voice artists to believe that they actually have a chance to get into a rather-elusive industry. I have even taken in many students as a scholar to the workshop (I paid their tuition fee) because I believe that every person has skills and talents that is hiding somewhere in them, and they just need the venue to discover and express those skills and talents.” 

Pocholo Gonzales, truly deserves the title of VoiceMaster. He is an inspiration to not just voice over talents in his country, but to all talents who has the passion to pursue a dream.