west coast special
9,000 voices clamoring to be heard
The Kalmensons use their database to serve over
300 clients
Cathy and Harvey Kalmenson are a successful husband-and-wife-team with a total of 47 years in the business. (They went to San Antonio to see the Bulls play knowing they could get a better seat there.)
by Ruth L. Ratny
Burbank - One day while working at Leo Burnett, her first job out of school, 22-year old Cathy Zukoski took a phone call that was pure serendipity. Zukoski, now known internationally as one half of the Kalmenson & Kalmenson voice casting team, headed the agency's talent payment department.
The caller, in Los Angeles, said her company could really use someone with Zukoski's smarts who understood complex talent payments and would she like to interview for a job in California. Without thinking too much about it, Zukoski caught a plane and within weeks was ensconced at the big and prestigious Abrams Rubaloff talent agency, leaving the South Side far behind.
It was at Abrams Rubaloff in 1981 that Cathy met Harvey Kalmenson, whom she married in September 1992. A year later almost to the day the couple launched their own voice casting business, firmly founded on the sterling credits and experience each possesses. Between them, she says, "We have a combined total of 47 years in the business."
Harvey had a head start on Cathy, however. A native of Brooklyn who's lived in L.A. since he was 12, Harvey's career began in the theatre; he worked for John Houseman and later interned for Alfred Hitchcock. He took time out to go into the investment business but returned to show business when Abrams Rubaloff needed someone with a theatrical background to direct auditions. He "survived" directing that great director Orson Welles when the Welles voice became a familiar basso on commercials late in his life.
At K&K, "Harvey makes magic as director of auditions," says his proud wife, "and many of our auditions go right to air," as did recent tracks for Nestle/McCann and Levi's/FCB. Their broadcast quality DAT recording studios are located in Burbank, just down the street from NBC. Their business office is in Encino.
Working for K&K is a full-time staff of nine, augmented by four part-time freelance directors and engineers. Their seven-day-a-week acting classes are held in the Burbank Studios.
K&K is one of 11 voice casting companies in L.A. Or as Cathy puts it, "there's us and the rest of them." Judging from their 300 national and international clients, that could well be true.
K&K thus far this year has cast more than 600 jobs. Of these, 75% were voiceovers for commercials for ad agency broadcast producers. She calls her company "an extension of the agency and its creative team. We represent the buyer, so we're always scanning, evaluating and presenting."
The other 25% of their business is non-commercial-voices for theatricals, such as animated shows, video, Web sites, toys, books on tape and CD-ROMS.
K&K charges by the hour. "Theatrical and non-commercial costs more," she says, "because they take more time."
Facilitating their efforts is a formidable database of 9,000 voices that can be called up in any variable requested. "We find by gender, age, ethnicity, language. Or by type: mom, dad, intelligent businessman, wise guys; and by prototype, such as a John Corbett or Denis Leary. "Drop in the name and boom, the actors' records come up," she says.
The database recently proved its mettle when K&K had to find actors who spoke Brazilian Portuguese, and not Portuguese in the European style, for a Nokia cell phone spot to air in Brazil.
Cathy believes her "number one thrust" is actualizing the buyer's voice specs. "I am one of those persons who recognizes voices. I am very voice aware and pretty darn good at slotting and applying for future needs."
To assure satisfying future needs, like most conscientious casting directors and talent agents, the Kalmensons regularly scour local theatres, comedy clubs, children's showcases and their own acting classes "so producers can count on us for fresh and appropriate voices," she states.
Cathy's Chicago roots are maintained through K&K's many Chicago agency clients; the Budweiser frogs and the Pep Boys voices, both DDB Needham and Grant/Jacoby; Bender, Browning, Dolby & Sanderson; McConnaughy; DraftDirect Worldwide; and, of course, Leo Burnett.
