Hollywood Takes Note of Some Young Local Voice Talent

By Bob Fischbach, Omaha World-Herald, Neb.

Sep. 12–When the red carpet rolls out from the Rose Theater for the Sept. 30 premiere of “Strawberry Shortcake: The Sweet Dreams Movie,” the stars stepping out of the limo will be Omaha kids, who voiced all the main characters in the animated film.

But another, less visible, star of the evening is Ware House Productions, a world-class recording facility at 44th and Farnam Streets, where those voices were recorded.

A working relationship between Ware House and animation giant DiC Entertainment has turned Omaha into an important source of animation soundtracks, which have been a lucrative source of income for dozens of Omaha actors since 1995.

“Horseland,” a new CBS animated series that will premiere on Saturday morning, also features the voices of Omahans. So did the earlier “Street Sharks,”"The Archies” and a PBS series about the American Revolution, “Liberty’s Kids” — all recorded at Ware House.

The catalyst for all this Omaha voice work was Omaha investor Warren Buffett.

In 1994, Buffett invited DiC Chairman Andy Heyward to Omaha for a fundraiser at the newly renovated Rose Theater. Buffett’s daughter, Susie, serves on the Rose Theater’s board.

DiC was then owned by Capital Cities/ABC, a subsidiary of Disney. Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway was at one time the largest shareholder of Disney.

“Andy loved the actors at the Rose,” said Marsha Goodman, DiC senior vice president of talent. “He said, ‘We should be recording our cartoons in Omaha. They’re just as good, and it will be cheaper.’”

Goodman worked with the late Pam Carter, an Omaha actress who taught at the Rose, to set up casting sessions for “Street Sharks,” a TV cartoon that began recording here in February 1995.

Carter also steered DiC to Ware House, where she directed the vocal recording sessions, including many Strawberry Shortcake home entertainment episodes.

The quality of the voice work and of the recording led DiC to keep coming back to Omaha.

“There’s a huge talent pool in Omaha because there’s so much community theater there,” Goodman said by phone from her Burbank, Calif., office. “We have a lot of great people out here, too, but I don’t have that diva attitude in Omaha. In L.A., it’s a struggle working around people’s schedules.”

Goodman said her film editors tell her that, though the company records in Los Angeles; Vancouver, British Columbia; New York; London; and Dallas, the best-quality soundtracks come from Omaha.

That’s because Ware House’s 40,000-cubic-foot recording studio was designed by legendary acoustical engineer Bill Putnam. Putnam won a special Grammy Award for his work on recording studios.

The room, built in 1967, features a 2-foot-thick floating concrete floor that rests on shock absorbers. Zigzag inner walls feature special sound surfaces. The double concrete walls and ceiling have an 18-inch dead space between them to block out noise from outside.

“The talent is good, the money is right and the studio is the best we’ve ever worked in,” Goodman said. “We have total support and a very good talent pool of actors and directors.”

Though the new movie is the first Strawberry Shortcake feature to have a theatrical release, half-hour episodes featuring the sugary-sweet characters have been recorded for DiC at Ware House since 2001.

Some young actors who were 9 or 10 years old when they started now have to adjust their vocal pitch to match the character’s younger persona.

“My friends are, like, ‘What? You’re a voice of a cartoon character?’” said Samantha Triba, Carter’s niece, who voices Ginger Snap. “I’m, like, ‘Yeah,’ and they always want me to do my voice in front of them, but I never do. I have to work up to it. I can’t just go ahead and do it.”

Samantha, 15, a sophomore at Millard North High School, is happily missing some homecoming events to attend the movie premiere.

“Everyone I record with is nice,” Samantha said. “We’ve known each other so long, we’re good friends.”

Typically, DiC sends elaborate storyboards to Omaha to help the actors visualize the action while they record. It took four days to record dialogue for the 75-minute movie, and two days more to record the songs.

Strawberry Shortcake has generated more than $1 billion in worldwide retail sales.

A slice of that cake went to Samantha and to Millard North junior Sarah Heinke, who voices the title character; Omaha Marian High sophomore Rachel Ware, as Angel Cake; Omaha Central High freshman DeJare Barfield, as Orange Blossom; Westside Middle School student Anna Jordan, as Custard the Cat; and Millard Central Middle School’s Greer McKain, as Raspberry Torte.

Mary Waltman, who voices Lemon Meringue, recently moved from Omaha to Marietta, Ga.

Adult Omaha actors Nils Haaland, John Michael Lee, Kim Jubenville, Cork Ramer and Bridget Robbins also are featured. Haaland has assumed some of Carter’s directing duties as well.

Ware House Productions Incorporated: in 1994 by Tom and Terri Ware. Formerly Sears Recording, founded by Omahan Don Sears in 1961. Don Sears had worked with acoustical engineer Bill Putnam, who designed and built the Omaha recording studio in 1967. DiC animated shows recorded at Ware House: “Strawberry Shortcake,”"Horseland,”"Liberty’s Kids,”"The Secret Millionaire’s Club,”"The Archies,”"Street Sharks,”"Classic Stories for Nickelodeon.” Others who have recorded at Ware House: Danny Glover, Larry the Cable Guy, Snoop Dogg, World Championship Wrestling’s Eric Bishoff, U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson, North Sea Films (Dana Altman), Preston Love, Berkshire Hathaway, ConAgra Foods, Mutual of Omaha.

DiC Entertainment Founded: In Paris in 1971. Acquired in 1986 by Andy Heyward, its present chairman and chief executive officer. Headquarters in Burbank, Calif., with offices in New York, Paris and London. Animated brands in its library: “Inspector Gadget,”"Strawberry Shortcake,”"Sabrina the Animated Series,”"Madeline,”"Liberty’s Kids,”"Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego,”"Sonic the Hedgehog,”"Super Mario Bros.,”"Care Bears,”"Rainbrow Brite,”"Trollz” and “The Secret Millionaire’s Club,” featuring the voice of Warren Buffett. Networks that have run its TV series: ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, WB, UPN, HBO, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Disney Channel.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Omaha World-Herald, Neb.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.

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