Donald Clouston

I have moved around the country during my life. My mother was a native of northeast Louisiana or Louseeanna and during my early years, I did spend some time there. Most of my childhood was spent on the plains of western Kansas. Yes, of course I developed the twang and yes, if I return for a visit, it is very easy to slip back in and start speaking like a native Kansan. Moving to the upper Peninsula of Michigan was a culture shock but after two years there, I could be heard saying "You betcha eh... or "let's head up to Hooohton (Houghton) for some Hawhkee (hockey) eh..." and of course there was "pard or pardner eh" Then it was Oklahoma where it's "ya'all, Bubba and how you doin Hun". Whenever I visit Oklahoma I will be back in that soft drawl after one day. Denver was a more neutral area to live in and seemed to have a more sophisticated, Midwest accent. St. Louis was next and the biggest question asked in a very light drawl if any was "What school did you go to"? Now they didn't mean college, they meant high school. And just before moving to California, it was Chicago for 13 years. The range you found yourself in was the typical south side "How ya doin" to a more northeast dialect, not Boston or New Hampshire but a general northeast sound. So yes, with a bit of work or paying attention to specific speech patterns, I think I can fit in just about anywhere.

In recent months, my path has taken a bit of a different direction. I am currently represented by the Signature Models and Talent Agency in Scottsdale, Arizona. That adventure has allowed me to audition for various roles as an extra for video, film and print projects along with my voice over work. From time-to-time you will hear my voice on the local radio station voicing a commercial or reading the news. In my spare time, I perform with the Payson Humor Me Troupe community theater group. What I enjoy most about that is the opportunity to bring many characters to life in a single performance. Current: -Good Faith Casting. Phoenix, AZ. Emotional Development workshop. -Tom Logan. On Camera Television and On Camera TV and Commercial workshops. -Garth Willams Casting. Commercial workshop. -VoicetraxSF in Sausalito, CA. -Creating Characters. -Intro to Narration. -Narration 360. -Improv for Voice Actors. -Tell a Great Story. -Script Analysis. -Simply Acting I and II. -Colors of Your Voice. -Taming of the Mic. -Voice-Over 411. -Destination Truth. -Introduction to Improvisation. Instructed by Kenn Adams. My other life: -ABC News. -Field Producer. -Regional Manager of NewsOne for Midwest Region. -Web Site Producer of content. -KTVI TV. St. Louis, MO -Executive Producer of morning news broadcast. -Assignments Editor. -KUSA TV. Denver, CO. -Assignments Editor. -KTUL TV. Tulsa, OK. -Assignments Manager. -Early morning news anchor. -General Assignment reporter. -WLUC TV. Marquette, MI. -Sports Director, anchor, reporter, producer. College: -Attended Fort Hays State University. -Broadcast Communications. -Hutchinson Community College. -Broadcast Communications. -Adobe Audition CS6 productions software for Windows based Lenovo laptop. -Audacity productions software for Lenovo laptop and desktop. -Harlan Hogan microphone with Centrance USB connectivity. -Small personal sound studio. -Porta Booth Plus mobile sound booth. -Travel equipment includes iPhone 6S with MiC. I am relatively new to the voice acting world and each piece of equipment requires a learning curve which I find fascinating, especially the production/editing software. In the voice over profession, I look at myself as an actor, not just a voice. I grew up on a farm in western Kansas and actually owned land and cattle after graduating high school. After a tough economy with a drought and financial hardship, I entered college with the intension of getting a degree in journalism. At that time, getting a job while attending college was easy. That was the path I went down and still regret not having that degree. During my professional life as a journalist, I have anchored news, sports and weather. Later I moved into newsroom management where I worked for a substantial number of years. My wife and I have lived in Topeka, Marquette, MI., Tulsa, Denver, St. Louis, Chicago, San Francisco and finally Payson, AZ. Each of those stops has provided me with an insight into the differences in culture, attitudes and lifestyles. I believe I can give you the prospective of a small-town boy that moved to the city along with the changes in perspectives of moving from overalls to a suit and tie. My life experiences include parenting, becoming a grand-parent, facing a layoff late in life and trying to avoid retirement age. I enjoy golf, traveling the world and discovering what a great place we live in. I like the adventure of the journey.