Meet Melissa Del Toro Schaffner

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Melissa Del Toro Schaffner a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Melissa Del Toro, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?

Growing up a little Puerto Rican girl in a Jewish neighborhood in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, I didn’t see many other kids who looked like me. However, I didn’t think I looked any different until it was pointed out to me way later in life. Even though I am of Puerto Rican heritage and not Caucasian like most of my classmates, I never felt too different except in what we ate at home. I went into the sciences (Electrical Engineering at Penn State University), where most of the students were men, and then when I moved into the corporate world, most of the people in engineering were men also. That never seemed to bother me, because I felt I could create camaraderie with anyone. I’ve always used my sense of humor and open outlook about the world to build bridges and create connections with people of all different races, sexual orientations, genders, religions, etc. I think that comes from the fact that my parents always accepted me as exactly who I am, as well as my friends. They always told me I could accomplish anything; success isn’t dependent on anything but your training, experience and determination. I really believe that the confidence to be successful in any room we are in, resides in our self worth and in understanding our overwhelming commonalities with other people, rather than our differences.

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Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

When I was in high school, they asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up. I only knew of two things to do with my life – become a teacher like my mother or an engineer, like my father. Since I wanted a wealthy, independent life, I chose electrical engineering, in hopes of generating greater wealth than my father. But, I never felt that I fit in to that career. I didn’t feel that I could express myself creatively with electrical things. My dream was to be the voice of a cartoon character and bring those wild, zany personalities to life. Strangely enough, I did learn how to act like an electrical engineer and how to act like a project manager in the corporate world. And this served me very well on my way to my career as a Voice Actor. So much of the acting craft is studying people and getting into their heads. It’s about taking material that has been written and making it yours, adding your own humanity to it. One of the things I LOVE MOST about voice acting is being paid to breathe life into characters – whether it is for an audiobook, a commercial, a children’s podcast, or an animated flick. You can hear me as a whale, a hummingbird, a tour guide and so many other endearing characters on the very popular Who Smarted?! Children’s podcast. I’ve also narrated audiobooks for Audible, as well as narrated and produced an anthology of original, short, science fiction stories for The Untold Tales podcast. I’m looking to voice more animated cartoon and video game characters, so if you are an animator, animation or video game casting director, let’s chat!!!

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Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Networking, project management and and acting are the three most impactful skills that I’ve used as a business owner and as a Voice Actor. It’s so important these days as a professional, to build a solid reputation as someone who delivers on their promises. Especially in the creative industry, where everyone thinks that they’re awesome, it’s so important to BE awesome! To have integrity, to be able to manage projects, to deliver great audio and to perform like a pro. I’ve logged thousands of hours of voice acting training, improv classes, sitting in classes to understand the technology, researching equipment that will make my home studio the best it can be, etc. I’ve flexed my M.B.A. in everything from accounting to finance, marketing to advertising, website, design and email marketing, and everything a business owner needs to know. And as a Voice Actor in this age of AI, it’s been especially important to follow all of the scientific advances, the trends and understand where my humanity counts in the voiceover industry. The National Association of Voice Actors is amazing for this, of which I am a member.

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One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I’m currently seeking animators, animation casting directors, video game casting directors and other folks who need voiceover for animation and video games to collaborate with! If you ever come to my home and I’m watching television or YouTube, there’s a 99% chance it’s either an animated movie, sci-fi flick, Young Sheldon on Netflix or playing the Nintendo Switch with my 8 year old daughter. I’m a science fiction fanatic, so individuals working in video games or audiobooks or other genres that feature science fiction, I’d be interested in collaborating with. Moreover, I vibe with anyone working in the S.T.E.M. and S.T.E.A.M. fields who is seeking awesome voiceover for their productions. I am also a champion of female empowerment, so I’m always open to opportunities to inspire and empower young girls and women!

Contact Info:

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Image Credits

Madison Emma Photography

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