Why Fish Sounds?

Because it’s not just the voice work that’s Savagely Friendly.

Bright and rich, articulate and authentic… and an authentically big, loud goofball. Unabashedly warm & relentlessly positive — so much so that even heavy levels of snark, sarcasm and silly aren’t alienating. A lifelong character actor, just as comfortable as the leading voice as the metaphorical tambourine.

My voice over work is “Savagely Friendly” because that’s truly who I am.

I’m the one who used to weird people out when I lived in New York by saying “hello” to strangers. Now, I’m the weird one in Minnesota because I’ll actually invite people to my home, and follow up with lunch plans!

I’m gleefully a walking contradiction of “serious play,” of art + business, of gritty positivity at its core — and one of the strongest chameleons out there for whatever your voice over collaboration demands.

An actor/comic by trade and a “human puppy” by nature, I am hard-wired to find and share personal connection wherever I am, whatever I do — which translates into from-the-heart, true-to-script reads for each and every project on which I lay my voice.

All-American and all punk rock — in one, fine-tuned Millennial voice over package.

And for voice over, that means:

Maximum fun
+
minimum stress

There’s nothing I love more than being “a voice acting voice-over man” — acting & comedy are my life’s work, and I get paid to do them every single day. The positivity and joy I bring to my work is genuine — even if we’re renewing brokerage licenses for insurers in Ontario over a 3-hour eLearning course. Trust me, I’ve done it, and it still made my day to do so.

Time is currency
for me, as for you.

You caught the “punk rock” bit earlier, yeah? I love punk rock in part because at its heart, it’s all about honesty and simplicity. Time is the one resource we all have equally, and every day, there’s just a little bit less. And I have no desire to waste yours. My voice over work comes back to you correctly, and quickly — clean and broadcast ready, and same-day return every possible time. I keep my rates public and as straightforward as possible. And whenever you reach out to me, I reach you back the moment I see your message.

Telling the truth with
full empathy and
honesty, equally.

Sometimes I screw up. I don’t like it, but it happens. One time, I sent out a whole bunch of holiday emails, only to realize I sent them all with the salutation, “Hi, _____.” Not cool, Fish Man. But I owned it, and wrote to everyone individually and apologized… and met some great people because I took that step. Following up and owning my mistakes has always lead to far more genuine connections —and who doesn’t want to work with people they genuinely like?That is my standard when I go wrong — if and when I err, I own it, quickly and cleanly, to get the project back on track, on time and on budget.

TL; DR [Too Long; Didn’t Read]

In the end, you took a chance by hiring me as your voice, that I’m going to not only be worth the price for voice over, but that I’m going to make you look and sound great. And I will never let you regret hiring me.

That’s how I see my job: to make you look fantastic, by giving you and your end-client a voice over above and beyond what they expect.

Voice Specs

Age Range: 29-43. An “Older Millennial” — young enough to sound like I still eat fast food, old enough to give peer-to-peer financial advce, and right in the sweet spot to voice sleepless Dads.

Warm, friendly, conversational, informative, everyman, nerdy, upbeat, articulate, confident, enthusiastic, encouraging, engaging, narrator, guy next door, goofy, silly, aggressive, professional, blue collar, off-beat, direct, clear, bright, youthful, intelligent, welcoming, knowledgeable, presentational, crisp, earnest, dry & wry.

Voice Over Stats + Quick Hits

Professionally trained actor [Pace University – BFA, Acting], voicing commercially since 2007.
Comedy [writing & improv] training with Upright Citizens Brigade, People’s Improv Theatre, Magnet Theatre, HUGE Theatre, & ComedySportz.
Proud NAVA [National Association of Voice Actors] and WoVO [World Voices Organization] Professional Member
Co-Founding Member of Blue Wave Voiceover
Broadcast-quality home studio, with SourceConnect, ipDTL, ISDN Bridge & Phone Patch/FTP
Rates aligned with the GVAA Voice-Over Rate Guide
Represented in Twin Cities, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, & Texas.

Who am I outside of voice over?

Fortunately, this voice acting voice-over man is the same person when not voicing. I’d like to say it’s for ease, but I couldn’t help it if I tried — once you meet me in person, you see that “savagely friendly” is simply my day-to-day.

Born in Worcester, MA before emigrating to the far-off land of New York, I’m an Irish Jew — that’s how you end up with a name like “Ian Michael Fishman,” after all — whose family largely split along stereotype lines: Irish Catholic, Cape Cod “Kennedy” democrats, and “socialist” New York Jews. All of our political arguments are simply us vehemently agreeing with each other, which is never not funny to me.

My wife Abigail and I moved to Minneapolis in 2011, in part because being any kind of actor is prohibitably expensive in New York [let alone voice acting], and Minneapolis is fantastic for the arts and day-to-day living. Our two cats, Gigglepuss and Sassmouth, along with our pup Eenie Meanie, keep us company when we’re not gardening, skiing, or going to punk rock shows or Burning Man parties. We were married by Flash Mob on the corner we met, and consider ourselves fantastically lucky.

An actor, huh? And a writer?

You bet! Scroll down to see some select videos, but otherwise…

Editorial & writing credits include the infamous punk rock satire, The Hard Times, along with the cannabis satire outlet Oregano, and the gag-gift creators at Prank-O.
I’ve directed for Late Nights Minneapolis, the National Theatre for Children, HUGE Theatre, the Brave New Workshop and MPLS.TV, with…
My acting work featured on Comedy Central & Adult Swim.

Lastly, if you’ve read this far — or even just scrolled down this far — you’re a freakin’ hero. Thank you very, very much for taking the time. Feel free to hit me up just to say “hello!” if it strikes your fancy. Cheers, friend!