Character Select

On this episode of Character Select, Anjali and Julia sit down with renowned actor Abubakar Salim. Well-known to television audiences for his roles in Raised By Wolves and House of the Dragon, as well as for his BAFTA-winning performance of Bayek of Siwa in Assassin’s Creed: Origins, Abubakar’s most recent role is even more impressive and unexpected: that of a studio founder and game director. His first release on April 23 was the sensational Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, which he conceived and shepherded into life through his own game company, Surgent Studios. From the first announcement he made at the Game Awards in 2023 to now, he has shared with the world his own journey of grief over the loss of his father a decade before through the story and beautiful manifestation of this game. Thanks to our episode sponsor, @HeroForgeMinis! Visit https://www.heroforge.com to learn more. ============== Guest: Follow Abubakar on Instagram @abzysalim and Twitter/X @abzybabzy  Follow Tales of Kenzera on Twitter @zauthegame Liinks: https://www.liinks.co/ZauTheGame Download Tales of Kenzera: ZAU now on ALL platforms!   Find us online at charselectpod.com or email us at charselectpod@gmail.com. Be sure to follow us on socials so you don't miss a thing!   @charselectpod | Instagram @characterselectpod | TikTok @charselectpod_ | Twitter/X   WATCH: My Shoes, Your Feet: https://youtu.be/tYa1tzJpe2Q?si=7oANyet64Plh_FkH WATCH: Play, Watch, Listen episode with Abubakar Salim and Austin Wintory: https://youtu.be/mjlIsw5nFdU?si=NRI2PYvNoNjHeviY   ============= Credits   - Hosts: Anjali Bhimani (https://anjalibhimani.com/) and Julia Bianco (http://www.juliabs.com/)   - Executive Producers: Rick Barrio Dill, Julia Bianco Schoeffling, & Anjali Bhimani - Producer/Sound Engineer/Editor: Bri Coorey - Producer: Madigan Hunt - Animation: Bri Coorey and Larissa Donahoe - Research: W. Amanda Mack - Additional Editing/Graphics: Josie Scott - Art: Laura Medeiros - Music: Rick Barrio Dill - Ad Sales and Production Consultation: Multitude (http://multitude.productions/)   This is a SLAP Music Media Production with support from Bad Auntie Productions (http://badauntie.com/) and The Halp Network (https://www.halpnet.com/) About The Show Unlock the inspirations for the people who made your favorite video games with Character Select! Each episode brings on gaming veterans from all aspects of game development–including actors, composers, writers, directors, artists, and more–as they share the gaming moments that inspired and kickstarted their creative journeys. Hosted by industry veterans actress Anjali Bhimani and casting director Julia Bianco, Character Select is your guide to leveling up your appreciation and knowledge of the world of video game development, voiceover performance, and performance capture. New episodes every Monday!

Austin Wintory may have never been a composer if he hadn't been trying to win a challenge issued by his father when he was a child; thankfully, the stars aligned and our world of gaming certainly is better for it! On this episode of Character Select, Julia and Anjali sit down with the self-described Grim Fandango fanboy to chat about conducting his high school orchestra whilst still in school, directing within the unique framework of Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical, and the three-line exchange in Grim Fandango that's been burned into his brain for 25 years! ======================== Hosts: Anjali Bhimani @sweeetanj | Instagram/Twitter/TikTok  Julia Bianco @juliabscasting | Twitter/IG/TikTok Guest: Follow Austin on Instagram: @a.wintory and Twitter/X: @awintory ======================== Credits: Hosts: Anjali Bhimani and Julia Bianco Executive Producers: Rick Barrio Dill, Julia Bianco Schoeffling, & Anjali Bhimani Producer/Sound Engineer/Editor: Bri Coorey Producer: Madigan Hunt Animation: Bri Coorey and Larissa Donahoe Research: Amanda Mack Art: Laura Medeiros Music: Rick Barrio Dill Additional Editing/Graphics: Josie Scott Ad Sales and Production Consultation: Multitude Filmed/Recorded at SLAP Studios LA: www.SLAPStudiosLA.com This is a SLAP Music Media Production with support from Bad Auntie Productions and The Halp Network.   About The Show: Unlock the inspirations for the people who made your favorite video games with Character Select! Each episode brings on gaming veterans from all aspects of game development–including actors, composers, writers, directors, artists, and more–as they share the gaming moments that inspired and kickstarted their creative journeys. Hosted by industry veterans actress Anjali Bhimani and casting director Julia Bianco, Character Select is your guide to leveling up your appreciation and knowledge of the world of video game development, voiceover performance, and performance capture. New episodes every Monday!

Tom Keegan has gone from the theater stage to the performance capture studio and he's got more than a few stories about his journey! On this week's must-watch episode of Character Select, Tom breaks out his project notebook and chats with Julia and Anjali about guiding emotional performances in Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, how he gets actors to find their way into their characters, and how he got an obituary published in the New York Post as a teen!  ======================== Host Anjali Bhimani @sweeetanj | Instagram/Twitter/TikTok Host Julia Bianco @juliabscasting | Twitter/IG/TikTok Guest: Tom Keegan: @tomkstudios Find us online at charselectpod.com or email us at charselectpod@gmail.com. Be sure to follow us on socials so you don't miss a thing! @charselectpod | Instagram @characterselectpod | TikTok @charselectpod_ | Twitter/X  ========================================================== Check us out on Patreon for day-early, ad-free releases, behind-the-scenes goodness and much more! ========================================================== Credits: Hosts: Anjali Bhimani and Julia Bianco Executive Producers: Rick Barrio Dill, Julia Bianco Schoeffling, & Anjali Bhimani Producer/Sound Engineer/Editor: Bri Coorey Producer: Madigan Hunt Animation: Bri Coorey and Larissa Donahoe Research: W. Amanda Mack Art: Laura Medeiros Music: Rick Barrio Dill Additional Editing/Graphics: Josie Scott Ad Sales and Production Consultation: Multitude Filmed/Recorded at SLAP Studios LA: www.SLAPStudiosLA.com This is a SLAP Music Media Production with support from Bad Auntie Productions and The Halp Network. About The Show: Unlock the inspirations for the people who made your favorite video games with Character Select! Each episode brings on gaming veterans from all aspects of game development–including actors, composers, writers, directors, artists, and more–as they share the gaming moments that inspired and kickstarted their creative journeys. Hosted by industry veterans actress Anjali Bhimani and casting director Julia Bianco, Character Select is your guide to leveling up your appreciation and knowledge of the world of video game development, voiceover performance, and performance capture. New episodes every Monday!

WELCOME TO THE CHARACTER SELECT PODCAST! Please SUBSCRIBE and SHARE! If you've ever wondered how many compliments it takes to make Erika Ishii squirm, you've come to the right place! On this episode of Character Select, Julia and Anjali find out how Erika deals with keeping parts of herself out of the spotlight, what they consider their three big career breaks, and how they incorporated their love of Portal and GLaDOS into a college paper! ========================================================== FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA!  HOSTS: - Anjali Bhimani @sweeetanj | Instagram/Twitter/TikTok - Julia Bianco @juliabscasting | Twitter/IG/TikTok GUEST:  - Erika Ishii @theerikaishii | Instagram @erikaishii | Twitter/X ========================================================== Find us online at charselectpod.com or email us at charselectpod@gmail.com. Be sure to follow us on socials so you don't miss a thing!  ========================================================== Check us out on Patreon for day-early, ad-free releases, behind-the-scenes goodness and much more! ========================================================== Credits: Hosts: Anjali Bhimani and Julia Bianco Executive Producers: Rick Barrio Dill, Julia Bianco Schoeffling, & Anjali Bhimani Producer/Sound Engineer/Editor: Bri Coorey Producer: Madigan Hunt Animation: Bri Coorey and Larissa Donahoe Research: W. Amanda Mack Art: Laura Medeiros Music: Rick Barrio Dill Additional Editing/Graphics: Josie Scott Ad Sales and Production Consultation: Multitude Filmed/Recorded at SLAP Studios LA: www.SLAPStudiosLA.com This is a SLAP Music Media Production with support from Bad Auntie Productions and The Halp Network. About The Show: Unlock the inspirations for the people who made your favorite video games with Character Select! Each episode brings on gaming veterans from all aspects of game development–including actors, composers, writers, directors, artists, and more–as they share the gaming moments that inspired and kickstarted their creative journeys. Hosted by industry veterans actress Anjali Bhimani and casting director Julia Bianco, Character Select is your guide to leveling up your appreciation and knowledge of the world of video game development, voiceover performance, and performance capture. New episodes every Monday!

Thanks to our episode sponsor, @HeroForgeMinis! Visit https://www.heroforge.com to learn more. WELCOME TO THE CHARACTER SELECT PODCAST! Please SUBSCRIBE and SHARE! Have you ever had the sign that you should work in video games visible from your backyard? Join Julia and Anjali as they chat with the senior designer for the Overwatch, Michael Chu, who literally saw the sign! In this episode, they get Michael to dish about the process of bringing Symmetra to life and how her voice actress, our very own Anjali Bhimani, contributed to the final version of the character.  ==================================== Find us online at charselectpod.com or email us at charselectpod@gmail.com. Be sure to follow us on socials so you don't miss a thing! @charselectpod | Instagram @characterselectpod | TikTok @charselectpod_ | Twitter/X Anjali Bhimani @sweeetanj | Instagram/Twitter/TikTok Julia Bianco @juliabscasting | Twitter/IG/TikTok ========================================================== Check us out on Patreon for day-early, ad-free releases, behind-the-scenes goodness and much more!  ========================================================== Credits: Hosts: Anjali Bhimani and Julia Bianco Executive Producers: Rick Barrio Dill, Julia Bianco Schoeffling, & Anjali Bhimani Producer/Sound Engineer/Editor: Bri Coorey Producer: Madigan Hunt Animation: Bri Coorey and Larissa Donahoe Research: W. Amanda Mack Art: Laura Medeiros Music: Rick Barrio Dill Additional Editing/Graphics: Josie Scott Ad Sales and Production Consultation: Multitude Filmed/Recorded at SLAP Studios LA: www.SLAPStudiosLA.com This is a SLAP Music Media Production with support from Bad Auntie Productions and The Halp Network. About The Show: Unlock the inspirations for the people who made your favorite video games with Character Select! Each episode brings on gaming veterans from all aspects of game development–including actors, composers, writers, directors, artists, and more–as they share the gaming moments that inspired and kickstarted their creative journeys. Hosted by industry veterans actress Anjali Bhimani and casting director Julia Bianco, Character Select is your guide to leveling up your appreciation and knowledge of the world of video game development, voiceover performance, and performance capture. New episodes every Monday!

Thanks to our episode sponsor, @HeroForgeMinis! Visit https://www.heroforge.com to learn more. WELCOME TO THE CHARACTER SELECT PODCAST! Please SUBSCRIBE and SHARE! Have you ever wanted a glimpse inside of Jennifer Hale's home recording studio? Of course you have! This week on Character Select, join Julia and Anjali as they chat with the voice over extraordinaire on location at her home about how she got one of the most important calls of her life in the recording booth, what drove her to start Skillshub, how neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor ties into her work, and finally getting to save the world as Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect series!  ================================== Find us online at charselectpod.com or email us at charselectpod@gmail.com. Be sure to follow us on socials so you don't miss a thing! @charselectpod | Instagram @characterselectpod | TikTok @charselectpod_ | Twitter/X  ========================================================== Check us out on Patreon for day-early, ad-free releases, behind-the-scenes goodness and much more!  ========================================================== Credits: Hosts: Anjali Bhimani and Julia Bianco Executive Producers: Rick Barrio Dill, Julia Bianco Schoeffling, & Anjali Bhimani Producer/Sound Engineer/Editor: Bri Coorey Producer: Madigan Hunt Animation: Bri Coorey and Larissa Donahoe Research: Amanda Mack Art: Laura Medeiros  Music: Rick Barrio Dill Additional Editing/Graphics: Josie Scott Ad Sales and Production Consultation: Multitude Filmed/Recorded at SLAP Studios LA: www.SLAPStudiosLA.com This is a SLAP Music Media Production with support from Bad Auntie Productions and The Halp Network. About The Show: Unlock the inspirations for the people who made your favorite video games with Character Select! Each episode brings on gaming veterans from all aspects of game development–including actors, composers, writers, directors, artists, and more–as they share the gaming moments that inspired and kickstarted their creative journeys. Hosted by industry veterans actress Anjali Bhimani and casting director Julia Bianco, Character Select is your guide to leveling up your appreciation and knowledge of the world of video game development, voiceover performance, and performance capture. New episodes every Monday!

Thanks to our episode sponsor, @HeroForgeMinis! Visit https://www.heroforge.com to learn more. WELCOME TO THE CHARACTER SELECT PODCAST! Please SUBSCRIBE and SHARE! In the pilot episode of The Character Select Podcast, voice acting and tabletop legend Matthew Mercer sits down with Anjali and Julia to talk about swapping Nintendo games with his grandma, how he accidentally stole voice-over roles from his dad, and his love for the unique, gargled gravel legacy of David Hayter's portrayal of Snake in Metal Gear Solid. Follow Matt on Instagram at @matthewmercervo and Twitter/X at @matthewmercer! Find us online at charselectpod.com or email us at charselectpod@gmail.com. Be sure to follow us on socials so you don't miss a thing! @charselectpod | Instagram @characterselectpod | TikTok @charselectpod_ | Twitter/X Anjali Bhimani @sweeetanj | Instagram/Twitter/TikTok J Julia Bianco @juliabscasting | Twitter/IG/TikTok ========================================================== Check us out on Patreon for day-early, ad-free releases, behind-the-scenes goodness and much more! https://www.patreon.com/CharacterSelectPodcast ========================================================== Credits: Hosts: Anjali Bhimani and Julia Bianco Executive Producers: Rick Barrio Dill, Julia Bianco Schoeffling, & Anjali Bhimani Producer/Sound Engineer/Editor: Bri Coorey Producer: Madigan Hunt Animation: Bri Coorey and Larissa Donahoe Research: Amanda Mack Art: Laura Medeiros Music: Rick Barrio Dill Additional Editing/Graphics: Josie Scott Ad Sales and Production Consultation: Multitude Filmed/Recorded at SLAP Studios LA: www.SLAPStudiosLA.com This is a SLAP Music Media Production with support from Bad Auntie Productions and The Halp Network.   About The Show: Unlock the inspirations for the people who made your favorite video games with Character Select! Each episode brings on gaming veterans from all aspects of game development–including actors, composers, writers, directors, artists, and more–as they share the gaming moments that inspired and kickstarted their creative journeys. Hosted by industry veterans actress Anjali Bhimani and casting director Julia Bianco, Character Select is your guide to leveling up your appreciation and knowledge of the world of video game development, voiceover performance, and performance capture. New episodes every Monday!

Hello! We are Anjali Bhimani and Julia Bianco, and we'd like to welcome you to the Character Select Podcast! In this special prologue, we introduce ourselves and share the origin story of this podcast! What inspired this?? Why are we bringing this to you?? All that and more inside! Character Select is a love letter to video game performances! Each episode brings on gaming veterans from all aspects of game development—including actors, composers, writers, directors, artists, and more–as they breakdown a specific character performance that shaped the industry. Hosted by actress Anjali Bhimani and casting director Julia Bianco, Character Select is your guide to leveling up your appreciation and knowledge of the world of video game development, voiceover performance, and performance capture. New episodes every Monday! Please SUBSCRIBE and SHARE! We can't wait to share this season with you. ========================================================== Find us online at charselectpod.com or email us at charselectpod@gmail.com. Be sure to follow us on socials so you don't miss a thing! @charselectpod | Instagram @characterselectpod | TikTok @charselectpod_ | Twitter/X Anjali Bhimani @sweeetanj | Instagram/Twitter/TikTok Julia Bianco @juliabscasting | Twitter/IG/TikTok Be sure to check out our books mentioned in the video! The Art and Business of Acting for Video Games by Julia Bianco: https://a.co/d/fzdQ4b2 I Am Fun Size, and So Are YOU! by Anjali Bhimani: https://a.co/d/e926qe1 ==========================================================  Check us out on Patreon for day-early, ad-free releases, behind-the-scenes goodness and much more!   / characterselectpodcast    Credits: Hosts: Anjali Bhimani and Julia Bianco Executive Producers: Rick Barrio Dill, Julia Bianco Schoeffling, & Anjali Bhimani Producer/Sound Engineer/Editor: Bri Coorey Producer: Madigan Hunt Animation: Bri Coorey and Larissa Donahoe Research: Amanda Mack Art: Laura Medeiros Music: Rick Barrio Dill Additional Editing/Graphics: Josie Scott Ad Sales and Production Consultation: Multitude Filmed/Recorded at SLAP Studios LA: www.SLAPStudiosLA.com This is a SLAP Music Media Production with support from Bad Auntie Productions and The Halp Network.

Launching March 25th.   Find us online at charselectpod.com, email us at charselectpod@gmail.com, and follow us @charselectpod on Instagram and @characterselectpod on TikTok   Credits - Hosts: Anjali Bhimani and Julia Bianco - Executive Producers: Rick Barrio Dill, Julia Bianco Schoeffling, & Anjali Bhimani - Producer: Madigan Hunt - Producer/Sound Engineer/Editor: Bri Coorey - Additional Editing/Graphics: Josie Scott - Animation: Bri Coorey and Larissa Donahoe - Research: W. Amanda Mack - Art: Laura Medeiros - Music: Rick Barrio Dill - Ad Sales and Production Help: Multitude This is a SLAP Music Media Production with support from Bad Auntie Productions and The Halp Network   About The Show Unlock the inspirations for the people who made your favorite video games with Character Select! Each episode brings on gaming veterans from all aspects of game development–including actors, composers, writers, directors, artists, and more–as they share the gaming moments that inspired and kickstarted their creative journeys. Hosted by industry veterans actress Anjali Bhimani and casting director Julia Bianco, Character Select is your guide to leveling up your appreciation and knowledge of the world of video game development, voiceover performance, and performance capture. New episodes every Monday!