Voice-Over Actor Talks His Way To Top

Note: "On The Set" appears every week in our Entertainment section. Have a question about your favorite celebrity? Let Steven know.

In A Hayes
You might be asking yourself what happened to the interview with NBC's Sean Hayes promised in last week's column. Well let me explain: If you are the "Grace" on "Will & Grace," you don't have an understudy. So when producers got a call from actress Debra Messing (Grace) telling them she was sick, they postponed taping until next week. But don't worry, we'll be "On The Set" with her co-star Sean Hayes (Jack) for the next column. And we hear Messing is already on the mend.

Meantime, we found out how voice-over actor Ben Patrick Johnson used his velvety rich voice to talk his way to the top.

Who Is Ben Patrick Johnson Anyway?
Chances are good that you have never heard of Ben Patrick Johnson. But, you probably have heard him. If you have ever watched "Entertainment Tonight," "Leeza," "The Roseanne Show," "VH1," "Fox Sports Net" or a host of national commercials, then he's talked his way into your living room.

And Johnson's star continues to rise in one of Hollywood's hottest, most competitive, and lucrative professions -- voice-overs. It is Johnson's voice that tells you what's coming up next on "Judge Joe Brown." And it is he who tells you that you are watching "the most watched entertainment program in the world -- Entertainment Tonight."

Talking His Way In
Johnson told me it all started 10 years ago when he was living in the Minneapolis and heard a talk show host on KSTP radio. He liked her so much, he wrote a few promotional spots for her and sent them to the station. He had never written a promo before, nor was his work solicited. The host liked his work so much, Johnson was hired two days later as the Creative Director for the station. He was 21 years old.

Three months later, Johnson found himself recruited to KABC radio in Los Angeles -- this time as the Director of Production. After a year and a half, someone suggested he should start auditioning for on-camera broadcast work.

On his first audition, at age 24, the producers and casting agents gave Johnson a standing ovation. The audition was to host a new entertainment program called "EXTRA."

True Hollywood Story: The First Host of 'EXTRA'
At 6'2," athletically built and with a thousand pearly whites, it is easy to see why producers would tap Johnson to front their hot new show in 1994. Bright and articulate, Johnson handled himself like a seasoned pro.

However, he was not prepared for the Hollywood politics that accompanied such a high-profile gig. Instead of hosting, Johnson soon found himself traveling the country as a Senior Correspondent. Closer to the action, he interviewed celebs and reported on-air. But after a year, Johnson decided he wanted out. And this guy knew exactly where he was going.

While at "EXTRA," Johnson made friends with a promo producer named Michelle Walenz (Walenz is now creative director of on-air promotions for the WB Network) who brought him in to voice promos for the "Leeza" show at NBC, then in its second season. Although this was the biggest voice-over gig he had ever done, it wasn't his first. Before joining "EXTRA," Johnson had several minor voice-over jobs in both Minneapolis and Los Angeles. He called his agent who he had met when he first moved to Los Angeles. It was time to play for real.

Educating Rita
Power agent Rita Vennari of Sutton, Barth & Vennari is one of the most respected and busy voice-over agents in Los Angeles. So in 1992, when Vennari's new assistant told her she had a call from a "Ben Johnson," she didn't have time to take it.

"Why would an old movie star be calling me?" Vennari thought, thinking of the Western star of the same name. Maybe it wasn't that Ben Johnson.

"Does he sound like a cowboy?" she asked her flustered assistant after the third call. After the fifth, she decided she would take the call to give her assistant a break. After a brief introduction, she figured out it wasn't the 50s cowboy.

Johnson told Vennari he moved from Minneapolis (where he had done some voice-over work) and needed an agent to help him break into the Hollywood market.

"You have to understand," Vennari told me, "most voice-over actors in Los Angeles have a following. They've been working here for years and it's hard to get into the business if you are an outsider. This guy sounded like he was in his 50s and I didn't feel like starting his career at that age. It would be way too difficult."

Vennari readily admits that she was annoyed. Finally, she asked sarcastically "So, just how old are you?" Johnson told her he was 22. She nearly dropped the phone.

"Can you come see me right now?" To this day, Vennari swears Ben was sent to her by the "voice-over god."

Can We Talk?
It's 5 p.m. and Johnson and I pull up to Mike Recording Studios in West Los Angeles. This is Ben's fifth appointment for the day (he averages four).

He parks in front of the building next to a sign that reads "For Loading/Unloading Only: Violators Will Be Towed Immediately."

"It's okay," he tells me. "I park here all the time." Try everyday. Johnson voices the daily "Roseanne Show" promos that air on your local station.

Sitting in a chic studio, Johnson stands inside a voice-over booth. He has a microphone and a monitor. I sit with Ted the engineer and Terre, the promo producer. Terre is energetic and chatters about Johnson in between his takes.

After Johnson finishes a particular good take, Terre sings out, "That was perfect dahling! I can always count on you to get it more than right!" And she means it.

Within minutes, we are finished.

No Small Talk
I ask Johnson about the excitement of working the big gigs, but he would rather talk about the others instead. Those "others" are his weekly spots at his old haunt KABC radio, WRGB-TV in New York, and other spots he does for local stations across the country.

"I enjoy the glamour jobs, but I also love working with promotional people at local stations -- building relationships and being the voice of a station."

Johnson says that these jobs keep him grounded and remind him of his Minnesota hometown roots. "I think the local station work keeps my head on straight in what can be a really crazy town. Without it, it would be easy to lose sight of what is really important."

Loud and Clear
As we leave Mike Recording Studios, I ask him why he parked in the loading/unloading zone.

"Because it is closest to the front door," said the 30-year-old matter-of-factly.

This, coming from a man whose career has taken the most direct -- and surprisingly meteoric -- route.

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