Ep. 75 — Doug Cockle & Peter Kenny on The Witcher Games & Audiobooks

Doug Cockle from CD Projekt Red’s ‘The Witcher’ video games and Peter Kenny from ‘The Witcher’ audiobooks join Alyssa for a conversation on their careers, voice acting, and The Witcher, and the actor’s endless search for emotional truth. Very important bits include: a masterclass worth of materials for voice actors, sending your best people on the hardest jobs, trading stories about our favorite author, what Geralt says to Doug around the house, and Dandilion, Dandelion, and Dandelion.

This episode is available at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher.

In this Episode

  • [00:00] Cold Open

  • [01:33] Introduction

  • [04:12] How did you get into the Witcher?

  • [12:33] Preparing Scripts & Materials

  • [19:09] Caring For Your Voice

  • [23:55] Vocal Combat v. On-Screen Combat

  • [28:22] Recording for User Choice in Games

  • [38:19] Episode Sponsor: Lengthy Tangent & Peculiar Radio

  • [40:32] Regional Accents for Audiobooks

  • [47:38] Dandilion, Dandelion, Dandelion

  • [51:17] The Making of the Lodge of Sorceresses

  • [55:55] Handling Emotional Content

  • [1:01:32] Geralt of Rivia & Parenthood

  • [1:08:24] Singing in Audiobooks

  • [1:11:43] Skills Development

  • [1:14:42] The Witcher Community

  • [1:21:59] Book Recommendations

  • [1:26:40] Takeaways from The Witcher

  • [1:31:19] Video Preview: Witcher Improv with Doug Cockle & Peter Kenny

  • [1:31:52] Outro & Credits

Relevant Links

Transcript

Episode Sponsor

ALYSSA (VOICEOVER): This episode of ‘Breakfast in Beauclair’ is sponsored by Lengthy Tangent and our debut audio fiction series, ‘Peculiar Radio.’ Support the ‘Peculiar Radio’ crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo now through May 2023 and listen to the podcast when it premieres this year.

Cold Open

Transcript to come.

[Breakfast in Beauclair theme music by MojoFilter Media]

Introduction

ALYSSA: Welcome to Breakfast in Beauclair, a global Witcher Podcast. My name is Alyssa from GoodMorhen, and I’ll be your host as you, I, and our international hanza accompany Geralt of Rivia and his destiny, Cirilla of Cintra, across the Continent.

Thank you so much for joining us for this special mid-break episode with none other than Doug Cockle, the voice of Geralt of Rivia in CD Projekt Red’s video games, and Peter Kenny, the narrator of the English audiobooks. It was incredibly surreal to be the first person to properly introduce them and I hope you enjoy our conversation about their careers, voice acting, The Witcher—of course—and the actor’s endless search for emotional truth.

If you’re new to the podcast, hello! On Breakfast in Beauclair, a global Witcher podcast, I sit down with guests from all over the world to discuss the Witcher books chapter-by-chapter and the show episode-by-episode. We’re in-between seasons at the moment, but the backlog includes 74 episodes on Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Last Wish, Sword of Destiny, and Blood of Elves and Netflix’s ‘The Witcher’ Season 1 and 2, Nightmare of the Wolf, and ‘The Witcher: Blood Origin’. Breakfast in Beauclair Season 5 premieres on Thursday, July 6, 2023, and will cover Andrzej Sapkowski’s Time of Contempt. I hope you’ll join us for it!

Without further ado, let’s get to our conversation on the Witcher games and audiobooks with special guests, Doug Cockle and Peter Kenny.

Discussion

[Breakfast in Beauclair stinger by MojoFilter Media]

Transcript to come.

ALYSSA (VOICEOVER): Before we continue our discussion, we’re going to take a break here. When we come back, Doug, Peter, and I will continue our conversation of their careers, voice acting, and The Witcher.

Transcript to come.

Episode Sponsor: Lengthy Tangent & Peculiar Radio

[“Tidings from Toussaint” theme music by MojoFilter Media]

ALYSSA (VOICEOVER): For the last 3.5 years, you’ve known me as the host and producer of Breakfast in Beauclair. This Witcher podcast gave me the foundation to pursue voice acting and, ultimately, new roles as the both the co-founder of a new audio production house, Lengthy Tangent, and the executive producer of our debut audio fiction series, ‘Peculiar Radio’.

If you like ‘The Witcher’ and ‘Breakfast in Beauclair,’ you’ll love ‘Peculiar Radio’ for it’s overflowing cast of characters, it’s humor, an important hunt that takes them to all corners of their world, and it’s own hanza in the crew at local radio station 93.3 WSCP-FM The Scoop. As a listener of Breakfast in Beauclair, here’s an exclusive first listen of the show:

[‘Peculiar Radio’ Trailer]

We’re crowdfunding to bring the first season of Peculiar Radio to your podcast feeds this year. Back the show on Indiegogo for exclusive perks like an original TTRPG, live show season passes, and hearing your name as a part of our season finale! That’s ‘Peculiar Radio’ on Indiegogo now through May 2023. Thanks for listening, thank you for your support, and we can’t wait to see you in the Springs.

[“Tidings from Toussaint” theme music by MojoFilter Media]

Discussion

[Breakfast in Beauclair stinger by MojoFilter Media]

ALYSSA (VOICEOVER): Hey, everyone! Welcome back from the break. When we left off, Doug, Peter, and I were discussing performance and the production process across different mediums.

Transcript to come.

Outro & Credits

[Breakfast in Beauclair theme music by MojoFilter Media]

ALYSSA: Thanks for joining us at the breakfast table! For show notes, transcripts of each episode, and a complete list of our social platforms and listening services, head over to breakfastinbeauclair.com.

Breakfast in Beauclair is created by Alyssa from GoodMorhen. It’s hosted by Alyssa with the “Tidings from Toussaint” News Segment by Lars from WitcherFlix. The show is edited by Alyssa with music by MojoFilter Media.

Breakfast in Beauclair is produced by Alyssa in New York City with Luis of Kovir, The Owner of The Churlish Porpoise, Katie (The Redhead of Toussaint), Jacob B., Ayvo of Gulet, Bee Haven of the Edge of the World, Charlotte from Vengerberg Glamarye, RedKite, The Original Roach, Codringher’s Cat, Libby, John of Ryblia, Tom from Australia, Jill Cate, The Tabby Witch, Olle from Sweden, James Carson III, Psilocybe Sorcerer, A Toussaint Knight, Miriam of Temeria, and Softie.

Special thanks to Doug and Peter for joining us for this episode and our international hanza for their support.

Transcriptionist: Charlie Lim
Editor: John Matthew Sarong, Krizia Marrie Casil

 

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