Jamie McGonnigal is a producer, director, actor, voice actor and has also been an activist working with many charity organizations. He is a recipient of the 2006 NETC Regional Award, for his charitable work in the theatre world. As the founding Artistic Producer of The World AIDS Day Concerts and as a Founding Producer of the New York Musical Theatre Festival, and named an “impresario” by Time Out New York, he has produced and/or directed more than eighty events since 2003 for The Matthew Shepard Foundation, God's Love We Deliver, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Parkinson's Resource Organization, The National AIDS Fund, Opening Act, The Pied Piper Children's Theatre, Victims of Hurricane Katrina, Free Arts NYC, and Victims of the 2008 Midwest Flooding. In 2007, McGonnigal travelled to South Africa and Namibia for seven weeks as an ambassador for the United Nations' HERO campaign assisting remote AIDS-affected communities. Among Broadway’s brightest stars appearing in Jamie’s productions are Betty Buckley, Chita Rivera, Jennifer Holliday, Stephen Schwartz, Sutton Foster, Max Von Essen, Laura Benanti and dozens more.
In response to the passing of California's Proposition 8, Jamie began discussions with several leaders in the LGBT Community and started the website http://www.talkaboutequality.org/ Additionally, he has become involved with Join The Impact NYC and was one of the organizers and speakers at the Times Square Rally for Marriage Equality on December 20, 2008.
His work as a voice actor for animated features include television appearances on 4Kids Entertainment, Fox, Cartoon Network, Nicktoons and The WB. Jamie was nominated for an American Anime Award for Best Male Comic Actor for his performance in Magic User's Club.
In response to the passing of California's Proposition 8, Jamie began discussions with several leaders in the LGBT Community and started the website http://www.talkaboutequality.org/ Additionally, he has become involved with Join The Impact NYC and was one of the organizers and speakers at the Times Square Rally for Marriage Equality on December 20, 2008.
His work as a voice actor for animated features include television appearances on 4Kids Entertainment, Fox, Cartoon Network, Nicktoons and The WB. Jamie was nominated for an American Anime Award for Best Male Comic Actor for his performance in Magic User's Club.
A.J: Jamie, in researching for this interview, I’m finding information about you everywhere; you even have your own wikipedia page! You are involved with so many projects: Without asking the obvious “how do you find the time?” starter question, I do see people filling their days with activity after activity to pass the time until they’re able to live in their “dream life”. It seems though, from an outsiders’ perspective, that you are living your “dream life” with the work you do, and not waiting for something to arrive; making your own ad hoc creation and incorporating what’s in front of you into your life. Is this true?
J.McG: Wow! That’s a really interesting question. It’s funny actually. I never really thought I’d be doing much of any of what I’m doing now in my life. About 90% of it has come as a complete surprise to me. I am absolutely living my dream life. I have several jobs as you’ve mentioned and every one of them is a cause for joy, for hardship, for excitement, disappointment and success. You can’t ask for much more than that. I don’t often think about it, but when I do, I’m always very grateful. It’s always felt like God (in the most generic sense of the word) has been throwing these stones along my path, telling me to take leaps to each one. I don’t know where the next stone is going to land, but I haven’t been lead astray thus far, so I’m just going to keep trusting it.
A.J: Around 2007 you acted as an ambassador for the UN’s HERO campaign in South Africa and Namibia to assist communities affected by AIDS, and have also been on the Board of Directors for the Joey DiPaolo AIDS Foundation, among other charities, foundations and good will organizations. How did your involvement with these groups come about, how has your experience with them influenced you to start www.talkaboutequality.org and what are your plans and hopes for the organization?
J.McG: Thanks for asking! To be honest, having been raised a Unitarian, service to others has always been a part of my make-up. I’ve just been lucky that I’ve been able to combine what I love to do with helping others. As I said before, I never knew things would turn out the way they have, but I’m grateful for it. Having worked in Africa with children who are just happy to be alive, it puts things into great perspective. It’s all about “The Butterfly Effect” – the smallest thing we do can make the biggest difference half a world away. It’s exciting to have a President in office who is so motivational in getting people to help in their own communities. That’s how change really comes.
Talk About Equality was born after California passed Proposition 8, ripping the rights away from thousands of men and women there. Harvey Milk said “They’ll vote for us 2-to-1 if they know one of us.” And in respect for that, I’ve created a group and site where people can find ways to talk about what it is we are fighting for. I’ve received a lot of support and hope to see it grow into something where we sponsor talking sessions in cities and towns across the country. Minds and hearts are changing every day, and the ONLY way that happens is by talking about it. Not screaming, arguing or fighting, but talking.
A.J: Aside from your direct work aiding these organizations you also have produced many concert events, usually for charitable causes. Last years Flopz n’ Cuts 4 benefited Animal Haven, a no-kill animal shelter, adoption center and sanctuary in and around New York. http://www.animalhavenshelter.org/ With arts organizations in flux everywhere and so many theatre companies closing down, why do you think artists continue to try and benefit those other organizations and raise awareness for them before turning to help themselves?
J.McG: As far as theatre companies closing down, it’s a tragedy. I hate to sound like a conservative here, because it’s the last thing I am, but EVERYTHING’s closing down right now – theatre companies, banks, huge retail chains, giant manufacturers. Obviously non-profits are taking a huge hit right now and have been since before this recession officially began. I kind of saw it as a bit of a sign as the arts organizations are the first things that begin to take a hit when there is a slow economy. I mean, we lost 16 Broadway shows last month – some of them long-running shows. To me, this is a sign that something has to change if we want the industry to survive.
For a family of 4 to go see a Broadway show now, it can cost $1000.00 ($500 for tickets, $300 for dinner, $200 to drive in to the city, park, buy souvenir programs, etc.-it adds up). So something needs to change. The balloon has burst and yet most Broadway producers aren’t rethinking things, they’re still charging $120 and up for a ticket and they are suffering for it. Now- as far as performers volunteering to help other organizations in the current environment – Broadway actors are some of the busiest, most put-upon hard workers in this country. All we see is the final bow, getting in the car that takes you home after signing autographs…but there’s a lot more to it. There are classes, auditions, fittings, workouts, TV appearances, benefits, and their own personal lives to deal with – it’s not an easy lot. And with all that going on, I have excellent luck at getting extraordinary performers to say yes to my concerts. They are an extraordinarily generous lot of people. And they are helping arts organizations as well as donating their time for children in Africa, animals in need of homes and any other charity they find close to their hearts.
A.J: Let’s change directions and talk about cartoons. You are a voice actor; what do we know you from?
J.McG: Okay, you would know me from shows such as Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh GX and 5Ds, Viva Pinata, Weiss Kreuz, Magic User’s Club, The Gokusen. I’ve been pretty lucky in the work I’ve had since I started this all about 9 years ago.
A.J: What are some misconceptions that people have about voice acting?
J.McG: As far as being a voice actor goes, it’s quite rare to find a voice actor who wasn’t an actor first. In New York, pretty much all of the voice actors I know have stage experience and many went to school or had other training for it. Fans often expect that because they are really good at doing silly voices and LOVE anime that they are going to break into the industry and have a long, happy, healthy career. This just isn’t true. It’s a question we answer at every panel, and some people just don’t want to hear it!
A.J: What’s important to you when working on a role and what do you try to accomplish?
J.McG: When working on a role for me, consistency is really important. I may record a half episode one day, and come back a week later to finish it. Sometimes, I may have a little cold when I come back or I may not have the same energy I had as the first day I recorded and it takes some work to find that place again. It’s a very precision-oriented craft. And eventually, it comes to be second-nature, but some days it can be hard.
A.J: What about voice acting still surprises you as you continue to work in the field?
J.McG: Well, to be honest, the fandom surprises me a lot. Not like I’m a huge star or anything, but I’ve done my share of work. It still shocks me when someone knows who I am from what I’ve voiced. I was at a department store in New Jersey about a year ago and I handed my credit card to the cashier. He all of a sudden became a big ole fan boy and started shaking and getting all excited. At first I was afraid he was having a seizure and asked if he was alright and then he asked me if I was the voice of Takeo from Magic User’s Club. I said yes and he screamed. It was an utterly hilarious situation for me and I think one of the first times outside of a con where I’d been recognized. What he doesn’t know is that he made my day far more than I made his.
A.J: Ok, give me the run down of your NY Comic Con experience: Likes, dislikes, any major geek-out moments for you?
J.McG: First of all, there were like 200 special guests, so I was amazed at Guest Relations Guru, Peter Tatara. He always does an incredible job at making sure every guest is taken care of. In his eyes, I was just as important as the dude from HEROES - definitely not as cute, but just as important. J The con was a blast, the turnout for our voice acting panel was insane and what a great group of people and questions we had. I go to cons all around the country and the New York cons always bring out the most thoughtful, industry–related questions. Sometimes people ask questions that we the actors find funny and we respond accordingly. But I want to make sure the fans know that although we joke, we always respect the questions and the honest interest in what we do.
We had one question about how we feel when someone tells us they don’t like our work or some show we worked on, and Tom Wayland and I replied (somewhat comically) saying that oftentimes, fans will ask or say something that may be inappropriate and the best thing to do is to say it to yourself first and imagine what your own response would be…if it’s not a good response, then maybe you shouldn’t say it. I think the poor kid who asked the question thought we were mad at him, but I assure you, it’s an important question and the more people we can tell “just be polite” to, the better off we’ll all be!
And I had one geek-out moment. My friend Amy, from high school and her husband Ty came to the con with me and we found ourselves getting autographs from Greatest American Hero, William Katt. He was a very sweet guy and talked to us for 15 minutes. I love him. Amy was fighting back tears the whole time, so Ty and I made fun of her the rest of the day. She’s also preggers so she could easily dismiss it as hormones. But I know it was really all about the Greatest American Hero.
A.J: Where do you see Theatre and Animation, respectively, fitting into popular culture? How are they foraging ahead, fitting in or falling behind in the mainstream? What are their strengths and weaknesses? Can they learn from each other or are they too different to compare?
J.McG: Interesting question. I think they are extraordinarily different mediums, but both being the entertainment industry, both are suffering greatly in the current economic crisis. As I said before, we had 16 Broadway shows close last month and countless regional theatres are closing around the country. In my opinion, as far as theatre goes, we need to make a drastic change to the model of how profits are made if we are going to survive. Theatre has become such a luxury item for people and they just can’t afford it anymore. And the saddest part is, I don’t know if the current leaders in the theatre industry have the intellect and foresight to carry off some of the changes that need to occur. Many still look at the internet as a silly fad and are still throwing millions into printing posters that no one ever sees. It’s astounding.
Now as far as animation goes, it was an industry that was in trouble before the recession even began. I’m speaking mostly of the Japanese Anime industry, but I’m sure there’s some cross over. With the evolution of bit torrents, youtube and downloading, it has cut production of anime by more than half. What happens when an anime is produced in Japan is that it is looked at for it’s viability in the US. If DVD sales (which is the primary form of income for this industry in the US), are horrible, then the anime simply doesn’t get made. Less and less is being produced over there now and therefore, even fewer titles make it across the ocean. Take the small percent that make it over here and then understand that due to rising costs, even FEWER titles end up being dubbed and you have our current problems. Very few titles, very few jobs, whole lotta actors with no work. So if this sounds like a soap box attempt to get people to stop illegally downloading anime, it is. If you do, you are singlehandedly responsible for the death of this industry. Sounds severe, but it’s true. It amazes me that there are people out there that don’t think anything of it and truly believe in their heart of hearts that they are owed this for free. The result unfortunately, is rising costs and less being produced.
A.J: What are your upcoming projects?
J.McG: Well, I have Flopz n’ Cutz at Joe’s Pub on March 15th, I’m also helping out with a concert happening at Broadway’s Gershwin Theatre on February 23rd. It’s a star-studding event called “Defying Inequality” and is benefiting several organizations who are fighting for marriage equality. You can check out the info at http://www.defyinginequality.com/. And finally, I’m doing some work for Garden State Equality’s 2009 Legends Dinner on February 28th http://www.gardenstateequality.org/.
On top of that, I’m working on Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds and the Season 12 of Pokemon, playing a new character who is featured in some of the Pokemon games but makes his animated debut at the end of Season 11.
A.J: What excites you about the future, and about the present?
J.McG: What excites me is finding equality in this country. Finally living in a place where kids growing up in Montana and New Mexico and Arkansas can grow up and realize that there is nothing wrong with them and that they too can have a happy, healthy and vibrant life, unencumbered by the struggles we are facing now. You know, a little Jewish boy who gets picked on in school can go home to his Dad and his Dad will comfort him with stories of their brave struggle as a people and their extraordinary successes as a culture. A little Black girl who gets picked on can run home to her Mom and learn of the amazing civil rights battles she fought and of their rich culture. Where does a little boy or girl who discovers they are gay run home to? This struggle has nothing to do with me being able to get married. This is about those kids who have no one to run home to.
The present is always the present and it’s always exciting. Making the choices we need to make to be the people we want to be is a constant task, and for me an exciting one.
A.J: Any final thoughts you’d like to share?
J.McG: My brain is tired.
Thank you Jamie! Jamie’s Defying Inequality will take place at the Gershwin Theatre on February 23rd and Flopz n’ Cutz Volume 5 will take place March 15th at Joe’s Pub. http://www.defininginequality.com/ http://www.joespub.com/
http://www.jamiemcg.com/
