Poundcake and Pals
Poundcake and Pals is a fun loving group of rescue animals that come together after a devastating hurricane changes their lives forever. The Pals help animals and humans in need. Poundcake was the first rescue and formed the Pals with other rescued docs. All of the rescue team is composed of past rescue dogs. The Pals are talking dogs that are based on real-life dogs. This is a group of friends that lives together, plays together, and helps others. This is a PG-rated animated cartoon with a good cause.
*Background Story*
The story of why we are making Poundcake & Pals is based on the true story of 2017 Hurricane Harvey which devastated Houston Texas USA. During that time, real-life David Scherff and his Bulldog dog Frank took their boat from San Antonio to Houston Texas to help with the rescue efforts. The Bulldog Frank was swept away in the floodwaters while helping rescue a human. After the storm passed, David decided to leave his company and start his own animal rescue called "Frank's Way Foundation" in loving memory of his dog Frank. Since then, Frank's Way Foundation has conducted countless human and animal rescues in Hurricanes and Natural Disasters since 2017, and operates across the USA based out of Texas. All characters in this show are based on real-life humans and animals that have been saved in real natural disasters. Poundcake is a real bulldog that is deaf. This was originally going to be shot live-action with real dogs. As the pandemic hit, we decided to move to animation to keep the project going, give more flexibility, and allow the real dogs to travel to events around the country. Making an animated series about the rescue dogs' real adventures is the best way to share animal rescue and keep Frank's memory alive. All help from this animated show Poundcake and Pals will go toward real animal rescue. Know that this entire effort is for a good cause. More information about the foundation and the real-life Poundcake can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/frankswayfoundation & https://frankswayfoundation.org
*Project Process*
To bring these characters to life, this casting call is for a family friendly 3-minute animated trailer for a cartoon episodic show. Animation for the trailer has been completed and we are seeking voice actors for the roles listed below. These will be a higher paid ongoing roles as episodes come out. IMDb credit will be given to cast characters. The IMDb listing for the project is here: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11558652/ The first upcoming episode after the trailer will be about 12-15 minutes. 30-minute episodes are after that. This will help children and adults experience the joy of helping and animal rescue together.
*Animation*
This is a passion project for me and the foundation. This is a long-term project due to how long the animation timeframe works for upcoming episodes. Please keep this in mind when auditioning. Until now I have had limited reach with animators, so this project has taken some time to get going in that space, but we are going now! We have a great animator working with us which can be found here: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3021382/ & https://mattkprovideo.com/2d-animation/
We are looking for another animator to assist with the project as well. We will be casting this in the future or you can reach out to me if you are interested.
*Casting Timeline*
This casting will be for permanent roles in the trailer and ongoing. A temporary recording for voice dubbing was recorded as a placeholder for demo purposes of the existing trailer.
Clips will be sent to the cast roles for voice over.
*Visibility*
Your voice will be heard at film festivals, national events & crowdfunding while future animation is being completed in episodic releases for other platforms. Voice actors will be contacted again as episodes are ready for voice work. Elevated pay will be made for future episodes ongoing for time and lines. Other payment methods can be arranged if needed. Pay for the trailer is $20 USD for each character. Expected lines are between 2 lines and 11 lines in the trailer depending on the character.
*Delivery*
Character sides will be sent via email, Discord, or DM on this platform if you prefer. I will reach out to you here first, and we will go from there. Please leave your preferred contact method with your audition such as email, DM on here, social media, etc. If I can not get ahold of you somehow, we may have to choose someone else, don't let that happen to you. I understand every Voice Actor is different and can accommodate different needs. Please know your real name will be used on IMDb unless you have an established IMDb with a stage name already. Please keep this in mind. If you do not like to use your real name for projects you may want to think about this one. This will be a publicly seen project.
*Fun Fact*
Franks way Foundation's actual hurricane recording footage has been featured in "Deadline to Disaster" by The Weather Channel.
About me: I am an actor and director that is also a part of Frank's Way Foundation. I am self-funding this passion project for now because of the impact it has had on my life, my love for animals and the rescue dog it has brought me, and what I have seen it do for others. My IMDB and info links can be found on my profile.
*Audition Notes*
Roles will be chosen 7 days after casting ends and sides/lines sent via your contact info. All auditions submitted must be as professional as possible. Please give 2-3 seconds of dead airspace when beginning and between lines. You may do multiple takes if you would like to try different things or emotion ranges. Please remove any mistakes, outside noises, background noises, no stray talking, etc for those of you who may be new to the field. I do not have any mandate or hardware or software used. This is up to you, your creativity, and your setup, but the cleanest audio you can deliver is appreciated. Any auditions with background noises or audible distractions will not be eligible for consideration. NDA is not required but professional courtesy is expected. Please DM me with questions, concerns, or clarity on anything.
If cast, in addition to the sides/lines, some sound effects will be requested such as grunting, laughing, um-uh sounds, and barking sounds. If you haven't been a dog before, now is your chance! We will be introducing different animals and humans in the future.
*Extra Note*
The mini teaser trailer attached above is not the entire trailer we have completed and is just an example for this posting. This has no voiceovers and the music is temporary as well. Final voices and music with sound effects will be added once the casting is complete.
Thank you for your time. We look forward to hearing your creativity in bringing these characters to life!
