An Actor/Director, a Voiceover Specialist and an Improv Comedian … And They All Work Right Here at VNS Health! Check Out Our New Hidden Talents Report!
Welcome to the latest edition of Frontline’s “Hidden Talents” series—featuring profiles of your colleagues with special skills you may not have known about!
Do you have a hidden talent that you’d like to share in Frontline, or do you know someone else at VNS Health who does? We’d love to hear about it, so please email us with your hidden talent!
Experiencing the Magic of Theatre with Lauren Campbell
For Lauren Campbell, Director of Emergency Response, theatre and stage production is one of her fondest passions. Born and raised in Queens, Lauren always found herself around music growing up, which is how she got her start in the performing arts. Today, when she’s not overseeing VNS Health’s emergency preparedness, she continues to play the clarinet, baritone saxophone, and African drums (Djembe) and enjoys singing as an alto in her church’s choir.
Lauren’s love for theatre began 20 years ago when she played the role of Ruth Younger in a production of Raisin in the Sun by her now fiancé, who has been one of the biggest influences on her craft. Since then, she has been enamored with the feelings, the magic, and the art that goes into putting on a show.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, all of Lauren’s skills came into play when she recorded an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth under CDC guidelines. “The hardest thing about production work is when I find myself in scenarios where the stage equipment isn’t working—when the circuit breakers go off, or general technical issues come up,” she says. “But the idea that I can transcend the problem and give the audience an amazing show, regardless of the issues I might face, gives me all the encouragement and motivation I need to work through anything”.
Lauren has also directed or acted in numerous shows, including Hamlet, Macbeth, The Tempest, and Amen Corner. In the coming months, she’ll be in a production of Wait Until Dark. Her favorite performance? A Kid’s Life. “There was a huge amount of joy from the children in the show,” says Lauren. “And I got to end it with a special touch, a big musical number!”
The Many Voices of Daniel Isgro
Personal Care Account Manager Daniel Isgro never took doing voiceovers seriously until he Googled “side hustles” one day, came across an article about a woman who was recording voiceovers for e-learning modules, and ended up diving right into the field. In the fall of 2016, Daniel began training with a voiceover coach, working on basics like exchanging his notably heavy New York accent for a more non-regional accent and learning how to identify which voice or tone is appropriate for a certain role.
After two years of voiceover training, Daniel sent out his first demo in 2018. Around the same time, to make it easier to record high-quality demos, he built his own voiceover studio from scratch in his home on Staten Island, doubling the walls to keep out unwanted sounds. “Clients are very selective,” he notes. “If they hear one wrong sound in your demo, they’ll toss it.”
Today, Daniel is represented by four talent agencies, and has been cast in projects ranging from instructional videos to video games, including voicing various characters in the video game 2K22 and its predecessor 2K23. In his free time, Daniel and his friends also created a live stream called Audio Dungeon where they do voiceovers to clips of games like Dungeons and Dragons.
At VNS Health, Daniel uses his voiceover expertise to switch in and out of different tones and voices to his advantage. “Sharing information to others in a presentation feels just like a performance,” he says. The same true when speaking with clients, he adds. “If a client sounds more excited, then I’ll match their energy and sound super excited. And if a customer doesn’t seem to be pleased, I’ll tone down a bit to show them that I’m taking their concerns seriously.”
Master of Improv, Edward Coyne
Born in Queens and now residing in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, Edward Coyne, an IT System Administrator, has loved the stage from the time he was a child. Thanks to his grandfather, who had connections in the acting industry, he was able to snag a couple of minor acting gigs as a kid doing public service announcements and working as an extra.
In his late teen years, Edward and his friends volunteered at schools, putting on skits about teen pregnancy and drugs. Then, at around 19, he and his friends started their own improvisational acting group, Imagery Theatre, catapulting Edward into what would be a lifelong embrace of improv acting.
Today, Edward enjoys sharing his craft through open mic nights and as part of the comedy group The Brooklyn Open. When asked for advice on getting ready for the stage, Edward replies, “First, understand that you are supposed to be scared.” He also advises taking a deep breath before you step on stage, so that when you open your mouth to start your performance it feels like an “explosion.” One of his best tips for an improv performance is to single out an audience member to interact with, “so you don’t feel so lonely up there.”
Edward’s acting skills and tricks are on full display at his desk in IT as well—most importantly, the ability to be quick on his feet. “Working in the IT department, you never know what that ticket is going to say, so you have to be prepared for anything,” he says. Another skill that aids him at work is being able to adjust his speech patterns. “When people message or call IT, they automatically think that we are mad at them,” he explains. “I like to change my tone or add some animation to my conversations to ease their minds and help them relax.”
In the next few months, Edward hopes to produce and star in a one-man show about the COVID-19 pandemic. “Acting as a fun and liberating outlet,” he says. “I’m just along for the ride, seeing where my love for the art will take me next.”
