(A.N.T Farm, Lies In Plain Sight)

P.J.’s a great coach. I killed the South African accent and got a callback! Thanks so much for working with me and I hope to work with you again soon.

(Vanquisher, Torchwood, The Tonight Show With Jay Leno)

No fancy talking or sugar coating, P.J. Ochlan gets down to business as soon as I walk in and most importantly, he knows his stuff! He makes everything as simple as saying ABC. He is so patient and detail oriented, not a single sound escapes his ear. Not only is my pronunciation much clearer, so is my confidence. He is passionate like a cheer leader and ready to jump up and down any minute I make a complex sentence flawless.

(Desperate Housewives, Franklin & Bash, Perfect Couples)

I met with P.J. Ochlan one week prior to one of the most critical auditions of my life to learn an Appalachian accent within a week. Not only did he speak in the accent for the entire one hour session but he broke down each line of dialogue into phonetic segments.

This technique of instruction allowed me to understand not only how to pronounce each word in the proper dialect but to also realize why each letter made the sound it did. To top it off-he recorded the entire session on a disc which allowed me to study his teachings leading up to my audition.

I worked with P.J. Ochlan for several months preparing for a fund raising event. The task was daunting because I chose to create a Latina drag queen character named, Chata.

I’m by nature a quiet, shy, straight guy so I was challenged on many levels. I’m not an actor or drag performer and haven’t had any experience performing. I starting learning an effeminate Mexican accent. I was fortunate that P.J. had experience with this accent.

The process wasn’t easy but P.J. was very patient and encouraging. I would say the process was closer to improvisation because there wasn’t a script, just a loose concept of the show. This allowed the character Chata to slowly develop over time.

During this time P.J. shared his experience with performing in front of people, the importance of timing, awareness of the performance energy, staying in character, and finding the rhythm of the moment as the character. I now have a deeper appreciation of the craft of acting because of my time with P.J.

All this work culminated with the fund raising party on January 29, 2011. The party was a blast and my friends were so surprised and amazed by my transformation. I owe so much to P.J. for his contribution in creating Chata.

I have thought of continuing to work as the character of Chata, and I’m missing her already. This experience was cathartic and incredible.

(Big Time Rush, Billy)

Recently, I was on set in Toronto, Canada shooting ABC’s Combat Hospital, as well as CBS’s Flashpoint and was asked to self tape for a project out west using a Norwegian Accent. After I got off set, I worked with P.J. Ochlan for the first time, on the telephone, trans-coastal at 10:00pm at night for an hour. We managed to hone in on Core Essence of the Norwegian accent, which provided the Defining Attributes that made my character credible. It was a great experience working with P.J.! Thanks, Mate!

(3:10 To Yuma, Swing Vote, Juno And The Paycock)

“Hey P.J., just wanted to let you know we got the part! I’ll be playing Albrecht Richter in Peace In Out Time with The Antaeus Company opening October 20 (or so). So, thanks so much for your help. I may be in touch for another pass through.

(Flashpoint, Combat Hospital, Know It All)

Recently, I was on set in Toronto, Canada shooting ABC’s Combat Hospital, as well as CBS’s Flashpoint and was asked to self tape for a project out west using a Norwegian Accent. After I got off set, I worked with P.J. Ochlan for the first time, on the telephone, trans-coastal at 10:00pm at night for an hour. We managed to hone in on Core Essence of the Norwegian accent, which provided the Defining Attributes that made my character credible. It was a great experience working with P.J.! Thanks, Mate!

(Green Card Day, Finding God In The City Of Angels, High Stakes)

I don’t know what I’d do without Claudette From the moment you start working with this so talented and generous woman, she instills in you the confidence that you have what it takes and can achieve great results if you apply yourself. Claudette is excellent at pinpointing the little things and fine-tuning them until it makes all the difference. Working with Claudette is always a joy. She makes you laugh and relax and learn at the same time. With Claudette’s help I’m able to do different dialects for my projects and auditions. A truly gifted coach and amazing woman. I’m so grateful we met.

(From Hollywood to Hollywood, The Language Lesson)

Claudette Roche is amazing. She helped me reduce my Asian accent tremendously in less than 4 sessions. Plus, all the while holding my 6 month old son, Isaac. (She loves babies!) I’ve been to other coaches but I found her methods to be the most practical and simple. She had a workbook, hand mirror, white board and a recorder all out and ready for me the minute I walked through the door. We got right down to it. She’s got the ear, the knowledge and the resources to help you get closer to your goal in this crazy industry. Claudette Roche is the best.

(ZOS, Flash Point, Celine, Brothers & Sisters, Veronica Mars, Galaxy Quest)

Claudette was pivotal in my preparation for my project, ZOS, filmed in Bosnia and Canada. I play a Chetnik who speaks English with a thick Serbian accent. I didn’t know what the difference was with Russian until Claudette started speaking to me as though she only knew Serbian. She is patient, specific and so committed to the entire process that she never let me slip into “good enough”. I knew if she was happy, I hit it. I wasn’t entirely sure of myself until I arrived in Bosnia only to hear everyone sounding like me. I don’t know how you do it my darling, but your ear is perfect and your relentless pursuit of making me a better performer inspires me.