Episode 64: Maria Pendolino

Wishing a very Happy New Year to you and yours. I certainly hope your holidays afforded you time to enjoy some rest and rejuvenation, and that 2024 is the year that you’re able to actualize some of your dreams and aspirations.

And speaking of actualizing one’s dreams, I think we can all take a page from my next guest as the term renaissance woman truly applies to Maria Pendolino. She’s a multi-award-winning voice artist working in national television and radio commercials, and numerous other genres of voice work.

Maria is also the President of the Board of Directors for Alleyway Theatre Inc., a professional theater company offering education & development programs to foster the talents of emergent artists from Western New York and beyond.

She also identifies as disabled actor, due to psoriatic arthritis which she was diagnosed with during her rise as a stage and screen actor. She’s proud to use her voice to advocate for disabled performers across the entertainment and media spectrum via The Disabled Voice Actors Database; an online directory of names and contact information of working voice actors who also happen to be people with disabilities.

Adding to her talents are that of a freelance Television and Feature Film Writer with a goal of developing and writing stories about women and disabled people who are at the center of their own stories.

This past October 2023, Maria garnered high praise when she joined USA Today’s Top 10 list of Emerging Entrepreneurs for 2023. I’d say a huge congratulations are in order, and yet the recognition is a bit ironic given Maria has been a working actor going on 20 years.

Maria will soon be adding Podcaster to her hugely impressive list of credits as she’ll soon be launching the podcast ‘We Talk for a Living’ where she’ll be talking about the power of using one’s voice, with guests from all different professions and backgrounds.

Maria can be reached via the following:

Business email Address: [email protected] Business websites: http://www.voicebymaria.com http://www.bluewavevoiceover.com http://www.millennialvoiceover.com http://www.disabledvoiceactors.com Key social media sites: https://www.instagram.com/mariapendo https://www.tiktok.com/@mariapendo https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariapendolino

Thanks for listening to this episode of 19 Stories: from fear to Hope.

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To give feedback or a story idea: [email protected]

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Theme Song Credit: 'Together' by For King & Country

Outro Music Sample: 'Dreams' Accoustic version, The Cranberries album: Something Else

Until next time, stay Healthy and Hopeful!