Biography
Richard McRae is voice actor, writer, and producer. He has followed a circuitous route from music, to computer science, to law, and to film and television. He has practiced as a personal injury lawyer for almost 30 years.
Richard has trained in voice acting with Los Angeles instructors Charlie Adler, Roxana Ortega, Wendy MacKenzie, Michael Bell, and George McGrath and with WCS VoiceSpot in Canada. He has trained in improv with the iconic Groundlings school in Los Angeles with Kevin Berntson, Mary Scheer, Brian Palermo, Leonard Robinson, Roy Jenkins, Guy Stevenson, and Michael Churven.
In 2020/2021, Richard co-wrote a pilot script for a half-hour comedy series, "InFirm". It was a Quarterfinalist at the Oscar®-Qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival and the prestigious CineStory Foundation TV Retreat & Fellowship Competition. It was a Finalist (in the Top 20) at the Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards; a Semi-Finalist in the Scriptation Showcase Script Competition and the FILMMATIC Comedy Screenplay Awards; and a Quarterfinalist at the Richmond International Film Festival and the Stage 32 Diversity Springboard Screenwriting Contest. It received an Honorable Mention in the Finish Line Script Competition.
Under isolation in 2020, he co-produced "Just Desserts", which garnered 16 laurels from film festivals in New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Berlin, including wins for Best First Time Director, Best Indie Film, and Outstanding Achievement, as well as a nomination for Best Picture. A few months later, he co-produced the short film, "The Gift", which earned 9 laurels from film festivals in New York and Los Angeles, including a nomination for Best Indie Short (Low Budget).
In 2018, Richard co-wrote and co-produced 5 micro short films, 2 of which garnered 26 laurels from film festivals in New York, Los Angeles and Berlin, Germany, including multiple wins for Best Microfilm.
Richard co-wrote and co-produced Season 1 of the critically acclaimed comedy webseries "Danger Pay". He was also story editor and performed some voice-over and on screen roles. "Danger Pay" garnered 21 laurels from film festivals in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Austin, Montreal, Alberta, Rome, Ireland and Korea, including multiple wins for Lead Actress, Best Sketch Comedy and Award of Merit, as well as nominations for Best Pilot, Best Fiction Web Series and Best Ensemble Cast.
Richard also co-wrote and co-produced the short comedy film "Super Speed Dates". "Super Speed Dates" garnered 13 laurels from film festivals in Los Angeles, Florida, Nevada, Austin, Fort Worth, Toronto and Winchester, UK, including multiple wins for Best Original Story and Award of Merit, as well as a nomination for Best International Short Comedy Film.
Richard is an active member of Alberta Media Production Industries Association (AMPIA) and the Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers (CSIF). He attended the AMPIA Producer Accelerator Program, Story Summit, and studied Directing and Cinematography. He earned a Bachelor of Computer Science, a Masters of Science in Computer Science, and a Bachelor of Laws.
