Moji Doyle: The Privilege of Voiceover

Little Moji Doyle was born into privilege. “From the beginning, we wanted for nothing.”

Enrolled in private school, Moji was exposed to the regal sector of society, with children from around the world—children like the heirs to the Guinness beer dynasty.

Educated in Europe, her mother was from Germany, and her father was from Iran, and he practiced medicine. This gave the family social and financial status that so many children are never exposed to.

Moji on her first day at school

 The school was for children of the world’s most privileged families.

As she grew into her teens, Moji remained interested in languages and continued to excel, “but never thought there was anything unusual about it; it was just so easy for me,” she says.

Her good looks, or what’s termed nowadays as “pretty privilege,” remained a dominant aspect in her life. She modeled. And here’s a shot of a professional photo shoot.

The opulence of wealth creates opportunities that so many are never privy to. So, here’s an example of one of her mom’s hobbies: flying. Her mother became a pilot. “And she was the most wonderful mother in the world,” says Moji.

As Moji entered her college years, she wound up studying in France, “and it was a language-based school, and I found learning different languages so easy for me.” She earned a bachelor’s degree in “Applied Languages,” encompassing German, French, English, philosophy, law and economics. “The goal was to become an interpreter,” says Moji.

Moji’s first job was as an event planner in Nice, France. “And my language skills were a real asset to work in this field because I could speak three languages fluently.”

In the early 90s, she met her husband and moved to the United States in 1994. Other jobs would come along, “and I’d get scooped up because of my language skills,” says Moji.

When she was a child, “We loved American movies with big stars like Rock Hudson; I was just fascinated by these big actors,” Moji tells me.

And that’s why she took such an interest in show business. “My first VO gig was to translate into French and voice a radio interview featuring Paula Abdul, which was later aired on a regional French radio station,” Moji tells me.

“My second job was in Florida, where I translated for free, and I loved it,” Moji comments.

Moji, then being a fitness buff, developed a school for pre-natal fitness. “I’ve always been into wellness,” she says. That lasted for fifteen years.

But in 2019, before her divorce, Moji experienced an ah-ha moment. “Voiceover kept coming back into my life, so I got involved with a trainer and entered the commercial voice world. It wasn’t without challenges. “I had to live on my savings to make it through the rough patch.”  But here’s what came of it.

But unbeknownst to her, Moji’s voice was needed, as always in another language, so she began to voice in French.

And then came yet another language that she’s fluent in - German.

Moji reflected on her early years and how no one really explained and coached her on how the voiceover business works. So, she started a school for newbies and those in later life who want to reinvent themselves. “Nobody tells you all of the details outside of your voice how to succeed,” she says. “I teach the full array of the business from finance to how to find your voice and how to market.”

Moji presently lives in Palma de Mallorca, in the Balearic Isles, a 30-minute flight from Barcelona and the mainland of Spain. “I walk around and look at my surroundings and am baffled at what I see.”

And it is here that she lives as an international tri-lingual voiceover artist. And location doesn’t matter because she’s got a home studio.

She’s on her own now. The kids are grown. The marriage reached its conclusion. But the passion for life and its beauty is a staple in Moji’s life. She’s found a way to live on her own terms, where she wants to live.

And that, alone, is a privilege.

#voiceover #voiceoverclasses #voiceovercoaching #voicecoaching #voiceacting #mojidoyle

Lorena Belcher: The Bowhunter in Voiceover

Lorena Belcher is a bowhunter, “and I never put the bow down until I’ve made the shot.”

Lorena parallels the philosophy of actor Jim Johnson. Jim believes, “We miss a hundred percent of the shots we don’t take.” Jim, pictured here as a criminal, is not. But you’d never know that unless I clarified because the picture is so convincing. Jim always takes the shot. “And I always will.”

 Lorena Belcher is also an actor, a voiceover actor. “And I always take the shot,” she says, “because if I don’t, I don’t have a chance.”

And so, now begins the story of a woman living in Hico, Texas, who is, in fact, a voiceover artist. She’s on a 168-acre ranch, completely isolated from the entire world. “It’s real quiet out here, and I like it.”

She’s impossible to cast as the voice of a witch in a video game because her unique style was influenced by her authentic, non-apologetic country-girl background.

Lorena’s likeness to that of a bowhunter is just like the mindset she takes on in voiceover. “If it’s not a perfect shot, it’s not a shot I wanna take,” she says. “Because using a bow is just like delivering a voice track; it’s got to be a perfect shot, or all is for loss.”

Raised in ranching, Lorena comes from the backwoods of Texas.  Lorena was not interested in sports but very motivated to sing in the choir. And that one decision would end up getting her a scholarship in singing at Tarleton State University. “It was something I could really do, and that was to sing.”

Years would pass. Lorena would marry. Have a family. Then, become an empty nester. But in 2019, Lorena recorded an on-hold message for a company, which would be her unique entry into the voiceover business.  “It just felt right and was a perfect shot,” she says.

Then COVID hit, and her father passed away, “and I was really floundering.”  But what voiceover did is it offered this backwoods country girl a chance to develop the voice that she’s known for. It’s highly specific and overwhelmingly noticeable.

Over and over again, Lorena kept getting cast in material that fit that country girl image.

Presently reinventing herself on the edge of 60 years old, Lorena believes that if you just put yourself in the situation of a good shot, you’ll probably hit your target.

Lorena does demonstrate a gentle comedy range and, in this case, was able to illustrate her edge of comedy, which fits right into this national brand.

A big fan of cars, trucks and equipment, Lorena fits right into the voice for automotive.

Raised by an extended family, Lorena believes her life actually began from a foundation of a strong supportive family. And it was here in rural Texas that she feels her habits of being a family woman began.  And it started for her as a little girl.

“Ya know, I’m so used to being alone. I don’t like crowds, like a concert, but I love the microphone because that’s where I get to tell stories, and no one is around,” she says.

https://atexasgirltalks.com/

And Lorena is at home in the middle of nowhere, so she can create without pressure. “This quiet environment is perfect for how I want to create in the world, and I get perfectly into voicework.

So, there’s no question that Lorena’s specialty is a far cry from the voices of Hollywood. But then, that’s not a shot that Lorena would want to take. “So, just like bowhunting, I think voiceover is always takin’ a shot…because unless you do, you’ll never succeed.”

#voiceover #voiceacting #voiceovertraining #voiceoverclasses

#LorenaBelcher

Richard Crossman: The Voiceover Artist for all Seasons

Richard Crossman is a maestro of voiceover. A professor of the voice and what it can do. “And I’m gonna do it til I die,” he tells me. He’s a storytelling extraordinaire. And he’s been doing it in some form of theatrics for forty years. But he started thinking about it in early childhood.

Richard with Aunt Molly and Uncle Lyle

Educated in classic theatre, Richard became aware of the market to use only his voice as a performance mechanism years before the current movement. And the result is a storyteller that is versatile in every genre.

He paints a picture with his voice that takes you into a world that transcends the art of the voice. He’s a true vocal magician.

His experience began in his youth in the theatre, encouraged by his Mother who is an important part of Richard’s life to this day.

Richard with his Mom in 1959

And as he aged, he noticed as an opera performer, that “the voice” was the star, not the person on stage, “and that’s when this all clicked for me.

He doesn’t mind taking a risk, so Richard will voice politics, of which these days is a slippery slope.

Perhaps most interesting to Richard is the art of the medical narrator. Coached by the incomparable Anne Ganguzza. Richard is a force to be reckoned with, and so is Anne.

“She’s the best in the business,” says Richard.

His fascination with learning is his hallmark. So, it won’t surprise you that Richard loves the e-learning space “because I myself love to learn,” he says.

Born in a small Canadian town, Richard lives in Simco, Ontario. And he was attracted to the arts at three years old. “I recited “T’was the night before Christmas.” In that moment, “I knew that this would be my life’s work,” Richard professes.

Richard in 1966

He’s spent four decades molding his craft, and he’s viewing this business “as my retirement plan,” he tells me. But because I was trained in theatre, in 2018, “I had to learn to pull back the voice and not project so much as is necessary” when performing for a live audience. “In voiceover, where projection is not used, that was my learning curve, and I learned,” Richard comments. “No matter what you’re voicing, you don’t project; you just tell the story.”

Known basically all over the world for his ability to emulate various accents, Richard operates quietly from his home studio. https://www.voiceactingmagic.com #RichardCrossman

And, he is a man for all seasons. He designs costumes for theatre.

And, he plays Santa Claus in Russian, known as Father Frost. He plays Santa in France, known as Noel. And he plays Santa in the UK known as Father Christmas. The costumes are not a fat man in a red outfit. “That was developed by Coca-Cola as a way to sell the soft drink and was brilliant, but it does not exist in other cultures,”  Richard informs me. And that’s why 99-percent of his work is out of North America.

Father Frost, Russia’s version of St Nick

“Any day that you can wake up and see that the grass is green is a good day.”  That’s Richards’ philosophy. He appreciates life and loves the art of creation. And that is why he’s known as the maestro of voiceover.

#voiceover #voiceacting #voiceactor #voiceovertraining #voicetraining #RichardCrossman

Emma Romasco: The Geeky Nerd in Voiceover

Emma Romasco is a nerd, “and I always have been,” she says. “I’m just a geeky nerd.”

Emma has a very respected educational pedigree, graduating from NYU as a theatre major. She might see herself as a nerd, but being selected to attend this school is an achievement all on its own. Many of the great performers of the stage once walked the halls of this prestigious school. However, Emma’s journey continued to be uncomfortable, “because I was heavily bullied all the way back to high school,” Emma tells me. “it was painful, but I had a confidante that helped me through it all, and she to this day is right by my side.”

Emma is speaking of her life-long connection to Kira Rasmussen. “She was there for me always, and still is,” Emma tells me. “I indulged her love of imagination and fantasy, and I didn’t shy away from her eccentricities, but embraced them.”

Emma loved anime, “Of which in high school was social suicide.” But again, Emma is not a traditional woman. And neither was Kira who remains her rock-solid influence. “She was always there, always.” And as for her reputation in acting, “my high school theatrical opponents, did not like the fact I was good, and I was.”

It’s true.  All of us have that one person in our lives that supports us and is there for us no matter what. For Emma, it was Kira. “She helped me in every way imaginable.”

Born in Bolton, Massachusetts, Emma was a standout beginning in high school in theatre acting, “and the resentment from the seniors was very intense.”  She demonstrated a talent that got her chosen over upper classmen in theatre, and it produced a social resentment that Emma could not handle alone. “But I had Kira, and that meant I had everything I needed.”

Emma also incurred loving resistance from her parents at 7 years old when she announced she wanted to be a performer. “I always wanted to be an actor, but my parents steered me toward sports, but I just wasn’t interested.”

Emma was quite simply a natural at the art of performing. So, she followed her heart and wound up getting in with the crème de la crème of theatre schools. Studying at   NYU in theatre with an emphasis on musical theatre, she was associated with the very best professors and performers in the world. It was a stunning personal achievement.  “I got in, and I got what I wanted.” However, the negative vibe continued in college “and the teachers were abusive…and you cannot create when you’re afraid.” She was unsettled.

Life after college involved working in professional Equity theatre.  For the uninitiated, that’s union theatre and it is not offered to everyone. Only the very best get in the union. However, every profession has its complexities and performing with the very best involves an edge of toxicity. The reasons are many, but in general, the very talented can be very difficult and Emma was working with some of the most difficult performers in professional theatre. So, internally she was searching for an answer to the working environment.

When COVID hit, the equity show she was on tour with was shut down, and that landed her on the couch.

Emma asked herself, “Okay, why am I doing this?” she recalls, “and the reason was I wanted to tell stories.” And in that moment, she realized she did not want to be famous, she wanted to be a storyteller. And the goal was in anime and video games.  And that was when the profession of voiceover entered her life.  “In anime, a popular theme is the power of friendship.”   She transcended into voiceover immediately.  Kira was in the back of her mind. The parallel of them as friends fits perfectly into her creative life. https://www.emmaromasco.com 

For Emma, a sensitive and very calm personality, she discovered a world of people that were all for her success, not resentful of it. “I’ve never felt bad energy in voiceover; everybody is just so supportive.” Her work now is focused on video games. And here’s a famous one.

Emma voicing Ivanovna in Gensin Impact

The switch from stage to voiceover was an immediate successful connection. She dove in. And she took on the world of cosplay, which she loved, and video games which tied in nicely to her passion. Here she is with Peter S Beagle, the author of “The Last Unicorn” where Emma is in costume playing Lady Amalthea.  A fascinating photo opportunity in Emma’s life.

To work in voiceover, being versatile is important.  So, Emma accepted the commercial world and embraced it with all she had.

Emma is realistic about the future of using her voice for a career. “I don’t care how long it takes,” she says, “because I have finally found my community, and I feel welcome.”

And so, for the 29-year-old voiceover actress, next comes her planned move to Los Angeles “because I’ve done the New York thing, and I want to explore a new world.”

Her voice studies are an integral part of her life. “It saved acting for me,” Emma says. “I study voice constantly, and I always will.” Meanwhile, Kira became a veterinarian. And Emma decided to commit to performing for life. “And, as long ago and in the present day, I always will be a geeky nerd. I’m just that way.”

#voiceover #voiceacting #voiceactor #VO #EmmaRomasco

Rich Summers: The Awesomeness of Isolation for a Voiceover Artist

Isolation can be awesome. Rich Summers knows. He lives in the middle of the Idaho mountains. And because he’s in voiceover, the world he lives in, nature only enhances his ability to be not good but great at the backwoods-type sound he delivers.

In his environment, wildlife is everywhere. Quiet nature sounds are the golden vibe of a place on earth that has yet to be developed. The animals are happy here. The air has a distinct taste. The spirit echoes a vibe from hundreds of years ago when the Shoshone, Nez Perce,’ Kootenai, and Coeur d’Alene native American Indians ruled. It was their land. And if you ask the universe, it still Is.

Sounds of an organic world that hasn’t changed in thousands of years embody Idaho. “I was born in Utah and moved to Idaho as a kid.” And this is where Rich lives.

“The bald eagle, a typical sight in the mountains of Idaho.”

And that’s where our story begins about a young man who wanted to work using his voice. And now, at 68, he’s doing better than he ever has. His lifestyle is stress-free. His surroundings are full of God’s love. His work environment is successful and growing. “And none of it would have happened if I had not got into radio in the 70s during high school and learned the art of commercializing music.”

The year was 1974, the pay was $1.25 an hour, and Rich himself could not have been more stoked. “I was on the radio.”

That start would create a vagabond lifestyle that all radio programmers and DJs are familiar with. It’s this city this year, that city the next year, and it never stops. Ultimately, Rich did not finish college in lieu of his radio interests. “I just couldn’t have been more excited,” says Rich. “College no longer served me, so I didn’t finish.”

What didn’t get left behind, however is the owner of a radio property that tapped Rich to be the program director. The program director, or the PD, is the person who oversees the sound of a station and the one responsible for the ownership of all you hear. “At the time, I hated it, but I learned how to program a station by listening to big market stations and copy what they were doing because I had no idea.”

The years would come and go, just like the radio jobs, the property owners, the DJs, and the toxic atmosphere indicative of what it is really like in many terrestrial radio stations. But in 2018, that was it. “I was finished with radio, enough! I had to put down some roots and figure out what to do with the rest of my life.”

Enter the art of being a VO actor. “I thought I could walk in there and just immediately succeed, but it didn’t go like that,” says Rich. His first coach told him, “Don’t let anybody know you come from radio.”  That’s because radio and voiceover typically don’t complement each other. The radio man has one kind of sound. The voiceover artist has another. So, they typically don’t co-mingle.

The VO artist is a self-employed person who marches to the beat of their own drummer. The radio DJ is a corporate person who works for the station. “Don’t tell them about that radio stuff,” the coach told Rich. And so, Rich didn’t. And in doing so, Rich learned how to finesse his way into a world where the voice and art truly meet. The corporate mindset of radio got left in the dust, just like college did.

“I got in at the right time, and I had to reinvent myself,” says Rich. His earthy, scratchy, down-home voice pitch was perfect for certain projects.

“Covid changed the voiceover business; lucky for me, I work in the middle of nowhere,” Rich adds. “So, my life didn’t change one bit.”

Listen distinctly to Rich’s unique sound. There is no indication that he comes from the radio business. And that was exactly what the casting directors wanted. You can hear the essence of the outdoors within his unique sound. It’s his trademark.

There’s a certain type of voice for every project. Rich uses his no-accent Pacific Northwest dialect to compliment the backwoods flavor of his voice. It worked.

“You get out of the universe what you put into the universe,” says Rich. “There is no overnight success, but now, I’m in business for myself and work out of my own studio at home right here in Idaho.”

Rich’s success numbers are off the charts. Most voice actors score one voiceover gig per one hundred auditions. Rich scores one in 58, an unheard-of high rate of success. “You can’t ignore the fact I had years of experience using my voice when I entered the profession, and it has paid off.” https://www.richsummersvo.com

A bobcat that Rich’s dog treed

Rich believes in the three B philosophy. “Be informative. Be entertaining. Or be quiet.”

And his appreciation for his homeland is so overwhelming that Rich paints landscapes to show his gratitude for the world he lives in. www.richsummersart.net

So, if you are ever in the middle of Idaho, you’ll feel the solitude and sanctuary I’m writing about. It’s the Northern Rockies. It’s quiet. It’s nature in full bloom. It’s a place in America frozen in time. And people are not plentiful per se. And that’s okay with Rich Summers because isolation truly is awesome.

Aleesha Bake: The Voiceover Mom

Aleesha Bake is a mom. “It’s all I ever wanted to be,” she tells me. And five children later, at only 43 years old, make no mistake, Aleesha has arrived. “I’ve got a 7, a 13, a 15, a 19, and a 21-year-old.”

Growing up in Sylva, North Carolina, Aleesha describes her childhood as “perfect; ideal in every way.”  This Thomas Kincade upbringing had an unbelievable effect on Aleesha. “Growing up, we lived at the foot of a mountain; very little TV, and my parents got along very well and are still married to this day some 46-47 years later.”  The emphasis was placed on home being, as the cliché goes, where the heart is. “Mom taught me how to can fruits and vegetables and how to sew,” says Aleesha. Her mother was a stay-at-home mom, and her father was a police officer. So, the “Leave It to Beaver” homelife was close to her reality from the famous 1960s TV show.

This was as good of a home life as any child could experience. She was the kid she describes as always asking questions. “I’d always be the one in class to raise my hand to read aloud.” She had a very high energy level. She thought nothing of it. But when she reached her 40’s, she was diagnosed with ADHD. “And it’s not something to be ashamed of.”

“I’d hear, “be quiet, be quiet, be quiet” from my teachers because I was always so interested in everything,” she tells me.

“I was just a non-stop chatterer.” Her love interest showed up in her life very early on, and they got married at 20 and immediately started a family. 

So, from 20 years old until 2018, Aleesha mirrored her mother, and there was no career. But a peace officer’s salary, which is her husband’s profession makes it financially difficult for a family. So, Aleesha loved to read so much that she set up a makeshift studio in her closet using her income tax refund to purchase a microphone.

She closed the door, read the audition, and got cast. “First audition. First booking. It just happened with no training and no mentor,” says Aleesha. “But it was a scam, so I googled, “How to make money with a microphone and within a month, I was making money.” And this was out of her closet. She would continue producing from inside her closet for a year and a half until she and her husband built a voice-over studio in the backyard.

As the family grew, so did the need for more space. So, Aleesha built (with her own hands, not a contractor) various areas designed for improvement or more space. And below are just a couple of examples of how she views the creative process. “To me, being creative doesn’t always involve a microphone.”

And that’s when the career went full steam. “I can use all my senses from my ADHD and become hyper-focused,” says Aleesha. “It’s very helpful.”

She developed friendships, agents, and associations that would help her become a professional voice actor. And today, Aleesha truly is a member of the tribe.    

She works in commercials, corporate videos, and audiobooks. And here’s her award-winning audiobook called “Fumble.”

Doing commercial work has been very good for Aleesha. Here’s an example of what she feels is her finest commercial work.

And then, of course, Aleesha is often hired to produce corporate videos and explainer videos. 

Living now in Raleigh, North Carolina…her typical day is very full and organized. She’ll be up at 6 am, get her son off to school by 8, and audition from early morning to about noon. Then comes the laundry, house cleaning, and a few posts on TikTok. 

And then there’s the drywall she’s hanging or some home improvement. In fact, it’s going on right now during this writing. The woman has the mind of a construction worker and can build anything. “Although I do hire an electrician for sub-contracting.”  

As wholesome as a homemade batch of biscuits, Aleesha is an example of how a strong family unit, a great attitude, and a truly God-sent partner can complete you. She’s been able to use her vocal gift to pay for her son’s college. She’s identified a profession that compliments her love of creativity and still enjoys every aspect of family life without distractions from the outside world. So, Aleesha Bake did get what she wanted from life. She became a mom. But the truth is, Aleesha is not just a mom; she’s a voiceover mom.

Darrell Brown: No Shortcuts in Voiceover

Every young man who’s thirsty for a great future is searching. Searching for a future that would set him apart. Darrell Brown was no exception, and he began his search at a very young age.

Here’s a fact. No one ever sets out to have a career in voiceover. Time was when we didn’t even wonder who the voice was behind the microphone. I remember clearly - never wondering who Bugs Bunny’s voice was, or Elmer Fudd or Popeye. To me, I was watching the cartoon. It never even occurred to me who the guy was doing the voice. Nor did it occur to me that the voice mattered so very much. Yet, we now know that it can make or break a production.

But now, unlike ever before in media history, the voice behind the mic is considered the ultimate importance. And it’s a full-on career accompanied by respect. To be the right voice takes, as we all know, a “lightning in a bottle” moment for you, the artist, to be selected. The competition is overwhelming. 

There are no overnight success stories. And that’s the entire theme of the world, which is Darrell’s philosophy. www.dbvoiceover.com

Darrell himself is yet another one who tells the long and winding road story of how to achieve excellence in the profession of voiceover. A career he fought hard to gain, getting noticed in. Well, he got noticed, “and this piece I am especially proud of.”

Darrell grew up in San Antonio and attended the University of Texas at Austin. He graduated in 1996. And from that day forward, Darrell began searching for a fantastic and exciting professional life. He started at a now-defunct department store and worked there for three years, with a marketing degree under his belt in recruitment. He then went to Zales, the jewelry retailer, and worked in e-commerce. It wasn’t satisfying. He moved on to Gold’s gym. But nothing quite made Darrell feel complete.

But in 2008, Darrell learned how a beginner could enter voiceover by taking classes. And in the flash of a moment, Darrell saw the future. “Those classes sparked it,” he says. And while working his corporate job, the chief marketing officer of Gold’s Gym was looking to hire a voiceover actor. And in the whisk of a moment, the cliché “right time, right place” took place. “She let me do it, and all of a sudden, I had my first credit.” 

Darrell’s experience was extra special to him. When he went into the studio to record, the engineer took an interest in Darrell and offered to help him produce a demo. That demo ended up in the hands of one of Dallas’ premier agents. And it was then that the smooth, buttery, relaxed style of Darrell Brown would bud and grow.

His hallmarks vary. But no one can argue he’s not a great voice for sports. And sports at the highest level. He’s not a screamer, has no inkling of a play-by-play announcer, and does not push his diaphragm down to get that very familiar “sports guy” delivery we all know. For the type of sound Darrell offers, his voice on its’ own is all right there naturally.

His turning point occurred in 2017 when he attended VO Atlanta. He decided to leave corporate life behind and pursue voiceover full-time in 2018. “Initially, things were very quiet,” says Darrell. “I got a few (vo jobs) but nothing right away.” And that’s when Darrell realized “there are no shortcuts.”

You’ve heard the phrase, “He’s got a great face for radio.”  Well, Darrell didn’t. In fact, he had a great face for television.

And from that face and the buttery voice came on-camera work as well.

But amid the on-camera work, Darrell and his signature smooth sound and relaxed delivery would wind up earning him voicing for the NHL, NFL, WWE, and now even animation. A complete departure from sports.

A self-professed type B personality, Darrell’s daily work ethic is simple. The audition - “Hit it and forget it,” he says. He’s referring to his daily audition ritual, and after submitting, “just don’t give it another thought.”

And after having spent years in an office setting, Darrell’s appreciation for the art form extends to how voiceover jobs are predominately done nowadays. “You can do it from anywhere,” he says. He aligns his profession with the same way a gardener thinks. “All I’m doing by auditioning is planting seeds,” and from those seeds will come a harvest.

And so, in his relaxed fashion, Darrell just cuts his auditions each morning and then waits with no expectation. “From the beginning, it’s been pretty straightforward.”

For Darrell, it took him ten years of other professions to realize where he’d fit into the world. It was all in his voice. In voiceover, there are no shortcuts. And even Darrell’s beautiful voice is proof that there are no overnight successes. His boyhood dream of having a thirst for a bright future has been quenched.

Jarret Griffis: From I.T. to Voiceover, Somehow

He was a quiet little boy. Practically friendless. And above all, he felt alone in the world. Jarret Griffis’s evolution from a sickly quiet child to a voiceover artist occurred through a series of occurrences that most people would never have happened to them. But it all began with an ear problem that had him in hospitals from 2-8 years old. And, at school, no one was interested in this boy. “The teachers did not know how to handle me.”

Jarret is open about his personae based on his childhood. “I tend to be guarded,” he says. “And I spent so much time alone; I never wanted to be an actor, so I have no idea how it happened.”

The truth is it was COVID that initiated Jarret’s entry into voiceover. “I had a friend who asked me to narrate a book he had written.”  So, Jarret recorded the book, and his feedback of positivity knocked him over and got his attention.

Born in Rockwood, Tennessee, Jarret noticed that the deep accent of the Tennessee native made “people think we were stupid, so I adjusted my speech pattern from the people I saw when watching the news.” He’s referring to network news, where the general American dialect is prevalent. Tom Brokaw is famous for having this accent due to being raised in South Dakota. In essence, the general American dialect indicates no regional place where your accent will be telegraphed. It’s the accent that isn’t.

He started designing computers at 17, and “I would write articles reviewing new equipment,” says Jarret. “And in the 90s, you had to fix your own computers, unlike today.” This created Jarret’s niche, allowing him to “enjoy working from home without supervision because I do not like to be told what to do.”

Meanwhile, as his I.T. career took off, he had his eye on voiceover, although “I had never thought I had talent,” says Jarret. “I just didn’t sound like those guys.” But what was brewing underneath the status quo of a “perfect voice” was a need for a voice that was anything but perfect, and that’s when Jarret’s voice found its place. www.jarretgriffis.com

But before Jarret got into other areas of voice work besides standard branding work, he spent an extended period of time taking classes and emulating other successful character voices. Here’s an example of what he did. This is Jarret copying the original script to duplicate the sounds he heard on the original.

Despite his preference for character work, Jarret discovered he had commercial talents.

However, Jarret’s range revealed itself in many other voice ventricles. Here is the result of PBS using Jarret.

“I would have never imagined that my goal in voiceover would have developed so well,” says Jarret. “I’m an I.T. data storage specialist. What does that have to do with the creative arts?”

The answer lies in the evolution of the need to hear natural voices. Unlike the founders of voicework like Don LaFontaine, “the monster truck voices” from yesteryear had aged out of the voiceover business. The internet came into being. And with it came the need for the viewer to hear a voice that sounded like they did, not like the forefathers of the business that had set the standard for what was considered excellence.

This became good news for Jarret and thousands of other talents who suddenly began to realize that Anybody with a unique polished sound could find a place in voiceover. “And I did,” says Jarret.

His dive into character work allowed Jarret to discover that he had been accepted into V.O. work. His preference was character work, and with much surprise, this track came:

“I get a lot of enjoyment out of playing unhinged characters like Bullseye,” says Jarret. “I feel like I have a larger canvas, so I can be more creative with how I deliver lines.”

Character portrayals are my new thing. In “Battle Ballz,” “I’m doing four voices.” And there are other opportunities Jarret discovered in such works as his performance in “Marvel Move.”

So, now at 45, Jarret lives in Austin and still works in field engineering while pursuing voiceover. And as ironic as it is, Austin has become a world hub for I.T. experts, but for Jarret, “I’d rather do voice.”

And in final, “I’m still an introvert, and I do okay in a crowd, but I generally prefer small groups of people or alone.” But he is no longer “practically friendless” but still, just like childhood, quiet. But there is one exception. Add a microphone, and Jarret will be anything but quiet.