FOR ALL THE VIEWERS READING, PLEASE KINDLY INTRODUCE YOURSELF.

My name is DJ Dykes. I’m a professional voice actor who’s been in the industry for almost five years. I’m represented by ACM Talent and VOX.

PLEASE TALK ABOUT HOW YOU GOT STARTED IN THE VOICE OVER INDUSTRY.

I stumbled into this career in 2020 while looking for a way to make money from home during the global pandemic.

 WHAT MADE YOU GET STARTED IN THE VOICE OVER INDUSTRY?

I honestly got started because my wife and I were looking for a decent work-from-home opportunity. I happened to see a YouTube video about voiceover and thought, “Hmm, I could totally do that.” The rest is history.

PLEASE SHARE A MOMENT WHERE YOU FELT YOU WANTED TO BE INSPIRED TO BE A PART OF THE VOICE OVER INDUSTRY.

My original understanding of voiceover was the voices you hear on animation and movie trailers. I know it sounds intuitive, but I was honestly surprised when I learned that VO extends to so many other genres like commercial, TV promos, in-show narration. That was when I knew I could carve out my own spot in this vast industry.

PLEASE TALK ABOUT THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE IN THIS INDUSTRY AND HOW YOU OVERCOME THE CHALLENGES.

Frankly, I haven’t encountered any major challenges; just small things here and there. I know that sounds like I had an easy path, but it’s absolutely not the case. I simply have an unrelenting self-belief, and understand the power of small daily efforts. I’ve yet to face a challenge in this industry that makes me doubt my abilities. I also understood early on that voiceover is an entrepreneurial endeavor. That means you have to try and fail — a lot — and be proactive, don’t lie around waiting for things to happen. So yeah, unrelenting self belief, 1% better everyday, and an entrepreneur mindset; I think those qualities are found in every successful voice actor, regardless of the genre(s) they specialize in.

JAPAN IS KNOWN FOR SO MANY GREAT ICONIC VOICE OVER PEOPLE, SUCH AS CHARACTERS FROM ANIME OR MOVIES AND DUBBED TV SHOWS. WHO IS SOMEONE INSPIRATIONAL THAT YOU ADMIRE IN THIS INDUSTRY?

Admittedly, I don't know a lot about the Japanese VO industry. But I do know who Masako Nozawa is! My parents were both US military and they were stationed in Misawa, Japan during the late 80s/early 90s. I grew up watching Dragonball and can still remember hearing Masako’s iconic Goku voice. I was flabbergasted when I learned it was a woman voicing Goku. I for real thought it was a kid. Anyways, I truly admire her longevity and absolute dedication to the craft.  

ARE THERE ANY PROJECT OR PEOPLE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO WORK WITH OR COLLABORATE WITH? 

I always defer to Sanford Meisner’s quote: “Acting is behaving absolutely truthfully under the imaginary circumstance.” Without a doubt, understanding who you are at the emotional level is the most important skill. Too many aspiring voice actors rely on their voices to do the heavy lifting. The game-changing discovery I made was that every facet of your performance – voice, expressions, gesticulations…all follow your emotions. 

Develop your emotional recall. It will provide the lattice that supports your storytelling throughout the script.

 

My original understanding of voiceover was the voices you hear on animation and movie trailers. I know it sounds intuitive, but I was honestly surprised when I learned that VO extends to so many other genres like commercial, TV promos, in-show narration. That was when I knew I could carve out my own spot in this vast industry.

NOW IN TODAY'S SOCIETY, EVERYTHING IS DONE BY REMOTE WORK. DO YOU ENJOY THIS PROCESS, OR DO YOU PREFER TO SHOW UP AT THE STUDIO?

So, I joined the industry during the global pandemic, so I’ve only ever known remote recording. As such, it’s just normal for me. Source Connect makes it possible to connect with anyone around the world and facilitates a high-fidelity recording session. 

WHAT TYPE OF SPECIALTY IN VOICE OVER WORK DO YOU LIKE TO FOCUS ON, OR DO YOU HAVE SEVERAL TYPES?

So , I specialize in commercial, promo, trailers, and narration. I love having a new and different project to work on every day, and those genres offer that.

WHAT'S A TYPICAL DAY IN THE LIFE OF A VOICE OVER ACTOR?

A voice actor’s day is ever-changing. I reserve mornings for the crazy amount of auditions I receive from ACM Talent and my agents. Then I offer VO coaching for an hour before lunch. In the afternoon, I knock out the second wave of auditions, spend time practicing my reads, do some marketing outreach, communicate with clients, etc. I adjust my schedule based on bookings. Some days, I cannot even do one audition because I’m so busy recording for clients. Then there are the various workshops and coaching I attend to keep my skills sharp. My schedule, it’s never really set in stone, ya know?

WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND FOR ANYONE THAT IS INTERESTED IN VOICE-OVER WORK?

Be a self-starter. I’ve met too many folks who say they want to get into the industry but have any number of reasons why they haven’t yet. Months down the road, they still haven’t even started yet. There are a lot of things you can waste time overthinking: which mic to use, which software, which genre, which platforms or marketing services… It’s all unnecessary at the beginning. Just pull out your phone and start video recording yourself talking. You’ll learn more from that simple exercise than any amount of microphone research.

Also, consume as much free information as possible before spending a dime. Do not pay for coaching. Do not pay for demos. Just spend the first few months recording yourself on your smartphone, watching YouTube videos (like the ones on my channel), listening to VO podcasts, free VO webinars, etc. There is more free information out there now than there has ever been. Once you’ve done that for a while, you should have a clearer idea of what to do next.

CAN YOU SHARE ANY EXCITING PROJECTS THAT YOU ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON NOW?

I’m the in-show narrator of NBA’s NBA On Fire weekly recap series, which airs internationally in markets like Japan, Australia, and the Philippines. 

I also have a small role in an upcoming Netflix animated film set to release Q2 2025.

IF SOMEONE WANTS TO HIRE YOU FOR ANY VOICE OVER WORK, CAN YOU PLEASE LIST YOUR WEBSITE AND HOW PEOPLE CAN REACH YOU?

You can learn more about me at www.djdykes.com and email me directly at dj@djdykes.com. Or you can reach out to my manager, Jeffrey Umberger, at ACM Talent: jumberger@acmtalent.com.

ANY LAST MESSAGE YOU'D LIKE TO SAY TO ALL THE READERS?

This is an incredible industry to be a part of if you’re willing to put in the work. 

To hear my thoughts on the voiceover industry and get advice and guidance for building your own VO career, visit me at www.youtube.com/@djdykes_vo