FOR ALL THE VIEWERS READING, PLEASE KINDLY INTRODUCE YOURSELF.
¡Hola Fusion! I am so excited to be sharing space with you today. My name is Elizabeth Carrillo. I am a first generation Mexican American bilingual voice actress. I am a bonus mom to an almost 12 year old and a cat mom of 6. I love plants…oh and earrings!
PLEASE TALK ABOUT HOW YOU GOT STARTED IN THE VOICE OVER INDUSTRY.
I think one of the first things I did was buy equipment (Some of you are probably cringing by reading this. I know! If you’re new and reading this, PLEASE DON’T BUY EQUIPMENT FIRST) I bought all the wrong stuff and eventually had to sell it on Facebook Marketplace and then get the equipment I actually did need. I remember I booked a 1-1 session with a voice actor on a pay to play site that gave me some basic information. From there I started to buy books on voice acting, I listened to podcasts, and I took classes. Being able to attend any class remotely made learning super accessible.
WHAT MADE YOU GET STARTED IN THE VOICE OVER INDUSTRY?
Ultimately, it was the support and nudge from my partner, Gilbert. Like we say in Spanish, fue la gota que derramo el vaso. It’s the drop that made the cup overflow. Uff, but it was such a long time from when the first voice over seed was planted until I actually started to water and nurture the idea! I NEVER thought I would follow a creative career until my high school Spanish teacher, Mr.Rojas, made a comment. I was always the type of student that would volunteer to read out loud. He was the first to tell me, “you should be a voice actor.” I honestly just shrugged that off, like “yeah ok.” I saw myself pursuing other careers. From the time I was really little, I wanted to be a teacher and then the dream switched to wanting to become a veterinarian. Eventually I went to college for Clinical Nutrition and Spanish, and that’s when the “what if” of the comment by Mr. Rojas about voice over echoed. I couldn't change majors, are you kidding. I’m the daughter of immigrants and I had my mind set on a good career that was fail proof. I was going to be a dietitian. Ok, well fast forward to 2020, Gilbert and I are sitting in our studio apartment during one of those nights we had a curfew during the pandemic. We questioned if we felt like we were really living a fulfilled life. I mean, it was a scary time. More and more people were dying each day because of COVID, and life felt so precious and ephemeral. We wanted more from life. I wanted to be a voice actor. “Why not me?”
PLEASE TALK ABOUT THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE IN THIS INDUSTRY AND
HOW YOU OVERCOME THE CHALLENGES.
At first, the challenge was overcoming some negative thoughts I had about my own voice, because I was teased for it for so long when I was a teenager. My voice may have been a target of ridicule at one point, but now I see it as my super power.
Currently, one of my biggest challenges is balancing my full time job while also pursuing voice acting. I work full time as a lactation consultant at a hospital. I’ve arranged my schedule so that I work on the weekends so I can be more free during the week for when auditions are more likely to come in from my agents. Working weekends is tough. I mean I’ve missed birthday parties, tías visiting from Mexico and even quality time with my partner. It’s been really hard, but I know it’s going to be worth it. It has been so far!
PLEASE TALK ABOUT WHAT TYPE OF WORK YOU ARE CURRENTLY FOCUSED
ON.
Since the beginning of my acting career, I have definitely focused heavily on the commercial side of voice acting. It’s the type of auditions I get the most of. But in the last year I was able to branch out and book some animation and dubbing jobs!
ENJOY THIS PROCESS, OR DO YOU PREFER TO SHOW UP AT THE STUDIO?
I definitely like that work can be done remotely, because if I had to come into the studio to audition, it would be very difficult for me to fit in with my full time job. BUT when it comes to recording final projects, I love when there’s an option to record in studio. It’s great to meet the engineers and other people collaborating on the same project. And going into the studio is a great excuse to bring in donuts!
13. WHAT TYPE OF SPECIALTY IN VOICE OVER WORK DO YOU LIKE TO FOCUS ON,
OR DO YOU HAVE SEVERAL TYPES?
WHAT’S A TYPICAL DAY IN THE LIFE OF A VOICE OVER ACTOR?
For me, it can vary immensely. If it’s a hospital day, it means getting to work before 7:00am so that I could be home by 4:00pm so I can start recording and submitting auditions.
YOU ARE CURRENTLY ACTIVE AS A VOICE OVER. WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS
FOR 2025? WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM YOU FOR 2025?
I plan to keep showing up and continue to scale my business. You can expect to keep hearing my voice! I’m not done yet!
PLEASE LIST YOUR WEBSITE AND HOW PEOPLE CAN REACH YOU?
Yes absolutely! For your neutral English and Spanish needs, I’m your girl! I also provide translation services. To learn more about me please visit my website elizabethcarrillovo.com. There you will find links to my socials and ways to contact me directly or to contact my agents.
ANY LAST MESSAGE YOU’;D LIKE TO SAY TO ALL THE READERS ?
Your college degree doesn’t have to decide the rest of your life. You’re allowed to change your mind. Explore your “what ifs.” Be bold with your life and take chances. If there’s something that excites you, something you can’t get your mind off of…ahí es mamita! Take the first step and let yourself feel new at something again.
Any classes, books or programs you recommend?
There are so many good resources! I think to be a well rounded actor, you need to try out different coaches and classes. I think my top recommendations would be classes at The Voicecaster, coaching with Andy Roth, and enrolling in The VO Dojo’s programs. I think from there, you’ll just kind of get pulled in your right direction.
Can you give an example of a project you have worked on as a voice-over artist?
This makes me think about one of my “almosts.” I received a callback for a significant role for Spotify. I marveled at the fact that I was asked to go audition in person at their studios! Their building is super cool and everybody there was so nice. I ended up not booking the job, BUT being in that studio made me feel like a real voice artist. Like wow, my first in person callback at a studio with such an impressive company. That really just opened my eyes to the possibilities of what I could achieve in this industry. & better yet, a year later, I got hired to dub a show for Netflix. Another impressive company! I dub the English version of Gisselle Kuri’s character in “El Secreto del Rio.” A beautiful short series that I was proud to be a part of because it was so Mexican and so special. It’s a story that explores friendships, the importance of embracing your unique identity and teaches viewers about muxes. It’s June, which means it’s pride month! Pour yourself some mezcal and please watch it!
What do you recommend? Setting up a home studio or using a commercial recording
Facility?
You definitely need your own home studio. Hands down! It’s going to give you the most flexibility to record auditions from home and really practice your craft at your own pace. But don’t get me wrong, using a commercial recording facility also comes in handy! Especially for those days where you may have a directed session from home…but it’s also trash day on your street! You do not want to play like that and risk compromising your audio quality.
What are the feelings when you hear and see your peers on shows on the big screen?
It is super cool to hear my peers land roles on shows or commercials. I genuinely feel really happy for them! I even listen to commercials differently now and have moments of “I auditioned for that!” Or “Is that (person’s name)!?”
What are some of your favorite voice acting roles that you’ve played?
I think one of my favorite roles is that of Emily, a little girl I play in nutrition videos for Independent Health. Actually no! I play two unique bilingual characters for them! Emily and the Spokesperson. I marketed myself to a person I didn’t know, but her and I were both part of the Swagger Society Newsletter (led by Peloton instructor Robin Arzon). It’s such a special project for me because it combines my original nutrition roots with my current voice acting career. & the fact that I was able to do it in English and Spanish was everything. I am really proud of that project!
How do you handle receiving feedback and direction from producers or directors during recording sessions?
I handle direction way better now than I used to, hands down. In the beginning I took direction as a negative thing. It made me feel really insecure about my performance. Doubt would creep in and I thought for sure the producers were regretting their choice in hiring me for the job. I thought the redirection meant I was doing something wrong. There was something one of my coaches said recently about redirection that made me feel better about redirection in general. He said “redirection is not correction…it doesn’t mean that you fail because the choice you made was different to what the producer/casting director had in mind.” I really appreciate feedback and direction. Now I see it as if we were playing tennis.
