FEATURING MORGAN
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.
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.
SHARE A MOMENT WHERE YOU FELT YOU WANTED TO BE INSPIRED TO BE A PART OF THE 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.
TALK ABOUT THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE IN THIS INDUSTRY
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 under- stood 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, unrelent- ing 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.
ANY PROJECT THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO COLLABORATE WITH?
I don't have any particular project or people I would like to work with. I like to keep it loose and go with the flow. However, I keep a list of professional goals that I work toward. I aim to be the promo voice of a major network, and an A-list movie trailer VO.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD VOICE ACTOR?
I always defer to Sanford Meisner's quote: "Acting is behaving absolutely truthfully under the imaginary circum- stance." Without a doubt, understand- ing 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.
NOW IN TODAY'S SOCIETY, EVERY- THING 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 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 coach- ing 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 be- cause 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?
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.