Featuring Bruce Nix
My family and I were sitting around the din- ing table, talking, laughing and I was goofing around and voicing what I thought my daughter would say based off her expression. Kinda like the movie 'Look Who's Talking' with Bruce Willis, John Travolta and Kirstie Alley. We were all cracking up and BOOM I had that feeling like I need to do some research on voice over. It's weird I know, but that's when I really got seri- ous. And here we are today.
One of the challenges I face is the typical impos- ter syndrome. I feel so blessed and grateful to be doing what I am doing. But there are times when it's slow to book work or even I book work, and I find myself thinking am I good enough and if the client is happy with the work I've done. But I usually get over it and keep it moving. It's an insecurity but I tell myself this is a subjective industry. I cannot please everyone and all I can do is my best. Some clients may choose to re-cast, or some will be ecstatic with my performance and come back for more. It is what it is. I just focus on what I can control and that is me and my mindset.
The other challenge is the work like balance. I now have two beautiful children that are absolute handfuls. I'm sure all the parents understand. I'm home with them all day while my husband is at work and I have to meet their needs, manage the home and manage my voice over business. Shout out to all the stay at home parents. It is not easy. But again, I focus on what I can control and make things as easy as I can for myself. Things like Instacart, lawn care and professional home cleaning services have really helped my sanity. My mother is also the best because she helps a lot when I have a session, or I need to run errands.
I can't think of any one person I would love to work with. There's too many. But it would be a dream come true to voice a character for DC, Marvel and Disney animation as well as a cool videogame. I'm also open for dubbing anime if the characters right. All of that would be a huge accomplishment for me. Outside of character work I also love Promo and would love to do live announcing.
Right now, I do a lot of commercial work which I also love. Commercial and corporate work. When Political spikes I also get a bit of that as well. I'm an advocate of working where you fit in the market. Right now, this is what people want my voice for and that's cool because I enjoy it! I've also done quite of a bit of explainers and eLearning in the past.
When I think of Hollywood Entertainment I think of my childhood and my dad. We have always been movie lovers and movie goers. I enjoy the experience as a viewer and I love a good story and great writing. Back in the day there were amazing stories that set a lot of movies up for today. I have more appreciation for acting, storytelling, writing and casting today be- cause of what I do. Understanding all the work that goes into all of it. It makes it even more thrilling to watch. I've never been to Hollywood. That's another bucket list.
When I think of voice overs from Hollywood the first thing that pops up for me is Sleeping Beauty and Alice in Wonderland. The old animations. The voice acting in those are a part of my core memories. I watched them all the time with my sister when I was little. I still do today. Such great acting and range. Those movies still hold up today and the acting was phenomenal. I would love to be a fly on the wall and see how they were directed and how they performed.
What makes a good voice actor is the ability to understand acting, improv, and know that you are performing. Connect with the copy and continue to grow. You do not have to be the most talented or be able to do a million different voices. You need to understand how to perform to make whoever is lis- tening feel something or whatever they are supposed to feel. Being able to take direction is key as well as knowing how to self-direct because those jobs are out there too. Also, a voice actor needs to have good business sense and understand the industry. That alone is a competitive edge and shouldn't be skimped on.
My specialty in voice over right now is commercial. I love commercial and corporate. It's the most natural for me. But I want to challenge my comfort zone. I thoroughly believe that being too comfortable is a bad thing. I would love to get more character work. I do not have the ability to do a million different voices like Mel Blanc and other voice actors today, but I know I have the propensity for accents. That's something I am working to be more proficient in because I believe it will help with my range and just overall challenge me and make things more fun.
My website is danielleharrisvo.com. has all my information to contact, set a meeting as well as my demos, samples, projects I've worked on and socials.