For over ten years, I’ve been living the dream as a full-time voice actor, and it’s been the most thrilling decade of my life. While I could go on about how amazing this career is, I’ve boiled it down to three key aspects that truly capture what makes voice acting so special. If you’re thinking about diving into this field, here’s what you can look forward to.
The Freedom of Being Your Own Boss
Before I ventured into voice acting, I spent the first half of my adult life as a military intelligence officer. It was a world where structure and compliance were the norms. Military life is all about following orders, working within a chain of command, and having little room for personal creativity. It was a valuable experience, but it didn’t leave much space for flexibility.
Switching to voice acting was a breath of fresh air. Now, I set my own schedule, choose the projects I want to take on, and manage my time and resources in a way that works for me, not someone else’s priorities. This level of freedom is both exhilarating and a bit daunting. You have to wear multiple hats—marketer, accountant, salesperson, and, of course, actor. But the trade-off is that you get to build something entirely yours.
For anyone who’s spent time in a rigid system, the thought of planning your own workday and controlling what creative outlets you have can change everything. Yeah, you have to put in a lot of work, but what you get out of it? That’s all because of you.
Every Day Brings a New Adventure
In the military, routine was the norm. But in voice acting, no two days are alike. Each day presents new challenges, opportunities, highs, lows, and creative ways to solve problems. No two scripts are the same, no two clients are the same, and I get to use all my skills as an actor—and a businessman—every single day to solve problems, get booked, build my skills and relationships, and ultimately shape my career.
That’s what keeps things fresh in voice acting. One day, you might be narrating a calm and serene audiobook, sinking into the emotion of the text and bringing a story to life. The next day? You could be screaming battle cries for a video game character or voicing a totally zany character for a kids show. They all require you to stretch different muscles and adapt to a new environment.
One of my favorite things about this unpredictability is that it forces you to stay sharp and creative. You’re constantly engaging different parts of your brain, tapping into different emotions, and thinking about how to deliver the best performance for that specific project. Whether you’re in your booth recording or behind the scenes organizing your next move, it’s a career where no two days look alike, and that’s what keeps it exciting.
The Art of Storytelling
This is the best part—getting to tell stories. Now let me explain for a minute, because I’d wager you’re looking at this narrowly. When we think of storytelling, we immediately jump to the obvious: narrating audiobooks, playing characters in video games, or lending our voices to animated shows. Sure, that’s an incredible aspect of the job. There’s nothing quite like diving deep into a character and guiding an audience through an emotional journey purely through your voice.
And yet that’s the tip of the voice acting iceberg. I help businesses tell the story of their brand through commercial work, bring stories to life in e-learning modules, and even craft narratives in explainer videos or corporate presentations. Every voice acting gig, even the ones that might seem less glamorous, is about storytelling. You’re constantly shaping how a message is received and how a character or a brand connects with its audience.
The versatility of this industry is mind-blowing. You can be the voice that sells a product, teaches someone a new skill, or draws people into an epic video game saga. Every word, every tone, every inflection adds layers to the story you’re telling, whether it’s for entertainment, education, or marketing. And the best part? You as the voice actor are an essential part of making that connection happen. It’s not just about a nice mic and a good voice—it’s about sharing something meaningful, in whatever form that takes.
But that’s not really all. I think when people talk about stories, they limit it to some sort of fiction that’s being exchanged. But the truth of it is—and I have my own philosophy on this—is that EVERYTHING we do is a story. That connection you have with a director? That’s a story. That moment when you see a client light up because you’ve essentially read their mind? They’ll tell that story to their colleagues and friends because it’s something they’ll remember. The WHOLE ACT OF CREATION is the story—not just the product. And as a voice actor, I’m part of so much of it.
There aren’t a lot of careers out there that offer this kind of creative freedom, flexibility, and excitement. Getting to be my own boss, experiencing something new every single day, and telling stories in such a variety of ways make voice acting one of the most rewarding paths I could have chosen. It’s an industry that’s constantly evolving, and I feel lucky to be a part of it.
Whether you’re just getting started or you’re thinking about diving in, voice acting has a place for everyone. If any of these things resonate with you, or if you’ve ever thought about using your voice to connect with others, take the leap. I’ve got a free eBook you can pick up here, and remember that this journey can be exactly what you make of it.
Thanks for reading, and as always, go get behind the mic!
