Meet GM Hakim: Voice Actor Behind Audiobooks, Games, Commercials, and More

We had the pleasure of interviewing GM Hakim all about voice acting! This is a great read if you are interested in learning more about his career as a creative and the voice acting industry!

“GM Hakim (He/Him) is a multiple award-nominated, full-time voice actor who does voice over work in eLearning, audiobooks, animation, audio guides, documentaries and docuseries, video games, audio dramas, corporate narration, explainers, promos, and more. GM’s happy clients include Meta, Spotify, Hellmann’s, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, JPMorganChase, Marvel Snap, Novartis, EF (Education First), Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, The U.S. Federal Highway Administration, and The American Council of Life Insurers.

GM has a relatable style, and his warm, rich, baritone voice has been called engaging and easy to listen to. His voice and style are a mix of Jon Hamm’s gravitas, Patrick Warburton’s depth, and Jason Bateman’s humor and relatability. GM was nominated for a 2026 SOVAS Award for Outstanding TV or Streaming Commercial – Best Voiceover, and a 2025 USA One Voice Award for Best Performance in an Audio Drama by a Male. He is also the narrator of the audiobook of the 2025 National Book Award winner for Fiction, The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) by Rabih Alameddine, which was named one of the 10 Best Audiobooks of the 2025 by The Washington Post, and is also one of three positive reviews he’s received in Kirkus Audiobook Reviews (formerly AudioFile Magazine).

GM works from his professional home studio just outside of Boston. He studied broadcast and print journalism at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, where he had a weekly radio show on WAER-FM for three years. He taught middle school English, theater, and improv from 2005-2023, mostly in Montessori schools. When he’s not working in voiceover, you can find him writing, playing board games, playing guitar, leading Dungeons & Dragons games as a Dungeon Master, riding his bike, reading, cooking, playing ultimate Frisbee, and spending time with his wife and daughter.”

What inspired you to become an actor?

Believe it or not, it was getting cut from the freshman basketball team in high school. I played really well in my tryout, and was the starting center on my middle school team that made the regional championship game among all feeder schools. But when the team roster got posted, I wasn’t on it. Not knowing what to do with my winter, I signed up for theater auditions since I had enjoyed doing some theater in middle school, playing the Hot Box MC in Guys and Dolls. To my surprise and enjoyment, I was cast in a named speaking role as well as in the ensemble!

I loved it, acted in theater and improv for the next three years, and the rest, as they say, is history. I also like to think that I was inspired by my grandmother and grandfather. My grandma, a Juilliard graduate, was the most iconic of social darlings: dancing, leading choir rehearsals, acting on stage, and generally entertaining everyone. Her husband, my grandfather, loved being the center of attention in his community and emceeing events, but with four kids to support, he took up a career in sales and did theater work as a hobby. I like to think I got my acting chops and extroversion from them, and am following a path that they would have loved to follow.

LEARN! Train, take classes, attend a conference. Really, soak up as much as you can. We are spoiled with information these days that did not exist when I first got interested in voice acting in 2008, and thus led to me putting this dream aside for 14 years. You wouldn’t open a restaurant without doing your research, or build a bridge on a hunch. Similarly, there is nuance and skill to voice acting that is not immediately apparent to the casual listener. Do yourself a favor and learn from the best. That investment in yourself will pay itself back exponentially, hopefully in the form of money, but definitely in the form of good habits and a solid foundation for a career.

Voiced by GM Hakim

What do you do to take care of your voice on a daily basis?

Drink a lot of water. I drink probably 1.5-2 gallons per day. Staying hydrated is the key to so much about health. This is my number one, by a lot. I also practice straw phonation when I have vocally stressful work or if I feel my voice tiring or fading. Finally, I engage in vocal rest when I need to, and make sure to get plenty of sleep (when I can get it with kids at home!).

What has been the most rewarding project you’ve worked on so far?

Can I say two? It’s probably a tie between narrating the audiobook version of The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) or playing Harvey in a Stardew Valley mod called Stardew Voices.

For Raja, it’s a high-profile narration – the book won the 2025 National Book Award for Fiction, and has gotten a ton of press and reviews, so it’s rewarding to see people enjoy (and sure, sometimes dislike) my work. It’s been nice to see the balance skew toward enjoyment and know that I’ve added a positive experience to their lives. Plus, the author is Lebanese, and as a half-Lebanese American, it’s meaningful to narrate a book from the Motherland and get to immerse myself more in the culture, geography, and history of the place.

For Harvey, I think so many voice actors want to play characters that audiences love, you know? Comic-Cons have become this huge cultural institution, and fandoms are rabid about the things they love. So to play a character in a game so universally beloved as Stardew Valley is just a phenomenal honor. Again, it’s all about enhancing people’s experience and bringing joy to their lives. The mod (created by the wonderfully talented Shannon Hobby) is drawing rave reviews, and for good reason. It’s one of my largest-profile roles to date.

What goals or dreams do you have for your acting career in the future?

Link is to timecode of GM Hakim’s character

I want to make this a sustainable, long-term career. I want to be a voice actor for the rest of my life. I can’t think of any job (other than maybe restaurant reviewer) that I’d rather do. Ideally, I’d get to play a role in a Final Fantasy video game – perhaps FF VII part 3, which is my favorite game of all time. So, if anyone out there has a connection, I’d be overjoyed for the opportunity, even if it’s Shinra Soldier #74 or “Background Voices!”

I’d also love to be a consistent documentary and audio guide narrator. I love long-form storytelling, and in addition to audiobooks, I’d be so happy to narrate documentaries and museum audio guides for people. As a former teacher and radio journalism student, the intersection of teaching someone something and doing so in audio form is just the perfect confluence of all my skills and interests.

Biggest success story so far?

Garnering a 2026 SOVAS nomination for Best Commercial Voiceover and a 2025 One Voice nomination for Best Performance in an Audio Drama by a Male. I didn’t win either, but being thought of as among the best in the industry only 3-4 years into my career is an incredible honor, and one that validates my decision to quit my teaching career and pursue this dream at the tender young age of 39!

Where can folks support you and your work?

Voiced by GM Hakim

All of my work, including demos, work examples, social media links, and everything else, can be found on my website, https://www.gmhakim.com – I’m also most active on LinkedIn and Instagram. Thank you so much to anyone who finds me here – I appreciate your support!