We Interviewed Voice Actor JD Kelly

We had the pleasure of chatting with voice actor JD Kelly!

Hi, I’m JD Kelly a voice actor in games, animation, audio books, commercial and corporate industry. I’ve been working as a VA for over 10 years, turning a hobby, into a job, into a career that has become an obsession.

1.What inspired you to become a voice actor?

I have always loved acting, singing and using my voice. I have also loved video games and animation. When the opportunity came to put the different fields together I realised there was a much bigger world to dive into. Where the way I look didn’t limit the roles I could get, only my voice. So the sandbox for imagination and storytelling was suddenly much larger.

2.Can you describe your process for preparing for a voice acting role?

It can vary from project to project. Sometimes you get a whole script and breakdown of a character and can talk to a director about the motivations for a scene. Other times you get given your lines and a deadline and are left to find what works by yourself. Ultimately though I would say preparation comes from having a good head game, allowing yourself to empathise with the character, put yourself in their shoes and find their truth, whatever it may look like. It can be a very vulnerable process sometimes.

3.What has been your biggest challenge as a voice actor and how have you overcome it?

The biggest challenge for me has been to let go. To clear my mind of who I am and live in the characters’ moments fully. Your head being in the right place when you perform is a huge challenge to get the best and most authentic performance, and I would say it is something I still work on, and will always have to work on.

4.Can you tell us about a particularly memorable project you’ve worked on and why it stands out to you?

Spectacular Sparky was such a fun game to work on, for part of the project the developer/director Sam Beddoes (Freak Zone Games) took some of the cast out to Arpeggio Creative studios, and we recorded our lines for several of the main characters, but we were also encouraged to adlib and have fun with it. Chipping in ideas collaboratively as actors and cheering each other on. For a job that often has you on your own in a padded room, it was a rare chance for a social recording session.

5. How do you handle the pressure of performing in front of a microphone?

It sounds cheesy, but, practice. Getting in front of the microphone day after day builds it as a habit, a routine, the microphone is always there, it’s part of my life. If you practise often enough, the “Pressure” isn’t really there any more. Instead the pressure comes from finding the right voice for the character, and from getting the right take. But that pressure I feel, just lets me know that I care, and that I am excited.

6.Can you share any advice for aspiring voice actors just starting out in the industry?

Practice. Everyday. Listen back to it and find ways to improve. Learn from others and stay humble. Hydrate everyday. Practice self care and Invest in your passion. It’s also worth taking a few singing lessons, not with the intent to become a singer, but to develop awareness of your voice, breathing, and technique.

7.Can you tell us about a time when you had to adapt to a new character or voice?

I recently did a project where they wanted me to provide creature voices for the various fantasy troops for a game. I didn’t really know what was needed until we got in the studio. Having to come up with voices for Griffins, Skeletons, Orcs, Trolls and more on the fly was a really fun and versatile job, it pushed my boundaries, but was so satisfying when we got the right takes.

8. How do you stay motivated and engaged during long recording sessions?

Taking breaks to rest my voice and being mindful, with a nice cup of earl grey.

I also have an inspiration cabinet in my studio, figurines, game boxes, books, keepsakes, things to inspire me, that remind me of the industry and what I aspire to.

9.Can you tell us about an experience you had while working on a project where you had to improvise or come up with an unexpected solution?

The above creature voices certainly fits that bill. But I also remember when working on Phantasmal City of Darkness, they wanted quite a few death screams, so we did a variety of death screams and shouts and pain noises, but they wanted something more varied. I ended up taking a sip of water and half gargling with it and spluttering to get a sort of “drowning in my own blood” kind of sound, they loved it!

10.Can you share a funny or interesting story from your time as a voice actor?

I remember when doing those death screams my partner coming home from work and rushing in to check on me, thinking I was in pain. She was really worried about me, and was relieved to know it was just acting. I was overjoyed that I was so convincing!

11.Can you share your favourite voice acting moment or performance?

I am really pleased with the work I have been doing with Shadow Art Games on their game Master Of The Blade, they have recently been sharing behind the scenes work on their socials. The voices are brash and full of creative swear words, such a fun role!

12.Can you tell us about a voice acting project you turned down and why?

I have done over 100 audio books on Audible and would occasionally be approached due to my name coming up. Some of the books I have been asked to do have been… how do I put it? Beyond my comfort zone? Romance novels are really fun to do, but I think every actor draws their own line as to how far they are willing to go with the language used haha!

13. How do you keep your voice in good condition for voice acting?

Warm ups, stay hydrated, eat, drink and sleep well.

Your voice is your instrument, you have to maintain it and look after it, be healthy within reason.

14.Can you tell us about a time when you had to take on a role that was completely different from what you were used to?

I would say that taking on different roles is the job. Part of why I fell in love with voice acting is that every day can be different, one day I’m a 3 foot tall gnome, the next a 9 foot tall minotaur, and everything in between! If I was playing the same sort of roles over and over I would be longing for something to challenge me out of my comfort zone.

15.What are your thoughts on All Ages of Geek and what can we improve on to make it a better platform?

Honestly I think it’s great, such a wealth of content across multiple fandoms and media types, podcasts, videos, more. The only thing I would want is a bit of a road map of where to start consuming the content, where do newcomers to your platform start?

So that’s my question for you, when people find All Ages of Geek, where should they start to watch/listen?

16.Where can people find you online?

http://www.JDKelly.info/