We had the pleasure of chatting with voice actor Charles Murtha! Check it out to learn more about their creative journey. Perhaps you’ll find something inspiring in this interview!
1.What initially inspired you to become a creator, and how has that inspiration evolved throughout your creative journey?
Ever since I was little, I’d always noticed that two cartoon characters extremely different in tone and style could have the exact same actor. I’d look up a bunch of those videos that showed a bunch of the roles an actor has played (Tom Kenny, Clancy Brown, Dee Bradley Baker, etc). And ever since then, I wanted to do that. I wanted to do voice characters and get into the fun of voice acting.
2. Can you share a specific moment or experience that fueled your passion for your current creative project?
Kinda the same as the first question, but I always thought it was so cool that an actor could pull off tons of different voices. And the fact that it could all come from the same person was astounding. That, the passion that some actors bring into their roles is impressive as well, when they need to scream for a line, THEY SCREAM!
3.What challenges have you encountered as an indie creator, and how have they shaped your approach to your work?
From where I’m at now, it would probably be my age. While I’m getting a good amount of experience, it doesn’t help that some of the bigger jobs I see only get 18+ actors. And I get it, sometimes you need an actor who sounds older, and sometimes you feel better suited for a more mature cast. My way of approaching this is just to say “Hey, in two more years, I’ll be there!” and just find a job that either includes all, or is fine with a younger cast member.
4.Are there any particular creators who have significantly influenced your style or approach? How do you incorporate those influences into your own unique voice?
A lot of my practice with voice acting came from the voices I heard around me. I had played Team Fortress 2 and would speak the voice lines out loud to try and replicate them. This would also be true for a lot of internet videos that would pop up in my YouTube recommendations. Whenever I would hear a phrase or funny line, I would say that line over and over to try to say the line perfectly. I would use that as my basis for certain types of voices, and they would evolve into how I would do certain voices now.
5. How do you navigate the balance between staying true to your artistic vision and adapting to feedback from your audience or collaborators?
I don’t get a ton of criticism with the content I make, but I usually stick to my way of how I like to make my videos. Although, I will admit, I’m a better actor than an editor, but I’ve only started to edit since last year, so I’ll need some time to get used to it!
6.Can you recall a memorable success story or milestone in your indie creator journey that stands out as a turning point for you?
A year ago, Phillip Kraaijenhof (or flappetap) and I were talking in a discord vc and I went through some of the voices I could do really well. One of those was Frieza from Dragon Ball Z. Phillip thought it was a spot on impression, and had asked me to voice Frieza in a little skit video he did where a bunch of Dragon Ball Z characters play uno, except Frieza is colorblind. That video had blown up a literal day after it came out, currently standing about one million views. The comments were really nice to see, because they had also really liked my impression. It was such a big moment for me, because Phil had said himself that my impression had carried that video to a million.
7. What role do setbacks or failures play in your creative process, and how do you overcome them to keep moving forward?
Whenever a setback comes up, I usually don’t let it get to me. It sucks that it happened, but I’m not not going to let that drag me down. I just gotta audition for another big project and see how that goes.
8.How do you manage your time and energy to sustain a consistent creative output while juggling other aspects of life?
I usually work in bursts. One day I’ll get done with a recording, or auditions done and then it’ll be a drought spot for a bit. I’m free most of the time, so I usually have the time to get a huge ton of recording. Although, other times, whenever I’m asked to record a script for a vid, I try to get it done as soon as possible.
9.Have you found any unexpected joys or rewards in the indie creator community, and how has it contributed to your overall experience?
I’ve found that the sheer talent of the indie creator is spectacular and I’ve had a huge amount of pleasure to lend my voice to their projects because the creativity and style of these projects are immeasurable.
10.If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring creators, what would it be based on your own lessons learned?
Work with what you have. If you can’t afford a huge 100+ dollar mic, just stick with a regular usb mic and work your way up from there. If you don’t have a ton of sound proof panels use a heavy blanket for acoustics.
11.What are your thoughts on All Ages of Geek? What are some things we should change/do? What are something you enjoy about our website?
I’m not really sure? I wasn’t familiar with them until recently, but I can say that a supporter of indie projects is a friend of mine!
12.Goals for 2024?
Book more jobs, get my driver’s license, and maybe get into full on animated series or indie games!
—
