Today we’d like to introduce you to Nathan Nokes.
Hi Nathan, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
It all started with an insurance commercial with the movie trailer voice over guy, Don LaFontaine. When I found out Don was the trailer voice over, I thought that was the coolest job in the world, and I had to find a way to get into it. After several years, I was able to save up enough to attend a voice over school. Once school was done, I was able to hit the ground running. With voice over demos in hand, I went to casting sites, emailed video production companies, and found talent agencies that would help me get in front of the big guys.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No! I wish it were easy, but that’s the cost of running your own business. In the beginning, the kinks in the road were setting up a booth and completing my home studio setup. Then, learning new ways to edit my audio files that would be not just good quality, but broadcast quality. Knowing how to market was another struggle that came in the beginning. How do I contact potential customers, what do I tell them, do I send them my demos, or tell them I am a voiceover talent. With trial and error, I have finally figured it out… okay, kind of. I am continually discovering new ways to improve my craft to be better than my last voiceover job.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
When I tell people I am a voice over talent, I usually get the “eh, what’s that” look. So what is a voice over talent? The best way I can describe it is when you hear a voice but don’t see the person; that is a voiceover. From commercials and cartoons to phone systems and narrations, I do it all. I am proud of the privilege to have worked with some large companies like Microsoft, Google, Adobe, Comcast, the CDC, and many, many others. What set’s me apart from a lot of voiceover talents is that I don’t have that deep announcer’s voice. Today, many companies are looking for the “guy next door,” conversational read, which is great for me because I can speak like I’m with my friends, telling them how great this product or company is. Do you love that royal burger guy? Psh, let me tell you how awesome it is! Do you want that new car? I got you! Oh, you want me to narrate your life… let’s do it!
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
In voiceovers, you always have to take risks. Most of the risks I take happen in animation. When we watch cartoons, the character’s voice is perfect, and we never really notice the voice actor. For the most part, when I audition for a character, I will get a picture of what they look like and a description of their personality. But then you get to the script. How do I say the words so they believable? Is this too much, not enough. Is my voice too high… nah, that’s too much. Is it, though? AHHHH, what do I do? Once I look over the script and the setting, I realize that I need to be myself, unless it’s an animal or monster. Then there are more questions to ask. What kind of animal is it? Is it old, young, have an accent, is it super cartoony or more real? When I audition, I never have the producer/director tell me what I need to do, so whatever voice I choose will always be a risk. I love to take risks. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be very good at what I do. The most significant risks, I think, are doing accents for narrations or commercials. The accents that I do are Australian and South African. I always have to ask myself, is this believable? Will they buy it? As the saying goes, no risk, no reward. If you aren’t willing to take risks, then running your own business is probably not for you. Taking risks isn’t always bad. You learn valuable lessons to take with you the next time you jump in the deep end, and the more you do it, the better you will get.
Contact Info:
- Email: nathan@nathannokesvo.com
- Website: www.nathannokesvo.com
- Instagram: nathannokesvo
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathan.nokes.566
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/nathan-nokes-204068302
