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Mike Smith’s an adventurer at heart who took a big leap from his government job to chase his dream of voice acting. As a former Peace Corps volunteer who served in Albania, Mike’s love for exploration and freedom drove him to leave the nine-to-five life behind. Now, he’s on an exciting journey to live and travel wherever his heart desires, all while building a career he truly loves.
Without an acting background, Mike jumped headfirst into the world of voiceover, learning everything from scratch with determination and grit. A lifelong fan of video games and animation, he found inspiration in the characters he’s admired for years, starting by mimicking their voices and evolving his craft every day.
His ultimate goal is to refine his craft to the point where recording location is no longer a limitation, earn recognition alongside his accomplished peers, and eventually move abroad, creating a fulfilling life fueled by his talent and passion for creativity.
I can’t live without a gaming PC. I play a lot of games for enjoyment AND research as to what’s booking and how things sound so that I can do those same types of performances.
I finally booked a BIG promo partnership with the Dallas Mavericks for the 2025 season. I have wanted to do promo since I began but have only managed smaller jobs until now. Hopefully this will lead to more big promo work in the future!
Mine is personal but I always felt like maybe I didn’t belong because I didn’t grow up acting or interested in the arts (I played basketball forever) but learning from THNEA directors and being able to keep up makes me feel like I can do really big things in the future because of their guidance.
You will hear lots of people tell you what NOT to do, but believe in yourself and use your strengths to do what you know needs to be done. There is no “right way” to succeed in VO!
You can learn more about Mike on his website, IMDB, and Behind The Voice Actors!
13 08 26Rest is hard to come by as a creative person. Experts will often tell you to embrace “just being,” but personally, when I try that, a little voice tends to pipe in my head and let me know that I’m falling behind, not doing enough, and then I end up retroactively putting together an in-depth game plan to tackle for when I’m done pretending to “just be.”
09 07 26...networking isn't just about meeting people. It’s about building genuine professional relationships. The challenge is that authenticity has its own etiquette. Industry professionals can usually tell the difference between curiosity and strategy, and the strongest networking happens when the two naturally overlap.
11 04 26I’m curious, if you’re an actor, singer, engineer, composer, dancer, animator — or like, pursue anything in the arts, can you recall a note you’ve received in the past, or a special nugget of wisdom from a mentor that you can say has genuinely helped shape your craft for the better? A note that’s inspired you to strive to be the best artist you can be? On the flip side…have you received a note that felt like a personal attack or perhaps has made you question your worth as an artist?