We Interviewed Voice Actor Dela!

We caught up with Dela, an awesome Filipino-American Voice Actress on a mission to make projects pop with her voice magic! We talked about inspirations, creative adventures, and the inside scoop on what it’s really like being a voice actor. Dive in for a dose of Dela’s energy and some behind-the-scenes fun! Dela is also in our original project “I Married a Monster on a Hill” Check out the interview to learn more!

1.What initially inspired you to become a creator, and how has that inspiration evolved throughout your creative journey?

What really inspired me to become a creator aka a voice actor was I was heavily inspired originally by prolific voice actors that I admire greatly in video games and animation that I grew up watching and playing which is Tara Platt, Laura Bailey and Steve Blum, and that inspiration alone has shaped me into how I’ve approached every single character that I have auditioned for and since day 1 on my journey into voiceover, I have only kept growing and improving on my craft. 

2.Can you share a specific moment or experience that fueled your passion for your current creative project?

Great question! So, on this current indie video game project I got cast to work on, I drew my experience from playing video games like Fire Emblem Three Houses and Persona 5, and what really helped to fuel that passion is how strong, determined and confident a lot of female characters are in those games and it gave me the motivation and drive that I needed to breathe life into my current role that I’m voicing in. 

3.What challenges have you encountered as an indie creator, and how have they shaped your approach to your work?

Honestly the only challenge I would say is having to travel somewhere far in a studio to record for a project gig since it costs time and money to do so but hopefully in the future that’ll change once I feel financially stable enough to move to certain areas where are all the main voiceover gigs are like in Los Angeles or Texas.  

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?

So, I know I’ve mentioned her name before, but I have listened to a ton of videos and interviews on Youtube from Tara Platt and hearing how close her character voices for anime and video games sound similar to my natural speaking voice helps to see how I can alter my voice pitch and tone for certain characters such as villains, protagonists, children, creatures, authoritative characters, etc. 

5. How do you navigate the balance between staying true to your artistic vision and adapting to feedback from your audience or collaborators?

Ahh another great question! So, what I have grown to realize is that all of us are unique. There is no one else exactly like you. It took me a while to understand that the world is subjective and what one person doesn’t like about your voice, another person will love that about your voice. And hearing everyone’s feedback whether it be from my audience or the people I’ve worked with has really given me some amazing insight and direction on how I can grow and improve myself as a creator so having that fine balance between both is nice to have. 

6.Can you recall a memorable success story or milestone in your indie creator journey that stands out as a turning point for you?

Ah yes! I am more than happy to answer this question. So the truth is….I hated my voice for years and even after stepping into the world of voiceover since 2020, I found it much easier to be in character in a completely different voice instead of using my natural speaking voice, until just recently I got cast in an indie video game project that actually loved my natural voice print and they wanted me to use my actual voice for one of their main characters in their game and that alone was a big turning point for me. 

7.What role do setbacks or failures play in your creative process, and how do you overcome them to keep moving forward?

Okay I must speak for every creator out there and not just voice actors, but we have all been through rejection. As for me being a voice actor, I face rejection for the majority of my career and how I overcame that setback in my life is to continue staying passionate to what I love doing which is getting to voice act because I personally enjoy it and that’s what keeps me moving forward each and every day. 

8. How do you manage your time and energy to sustain a consistent creative output while juggling other aspects of life?

So how I manage my time working my full-time job which is as a remote research data analyst and as a voice actor is whenever I am taking a short break or on lunch break from work, I use that time wisely to record auditions and voiceover gigs that I’m in and even after work for a good 1-2 hours at most generally in the evening. However, I try to give myself at least a day to not think about both jobs and just unwind and do other things that are non-work related like play video games, watch anime or visit family and friends on the weekends from time to time. That’s pretty much how I manage my time and energy. 

9.Have you found any unexpected joys or rewards in the indie creator community, and how has it contributed to your overall experience?

Honestly, it’s getting to witness how happy it makes my audience feel whether they hear me in a voiceover gig that I’m in and hearing stories on how me being a voice actor inspires them to give voice acting a try themselves or just hearing me voice a character in a video game or animation has helped them get through a rough patch in your life. To me, that is the greatest reward I could ever ask for. 

10.If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring creators, what would it be based on your own lessons learned?

My one piece of advice I would give to any aspiring creator out there and not just voice actors is just to be kind to yourself no matter where you are in your journey. 

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 think you all are doing an amazing job in spreading the word and telling our stories as content creators in this community and I hope you all continue to thrive! There is absolutely nothing I would change about you all. I really enjoy hearing stories from other fellow content creators on your guise’s website. Keep up the great work!

12. Goals for 2024?

So, I’ve already accomplished one of my goals for 2024 which was to be represented by a voiceover agency and I got 3 at the beginning of the new year which is awesome! Two of my other goals for 2024 are to book my very first commercial gig and to purchase a professionally crafted vocal booth from vocalbooth.com. 

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