Today we’d like to introduce you to Marissa Lenti.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I’m a voice actress, but this is actually quite a recent development in my life. I started as a seamstress, and I was one for over a decade. I started an independent business making costumes and dolls that I sold online, and I made a small nest egg for myself from it. But, after going to college for Costume Design, I realize that the path I’d been on for over a decade wasn’t the one I wanted to continue to follow. I started voice acting while living in Boston through online casting calls and auditions, at the end of my college career, but I decided soon after starting that I would use my savings from my seamstressing business to help me move to Texas, where the voice acting scene was more alive. To help me integrate more into professional work, I sought an agent, and to start voice acting in more games and anime at local studios in the DFW area once I’d arrived in Texas. It took about a year, but I soon signed with my agency, and then began voice acting for studios like FUNimation. Soon, not only was I working at local studios, but I was also flying all over the country to work.
I’ve recorded games and films for Netflix in Los Angeles, and I’ve done more anime in New York. Now, five years later, my voice has appeared in hundreds of game and anime titles, and I’ve also had national commercial campaigns running on TV and radio. Some of my notable clients include Southwest Airlines, Quaker Oats, Walmart, Subway, Verizon, AT&T, the History Channel, General Mills, Frito-Lay, Brother, ADT, Nikon, Samsung, DirecTV, Skittles, Garnier, Target, Kohl’s, and LG Electronics. In addition, I also work as a writer, director, and general production assistant at Sound Cadence Studios, where I get to do some of my proudest work behind the scenes of the titles we produce.
Please tell us about your art.
Voice acting is the kind of thing that, if people notice it, it’s not always a good thing. If voice acting is done correctly, people often will never notice it, because they’re too immersed in the game they’re playing or the show they’re watching. If it’s bad, on the other hand, it can jar someone so badly that they’re taken out of the experience. So, for me, the greatest joy is someone hearing something I’ve made, be it a character I’ve brought a voice to or a show or game I’ve directed, and not questioning it. If they subconsciously think, ‘Yes, that’s exactly how that’s meant to sound,’ and they don’t think about me behind the curtain pulling the strings, then I’ve done my job properly. Of course, there’s also something to be loved about someone coming forward and saying, ‘Hey, that scene really made me emotional, you did a wonderful job,’ and I love getting comments and fan letters like that. But those are something I get to enjoy once in a blue moon, like the cherry on top of a perfectly made dessert. Most of the time, though, I just want people to enjoy their entertainment, be it a game or an anime or a film or whatever it may be, and if I get to contribute a tiny piece to that entertainment and they don’t notice that I’m there because they’re too busy enjoying the ride, that means I did my job right.
Given everything that is going on in the world today, do you think the role of artists has changed? How do local, national or international events and issues affect your art?
As a voice actress, my role is to provide a flourish to entertainment products. It’s a very unchanging constant, and a job that changes very little when it comes to what is actually done in the recording booth. Creating characters, creating voices, and delivering the lines in the most practiced and real way one possibly can. The content of the shows and games I work on may change, responding to the world at large and speaking directly to people’s hopes, fears, and worries, but my job is still the same: To take what is written on the page and hopefully speak it in such a way that it rings true to the listener.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
Many of the projects I’ve voice acted in are available streaming online, on websites/apps like FUNimation, Crunchyroll, HIDIVE, VRV, Netflix, Hulu, and more. Some of the titles I’ve directed are specifically available for purchase on Amazon and iTunes, like my newest directorial works, This Boy Is A Professional Wizard and This Boy Suffers From Crystallization. The games I’ve voiced are available on platforms like Steam, Xbox, PS4, Wii U, and more. If you’d like to keep up with my most recent work and announcements, my social media is the best way, either at https://www.facebook.com/
Contact Info:
- Website: www.marissalenti.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lentisoupvo
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marissalenti/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarissaLenti
Image Credit:
Kuma Holdings
FUNimation
Anime Midstream
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