Today we’d like to introduce you to Albie Robles.
Albie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve always been a performer. I used to act on stage when I was younger. People told me I was great. I loved it. I also play music. Guitar, piano, and harmonica. I went to film school in Vancouver, learned the basics of production, as well as how to edit film and audio.
I moved to Dallas and got a job at the Studios at Las Colinas. I would take whatever production jobs came from friends and a couple that I just sort of stumbled upon. I always wanted to buckle down and really start pursuing a career in film, but I kept putting it off. Looking back, I think I was scared of really going for it, only to learn that I really didn’t have it in me. Basically, I wanted success, but I was just waiting for that success to happen to me. I did nothing to push myself forward.
I met my wife on a film set, got married, and before long, time was flying by. I didn’t have a job that could grow into a career. I had kids, and suddenly I found myself too short of time (an excuse), and also too exhausted from work (also an excuse) to pursue any career in a creative field. I turned forty. To me, That was it. I felt that I had let time pass by and that it was officially too late to start any type of career in film or media.
I had a discussion about it with my wife. I told her I was becoming depressed. That on top of not having a creative outlet, I was past the point of starting a career in a creative field. I didn’t know how wrong I was, of course. We prayed about it. I needed direction. Less then two weeks later, I answered the phone at work and the person at the other end said, “Whoah, you should be doing voice work!”
To me, this was like a key turning in a lock. It felt right. This woke me up from this passive way that I was living, going from job to job, and feeling like a passenger in my own life. I took control. I pursued knowledge about voiceover from every possible source I could find. I studied, practiced, and for the first time, I actively pursued the career I wanted, and I did it aggressively.
After a lot of learning, I began recording in the bedroom closet with a mic my dad had given me. Then I began to acquire gear. I began to get work. We had a wardrobe we weren’t using much and I converted that into a recording space, which I continued to improve over time until I ended converting a room in our house into a full voiceover studio. Finally, I officially went into business, and once I was getting work on a regular basis, I left my job to do voiceover full time.
Has it been a smooth road?
Voiceover is one of those things that is much harder than people realize. Until you start doing it, you don’t realize how much there is to learn. Then the more you learn, the more you realize you don’t know yet. Also, you work hard and submit a lot of auditions and proposals. Only a few of these get you gigs. A huge percentage of this job is marketing and looking for the work.
Also, these days it is expected that if you do the voiceover, you should be able to record at home and know how to edit and engineer what you’ve recorded. The editing part came easily because I had experience in film and video editing. The engineering part was a whole different story. There is a lot of trial and error, and new issues come up all the time that you have to learn to work out.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I do a lot of different types of voiceover. Audiobooks, explainer videos, corporate training videos, etc. My background in stage and improv help me to connect to what I am doing. I can bring out genuine enthusiasm for whatever the subject matter is. What I love the most, however, and do best is character work. This includes video games, animation, and voiceover for movies. Because I have a somewhat deep voice, and because it is the most fun, I am mostly cast as villains. THAT is my favorite thing to do. It’s what I feel I do best.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I am absolutely impressed by the level of talent and creativity there is here. From the film community to the music scene, you can get involved and learn anything you want if you know where to look.
I see a lot of litter at times. I wish more people would take care of the city. We have a lot of great architecture here. I’d love to see people take more pride in the city.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.albieroblersvoice.com
- Email: albie@albieroblesvoice.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/albieroblesvoice
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/albievoice/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/albievoice
Image Credit:
Headshots by Michael Steven Daughtry.
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