We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dennis Kleinman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Dennis , we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I try to the best of my ability to always look at life from a glass-half-full perspective. Since I began working as a full-time voice actor, I have dedicated my time to fulfilling as many possibilities that I come across, as the “next step” in my journey. I came to this career later in life after a long career that served me well but was not always the pilot light to fuel my happiness and my passion. I knew from an early age that I was made for a creative life where my talents, and the tools that I have at my disposal, would be my inspiration to do more, go further, and reach my goals. As part of that process, I immerse myself in the people who are my peers, as they provide an incredible part of my inspiration in this creative realm. So, in my philosophy, as long as one is lucky enough and strong enough to pursue what lights your fire deep down, being resilient is almost a secondary aspect to who I am, because when you love what you do, your hobby in essence, becomes your life’s work, and when that happens, you exist (for the most part) in a state of deep gratitude and appreciation for taking whatever risks you took to get to your place of pure joy.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
As a full-time voice actor, I am living my dream. Radio and radio theatre played a big part in my life growing up in South Africa. Television broadcasting only began during my last year of high school. Why is this significant? I realized early in my life how powerful an instrument the voice is, and like people in the US who have strong memories of the early television shows that shaped their lives, I and many of my South African contemporaries feel the same about radio. One can almost say that because the voice was heard in such a close and intimate way, it could be considered more powerful than media with picture.
Working as a non-American accented voice artist has its benefits for those companies and projects wanting to stand apart, playing villains in video games, and providing documentary narration. As I have lived in the US for many years, my natural speaking voice now has glimmers of Americanisms in it, but I have also taken the step to expand my dialect training to be proficient in a “General American” accent, which is opening more and more opportunities. Having the ability to speak in a variety of dialects, voices and accents is an asset that ties in with my brand, A World Voice.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Never be afraid to learn and don’t sell yourself short when you don’t have as much training and experience as someone else. We all start somewhere and if you do what is truly your calling, no stone is left unturned in pursuing your passion. I knew I had an “ear” for different dialects and accents from an early age. For some, it comes naturally; when it does, that talent must be nurtured and perfected. I believe that there is always something to learn which leads to trying different approaches and seeing which one fits best and works best to guide you along the way. I will never say, “I already know that” and leave it there. I will say, “I already know that but if there’s more to learn, I am open and all ears and will search for that missing piece, because there most often is one, which could be a block that one is experiencing, and in this way, it allows the doors to open wider to let more in. I have extensive general knowledge and make it my business to know and learn more about what I don’t know. By always being inquisitive, one tends to fill the gaps that exist in most of us.
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
I believe that firstly, you have to have the ability to accurately understand what your strengths are to know yourself. This requires some very deep dives into yourself, with the proviso that whatever the result, you should not let it yield a negative response, but rather, be the fuel that challenges you to go further in your self-expansion. I am currently working in that zone with certain accents and dialects that I want to perfect and be the best I can be at it. When something like this presents itself, one could take the approach and say that you’ll just continue doing what you’re good at and perfect that, but for me, the challenge of overcoming something that might be slightly uncomfortable or even difficult to think about allows me to continue reaching for the next plateau and one’s beyond that. What I believe this does for our human psyche is to work that muscle into the strongest it can be, and thus make us the best that we can be – but, there will always be more. There is nothing greater in the world than knowledge, and the ability of that newfound knowledge to lead you to your future days. It helps make those days exciting, presenting unexpected opportunities and leading one to a more fulfilling and meaningful life. My mother, who was an abstract artist often said to me, “I will always continue to learn, to strive to reach that next level, and when I am no longer able to do that, my life will have reached its end” And, at the end of her life deep in dementia, she turned to me and said, “I think my life has come to an end – I’m not doing anything anymore” In the best way that I could, I answered her by saying that she didn’t need to do anything anymore, that everything she needed was taken care of. As she processed that, she looked at me, smiled, and said, “I suppose you’re right”. She died three weeks later having lived a fascinating life that was full, creative, and meaningful. So, whoever you are and whatever you do, always keep the flame of curiosity burning brightly, as it will light your way to tomorrow and beyond.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.AWorldVoice.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aworldvoice/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dennis.i.kleinman/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aworldvoice/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@aworldvoice/videos
Image Credits
Victor Arriola Steve Miller
