Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Roland Wiley. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Roland, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?
Years ago I went to an audition in North Hollywood for Disney’s California Adventure’s new Aladdin live action musical, and the line went around the location and down another block. I hadn’t auditioned for something on this scale before, though I had already had years of musical theatre experience for local theatre performances. What made this challenging for me was while I was waiting I overheard the conversations in the line. Most of the people either in front of me or behind me had already known each other from previous auditions at the same location.
This is where my doubt starting creeping in, telling me what chances do I have against all these folks? “This means that they already know the directors and have connections with them,” and other thoughts of self-doubt began to overwhelm me. Then suddenly, a surprising realization struck me.
“Wait. The directors already know THEM, but they don’t know ME. They’ve never seen or heard of me, so my chances are actually BETTER than theirs,” I said to myself. Realizing that gave me the grounding that I needed before I went into to the audition and performed in front of the directors. I auditioned very well for the directors and was offered an opportunity to perform at Tokyo Disneyland that year. I learned that I am in control of my success, and it really starts in my mind, attitudes, beliefs, and perspective of ME.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I’ve had quite a journey working towards becoming a voice actor, and it has been truly fulfilling! When I was nine years old back in the early 1980’s, I was creating audio stories and sound effects by recording from the radio, television, and wherever else I could get them, using my Fisher-Price tape recorder, blank cassettes, and my ability to splice and edit cassette tapes which I learned from reading books at the local library. Fast forward to 2010, where I began working at a radio station and gained opportunities to work as an audio producer, voice talent for radio commercials, radio show co-host, and an on-air radio talent. In 2018 I recognized that doing all these things in broadcasting rekindled the joy from my childhood and it was then that I decided to pursue voice acting and I’ve enjoyed the journey, from voicing commercials, documentaries, animated shows, including performing the National Anthem at two professional sporting events!
I’m currently working with Deluxe to do audio description narration for movies and television, as I won a contract to work with them in December 2024 at That’s Voiceover! hosted by the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences. Out of three hundred submissions, I made it to the final five and won, which was an unbelievable accomplishment for me, as it was my first time submitting an audition in this category! Audio description narration is primarily used for those who may be visually impaired while watching a film, television show, or other program.
Recently I’ve been training with legendary audiobook narrator Scott Brick as I’m working towards becoming an audiobook narrator. Training with Scott has been wonderful, as his teaching really tapped into my knowledge and career experience as a high school English teacher for twenty years.
Both of these opportunities are enjoyable for me because it allows me to serve others. I see providing audio description and audiobook narration similarly to my time in the classroom with my students, because I have the chance to teach and share in the experience with people all around the world, while learning about the book with them! I find it to be a blessing to serve people in this manner.
I enjoy sharing what experience and knowledge I have with others about voice acting. Feel free to ask questions and find out what other voice acting opportunities I’m doing next by following me on social media on Instagram at roland_wiley.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The three qualities and skills that have helped me through this journey are persistence, perspective, and the power of friendship. While I was working at the radio station, initially I didn’t think that I could be a voice talent because I thought I didn’t have “the voice” as the other male voices on the station. “You and your voice can do things that I cannot,” one of the on-air personalities “Bob” told me after recording lines for a commercial. “There’s room for you in this industry as a voice actor, as long as you understand that this career path is a marathon, not a sprint,” he also shared with me that day in the studio. His last statement to me was the most impactful for me that encouraged me to pursue voice acting, which is why persistence is an important quality to possess.
Perspective is another crucial skill to have as a voice actor because some challenges that I have faced as a voice actor is truly staying grounded with perspective. Sometimes I have thought that I haven’t been working hard enough in my voice acting career some days, especially when there are down times and work is slow. Thankfully over the years I have learned how to maintain perspective in those moments, by journaling and looking at what I’ve written. I take the time to dismantle the thoughts that I have because I’ve written them down, instead of letting them bounce around in my mind and weighing me down.
The power of friendship in voice acting has been such a huge help in this pursuit because we’re all encouraging each other on our journeys, whether through phone calls, texts, or social media. The friendships that I have gained over the years with other voice actors has been wonderful because we talk often, pushing each other to succeed, and console each other when life is hard. I know that I’m not alone on this journey and I couldn’t more grateful and blessed to have them in my life.
The advice I have for anyone who is early in their voice acting journey is to keep yourself grounded with other voice actors, whether in person or social media and learn different techniques and tips. Take acting classes, improv classes, and voice acting classes whenever you can so you can continue to improve your skills. No matter how early or far along you are on your voice acting career, you will have to continue learning, no matter what. Develop genuine relationships with other voice actors over time when attending conventions, asking questions about their voice acting career journeys.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I’ve enjoyed collaborating with many different creatives directors, working on animated projects, podcasts, documentary narration, stop-motion videos, on-camera opportunities, singing groups, and improv comedy groups. I am also a musical theatre kid, so I’m always up for something new and different!
Find me on Instagram at roland_wiley, reach out to me through there, and let’s have some creative fun together!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: roland_wiley
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rolandwiley/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/roland_wileyvo
Image Credits
@Nocturnal_Animation, https://www.jazzmineandskeet.com, @Solsbricks, and @Creative_Theory_World
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
