Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Andre White. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Andre, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

So, not a lot of people know this but I am ok sharing it now. I was let go from my job at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. It was an extremely low point in my life mentally, emotionally, and professionally. It it one of the times where I can truly say I felt inadequate.

After feeling sorry for myself briefly, I chose to take action. I said to myself I would use this denial as a redirection. I had been a voice actor part time at that point for a couple years and decided to lean fully into this. I emptied my savings account and roadtripped to Atlanta with one of my best freinds where I bought a professionally treated vocal booth. We hauled it back to North Carolina, assembled it and I used that to audition, continuously work on my craft, and get myself out there as a voice actor and ended up landing several agents the following summer. I have been blessed to lend my voice to brands I have used and grew up with including Mountain Dew, Disney, Spotify, among so many others. And I pray that list grows bigger and bigger in the coming years. My dream is to one day voice a major motion picture movie trailer and also voice a cartoon. I would love to open voice acting studios in Charlotte, NC and Cleveland, Ohio — the two cities I grew up in. I want to show Black folk that our voices are special and can be used as a talent.

Also around that time I started creating content on social media centered around advocacy and Black history, two things I am super passionate about. That led to me collaborating with brands from across the country to deliver messages centered around social justice and equality and I felt like I was doing the work I was meant to do. This all led to me creating a podcast called [Redacted] History; a podcast where I tell stories based around unknown or forgotten events and people from history. It has gained a very niche and supportive audience in the last year that its been out.

My journey creating content and media full time has been in place for about 2 years and some change. It has been filled with very high highs and some low lows but I would not change it for the world. I live by the motto that minor set backs are in place for major comebacks. Always bet on yourself.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I got into voice over when I was a sophomore in college. I was an orientation leader and my boss would always tell me that I had a nice voice and would have me use it to talk to crowds. In the summer of 2016 I was hired by the campus to voice a commercial for incoming freshman and they paid me $25 (I know right….). Although that is not a lot of money it was the first time where a light bulb went off in my head and told me that I could get paid for using my voice.

I have used that to my advantage not only when vocieover but with media creation as well.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

The keyword is “value”. I believe that if you provide something that is valuable then people will be drawn to it. Always ask yourself, “will this last?”. Are you creating something that is not only valuable but is it evergreen? Can someone come back to that video or podcast episode or song a year later and still take value from it?

I built my platform this way. Always trying to provide what I think people wanted to hear and what I felt that would come back to.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I think people in positions of power should realize all that we as creatures have to offer. Im specifically talking about brand deals and sponsorships and the way that creatives make money. I believe this part of the industry is too gate-kept and ambiguous.

There needs to also be more racial and social equity in the creator brand ecosystem.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.andrewhitevo.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/blackkout__
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Blackkout
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@blackkout___