We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dameon Knight. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dameon below.

Dameon, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I entered into the world of narration and voice acting not by way of any previous acting experience. In fact, I do not have any background in the acting space. Was I interested in them? Oh for sure, but my focus growing up as a child and young adult was mostly in the sciences and technology. I think this interest in tech also plays a strong part in my ability to effectively and quickly use the technology during post-production efforts.

In terms of how did I learn? YouTube channels and websites discovered during my research certainly helped my self driven education. I also attended a one-night community education class on voice acting which confirmed that I was indeed interested in this for the long term. As a result, I signed up for online courses which helped to fill in the gaps from anything I found for free on my own.

When it comes to something that I think was most essential in the process, I would have to say that it is my natural curiosity. I really enjoy learning new things, and that includes the whole research process, experimentation, and actual creation of art or whatever it is that has piqued my interest.

In terms of obstacles that stood in the way of my learning, my own self-doubt and imposter syndrome would have to be at the top of the list. I also believe this may be the case for many creatives, actors, and artists. Once a person can recognize that behavior, accept that it is happening, and move around it, they’re able to continue to learn and grow. I am a big advocate for pushing beyond self-doubt and embracing the things that seem insurmountable. The bigger the challenge, the more important it is to rise to the occasion.

Dameon, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I think it really started at a young age. I’ve always enjoyed music and the performances that come along with it. Growing up, I played several instruments and participated in choir, so that certainly affected who I am today. There was a period of time when as a kid I even considered going to school for audio engineering and getting into studio production. Actually, I think the first time I used a DAW (digital audio workstation – the software we use to record and produce audio or music) was in the late high school years. Of course, life has a way of changing things, so that career path never transpired, but it certainly wasn’t the end of my story.

In 2019 I started streaming games on Twitch and it was not long after I was picked up as an e-sports caster for a small gaming org (I didn’t mind performing, remember?). That was rather enjoyable and really allowed me to explore public speaking, voice acting, and rediscover my love for performing. I was also assisting folks set up their audio for streaming and YouTube, so my interest in audio and tech kind of started to converge more than ever.

The self-confidence from casting made me consider that I might want to get into commercial voiceover – you know, radio commercials, e-learning videos, etc. I did produce a few commercials and what not, but I quickly realized my heart was just not into it.

There was a thought that, maybe, long form narration was where my skills were better suited. Reading was always a part of my life, so why not? Anyone in this business probably has heard the recommendation of picking a book off your shelf, sitting in the closet and reading that for an hour straight. I did that and it was eye opening. Yes, it was tough, but I also enjoyed it. “OK, perhaps this is my thing.” So I back burnered the idea but only because I just wasn’t comfortable at the time with the daunting task of self-producing audiobooks.

In 2022 I decided to take my passion of tech and audio and started my studio production business, Ghost Eye Studios.

I didn’t really do much in the business for a while after starting it, mostly because of that darned imposter syndrome I mentioned earlier. But in time I gained confidence. My clients on this side of the business are voice actors and narrators. I specialize in studio setup, audio processing, and post-production efforts. I really enjoy helping creatives set up their equipment and getting their best possible sound out of their performance.

I am quite proud of my ability to create a natural sound in post (production). Oftentimes, creating something that actually sounds like the performer in person can be one of the most challenging aspects of audio production. It is a fine line between a natural sound and an over-cooked sound when it comes to a single instrument performance such as the human voice. There’s no way to hide the mistakes behind other music or sound effects, so it’s critical all the right “magic” happens during recording and post-production. I spend a great deal of time ensuring all of the nuance is captured in their performance and know my clients appreciate this (ability to make someone sound natural) in particular as it is one of the number one comments I receive back from them.

After working with so many great voice actors and narrators on the engineering side, I was inspired to pick back up the idea of long form narration/audiobooks. In late 2023, I started auditioning on ACX (where authors can cast narrators to produce their books which are later released on Audible) and landed my first job in early 2024.

Here we are in 2025 (halfway through, even!) and I’ve been fortunate to narrate several thrillers and romantasy projects. I’ve worked solo, and as part of a cast/team of narrators.

I feel my success isn’t due to one single component but rather to a blend of skill and passion. My interests in performing, tech, and in general, my love of learning something new. Every performance is different, no two books are exactly the same. It’s a constant challenge to try and learn how to bring to life the characters that the authors have created in their writing. It’s something new, each time I start a book. I still do some amount of audio engineering but my client base has slimmed down as I have focused more on narration.

Outside of this realm of art/creative pursuits, I do have a few years of experience (OK, more than a few) working in leadership. I think that world/life has without a doubt shaped who I am. How I think, and how I approach the unique challenges are, in essence, exactly what it takes to successfully run a service provider business.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I think the most rewarding aspect of being an audiobook narrator has to be when a listener gets truly immersed in the storytelling. There’s an emotional connection that occurs between the narrator(s) and the listener.

It is usually just one or two voices, piped directly into the mind of the listener. Being able to simply tell the story and make individual characters “live” such that basic human emotions are developed, is truly something that is both a challenge, and a reward.

Having the ability to make someone feel all the emotions – from love, to anger, to joy, all by telling the story and acting is just something I cannot express how proud I am to be able to do.

I think as artists, no matter what specific area we operate in, all share this innate feeling of responsibility to elicit these feelings in the people who enjoy our works.

Have you ever had to pivot?

This is a great question and perhaps isn’t really told by a story but just plain life experience.

I really don’t have a large presence on socials. In fact, I am rather a stick in the mud when it comes to social media. I did not even get started on it until last year, and that was only due to pressure from my fellow co-narrators. Yeah, yeah, yeah… I know they are going to read this and laugh “I told you so!”

I think it is universally agreed that today, you need to have some kind of socials, be it IG, Facebook, TT, YouTube, etc. but it just was not a priority. I realize now that was a mistake. It actually should be looked at as a marketing tool. I say that as the days of having paper, TV, radio, or other ads are quickly falling behind compared to the power that a social media presence gives.

Small business owners and indies may not have the largest marketing budgets. Quite often, there is zero actual budget for it which also limits traditional marketing methods. So it’s more like we “pay for it” with our time. I think that was one of my self-limiting reasons for not leaning into socials – It without a doubt takes time away from other business activities and things I am far better suited for.

My actual pivot point was when I was reflecting on where I was finding clients and how I was networking. Projects started to plateau, and I am one that tends to see something happening and immediately take action (or, as much in advance as I can).

Chasing work on the casting sites is certainly one possible method of organic growth, but there are also untapped opportunities available by just having some amount of presence on social media. Because I saw the direction my business was going if I did not come up with some form of marketing, I did the hard thing (for me) and began a dedicated effort of marketing my services. As a result, I know authors have specifically hired me based on my social media content. I never would have had those opportunities if I hadn’t recognized that continuing without a presence could be detrimental.

Now, I try to set aside time during the week to interact on socials to push my brand. As a narrator, this marketing could be something simple such as commenting, liking, and sharing posts by authors and other narrators, or producing and sharing audio clips of projects that I am working on.

What about reaching a larger client base? I am really not intensely focused on socials, but I do have “campaigns,” if you will. I participate quite earnestly in community events put on by other authors, narrators, or creatives which help me increase brand visibility much greater than my day-to-day efforts. These focused marking events happen a few times a year, and so far they have been helpful. These events include things like the AANHPI month celebrations and Human-Voices Only.

I am by no means a marketing expert, but I am at least savvy enough to know what I see happening around me. Perhaps others would have more input, and I am interested in learning more.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bio.site/dameonknight
• Instagram: dkvoiceover

Image Credits

SWShanti
Madison Cannon VO