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

Alright, Darius thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

My life is nothing short of risks at every turn, but it’s never once felt daunting because I have alway believed in my choices. I moved to Washington DC with my partner after we finished grad school. I was MFA holder but I had no job, but I took that jump to move to a new city and work to establish myself as an actor Oh, and I eventually got a job. While living there I auditioned for stage work and studied voiceover on the side. After two years in DC, the pandemic hit us and as most performers know, it took away most of our opportunities. My creative soul was literally dying, so once again I took a risk and focused all of my time on voiceover, it’s was also one of the only thing actors could do from home during this time. I quickly started gaining traction from videos I put on IG. These videos contained different characters archetypes through voiceover. I didn’t think much of it, it was just really fun to do, but I quickly started to see I had a knack for it. I was receiving job offers via online, and even got notice by Nickelodeon, and got the work with them on their Youtube channel. At this point in my life all signs were pointing towards “Do this Professionally”, and with the loving push from my partner I took the biggest risk of all, I moved across country to California, to make this dream a reality. I decided not to go back to work and I put all my efforts into getting the agents, auditions, and bookings, not knowing if they would come, yes, I had no idea what would happen. “Am I crazy? Did I just make a mistake?” Nope! Proud to say that I was able to make that dream a reality. I hustled, had late nights, early 6AM recordings, and had to move away from family to do this. I took this risk because I had to know if what I was feeling inside was true, the people around me were all confirming that I was meant to do this, and I currently am. Now, I am aware that this is just my story and we all have different lives but if you have the passion, drive, and skills to pursue anything in this world, you won’t ever know the outcome unless you fully dedicate yourself to it. It doesn’t have to be years, there no specific timeline, if you ask me. It’s up to you, but ultimately there’s a difference of giving 50% versus 100% of yourself to a career. So, take that jump, take that risk, I promise you will thank me!

Darius, 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 started acting when I was 12 and just caught the bug then. I eventually did plays, musicals, and Shakespeare, worked at a theme park called Sesame place where I placed different characters from Sesame Streets in live shows, and even went to college to studied acting further. Also, I was always a huge consumer of TV and video games so I was always inspired but what I watched. I couldn’t have done any of this without amazing community who supported me. Through my time growing up, I allowed myself to just try new things and let it be ok if I failed! I am proud so say there were many failures, and I am proud because those were all safe places to fail and learn. I used all the tools I learned from these experiences to build myself into the performer I am today. I tried to learn about myself inside and outside. I am someone who loves to laugh, who loves to just be a goofball, and just make people smile. I eventually realized I gotta start going by “Hilarious Darius”, it kinda rolled of the tongue, really explains who I am in a nutshell!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Being able to inspire the next generation or anyone who wants to pursue a career in Voiceover. I love to spread the joy of this community and invite others to take a seat at the table with me. I find it truly rewarding to help others experience the excitement that I feel!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My goal in all of this is to be an inspirational figure to my nieces and nephews! Right now most of them are all young and don’t really understand what it is I do, which gives me time to continue to establish myself and one day they’ll hear my voice leading there favorite Cartoon. Just gotta make the connection with the folks a Bluey first!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dariusmjohnson.com/
• Instagram: @itshilariousdarius
• Twitter: @dariusj_vo

Image Credits

Barkimedes – Nickelodeon’s Monster High

Promo Voice For the Nickelodeon Network – Including Young Dylan, Really Loud House, Paw Patrol Special events, Paramount+ and more!

Sanosuke Sagara – Rurouni Kenshin (2023)

Yano – OddTaxi

Renatus Revol – Mashle: Magic and Muscles