We were lucky to catch up with Kelly Baskin recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kelly, appreciate you joining us today. So, let’s imagine that you were advising someone who wanted to start something similar to you and they asked you what you would do differently in the startup-process knowing what you know now. How would you respond?

If I were to start my career over today, I would do a lot of things differently.

First, I would’ve had more confidence in myself and recognized that I bring something special to the table. I used to seek outside validation for everything I did, thinking that someone else always knew better than me. Sometimes that was true, but more often than not I just needed to trust myself. Also, I never thought I was unique; just a dime-a-dozen, nothing special average girl. Now I understand that what clients want is ME, not some manufactured version of what I think they want.

Second, I would have studied something industry-adjacent in college alongside musical theatre, like communications or business. As artists we want to focus on the fun stuff (for me it was singing, tap dancing, and scouring the library for the perfect contemporary monologue), but the day to day tasks like accounting, marketing, and networking are just as important to our business. I’ve learned and am learning these things along the way, but it would have been helpful to learn them from the get-go.

Third, I would have had more fun! I was always very serious about “my craft” and “the hustle,” and while I appreciate where that grind got me, I wish I had taken more time to stop and smell the roses. I’d tell my younger self that I have time and that life is more than just a career, so enjoy it.

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’m cast most often as the voice of girls next door, spoiled brats…

I have a background in musical theatre, but developed a vocal injury known as nodes or vocal nodules, which means I had calluses on my vocal folds and they couldn’t properly make sound. While I was recovering, I took a voice over class and liked it (I thought I could maybe do voice over on the side while I was on broadway!). So I took another class, then another, made a demo, and started booking voice over jobs (good thing the industry at the time was really into the gravelly voices of Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone!). I found it to be more freeing, creative, lucrative and less toxic than musical theatre, so I decided to focus solely on voice over. I moved from Chicago to LA in 2016 and have been working in the industry since.

I bring a lot of fun to my work! My favorite things to voice are gasps, sighs, vocal fry, and screaming. I’m cast most often as the voice of girl next doors, spoiled brats, shy teens, and feminine fighters, but I also love voicing deep voiced villains, sultry femme fatales, and kooky creatures! If we work together, there’s a 110% chance I’ll tell you all about my dog, Robin.

Some credits include animations Rainbow High, Miraculous Ladybug, and Ba Da Bean, video games Genshin Impact, Fire Emblem Heroes, Disgaea 6, and Gunvolt 3, and commercials Hello Fresh, Alaska Airlines, and Oriental Trading.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think non-creatives struggle to understand that creative fields aren’t linear. Two of the most dreaded questions we encounter are, “so what are you working on?” and “have you worked on anything I’ve seen?” We are creatives whether we are being paid for work or not, whether we work on popular titles or not, or if we’re in between projects or not. So many people are only accustomed to a 9-5 work week and don’t realize that while we may not be working at 10am on a Tuesday, we might be working early mornings, late evenings, and/or on the weekends. Also, every creative path is different. My journey looks vastly different from many of my colleagues. There’s no one-size-fits-all trail into creative fields and there’s a wide range of what a creative career can look like.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

When I was in college right before I graduated, the head of the musical theatre department told me that I “would never be anything more than a Disney Princess.” That stuck with me and ruined my confidence for a long time.

I had to learn that one person’s perception of me was just that – one person’s perception. What he saw and thought of me was not necessarily true. I had to unlearn the idea that he, or anyone, knew me better than I knew myself. Once I did that I was able to discard the weight of his opinion, which helped me discover who I actually was and what I had to offer.

Not only was he wrong, but in my career I’ve voiced a wide array of characters, including, but not limited to, princesses.

Contact Info:

• Website: KellyBaskinVO.com
• Instagram: @KellyBaskinVO
• Facebook: facebook.com/KellyBaskinVO
• Linkedin: Kelly Baskin
• Twitter: @KellyBaskinVO
• Other: TikTok: @KellyBaskinVO; Twitch: KellyBaskinVO; Streamily: Kelly Baskin.