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

Kieran, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

This is a question that I’ve found myself thinking about a lot in the last few years. It’s probably one the most universally human questions there is, I think. Because ultimately, it’s us trying to order the chaos of decisions that is life, right? Retroactively trying to map the best path. Wondering if inaction cost us good years or if eagerness saw us rush into things we weren’t ready to deal with.

For me, the wondering was definitely on the “what if I started sooner?” side of things.

I wanted to become a voice actor when I was sixteen, and I became a voice actor when I was twenty-eight, so that’s a twelve-year difference to account for. But, in my corner of England, people didn’t go into the arts. There just wasn’t any opportunity. No roads or signposts. And though I sought it in secondary school drama classes and online voice acting interest groups, the reality of the time and place I came from is that tangible subsistence took precedence over self-actualization every time. You have to toil to live, and toil takes you away from your dreams.

However, when I did throw myself recklessly into the pursuit of voice over, I was met with the incredible fortune to surge into the anime, video game, and audiobook markets fairly quickly. In light of that, it’s very easy to ask “why didn’t I just go for it sooner?”, or “Where could I have been now if I started way back when?”

Ultimately though? I’m glad everything happened in the time it did. I couldn’t be where I am now, if I hadn’t become who I am now. I am legitimately so grateful that I had time to figure out who I was and how the world worked before I was thrust into the whirling heart of it all. It’s granted me a resilient knowledge of self which serves as a good inoculation against the doubts that inevitably come. After all, having spoken to many of my peers who found any kind of success too early, and had to navigate the mess of that amidst the struggle of growing into an adult? I don’t envy it.

My take away is that, in art, experience tops expediency. We can’t rush 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?

A little about myself? Well, simply put I’m a Voice Actor! I perform largely in anime shows, video games, and audiobook productions. I had a very grass roots entry into this industry. Grinding out publicly accessible auditions and building up connections from the any and avenue job I could!

One thing that is unusual about my situation for certain is that I’m a British voice actor that lives and works in the United States, voicing American and British characters in equal measure. And while there’s a long history of British film actors crossing the pond, there’s only a handful of us Brits that have managed to do it for voice acting! It’s a lot more niche!

Some of my more recognisable roles thus far have been the likes of Kanata Rivington in MF Ghost (Initial D’s sequel series), Gregory Violet in the genre-defining Black Butler, and Loid in Digital Extreme’s smash-hit video game Warframe! But I’ve been beyond lucky to lend my voice to dozens of audiobooks, as well as e-learning platforms and commercials! I’m a massive fantasy enthusiast who dabbles in world-building and supernatural fiction, so whenever my character work veers into the realms of things like elves and vampires, I’m over-the-moon!

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

The ability to waltz through the worlds I once wished for, basically!

I was a child that wanted more than anything for dragons to lie beyond the hills and knights to roam the kingdom. I fell in love with the stories my aunt would weave for me and dreamed of all the wonder that lay just beyond the horizon. Sadly, reality can’t always live up to our most idealistic aspirations, but I recognised early on in life that creativity was the one sanctuary where it could. That the things that moved me as a child were not wastes of time and naivety… they were sources of inspiration that encouraged me to believe in better – in concepts like great love and nobility. We CAN inspire each other through the stories we tell and the emotions we share. Folklore and campfire stories are the fabric of our cultures, after all. So, for me? I get so much fulfilment from experiencing those stories and helping push their themes out into the world so that they might inspire the ideas and art of all to come.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Off the top of my head? The music of my youth for sure! Whether that’s The Verve, Oasis, or The Kooks, there was a lot of music I grew up on that grounded me in the reality of: “Life is hard, but there’s beauty in that, so don’t give up.” Strangely, that has helped me keep a level head as I’ve moved through these side corridors of the entertainment industry.

Fantasy, as I’ve alluded to before, has set an invaluable template of what I could aspire to be. There isn’t anything wrong with a bit of aspirational influence! None of us are the main character of the universe, but we can still strive to emulate the examples of our favourite heroes. I mean, we can all admire Edmond Dantès tenacity and industry, if not his wroth, right?

Self growth books have been very useful. The power of vulnerability as a vital component for growing relationships, rather than that of shame? Game changing. There’s also Chop Wood, Carry Water, which espouses how success lies within the uncelebrated undertaking of the daily minutia – that was tremendously reassuring.

Overall, I’d say that as a Brit I’m very suspicious of success and glamour, so I like to listen to the advice of those who have struggled and overcome. Wisdom that came AFTER the glory days feels more tempered than that which arose from the heat of them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kieranflitton.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kieranflitton/
• Twitter: https://x.com/KieranFlitton

Image Credits

Headshot – Jordan Fraker