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

LaKira, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

It all started during my childhood, I was such a goofy fun-loving kid who loved to play pretend with my twin sister and nieces. I was so captivated with taking on a whole new identity and having people believe in it. Thanks to the support of my amazingly supportive parents, I got to participate in theatre on and off throughout my formative school days and college. But the thing that stuck with me the most, what jump started that spark for me, was watching cartoons at the age of 12. People tend to count cartoons out, saying they’re just for kids or it’s just surface level but that is far from the truth! When I would watch shows like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012), Gravity Falls, Adventure Time, and Animaniacs I would believe in those performances, feel those emotions, and smile ear to ear from the fun zaniness. I wanted to do what those amazing actors and showrunners did for me, inspire creativity and passion.

At 12 years old, I knew I wanted to create, act, and inspire Black kids like myself-everyone really. In all honesty, I didn’t pursue it immediately. I just didn’t think it was achievable since I was all the way in Detroit, MI and the acting hub was in Los Angeles, CA! As the years drifted by, I just couldn’t shake my love for acting and the desire to voice act! So in 2019, I grabbed my Blue Snowball mic I purchased off of Ebay, made a comfy spot in my bedroom’s closet and began my long, life-changing, journey of becoming a voice actor-especially since I am doing so remotely!

LaKira, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m LaKira Porter, I’m a voice actor and creative mind! I am a lover of trying new things, foods, hobbies and new experiences! I have a great love for cartoons and animation, so I just love watching them and finding new things to experience! As a voice actor I specialise in many areas of voice acting like animation, video games, narration, and commercials. Since my voice is very youthful, flexible, and has this eccentricity to it (my range of boy voices is not to be trifled with, not to mention I do accents too), I tend to book voice overs for animation the most especially in the indie sphere.

This fact works in my favour because I have the most fun playing out these fun characters, and there’s always talented artists looking for actors with good range for their indie projects. Their creative minds always gets me super excited to audition and just learn more about the shows they’re making, whether I’m on onboard or not! I just love indie animation, I’m so honoured to get to be a part of so many. I have a lot of cool things in the works so definitely stay tuned! I paved a way for myself by just enjoying animation online and sharing that love with my friends & peers. Those authentic connections I make online lead to people talking and they seek me out for projects. And I of course do alotttt of auditioning too, that’s how it all started.

Some projects you can catch me in now are Animation Station, an indie animation talk show. I’m the host, Millie Martins, of a show where we spotlight talented minds in the indie animation world. The Annecy Film Festival selected indie film The World’s Divide. Which was animated, directed, and written by one person, Denver Jackson. Lastly, some more “mainstream” projects Magic Mixies based on the toy brand by Moose Toys, Lil Wild and more are coming soon.

A problem that pops up from time to time for me is when a client isn’t very familiar with working with remote voice actors. Although the major acting hubs for voice over are Los Angeles, CA and New York, etc, remote voice acting is slowly becoming more obtainable. But it can be that much harder for clients to want to take a chance on an actor not in the hub whether it’s due to the convenience of not having to deal with the tech behind it or to ease the hassle on the audio technician’s end (i.e. having to match the mic and audio quality of different studios). I do get the concern and the apprehension that comes with working with remote voice actors, but technology is always advancing so I know it can become easier. It makes me that much more honoured when more and more clients and studios want to take that chance on myself and other remote VAs! I am a big advocate for remote voice actors working especially for actors with disabilities who just can’t move to those hubs.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

It’s the feeling I get when an indie creator trusts me to bring their character to life. In a live session, I get to record the takes with the director/showrunner there. There’s something really special about it. Seeing how they light up when they are happy with what I am performing is so rewarding. And the greatest part about it is that it doesn’t stop there! That happiness spreads to the audience. These shows can be so important to people. Inspiring people to create projects of their own, it becomes a part of who they are, and even keeps a person going. It’s rewarding to be a part of such a beautiful collaborative effort to spread joy. I love my career and I am very grateful I can dedicate so much time to it. It also gives me such a fun outlet to release the woo’s that life can bring too.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

There was a time in my career when I believed my life was about to change. I was reached out to, for an opportunity of a lifetime! I remember it so clearly, I wasn’t home at the time so I recorded the auditions, and the retakes, in my boyfriend’s parent’s basement believe it or not! And… I nailed it! I even got to record for the project and I was paid too. Might be a lucky basement… sorta heh. In the end, I don’t know why, but a recast was required. I won’t lie to you, I was devastated for days. It’s a thing that happens a lot in this industry so it’s to be expected, but I was still floored. I even doubted my ability for a minute. Eventually, I picked myself back up and told myself “You made it in that room for a reason, so who’s to say where you’ll be next!” So what I began to do was be more patient with myself. I was always in a rush to “make it” when I needed to just take my time, build my knowledge, enjoy the process and level up. And that’s exactly what I did!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lakiraporter.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaotic.kiii/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lakira-porter-2527ab254/
• Twitter: https://x.com/kaotickiii
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHWbKHdsN90QdLFeCY6X8iMPJykyi7ns7&si=qOllUbCnLgPhmpSQ
• Other: IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm14090302/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

Image Credits

Headshots by Curtis Burris-White
Character Role Headshot edited by LaKira Porter