We recently connected with Lu Velez and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Lu thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?
To this day, one of the kindest things anyone’s ever done for me happened on an unassuming December eve in 2022. I had just found myself dislocated from my living situation of 11 years, and really uncertain about where I was going, and how I was gonna accomplish anything in order survive, and find a place to live while keeping sane. Little did I know that several of my friends in the voiceover community were “plotting” , and “scheming” to do something incredibly generous. So on the aforementioned evening, my friend Grace asked for a little scripting help with a project of hers only to blindside me, (no pun intended) with a collection of funds from a group of our friends. I was blown away by this cause it’s not the sort of thing I’d ever ask for. I never expected such generosity and it was then I realized I had found a special collection of people in my life.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Sure. My name is Lu Velez and I am a voiceover talent. Basically I got into this industry a little over two years ago after being nudged in the direction by a friend of mine. I provide the voice and genuine personality for my clients’ projects whether they be, commercial, narration, audiobooks, animated projects, or video games, even. In certain cases, if the client requires that I can also do audio cleanup and editing to prepare their pieces for broadcast to whatever standard they require
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
It feels like in this field anyone who is anyone will have at least one story of being resilient. Rejection is the day-to-day for a voice actor because you’ll be putting in a high-volume of auditions hoping to get a bite. And that’s not unique to me but what is unique to me is what I mentioned earlier. I was in a state of scrambling to find a new place to live, and there was a lot of uncertainty due to funds and availability of housing. I was fortunate that a few friends of mine were willing to host me for as long as I needed, but this made performing some lf the functions of my business very difficult. Ultimately, I was able to finagle a makeshift recording booth. Many voice actors are familiar with the concept of the “pillow fort“. I made what I called the ultimate pillow fort. Being a pain to set up it provided me at least a recording space my audio could be cleaned up and sound professional, and allow me to earn some money to be able to make a move. Though, that was a pretty stressful time.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I’d have to say that the biggest reward here is… I get to be me. I mean think about it. We all have to put on a particular disguise in certain functions of our life. There’s work you, there’s friend you, there’s family you, and so on. And a certain extent this feels ironic for me to say this because I have been trained as an actor so that’s always slipping on different parts. But creating and being creative is who I am and there are so few avenues that just allow me to do that.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.LuVelwz.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luvelezvo?igsh=d3B6NDA5MzE0bGNr&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/LuVelezVO
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lu-velez-317719162?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_contact_details%3B2U8riMsrTOeT94DWBc%2B5Hg%3D%3D
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCw2yVjxSgJK_G-CW2NCLm-Q