Positivity, Perseverance, and Risks with Voiceover Phenom Tessa Netting
By Kayla Bowles, October 8, 2023
Hello SOVAS readers, and thank you for taking the time to visit my column, Diary of A Voiceover Intern. Here, I intend to engage my evolving learning experience as an intern at the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences (SOVAS) through a series of conversations with voiceover professionals. I will engage SOVAS ambassadors, previous winners of the Voice Arts® Award, casting directors, talent agents, and others in discussions about breaking into the voiceover industry and building a thriving career.
Today I invite you to meet actor and digital creator Tessa Netting. Tessa has had an extensive career, from performing as one of the Ballet Girls in the Original Broadway cast of Billy Elliot the Musical to having a recurring role on the Disney Channel series Bunk’d, all while moderating a highly successful YouTube channel with over 800,000 subscribers. In recent years, Tessa has been building a successful career in voice acting, including audiobook narration, video games, and most recently, a main role in the animated series Tiny Toons Looniversity. Please welcome her as my guest today.
Kayla: Hi Tessa; it is so nice to meet you! May I just say that I am a massive fan of yours? I grew up watching your YouTube channel and it inspired me to create my own, which in turn opened the door for voiceover opportunities, so this really is a full circle moment for me.
Tessa: Oh my gosh, that’s incredible. Thank you so much! It’s great to meet you too!
Kayla: My first question for you is: I know you have a lot of acting experience, with Broadway and then TV… Could you speak about those experiences and how they led you to pursue a career in voiceover?
Tessa: Yeah. I mean, my career is not like most people’s—it’s more all over the place… [laughs]
Kayla: I find that amazing. You do it all!
Tessa: I would like to say it’s like my ADHD brain is living its best life, because I don’t stay in a thing too long before I get bored of it. Before it isn’t fun for me anymore, I move on to something else. To me that keeps it fun, it keeps it fresh, it makes it feel like it’s not a job, even though it is. But also, I think with those things, I felt like I was able to be done with it or to move on because I was just so happy with what I did. There are so many actors who I’ve seen feel stuck because they accomplished something huge and feel like they’re just trying to live up to that for the rest of their lives, and I just didn’t want to feel that. I feel like when you do more, there is less pressure on those things. I want to have as many experiences as possible, and it’s crazy how much my past experiences inform what I’m doing now!
Kayla: In what way?
Tessa: Well, for Tiny Toons, a lot of my theater training came back and was really helpful. I was really comfortable with singing and character acting because of my time on Broadway. With animation and especially with Tiny Toons, where you can turn it up to a hundred, it felt like theater for your voice. You can never go too far with it, and that is just so fun for me.
Kayla: That’s amazing. I admire that so much, because I struggle with trying to be bigger and more creative behind the microphone. I was very shy growing up, and didn’t want to explore acting outside of voiceover. When I’d meet other voice actors, the advice I constantly got was to do theater…
Tessa: It can help! I also recommend improv classes.
Kayla: Yes! It took me a long time to accept it, but voice acting is real acting, and that kind of training is important to have. I eventually did an intensive theater program that really helped me loosen up! Learning to let go of the fear of being judged when acting outside of my comfort zone was such a game changer.
Tessa: It’s so freeing. It is so freeing when you take that judgment off of yourself, and honestly, the biggest piece of advice I could give to someone that wants to get into voiceover is to just take risks. Every role that I’ve ever gotten was because I took a risk in the audition. You have to realize that they are listening to so many takes, and your first thought isn’t always the best thought, because the first thought is the obvious thought. What I like to do is to play around before I dive into it and take as many risks as I can.
Kayla: I tend to make acting choices that play things close to my comfort zone, so taking risks in the booth and playing around with ideas is something I will definitely take note of. Speaking of risks, what would you say is the biggest risk you’ve taken in relation to your voiceover career?
Tessa: Ooh, good question. Probably improving, for the most part. If I’m reading something and I’m really starting to understand the character and feel like they would say or do something extra or differently, I’ll add it. I’m not saying to just improv in every audition because sometimes it doesn’t feel natural or make sense to do it, but if it feels right, I’d go for it.
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Kayla: How have your goals for yourself changed/evolved since first starting out in voiceover? You’ve spoken a lot about your goal of voicing a cartoon character on social media, and now that that’s happened, what’s next?
Tessa: Yes! That has been building for a while. I started doing voiceover ten years ago in LA, but it really takes a long time to get into this industry. There are so many people, so few roles, and titans in this industry who can keep voicing roles forever; so, it’s really hard, especially in the animation space. I had been slowly working my way into the space and doing small things here and there, but the longer I worked, the closer I got to landing a big project. But I do have to say, I almost quit right before I booked Tiny Toons. I reached out to my dear friend Pat Brady for advice, and she asked me, “What is it going to take for you to have fun with this again?” I told her that it needed to feel like a hobby, because taking a step back and not putting all of myself into it was better than quitting altogether. So, I didn’t submit as much and was pickier with my auditions, and only went out for things that I was truly excited about. I had to realign myself and remember that success is only an added bonus, and that you have to make the day-to-day life of working in voiceover enjoyable. You cannot get so caught up in comparing yourself, being hard on yourself, and telling yourself things like “Once I get to this point, then I’ll feel great,” because that might never happen. If you truly enjoy it, even if you never reach that goal, being able to work in the industry should make you happy. Getting to that point was a game changer, and I booked Tiny Toons three months later. I just had to get out of my own way. That was such a big thing that I had to overcome, so… another piece of advice that I could give is that as an artist, as a creative, don’t be so hard on yourself!
Kayla: Definitely. I’ve been told so many times to get out of my own way, to just free myself from myself, and I always try to keep that in mind, but to actually do it is a whole different challenge.
Tessa: Yeah! You really have to dig deep.
Kayla: It’s hard, but I try to focus less on success and more on the experience of working in the industry. I feel that if I experience the things I want to experience, then the hard work is worth it.
Tessa: One hundred percent! It is. It’s worth just meeting people, and like you’re doing—interviewing people, talking to people, having these wonderful interactions and conversations.
Kayla: It’s so special. Shifting gears, like you, I also have a background in content creation. My last interviewee brought up how marketability and branding factors into building a career in the industry. Has your time as a content creator provided you with any tools that you use to help yourself stand out?
Tessa: The people you can meet through the internet are amazing. The industry is very small but very kind, and there are people who want to have conversations and do interviews and collaborate on different projects with people who are just as passionate about the industry as they are. Voice actors tend to have less of a following than mainstream film and TV actors, but follower count doesn’t dictate how beloved, respected, or known you are in the voiceover industry. The things you put online should be quality because people that are already in the industry can see it. It’s a small world, so use that to your advantage. Make something that might be in your favor if it’s seen by a casting director and make it something you’re proud of.
Kayla: I love that so much. We are about to wrap up, so my last question for you is: What do you think is the most important thing someone breaking into the industry should know or learn?
Tessa: It’s important to have another job that in addition to voice acting to both keep you afloat and allow voiceover to stay fun for you. I hope that that changes for future generations. I hope it goes back to a point where you can make a living working as an artist full time, but this is the time that we’re living in, and we’ve got to make the most of it. I’d find a job that is close to the industry, like casting, or something like podcasting that will teach you skills that you can apply to your voiceover goals. Another thing you can do is find a job that puts you out there. Just speaking to people on a day-to-day basis can help you feel more comfortable with your voice. Before I started to work more in cartoons, I did a lot of audiobook narration, which really flipped a switch in my brain. Spending so much time talking and reading gave me so much practice and helped me feel more comfortable in front of a microphone. Working jobs that will build those skills to help you in the booth is great!
Kayla: Tessa, thank you so much for being here with me today, it was lovely to talk with you!
Tessa: Thank you!
Kayla Bowles is assistant to Rudy Gaskins and Joan Baker, founders of the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences (SOVAS), creators of That’s Voiceover! Career Expo, and the Voice Arts Awards. She currently studies the art of voice acting with Joan Baker, and has studied with Real Voice L.A., The Acting Studio, and Broadway Evolved. Though new to the voiceover business, Kayla has already booked a local TV commercial, a role in an indie animated series (in development), and lent her voice to various passion projects. She is currently an undergrad at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY.
