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The Voice with a Punchline: Simon Kennedy on
Voice Acting, Comedy, and the Future of the Art
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By Kayla Bowles, September 29, 2024
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Today, I have the pleasure of sharing the conversation I had with one of SOVAS’ newest ambassadors, Simon Kennedy. Simon is The President of the Australian Association of Voice Actors (AAVA), the Winner of the 2023 Voice Arts® Award for Outstanding Body of Work-International, and one of Australia’s funniest and most bookable comedians. Simon has been the promo voice for numerous TV networks in Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific, including ABC Australia, Comedy Central, Movie Network, Lifestyle, Disney and more. An all-around talent, I am incredibly honored that he is now a part of the SOVAS™ family. Simon, thanks so much for having this conversation with me! My first question for you is: how did you get involved in the voiceover industry?
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Simon: I started out dipping my toe in the VO-water in community radio when I was just out of high-school, not long after I was accepted into the Australian Film Television & Radio School which launched me into a full-time commercial radio career. After a decade in radio stations as an announcer, writer and voice artist, I broke free, got an agent and I’ve been voicing ever since – the perfect partner to my other career as a stand-up comedian.
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Kayla: That’s such a nice trajectory; I can imagine that having a background in radio helped to familiarize you with some of the ins and outs of recording voice over. How did you first hear of the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences™, and what does being an international ambassador for this organization mean to you?
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Simon: I recall seeing something online about Stephanie Beatriz and the Encanto cast (love that film) winning an award for voice acting, then I went down a SOVAS™ internet rabbit hole. I loved the idea of an organization dedicated to the craft I love so much. It’s important that we make the invisible visible and for too long voice artists have been invisible. Being part of a movement that lifts voices up, that’s something I can get behind. Australia has some of the most talented voice artists in the world and I want to connect them with that world.
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Kayla: I love the way you worded that: “…make the invisible visible.” I agree that the voice acting industry has not been as visible as it could be, and that’s why being a part of SOVAS™ is such an honor for me as well. Now, looking back, when first starting out in voiceover, what specific goals did you have, and how have they evolved over time?
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Simon: When I started, I wanted to be a famous breakfast radio DJ, I was inspired by some radio stars here in Sydney who were known for irreverent comedy sketches. However, when you’re employed by a radio station, you do the radio they want you to do. After a while in radio, I realized that playing records wasn’t why I got into it. When I look back at my 9-year-old self, all I wanted to do was entertain my friends with Looney Tunes character voices and impersonations of famous people, that kid didn’t want to play Top 40 hits, he wanted to use his voice. Somewhere along the way I listened to that kid.
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Kayla: It sounds like you’ve always had a passion for comedy. How does your work as a voice actor inform your work as a comedian, and vice versa?
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Simon: Timing, timing, timing. My stand-up comedy chops give me, not only the way I can deliver a script, but the way I can deliver the moments between the words. Sometimes it’s what you don’t say, but simply portray that makes a good vocal performance.
My voice and the way I use it is great for comedy. I don’t do impressions so much as a stand-up comic (ok… maybe a couple) but I make sure that every character in every story is painted with a heavy brush.
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From Society of Voice Arts and Sciences:
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Kayla: Between performing voiceovers for promos, radio announcing, video games, animation, etc., what comes easiest to you and what do you find most challenging?
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Simon: It feels arrogant to say it, but promos come easily for me. Maybe it’s the amount of TV I watched as a kid that helped me absorb the rhythm of the promo read, but I feel like I know what it’s meant to sound like before I’ve done my first pass. The music, the script, the sound-off-tape, it all makes sense when it’s thrown together!
Animation is also a very comfortable and fun UGG boot to slip on. The joy with that is that there are a million ways to bring a character to life and each person in the process can give you something you might have never considered. That is my happy place.
The most challenging thing is unlearning all the tricks I’ve learned over almost 30 years of voicing. Doing less. Just being you. Oddly, that can be the biggest challenge in the booth.
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Kayla: That’s a great perspective. I’ve been seeing the theme of “less is more” pop up a lot in recent years when it comes to voiceover performance. What would you say is the biggest risk you’ve taken in relation to your voiceover career?
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Simon: Probably quitting a 6-figure radio gig whilst my wife was pregnant with our first born. It really did work out in the end, but I’m lucky my wife didn’t kill me given I didn’t tell (or ask) her beforehand. Leaps of faith are scary, but you never know if you never try.
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Kayla: What do you think is most missing from the global voiceover community as of right now, and how do you think we should address it?
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Simon: I won’t say it’s missing, but it’s lacking, and that’s respect for the craft. Sometimes that’s from clients who don’t want to pay decent money for what we do, or feel it’s fine to “steal” voices. Sometimes it’s from Voice Actors and industry players themselves who undercut, lowball, and drive down the actual monetary value of the voice arts. It’s an age old problem but the only way to address it is solidarity and education. That’s what organizations such as SOVAS™, our unions, and associations such as NAVA, AAVA, and UVA are vital.
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Kayla: And I wholeheartedly believe that goal is achievable through, like you said, “solidarity and education.” Looking ahead, what trends do you foresee shaping the future of voice acting and the voiceover industry globally? How can voice actors and directors not only adapt to changes but continue to innovate and enhance the creation, delivery, and consumption of voiceover?
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Simon: There’s no doubt that AI is the biggest threat, and innovation, in our industry. I do feel that as the marketplace becomes savvier, and as legislation catches up, that ethical uses of AI and companies that make that viable will begin to thrive. If done well and done right it may be a future we can work with, but what I think this technology will do is make people realize, no matter how hard you try, nothing compares to a voice with a heart and soul behind it – the innovation will simply highlight how special our craft is.
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Kayla: Simon, thank you again for talking with me. This was a really insightful conversation!
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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 has lent her voice to various passion projects. She is currently an undergrad at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY.
