Eric Bell - The Voice Behind the Voice

What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
I’ve been an entrepreneur my whole life.  Whether as a kid, washing cars or mowing lawns in my neighborhood, or as an adult helping to grow small businesses, I’ve always hustled.  Even in the corporate world, working in sales and achieving high levels of success means you must have entrepreneurial spirit to thrive, and I’ve been very successful in my sales career.  With acting, I am the product.  I am the business.  I double-downed on me.  It’s nothing new.  I’m comfortable being me and believe highly in my abilities to succeed as an actor.  The key to entrepreneurship is having something of value that people want.  I feel l I have a lot to offer the world.
 
At what point did you realize that you had that special gift, your voice to pursue a career?
I’ve honestly known for years that my voice is special.  That my voice is one of my strongest, unique, characteristics.  For years, people have asked me if I worked in the voiceover industry, and sadly, I was always like, no, but one day I will…. Until I decided that the one day, was now!  Why wait?!  In 2018, I began my voiceover journey and I’m proud of my progress so far and I’m super excited for the future.

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What is your routine/preparation before getting on the mic?
VO sessions are always a special time because it’s literally just you and the script.  It’s my job to breathe life into the words, to connect with the words and make them my own.  As far as routine and preparation goes, hydration and warm-ups are key, then it’s just a matter of having fun and transforming into that character to bring those words to life.
 
How did you begin your journey as an actor?
Although I dabbled with acting and modeling in my 20’s, I’ll say my real journey as an actor began in 2018.  I began to take acting classes, both on-camera and voiceover, and just began to study acting techniques and learn as much as possible.  In the process of continuing to take acting classes, I’ve been auditioning and networking as much as possible.  I want to be a resource and help projects.  So far, my acting journey has had more ups than downs, and of course, I hope that continues.
 
What keeps you motivated in such a competitive industry?
Acting is very competitive, but it’s also full of opportunities.  As an actor, whether on-camera or voiceover, being prepared and doing your best in auditions is all you have control over.  Do you best and forget the rest!  Self-motivation is very important because acting can be very lonely sometimes.  Staying inspired, building your creative community, continuing to learn and practice, challenging your creatively, and most importantly, staying present and having fun.
 
What advice would you give to someone seeking to become an entrepreneur?
Being an entrepreneur is awesome!  I believe everyone should be an entrepreneur, even if they still have a “day job”.  Entrepreneurship builds confidence, teaches skills you didn’t know you had, and possibly can give you better control of your life and finances.  The new “gig-economy” is here to stay, so any skill a person has, can and should be at least tried to be turned into their own business.  That’s my goal!
 
What would you consider to the ultimate gig and why?
The ultimate gig for me would involve travel, food, and fun.  I love to travel, try new cuisines, and discover new and exciting experiences.  I’d love to host a travel and food show.  Being a travel and food show host would be a dream come true because I’d be able to do what I love and use my talents to combine all of these things together and share it with the world.

Follow Eric Bell
@EricBBell on Instagram & Facebook