Meet Jesse Vilinsky

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jesse Vilinsky.

So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
When I was a kid, I grew up as an only child, so I was pretty good at entertaining myself. Movies were a big part of that. I would watch my favorites on repeat, and not only would I learn all the best lines by heart, but I would match the cadence and inflections too. This started to extend to accents, and one day I decided to take this skill for a test drive out in life, and I pretended to be Australian for the day (I asked my mother’s permission first, of course). Now, though no one believed that I had miraculously been from Australia the whole time they’d known me, I did discover that I wasn’t too shabby at this “character” thing.

From there, acting and inhabiting characters became my passion. I went on to study acting at the University of Southern California, and from there continued on to the British American Drama Academy. There my love of Shakespeare and High Comedy and clowning were added to my love of character, and I became not only a more well-rounded performer but a multi-faceted one. And then I went to The Second City in Hollywood and learned that I’d built the best foundation to dispel the fear of falling flat on my face. All of that history has combined to make up the performer I am today. Through it all, the power of my voice was the sharpest tool in my belt, and I came to the point where I am now using it to the best of my ability, and getting to create new and exciting characters every day I am in the studio.

Has it been a smooth road?
Not always. I would say that the biggest struggle has always been myself. As an artist, we are bombarded daily with reasons why we CAN’T do something, why we SHOULDN’T make that choice to create something new or different for others to experience. And the truth is, it’s very easy to go into agreement with this. I spent a good decade being a great waitress because of this – and hey, the money was good and the schedule was flexible. But at a certain point, that fear monster kept getting the better of me, telling me I wasn’t good enough, or that I was the same as everyone else, so I was redundant and unnecessary. It took some work to realize that I was, in fact, uniquely me and that my place was real and would be found. I also struggled with the minutiae of the entertainment business. I love all the acting and stage training I’ve had, and have been so lucky to have had the most amazing mentors, but there’s not a lot about the business side of the entertainment industry. That was a lot of trial and error, and money spent, figuring out that side of things. Do I have it all figured out now? No. But I have a MUCH better handle on it now.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am an audiobook narrator and voiceover actress. For audiobooks, I specialize in young adults and middle-grade novels, ranging from Fantasy to Dystopian to Historical Fiction, as well as Literary Fiction and Psychological Thrillers. I’m known for my facility with a number of accents and my realistic youth voices. For voiceovers, I tend to do a lot of voice matches and sound-a-likes for film and television shows, as well as realistic kid voices. I’m proud of the studio I’ve set up, where I’ve recorded over 40 audiobooks and multiple voiceover jobs. I’ve had multiple engineers remark how clean my audio is, and how grateful they are for my ability to hit deadlines. Because in this business, everyone’s time is valuable, and I always try to instill in my clients my awareness of that and deliver a product that meets or exceeds their expectations. I’ve also been lauded for my ability with characterizations, which is something I work very hard to achieve for every project I’m on. I think it’s important to infuse truth and reality into what I do, no matter if I’m narrating a book about WWII, or voicing an animated dingo – communication is my top priority in what I do, and that’s what sets me apart.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think Los Angeles is a great place for voiceover. If you want a plethora of opportunities in animation and video games, this is the place to be. Now the great thing about voiceover is you can truly do it from anywhere. But when in LA, you can diversify your business to a degree that wouldn’t be possible elsewhere. One of the things I remind myself of often, is that as an artist we have to create in many arenas, because if we put all our hope and effort into only one area, those opportunities may slow. By being in Los Angeles, I can pursue audiobook narration as well as ADR work at the various studios around town, and video games and animation from my professional studio, or at any of the great studios here. Ultimately, this is the place to land for this business. Starting out here can be hard though, as the pond is big and filled with huge fish, so you want to be sure you’re ready to muscle it out when the time comes. But perseverance and talent are powerful things.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.JesseVilinskyVO.com
• Phone: 323-844-1955
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @jsvilinsky
• Twitter: @jessevnyc
• Other: www.audible.com/search?keywords=jesse+vilinsky&ref=

Image Credit:
Walter Peña, Hannes Gahwiler

Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.