Today we’d like to introduce you to Maihan.
Hi Maihan, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I graduated with a business degree and had no experience in acting. After college, I started working for start-ups, did some pop-culture journalism, and worked some government jobs, all of which somehow led me down the path of event planning. By working for a number smaller conventions, a huge pop-culture convention “scouted” me and asked me to work for them. Like, the small conventions had around 1K attendees, and the big ones were about 300K attendees. I got to meet soooo many more people, and I ended up working with a lot of voice actors.
Hearing their stories, their backgrounds, and what they thought they wanted to do before they launched their careers really sparked something in me. At the time, I worked in Orange County, California, and, luckily for me, a well-known voice acting studio was testing voice acting courses in the area (as opposed to their normal operations in Burbank). I felt like that was a sign and jumped on it! I got bit by the bug and kept pursuing it since. This was right before the everything shut down in 2020!
2020 was full of hardships and so many losses. I was even supposed to go to Japan! And I realized: you never know what’s going to happen in your life. That made me want to start pursuing things I’ve always wanted to try. I was unemployed because of the shutdowns and used that opportunity to put what resources I could into acting.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I wish the journey was smooth! But I don’t think many people have it easy. Thanks to social media and things like that, I think everything appears to be going good for a lot of people, but the truth is, you never know what people are going through, what they went through to get to where they are now.
I think a lot of actors will say the strikes and negotiations have made things really difficult to navigate. And I think, in general, voice actors will say that it takes a mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual toll on you to put out so many auditions and book so few of those, if any. Not knowing what you’re doing “right” or “wrong” and the many rejections can be hard.
But I also think, at least for me, because of personal and world events, it opened my eyes to the truth about some of my relationships. That was the hardest thing for me to learn. You start to realize which relationships are real and which are not. Not just personally, but in the professional space too.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m really grateful to be a part of some amazing projects. You can hear my voice in games like Alice FICTION, Arknights, Fae Farm, World of Warships, among others. The thing about voice acting for video games is that sometimes it can take years for a game to release, so I’m eagerly awaiting the release of all the projects I’ve been in. Though, there are some projects that have been released that I can’t talk about at all! It can be hard not being able to share those, but being a part of that experience and being able to contribute to storytelling in that way is enough for me.
I’m really grateful to be cast for anything, really! But I’m most often cast as younger characters, including young boys, and that’s always fun. I’m proud of every role I’ve had the honor of performing and have been so lucky to meet some amazing clients, directors, casting directors, and engineers. Most of the work I’ve done is backed by a team that’s full of just great people, and I always want to get food with them!
In addition to voice acting, I also livestream. I usually use a Vtuber model, and being able to use that as a creative outlet has been really rewarding, too. I do a lot of my own artwork, like my model was drawn by myself! And I create most of my own stream assets too. When I feel emotionally or mentally troubled because of voice acting or life, I’ll put my creative efforts into my livestreams. I think this helps me keep my head on straight and not get too lost or too mentally or emotionally fatigued. Some people get lost in the sauce, you know?
I think what has helped me a lot during all of this, and what makes my experience unique, is that I have a lot of varied experience in general. Graduating with a Business and Computer Science degree, working government jobs, planning huge conventions, among all the other things I’ve done, has really helped me to navigate this space in ways others might not have been able to. How to conduct myself professionally, how to do important administrative tasks, how to connect with people (both personally and professionally) – like some people just don’t have these skills. But what’s really interesting and cool about this industry is that these skills are learnable, so anyone can do it if they wanted to!
But I think the people that surround me who help me grow and shape me have been the most vital to my growth as a person and as a performer, and I think all these experiences are what makes me unique.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I work closely with Julia Bianco Schoeffling, who wrote The Art and Business of Acting for Video Games! It’s a great resource for anyone at any level of experience! She also started The Character Select Podcast with Anjali Bhimani, where they dive into video game acting.
Am I allowed to also say Final Fantasy XIV? It’s not a direct resource, but playing it helps me not think about work. Playing any game with friends is a great bonding experience, to be honest, and raiding in game specifically has taught me new levels of communication skills and teamwork. If I reeeeally wanted to argue about it, I can stay that it’s a great acting study as well, especially the more recent expansions! (But if anyone really wants recommendations on what games to play, even if it’s *just* for the acting, I’d suggest Final Fantasy XVI and The DioField Chronicle)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mai-han.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/_mai.han
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/_maihan
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@maihan_
- Other: https://twitch.tv/maihan_
Image Credits
@themikegarcia
