Meet Niko Gerentes of North Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Niko Gerentes.

Hi Niko, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Ever since I can remember, I’ve been entertaining my family and friends with funny noises, songs, and jokes. Kids used to come up to me in class and ask me to beat box for them or, “do the trumpet noise!” My first foray into audio was watching the bonus features on my Star Wars Original Trilogy boxset, and seeing the legendary sound designer Benn Burt create the noises for all of the droids and spaceships in the film. I recently stumbled across my 4th grade year book, and in the section “What I Want To Be When I Grow Up,” I wrote, “Sound Designer.” Little Niko knew from an early age he wanted to be a noisemaker! (Which is now the nickname I use on social media, Niko Noisemaker.)

I quickly learned how to use music recording software in 4th grade and started theater in 8th grade. My first role was The Harold in Roger and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. My high school had an excellent drama program, but I fell more in love with our improv unit and doing Who’s Line Is It Anyway style games. I enjoy the spontaneity of being able to create a magical moment at anytime. I eventually found my way to Columbia College Chicago. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to major in at the time, but noticed they had a voiceover minor. I loaded up on those classes to fill my semester, and fell in love with the craft. A majority of those classes were in the Radio department, where I discovered radio plays. Full cast, music, and sound effects productions that don’t have any visuals. That medium combined everything I loved, and I was hooked. I resurrected the school’s long lost audio drama club, which I’m proud to say is still going strong to this day! I ended up creating my own Interdisciplinary major between multiple audio departments, which I consider to be an Audio Drama degree. I also signed with my first voiceover agency my junior year of college, but knew I wanted to dive more into character work for games and animation, which I heard existed in the mystical land of Burbank, California…

My last year of college I connected with screenwriting major Evan Gulock who had an idea for an audio drama called, “Death by Dying,” about an Obituary Writer from the small town of Crestfall, Idaho who gets too into the deaths he’s writing about, and uncovers a bigger supernatural mystery in the town. We produced the first season together and released it October of 2018. I made my big move to Los Angeles and got a job at a recording studio called Rocket Sound, which records voice actors for video-games. Being able to sit in on sessions and watch the director, engineer, and actor all work together was insanely valuable. I started to network more in the city, making connections, and booked more voiceover work while keeping my job at the studio. All the while, Death by Dying was gaining a lot more traction online. People were sharing the show, creating fan art, and writing fan fiction. We were asked to join a podcast network called Fable & Folly, which allowed us to run ads on our show and have support from a network of other podcast creatives We also fundraised $14,500 on Indiegogo for a second season of the show.

My day to day now looks like auditioning for voiceover roles in commercials, animation, and videogames, working on Season 2 of our podcast, and freelancing for studios as a voice director.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Deciding on a more non-linear path for your career is not easy. You give up the structure of a typical 9 to 5, the yearly promotion, and really need to blind faith, “trust the process.” It can get discouraging when you aren’t seeing immediate results. The pandemic was a very difficult time for the podcast as well. We were able to finish the scripts for season 2, but actually rallying up all the actors, having time to put all the audio together, sound design, and mix on top of still navigating my way through LA, a new studio job, and a voiceover industry suddenly turning remote was… insanely overwhelming. I’ve suffered from some severe burnout multiple times throughout my life, and have thankfully learned to take things one step at a time. The industry has its ebbs and flows and seasons of change, and sometimes it gets hard to pause, live life, and smell the flowers during all the in-between moments. It really wasn’t until this past summer I truly understood how to slow down a bit more, which ironically, allows you to make room for more things in a healthier way! It’s hard to slow down having a multi-hyphenate career, but ultimately necessary if you want to stay sane while doing what you love.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a voiceover actor, voice director, and co-creator of the fiction podcast, “Death by Dying.”

On the voiceover side, I’m best known for the voice of Clockie from the video game, “Honkai: Star Rail.” I’ve been able to attend conventions all across the country and interact with fans! I really enjoy utilizing my range to play high energy / comedic characters. The role I’m most proud of are the side characters I play in the Dreamworks short: “The Bad Guys: Little Lies and Alibis.” That was the first time I had ever heard my voice come out of movie theater speakers. I had a, “Woah, I did it!” moment. Niko sitting in his first improv class in high school would have never believed it.

For the podcast, I wear tons of hats. I am responsible for casting, voice directing, editing, and sound designing; Evan and I toss a lot of work back and forth, so once the scripts are done I’ll look for opportunities to punch up dialogue; I also voice a ton of characters in the show. Some of my favorites are The Butcher, Chester The Goat, The Wild Man, Marcus and Maggie the Maggot, and The Cosmic Spud. They all feel very distinct, and I’ve gotten a lot of compliments about how people had no idea it was me! Years ago we were at a coffee shop in North Hollywood called, “Horror Vibes Coffee.” They do a lot of cross promotion with popular horror franchises. Evan and I thought it would be so cool to have Death by Dying featured there one day. We finally had the opportunity to collaborate winter of 2025, and had two Death by Dying themed drinks at the store for a week. They also let us film a super fun promo you can check out on our Instagram / TikTok.

More recently I have had the opportunity to direct a few projects for a pretty big studio outside of the podcast. I’m excited to reveal more about that when I can! Keep an eye out on my social media for announcements on that front. The biggest compliment I got directing was, “man, I felt like a kid again!” I know I strike some gold when the actors are having fun in the booth. That will show in the performance – if we aren’t having fun with the process, we aren’t doing it right!

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Evan Gulock, the other half of Death by Dying, has not only been a huge creative collaborator in my life, but also an incredible friend. He’s been there with me through the good and the bad. We know each other inside and out, which also makes our creative relationship a lot more fun.

George Zarr is a professor at Columbia College Chicago who introduced me to the world of audio drama. He created a few shows for the Sci-Fi Channel back in the day, and still creates fun shows and musicals outside of teaching. We’re still very close, and he’s even featured as a character in Death by Dying!

Everyone I worked with at Rocket Sound is at the top of their game. I’ve been able to learn so much from engineers, dialogue editors, and voice directors there. Even though voiceover is a very competitive business, I’m always in awe of how supportive everyone is! Actors are constantly rooting for one another and celebrating each other’s achievements. Many people have grabbed a coffee with me when I first started out and gave me advice, and asked me questions. I make sure to pay it forward to other actors and students who are just starting out. As one director told me very early on, “always gratitude, not attitude!”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://NikoGerentes.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/nikonoisemaker/
• LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/nikogerentes/
• Twitter: https://x.com/NikoNoisemaker
• Other: https://deathbydyingpod.com