Today we’d like to introduce you to Griffin Burns
Hi Griffin, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in a small, rural town in Pennsylvania. I played a lot of sports growing up but also had an interest in music and playing guitar/singing on stage with my garage band at local talent shows and carnivals.. I went to college at Bucknell University and was a member of the cross country and track teams. But around my junior year I knew I wanted to dig back into my creative side and hung up my running shoes for a semester abroad in London where I focused on creative writing and theater. After college I beelined to Los Angeles in the summer of 2010 and briefly lived with my older sister. Struggling to figure out how to make a living as a creative, I stumbled upon a voice over audition through an online casting website to play a young WWII soldier for a “voices of the past” scavenger hunt at San Diego’s Balboa Park. Using my recording equipment from my garage band days, I recorded an audition and 3 weeks later I landed the gig. This was the lightbulb moment so-to-speak and what got me putting all my time and attention into voice acting. Just a few years later, I was able to quit my survival jobs and focus on voice over full time. A lot of my early gigs were in radio/tv commercials but today I work heavily in anime, video games, and cartoons. In the last 4 years some of my projects have garnered very large fan followings and have allowed me to make guest appearances at anime conventions and comic con’s all over the country. Currently I travel about twice a month to various shows.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I had some beginner’s luck when I moved to LA. I booked the very first voice over audition I ever read for and landed a day player role on an episode of Disney’s Wizard’s of Waverly Place (allowing me to get my SAG card) all within my first 4 months of moving to the city. However, the next couple years were challenging to book consistent work. I would drive from Highland Park to Beverly Hills up to 4 times a week to audition at my agents office with very few results. It wasn’t until I left that agency and found a better fit that my work started to ramp up. But there were moments when I thought maybe I just wasn’t cut out for this kind of work.
Another challenge was trying to support myself while pursuing voice acting. In the first few years I was working for two valet companies, doing extra work in TV/film, and occasionally house sitting or taking an assistant job. I had to keep my overhead super low to pay rent and keep my day’s free to audition.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
People know me most for my work in the English dubs of anime and video games. I voice Muichiro in Demon Slayer, Childe in Genshin Impact, Doppio in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Colt Grice in Attack on Titan, Akira Fudo in Devilman Crybaby, Shalnark in Hunter x Hunter, Canute in Vinland Saga and many, many others.
However, I’d say I’m most proud of some of my original animation work. I am the new voice of Ken in Barbie Mysteries: The Great Horse Chase which lands on Netflix Nov. 1st. And I voice Prank (the Joker van) in the Cartoon Network / HBO max show Batwheels. I also am very proud of the original songs I’ve put out with my band, New New Girlfriend.
I think what sets me apart is that I can convincingly play younger male characters while having the knowledge and experience of being in my 30’s. I also think that having entered the voice over world in my early 20’s was a huge advantage as a lot of actors don’t venture into voice over until later in their careers.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Work ethic. I grew up in a family that encouraged that I work towards my goals. Whether it was raking apples to make $5 in order to get a Blockbuster video game rental, or logging miles in the summer to prepare for a cross country season, I knew what kind of work I needed to put in to achieve certain outcomes.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.griffinburns.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/mygriffinburns
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/thegriffinburns
