Interview: Jennifer Hale on the real impact of SkillsHub: “It works much better when we lift each other up.”

What does it take to become a voice actor, and what are the steps toward achieving that goal and getting booked for roles? Jennifer Hale, one of the most well-known voice actors in the industry, founded the SkillsHub platform to not only answer these questions but also provide the tools for anyone interested in the field. Hale sat down with esports.gg for an interview about her voice acting journey, how that led to the creation of SkillsHub, and more!

Shepard from Mass Effect, Ashe from Overwatch 2, Bayonetta from Bayonetta 3, and Jean Grey from X-Men '97. These are only some of Hale's many iconic voice acting roles throughout the years. In her interview with esports.gg, she revealed that her voice acting journey began in Birmingham, AL.

There, she started as a production assistant at a studio. After earning $35 for a radio spot, she was inspired to learn the ropes of voice acting from others in the industry. Despite a rocky start, including paying for a bad demo, Hale honed her skills through mentorship and her own persistence. In fact, she used to cold-call ad agencies to land work in commercials and even took two-and-a-half hour drives to Atlanta to pursue her passion.

"I went next door to Atlanta — next door being a two-and-a-half-hour drive one way, and got some work in regional commercials and even national commercials. And then I got my first film audition. I was like, 'Ooh, I like that. I like that a lot.' I was also singing in clubs the whole time, which developed my voice," Hale said.

She continued, noting the importance of putting in the time to improve. The industry has a learning curve, and success doesn’t happen overnight.

"This is the thing that people don't want to know, and I hate saying it. Unpopular opinion alert: It takes time," she said.

That time should be used for developing skills before making demos, too. "Get your chops up because you get one chance to make that first impression," Hale advised. "The other thing that I wish I'd known is that it's a long, long time before you're as good as the people that you look up to."

She then talked about internal validation, which she teaches through her SkillsHub course called "Start It!" This course helps actors build confidence and refine their craft.

Speaking of SkillsHub, Hale told esports.gg that it was inspired by sheer frustration. Even after decades in the industry, she found auditioning alone exhausting and just wanted quick, reliable feedback. Wanting a simple way to get 10 minutes of guidance instead of full-hour coaching sessions, she and her sister Carren Dujela created SkillsHub alongside their friend Bill Reid.

"SkillsHub was inspired by sheer frustration. My frustration. I've been doing this for decades and I still get really sick of auditioning by myself. I'm tired of recycling my own point of view," Hale said. "Sometimes, I want a refresher because no matter how long you've been doing this, you want to stay on trend. You want to stay current."

After sharing her idea with her sister, they invited Reid over to a barbecue. Two months later, the three sat down at a dining room table to design the website. They quickly realized that SkillsHub wasn’t just a tool for voice actors needing some quick and trusted 10-minute feedback. Rather, it could also help them create additional streams of income.

"How do you pay your bills in between? You develop what we call additional income streams. Are you good at e-learning? Are you good at audio books? Would you enjoy audio drama? What about a podcast and monetizing that? There's all these additional ways to give yourself economic stability — keep the cash coming in [during] the slower times — and let you breathe so that when you go into those new auditions, you're like, 'I feel good. My bills are paid.'"

Coaches on the platform are all subject matter experts (SMEs) as well. They're all working in the field or are trusted guides to folks actively working in the industry.

"And advocacy is absolutely a part of that," Hale continued. "By the way, I'm not terribly worried about AI. I think it's important that we all keep our eye on it. I think it's important to keep supporting that the right legislation to take care of our future gets passed. But there is no way to replicate the human soul that I've ever heard of. You just can't. And that is ultimately what makes things fly — our souls."

For those who feel stuck and unsure of what to do next, SkillsHub can keep them in motion with step-by-step instructions — similar to LEGO manuals. The community aspect of it all helps, too. One member, Hale recalled, suggested creating virtual workout rooms. This later became space for practice and collaboration. Meanwhile, another member used to work in the non-union world. However, they now have an agent in Los Angeles and are involved in AAA projects. Five other members, who trained with a voice director and casting director, now have agents and are working on major projects now as well.

"And one of them lives in Malaysia," Hale said. "They all have LA agents and they are working now in the big time. The great thing about it is there can be shows you watch or projects you love. You can reach out and talk to that voice director or that actor who starred in that thing and ask them questions about how they got there and tell them your situation and say, 'What [do] you think I could do next?' And they can tell you. Then you can meet up with them again in a month or two or whenever and get their advice on the next step."

This community of voice actors extends beyond the platform, too. Hale told esports.gg that some SkillsHub members even met up to celebrate a wedding. A platform that champions collaboration and mutual support to help everyone succeed is a philosophy she fully supports.

"There's plenty of work to go around," she said. "All boats rise together and it works much better when we lift each other up. And that is absolutely the culture of this site."

As for parting words, Hale revealed that she'd love to voice "a being that saves the universe along with all of her friends and gets to sing and ride a horse." She also said that there's a SkillsHub discount code for 20% off the first three months. The code is "JHALE."

That's all for now. Stick around on esports.gg for more interviews, news, and updates!