Everyday VOpreneur® with Marc Scott

Episode Summary

Episode: From First Audition to 150+ Game Credits: The Truth About Video Game VO with Ian Russell
Release Date: October 2, 2025
Guest: Ian Russell
Host: Marc Scott

Episode Overview

This episode features acclaimed voice actor Ian Russell, whose unconventional journey in voice acting—particularly within the video game industry—has led him from humble beginnings to more than 150 roles in over 100 games. Marc and Ian deliver an honest, practical, and inspiring deep dive into building a sustainable voiceover business with a focus on video game VO, covering the realities of breaking in, sustaining a career, and the truths behind the “hustle” necessary to succeed.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Starting from Scratch – Ian’s Unconventional Path (02:09–13:01)

• Pivoting Careers:
  • Ian shares how the 2008 credit crunch and family reasons led him to relocate to the U.S. and try voice acting after almost 30 years in finance. He describes this as his second big expatriation and entrepreneurial leap.
    • “I had a choice, seek employment or make my own. I decided that I would try making my own first.” — Ian [01:40]
• First-Year Hustle:
  • Ian’s start involved makeshift studio setups (USB mic, walk-in closet), limited knowledge, and mainly using casting sites.
    • “I put the computer and the microphone in a car … I basically lived in my walk-in closet for a year and a half.” — Ian [08:20]
• Geography & Opportunity:
  • Eye-opening realization early on: clients can be anywhere; first two gigs were for New York and New Zealand.
    • “I suddenly realized that geography is irrelevant … I do think that a lot of new talent, particularly here in the US, don't look outside of this continent.” — Ian [10:38]

2. Building Momentum – The Game Credits Explosion (14:06–19:25)

• Not a Linear Start:
  • Ian did not initially intend to focus on game VO; a turning point came with award nominations and wins.
  • “I got nominated for video game for a Warhammer game … and I cried.” — Ian [15:15]
• Strategic Rebranding:
  • After his first major win, Ian and his wife rebranded him as a “video game guy,” ramped up networking, training, and became sought-after in games.
    • “We started reaching out more about, ‘I'm a video game guy, I do video games.’ … Then, sort of the following year and the year after that … can't stop booking video games.” — Ian [17:09]

3. Awards & Credibility in VO – Value Beyond the Hardware (19:25–24:39)

• Marketing Leverage:

  • Having nominations and awards provides both external credibility and internal validation.
    • “Nominated six of the last seven years with two wins is a very concise way of saying I kind of know a little bit about what can deliver this.” — Ian [20:28]

• Industry Perceptions:

  • Discussion around the value (and cynicism) of awards, and how even nominations can open doors—mirroring wider entertainment industry trends.
    • “Isn't that how they're all introduced now? Right. When somebody's the headline in a movie it's, you know, the multi academy award winning…” — Marc [23:24]

4. Landing (and Keeping) Career-Making Roles (24:39–34:10)

• Origin of Vernon Locke – Payday Franchise:

  • Ian landed the role through a casting site; only five people auditioned.
    • “On the 2nd of November this year, that's the date I auditioned for Vernon Lock in 2015 … So I think I was the best of five bad people, I think.” — Ian [25:49]
  • Didn’t realize the significance of the game or character for several years; community engagement unexpectedly boosted his profile and led to recurring roles and industry events.

• Advice: Don’t Chase Only AAA Games:

  • Many now-classic, lucrative franchises started as indie titles. Don’t overlook the “next big thing.”
    • “We get our minds and our eyes set towards the AAAs … and sometimes I think that we do that at our own peril.” — Marc [28:31]
  • “Sometimes the ones that creep up on you … you just don’t know where it’s going to go.” — Ian [29:30]

5. Character Development & Acting Without Training (34:20–41:39)

• Process:
  • Character creation often starts from minimal information—picture, a few lines. Ian leans intuitively on stereotypes, improvisation, and experience.
    • “I think I’m an intuitive actor … Even if you get [a] pit so [audition], you often don’t have much to hang on to.” — Ian [36:16]
  • No classical training; childhood exposure to theater and years in community drama laid the groundwork.
    • “I probably get whatever I get from her genetically.” — Ian, about his mother’s theater background [40:00]

6. Indie vs. AAA Games – Where the Work Really Is (42:03–45:46)

• “Maslow’s Pyramid” and the Market:

  • AAA games are the tip—big budget, few opportunities for most actors. The bulk of casting (and global opportunity) is in the massive indie and smaller studio spaces.
    • “There are something in the region of 10,000 games released on Steam every year and three of those are AAA. That means there's 9,997 games that are not AAA.” — Ian [43:41]

• Advice: Indie opportunities outnumber AAA by orders of magnitude. Don’t ignore them.

7. Where Work Comes From & The Power of Visibility (45:46–53:37)

• Lead Generation:

  • All avenues—casting sites, IMDbPro, direct outreach, LinkedIn, game dev maps, X/Twitter, and database searches. Everything is a possible lead.
    • “If you have IMDb Pro … you can find video games in pre production. You can find out who the casting director of that video game is. And now you have a lead.” — Ian [45:46]
  • Massive web presence driven by spouse Sandra, who manages profiles across dozens of sites for maximum discoverability.
    • “My wife … is constantly, constantly looking for places to put my name because … the more likely a Google search will find you.” — Ian [50:27]

• Social Media’s Dual Role:

  • Both for networking/lead-gen and as a filter—clients may check if you behave professionally online.
    • “...as you move up … the probability that there’s someone going to check you out, that you are not acting like a numpty, increases.” — Ian [53:15]

8. Sustainable Habits, Hustle Mentality, and Practical Advice (54:52–65:30)

• Working with Directors & Training:
  • Even without acting school, working with respected directors and continuous learning is key.
    • “Go work with people A, that can cast you and B, that can teach you something about acting or about performing.” — Ian [55:03]
• Daily Practice:
  • Ian’s simple system: Each day, find 10 auditions, reach out to 10 new people, make contact with 10 people he knows.
    • “Find 10 people that I can audition for, find another 10 people I can reach out to and find another 10 people that I already know that I can say something to. And that’s it … Once you get right, it’s habit forming.” — Ian [64:12]
• Conversion Mentality:
  • Calculates audition “value” using conversion rates to motivate consistent effort, paralleling classic sales wisdom.
    • “When I step in the booth to do an audition, it's not worth nothing, it's not for free. It actually has a value.” — Ian [61:41]
• Secret Sauce:
  • There is no shortcut—sustained, focused, relentless hustle is the answer.
    • “The secret sauce? I work.” — Ian [62:35]
    • “Be good at what you do, but do it in front of more people.” — Ian [66:11]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On starting out:
  “I had a choice, seek employment or make my own. I decided that I would try making my own first.” — Ian [01:40]

• On realizing the business is global:
  “I suddenly realized that geography is irrelevant. There’s people everywhere.” — Ian [10:38]

• Early studio setup reality:
  “I basically lived in my walk-in closet for a year and a half.” — Ian [08:20]

• On the value of awards:
  “Nominated six of the last seven years with two wins is a very concise way of saying I kind of know a little bit about what can deliver this.” — Ian [20:28]

• Career-defining role through chance and hustle:
  “I think I was the best of five bad people.” — Ian [25:49]

• On market reality for VO actors:
  “There are something in the region of 10,000 games released on Steam every year and three of those are AAA.” — Ian [43:41]

• Formula for daily business growth:
  “Find 10 people that I can audition for, find another 10 people I can reach out to and find another 10 people that I already know that I can say something to.” — Ian [64:12]

• On what it really takes:
  “The secret sauce? I work.” — Ian [62:35]

Key Timestamps

• 01:40 – Ian on choosing to become a VO entrepreneur
• 08:20 – Building his first studio in a walk-in closet
• 10:38 – Early realization that VO is a global business
• 15:15 – First big game nomination and emotional impact
• 20:28 – Using nominations as a marketing tool
• 25:49 – Landing the Vernon Locke role for Payday
• 36:16 – Ian’s intuitive character development style
• 43:41 – Indie vs. AAA market size and opportunity
• 50:27 – Sandra’s impact on web presence/discoverability
• 53:15 – Why social media presence matters
• 55:03 – Investing in learning and training
• 61:41 – “Every audition has value”
• 64:12 – Practical daily habit formula
• 66:11 – Final advice: “Be good at what you do, but do it in front of more people.”

Final Thoughts

Ian Russell’s journey is a testament to resilience, entrepreneurship, and the practical reality of building a sustainable career in voiceover, especially video games. His willingness to take every odd job, his candid discussions on the necessity of relentless hustle, and insights on market strategy, training, and self-presentation are invaluable for every aspiring (or working) VO professional.

Hosted by Marc Scott. For VO coaching and more episodes, visit vopreneur.com.
Find Ian Russell across the web—thanks to Sandra’s tireless work!