Jan 25, 2021

Rachel Kimsey: Faculty in Focus

Rachel Kimsey is an Actor, Voice Actor, Coach and Teacher who teaches Voice Acting at Theatre of Arts Hollywood. She works as a Voice Actress in categories as diverse as Animation, Interactive, Promo and Commercial. She's been the voice of McDonalds and Burger King, Wonder Woman and Bleeze the Red Lantern, CNBC and the Sundance Channel. She's yelled "grenade" and "frag out,"' been the voice of someone else's face, the face of someone else's voice, played a "Call of Duty 3" character named Rachel with her very own likeness, and played anime characters with impossible proportions. Rachel has coached acting, voice acting and performance capture for eight years in Los Angeles, and has had the privilege of working on stage, screen, radio and television across two continents.

Rachel Kimsey

Los Angeles, California

Recent Projects:

Wonder Woman - Justice League Action (DC / Warner Bros.)
Rachel Kane - Call of Duty III: Black Ops
Star Wars: The Old Republic - Onslaught

Faculty Q&A:

TOA: When or how did you first realize you wanted to become an actor?

Rachel Kimsey: An alchemy moment for me on my journey to being an actor was standing on the stage at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival during an educational backstage tour, realizing I'd never felt more at home or been able to breathe more freely than in that moment and in that place. I was 16 and I never wavered in my career path from that moment on.

TOA: What's your favorite thing about teaching at TOA?

Rachel Kimsey: I love teaching students who are both dedicated to the life of an artist and who are actively seeking to grow and improve and find their best work.

TOA: How would you describe your overall approach to teaching?

Rachel Kimsey: I firmly believe that my opinion is only that. I want my students to develop the ability and the courage to decide for themselves if their work is good.

TOA: What advice would you give to prospective students considering pursuing their degree at ToA?

Rachel Kimsey: Come with a dedication to learning and an open mind to avenues and opportunities you may not have considered yet. The life of an actor or artist is rarely linear, be ready to expand your horizons.

TOA: If I don't like cartoons or video games, should I skip VO?

Rachel Kimsey: I don't know, do you like podcasts, or audiobooks, do you watch commercials, or true crime shows, do you listen to the radio or watch explainer videos instead of reading the instructions? Those are all jobs that voice actors get paid to do every day. This is an amazing corner of the entertainment industry that can be underappreciated. Come learn to love it with me!

TOA: How would you describe your experience so far with teaching online courses during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Rachel Kimsey: VO is fortunately rather well suited to online learning. We can get focused and intimate while also exploring the working set up you may actually use to pursue work after your time at TOA.

TOA: Thank you Rachel for sharing your continuing journey with us!

Clips:

Rachel as Wonder Woman in "Justice League Action".