Former Essex lawyer voices eight characters in Netflix’s hit children’s series Spike
Emily McGonagle, a former lawyer from Essex, changed careers after wondering how people got into voice acting while watching cartoons with her children. A decade later, she voices eight characters in Spike, an animated children’s series that became Netflix’s seventh most-watched programme worldwide after joining the platform on 12 October.
McGonagle built a soundproof vocal booth in a wardrobe at home and began with corporate videos and adverts, then trained in voice acting for animation. She found the Spike project through a LinkedIn advert from its Lithuanian animation company; the series had first gained popularity on YouTube. To distinguish her characters, she develops a backstory for each and adjusts her voice, accent and physical delivery.
In short
- Former Essex lawyer Emily McGonagle became a voice actor.
- She voices eight characters in Netflix’s Spike.
- The series reached seventh place globally after its launch.
Explained simply
Voice acting is the performance of a character’s speech, recorded separately from the animation. Performers may voice several characters in one series, changing their voice and delivery to make each one sound distinct.
Animated programmes can find audiences on different platforms: a series may build a following on YouTube before appearing on a streaming service such as Netflix. Voice actors can work from home studios, and may come to the work from careers in other fields.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “‘It’s been a whirlwind’: the Essex lawyer who quit her job and became voice of Netflix’s hit show Spike”.