Daily Inspiration: Meet Alex Borton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Borton.

Hi Alex, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I guess it all stems from being just another odd-ball kid. A lot of people and children sing in the shower but growing up I would always do voice impressions. It started as just reenacting scenes from the cartoons I watched, where I would say the lines over and over until I sounded as close to the character as I could. I just did it as a fun party trick for friends and family doing impressions of political figures or celebrities, cartoon characters and pop culture icons. Just to earn some laughs. But I would say the most pivotal moment was when I was in elementary school. My family took a trip to Walt Disney World as an end of school year trip an one night while leaving the Magic Kingdom my parents wanted us to get out of the park right before the fireworks in order to beat the foot traffic. While on our way out my brother needed to use the restroom and when he spoke up, he was echoed by my sister. My father went with my brother to the restroom and my mother took my sister. In the rush i suppose they forgot me or they thought I would follow but I didn’t. I stayed in place and took a seat on the sidewalk. The longer it took for my family to come back the more my child brain was telling me that they forgot me and were going to leave me there. Silly… I know haha. But as I waited, a booming voice full of warmth and vigor rumbled through the sky saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,” followed by the voice of Jimminy Cricket, who has remained my favorite cartoon character ever since. From those opening words I was completely captivated. For years and even to this day I repeated those opening statements over and over, learning everything I could about the cadence, sentence structure, delivery, and inflections of that voice probably at the expense of my whole immediate family. Then, many years in the future, I saw that there was a job listing which ended up being a casting call for a voice actor. The job was to be the voice of multiple office buildings where I would be heard on answering machines, a few internal company videos, and a few marketing projects. I applied and sent an email to the company essentially begging for the job and I guess I was just excited and annoying enough for them to hire me. I went to a recording studio and recorded my lines in the four hour booking window with the director, and sound guys and after I knew that the entertainment industry was my calling. Things were only getting started from there! I started as a voice actor, but quickly became curious about what the industry was like in front of a camera. I mean I’m in Atlanta for heavens sake, how could I not hear about and/or stumble upon all the fantastic productions around us. So after hearing about a stunt class hosted by owner of ATL Stunts, Brian Krainson, I went and continued to go. Then I found other gyms, then I heard of other classes, then I heard of people in those classes who were trying to get things filmed. And thus, I took on stunts.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Oh no, I think anyone in the industry can attest to that. One hundred auditions gets you a call back and fifty call backs will land you the role. At least thats what it feels like. You can experience pretty long stints of no works, the need of picking up a gig at a coffee shop to keep yourself just almost not broke, and so much more. Not to mention the inevitable mental challenge of sticking with it and continuing to do your best when all signs point to giving up. I also had to learn that there is no such thing as enough training, and that practicing and learning will always benefit you without question. Making connections was difficult too. Most people who know me would probably say I’m decently extroverted but in truth I am the type to only be that way after I have warmed up to a person. So getting myself out there to network and make new friends was something I had to give myself a lot of confidence to do. My family has certainly been a bulldozer that helps keep the roads as smooth as possible too. They always support me and for it I’ll be eternally grateful and pledge that same support in return when they need it.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a voice actor, stunt actor, and character performer. I am blessed enough to live out childhood fantasies of big fights, secret missions, zombie apocalypses, you name it! Wether it’s in person bringing an action scene to life though creativity, safety, and group effort, or in a booth lending my voice to a company, cartoon, anime, or video game I’m breathing life into the vision and hard work of others. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. Recently, I would say my most notable works are in the anime sector. When I was growing up anime watchers were always looked down on but to see how popular it’s become and how hard that stigma has died has really shocked me! My most frequently asked question is probably, “Oh you are in movies and on tv, anything I would know?” And my go-to answer was always, “Maybe? My recent works have been….” And people would always ask about the animes as they usually had the cooler names but they would loose interest after I explained the medium. But now it has become the main thing that earns me a, “WOAH NO WAY I LOVE THAT SHOW!” What am I most proud of? Well, my public answer is, “I have been so lucky to have worked on so many great projects that picking a favorite would feel like discrediting everything that got me there and all the connections and memories I made with everything else.” And that is true. I truly believe that. But to give ya an exclusive, I do have one moment that still gets the waterworks started. I was working at a family entertainment center as a shift manager and the owner wanted to break his contract with the franchise to turn it into his own thing adding a dozen and a half new attractions that his contract wouldn’t allow. The general manager at the time, Caitie, asked me if I wanted to be the new voice of the park because she knew that I “dabbled” in acting. After a big smile and a “yes” I was in the studio recording. It wasn’t till a while later that one day she sent a group chat text out to the managers saying that I was the new voice of the park. I received kudos but otherwise felt the basic “job well done” emotion. The next day when I came into work, it was business as usual, but while rushing around I was stopped in my tracks by a booming voice in the sky that said, “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls.” And this time, it was me. My voice. My voice in the sky telling the crowded park that they were special and that all their dreams would come true. And in that moment, I wasn’t a manager at a fun park. I was a child, all alone, sitting on the sidewalk, listening to that voice in the sky, knowing that he meant it.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
I’m sure there’s a wise word out there that engrained itself into my psyche. I’m sure there is a lesson that was so hard it almost broke me until I finally listened, but in truth, the most important lesson I am still learning is to never give up, practice, work hard, and be a better teammate than individual. Besides moral though, there have been so many technical things that have benefited me. As a voice actor, a surprising help for me was taking singing lessons. Learning how to control your voice is very important and while acting classes help tremendously, singing helps you for when you are in that booth and not in front of a camera. Furthermore, what may have helped me even more was learning how to preform metal vocals. Like fry, false chord, pig squeal, and low growls. In video games and anime you would be surprised how much you end up yelling and screaming at points, and learning techniques that allow for a safe and controlled scream completely changed and elevated my vocal performances while protecting my vocal chords. In stunts, the best thing to do is practice. Film fights and create scenes with friends or others in the industry. Go to open trainings or any classes available in the area. A big help is buying your own gear. You would be surprised how many people don’t own their own gear, so if you want a tip to help make things easier for you, buy your own gear. I suppose having a good chiropractor on speed dial helps too haha! But no matter what role I take on or audition for I always pick at least one of my friends who I show my audition to for feedback and a final “send it”. These people don’t have any acting or industry experience and that’s why I reach out to them. They are the viewer. At the end of the day, everything this industry makes is for them. So why not give them the chance to tell you their opinion before you commit to your own. Always have someone read lined back to you when filming an audition always review it before you send it. Huge shoutout to my boys yall know who you are and thank you for entertaining my over thinking and for watching my mix of so-so auditions!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm17094661/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/borton.alex04/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwfhhlXte4ynJx-3vtdUEeA
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@borton.alex04