I wish to be a voice actor

16-year-old James has had his fair share of struggles in his young life. He was born with Spina Bifida, causing him to be medically fragile. He has had several major surgeries in his life. He works hard to maintain a healthy lifestyle and lives life to the fullest. One of his most beloved interests is acting – something he’s been fascinated by at a young age. As a child, he would recite movie lines by memory and continues to develop this interest by taking acting lessons throughout the years. His love for acting and determination to be a voice actor led him to his most heartfelt wish. 

James was introduced to the team at Digital Extremes, who embraced his wish and treated him like a king. When the team first met with James, they learned all they could about his interests and personality. They quickly figured out he is a trickster at heart and decided to build a character in the game for him, featuring all his fun and mischievous characteristics. The Digital Extremes team presented James with all their ideas and let him choose which character fit him best. “He was thrilled to have choices,” shared his mom, Maryanne. “All of which matched his personality perfectly.” After much consideration, James chose the character, ‘Ollie’ in Warframe’s newest update, Warframe: 1999. 

Once the character was confirmed, James’ next step was working on his character’s lines. After a couple months of preparation, James and his family travelled to London, Ontario, where the Digital Extremes team met them at the train station and greeted them like celebrities with massive welcome signs. His months of practicing and rehearsing lines were finally put to the test when he entered the sound booth to begin recording his character’s lines. He was even lucky enough to have voice acting legend and newfound friend, Kevin Lim, coaching him onsite. “He put his heart and soul into his delivery of his lines,” Maryanne shared. 

Not only did James meet several famous voice actors after his recording time, but he also received the incredible opportunity to attend TennoCon, a convention that brings together over 3,000 people to share their love for Warframe and eventually see the new updates to the game. During their live presentation, which included over 500,000 people online, James’ character ‘Ollie’ was introduced. The fans on-site chanted his name and cheered ecstatically for him, while he went on to sign posters of his new character for his latest legion of fans. “There are no words to describe this experience,” Maryanne shared. “It was combined the best night of our lives.” This wish truly changed James’ life forever. He has now published his own social media pages to promote himself, in hopes to continue with his voice acting career. 

One year later, James and his family returned to TennoCon, this time as special guests. James was invited on stage during the live show, celebrating the one-year anniversary of the launch of Ollie’s Crash Course. He also spent time at the Make-A-Wish booth signing autographs and connecting with fans, many of whom were meeting their favourite character in real life.