Alumni Spotlight
Kristin James

By Greta Allen, public relations student and departmental PR intern

Kristin James grew up outside of Nashville, TN. She initially enrolled at MSU in the early entry program for veterinary medicine. After a year in the program, James decided to change her major to theatre. She had gotten involved in the theatre program as an extracurricular but soon realized she loved the department.

James shared, “I loved everyone in the department, so I just stuck around and swapped majors […] The community vibe of Theatre MSU is what kept me at Mississippi State after I changed my major.” 

When reflecting on her time at MSU, James jokes about how much she would be at McComas Hall.

She laughed, “That is basically where I lived my life–McComas Hall.”

James was not only involved with Theatre MSU but also was a member of Lab Rats, MSU’s improv and comedy group. She shares that her favorite memory while in the department was performing.

James noted, “Whether it was on a regular stage show or part of the improv group, I loved performing.”

After graduating in 2008, James moved to New York to work as a set builder for a theatre camp. After realizing set building was not what she wanted to pursue, she considered voice acting.

“Growing up, a lot of people commented on my voice. I realized I have this theatre background, and people always tell me my voice is cool, so I thought, what about voice acting,” she said.

James later moved back home and started taking a voice acting class in Nashville. She soon got involved in ACX, a forum where authors can connect with voice actors to produce their audiobooks. Today, James typically works directly with publishers and individual outreach.

James now records in a studio from home in Las Vegas, NV. Workdays start early for James as she explained what a day looks like for her. 

She said, “I am normally in my booth around 7:30 or 8 a.m. and spend all morning recording. I will follow up with emails or do some marketing in the afternoon.”

James handles all her marketing and outreach to authors and publishers. When asked what Communication class has helped her the most with her job today, James explained it was her public relations classes that helped her with all the outreach she does.

She shared, “You can be the best actor in the world but if no one knows you exist, you’ll never get work.”

James also explained the most challenging part of her job is battling Artificial Intelligence. 

She said, “Some people will only look at money and go with the cheaper option of AI but get hit in the reviews having a bad AI narration. I feel like it will sort itself out but at least right now it’s disruptive.”

James’ advice for students wanting to pursue voice acting is to remember that acting is still a major part of the field.

She said, “If anyone is considering being a voice actor, remember that acting is literally part of the job description […] Nobody cares what your voice sounds like if you cannot act.”