Born in the USA to parents from the Democratic Republic of Congo, full-time voice actor (dubbing) Gabe Kunda features in the 13th edition of the annual “Forbes 30 Under 30 Changemakers” list, published in November 2023. He is listed in the “Hollywood and Entertainment” category.
Gabe Kunda’s exceptional talent and distinctive voice bring iconic characters to life across diverse media platforms. As a voice actor, he has worked in video games, animation, film trailers (Marvel, Creed 3, among others), television promotions and advertising voice-overs. His credits include Newcastle in Apex Legends, KAY/O in Valorant, Macaron in Hi-Fi Rush and Kel in Barbie. In addition to his work in entertainment, Gabe Kunda has used his voice for commercials for major brands such as Toyota, Mastercard, Subway, CNN, TBS, Disney Plus, Warner Bros, Universal Pictures, Apple, Paramount and Hulu. He has also lent his voice to teasers for the NBA and the Oscars.
Also a music education graduate, music being his first passion, Gabe Kunda showcases his vocal prowess as a bassist singer in the Grammy-nominated a cappella group “Kings Return”, in the “Best Instrumental or A Cappella Arrangement” category. Founded in 2016, Kings Return has built a solid following thanks to its videos, in which the group’s 4 members sing while seated in a stairwell. The group, based in Dallas-Fort Worth, has performed all over the USA and organizes master classes. King Returns mixes genres in its music, incorporating R&B, gospel, jazz and pop.
Gabe Kunda is also deeply involved in philanthropy through his non-profit organization, Light Motif, and is currently working on his next comic strip, “Star Child”.
A talent discovered “by accident”
Gabe Kunda’s parents arrived in the USA in 1989 and settled in Mansfield, North Texas, where he was born in 1994 and grew up. “So my culture is Congo, where Lingala and French are spoken,” Gabe Kunda explained to dallasobserver.com. He grew up speaking French at home, until his parents, who spoke no English when they arrived in the USA, learned English at the same time as he did, even though he was already learning English at school, the media outlet reports.
Gabe Kunda, explains Forbes, discovered his talent for acting “by accident” at Mansfield High School, when he became bored with the banal way the other students read aloud in class. So, one day, the then teenager decided to show off when he was asked to read.
Much to his surprise, we’re told, his classmates didn’t react by bursting into laughter, but rather paid close attention to his performance, which also caught the attention of his teacher. As a result, he began to be regularly selected to read in class.
At the end of the school year, continues dallasobserver.com, Gabe Kunda’s teacher suggested he audition to do the school announcements, which he did and got the job. Gabe Kunda, the site explains, took his new position very seriously, devoting time and effort to researching the tricks of the trade. This included enrolling in a broadcasting course at school. Even though his goal wasn’t to work in a radio station, he nonetheless won the national SkillsUSA competition for broadcasting.
“Million Dollar Voices”
In the course of his research, he came across a YouTube video entitled “Million Dollar Voices” which, he says, changed his life. “It’s about a group of voice actors who have been working in the industry for many years. I watched that video over and over. I knew this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I could see myself making a career out of my voice,” Gabe Kunda told dallasobserver.com.
Since then, says Forbes, he has exercised his talent with a much wider audience, doing voice-overs for video games (Call of Duty), commercials (for Gatorade, Disney Plus, Walmart) and movie trailers (Guardians of the Galaxy, to name but one). His voice work includes Disney’s DuckTales: The Duck Knight Returns – one of his favorites – and the voices of Rubalt and Zirloin in Dragon Ball Super. He was also the voice of Fisher Tiger in One Piece, a series of which he is a long-time fan. “It was a dream,” he explained to dallasobserver.com.
Gabe Kunda, it is explained, has a very busy schedule, which requires him to be constantly available. “Turnaround time has to be fast, especially if you’re doing promotional work. My agent calls me to say we need you in five minutes,” explained the young actor.
Thinking outside the box
Gabe Kunda explained to the American media that he didn’t know that doing voice-overs was a field in which he could work. “Often, in our culture, we think you have to be a doctor, lawyer or nurse. We don’t even think about other, more creative paths. In the Congolese community – which is very large here in Dallas, I think it’s one of the largest in the country – I’m always asked to talk to the kids and show them that there are other things they can do. I’ve met a lot of Congolese children who are great actors or great singers, and they didn’t even know that this was an opportunity open to them or that someone else who looked like them was working in this field. This is my way of giving back to my little Congolese brothers and sisters, by saying to them: Hey, you can do this, and if you want to be on screen, you can do that too, as long as you have the will to do it”, he explained.
