Over the past three years, I’ve encountered some truly remarkable voiceover actors from the PGM (People Of Global Majority) community, so remarkable that I thought it would be a worthwhile endeavor to dedicate an article about themselves, their accomplishments, and where you can find them and do so every week. When will this end? Most likely never so as I cackle at the infinite posts this may generate, I am so very happy to tell you all that my spotlight for this week is on Belsheber Rusape Jr.! (Banner design was also created by him for he is a master of all trades).
Born in Zimbabwe and currently residing in Texas, Belsheber Rusape Jr., or Bel as people know him as, is an African Black voice actor, writer, artist, and active voice in the voiceover industry, providing immense support and connectivity amongst his peers regardless of status or experience in the community. His interests include drawing(whether it be on pencil or digitally), designing, connecting with new names, playing video games, streaming with friends, writing and planning, or just going for outdoor jogs.
First intrigued by the realm of voice acting at a young age, he was inspired to perform in 5th grade, discovered the realm of voice acting throughout middle school, and ultimately started his career back in 2016. Bel got his feet wet in the indie community, continuously expanding his arsenal in the industry as a multimedia creative as he was attending college for five years since his debut in acting. As of 2021, he is an alumni at the University of North Texas, using his skills in voiceover and art to graduate, likewise using his studies at UNT to further himself, his brand, and his knowledge in the competitive entertainment industry.
This accumulation of skills and knowledge have equipped him for much more relevant issues and addressing the heavier issues in the industry(and by extension the real world), especially with the push for representation and equal opportunity taking the industry by storm in 2020, as well as the rise of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) / People of the Global Majority (PGM) voices were more prevalent in the industry. Now with a recognizable name and influence in the voiceover community, Bel uses his connections and resources to better the opportunities of other talents in the industry, as well as himself.
In the world of voiceover, Bel is best known for his role as Calvin “Freckle” McMurray from the Lackadaisy franchise, as well as Kakeru Sengoku from Horimiya, Ending from My Hero Academia, Damian Goltz from The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent, Hyuu Tigris in 8SEN, and Nate Lawson from XOXO Droplets to name a few roles. Outside of providing his voice, he is known for his work as a script writer for demo reels, as well as his digital illustrations and graphic design (his current job in that department is providing the banner design work for The Nerds of Color for example).
To see what else Belsheber is up to, you can follow him on his Twitter account at @BelRusapeVO. Throughout the week, I will be highlighting Belsheber’s accomplishments and tidbits of his voiceover career as well as the spectacular graphic design and art he creates so be sure to follow us on The Nerds Of Color Twitter account as I do so!
This is an ongoing weekly series highlighting the many working diverse voiceover artists of global majority that you most likely have heard in your video games, audiobooks, anime/live action dubbings, animated TV shows & films, and more. A vast majority are part of the PGM VO List, an open resource database that contains over 1.4k+ PGM voiceover artists.