Everyone
Growing up, Josh watched what he describes as “way too many movies and television shows.” He wouldn’t learn he was autistic until he was 16, but he was already the type of kid who kept to himself; avoiding conflict, overstimulation, bullies, and difficult social cues by spending his time in the library, writing fan fiction about his favourite series on the computers. He developed a special interest in Japanese culture as reflected in anime and tokusatsu (a Japanese live-action genre that makes heavy use of practical effects, including series like Godzilla or Power Rangers). What he didn’t know at the time was that this special interest would become the basis for a successful career and continuing personal growth.
From a Childhood Escape to a Promising Career
When Josh was in high school, his father was studying to become a teacher. As part of his training, he attended a conference on neurological differences among students and felt drawn towards learning more about autism. Suddenly, a lot of Josh’s behaviour made more sense. His memory and affinity for repetition, his low tolerance for loud noises, his conflict avoidance, and his intense focus all could be viewed as autistic traits. Josh remembers being bullied for misunderstanding social cues and how, as a Burkinabe-Canadian, this was amplified by being a person of colour.
He threw himself into writing fan fiction—an outlet that allowed him to work through depression and isolation from his peers. He also focused his energy on his favourite shows, not just by writing fan fiction, but by learning everything he could about the voice actors, animators, and musicians. He absorbed and memorized everything he could; from production details to writing and directing techniques.
When he was 14, Josh attended a panel on voice acting at an anime convention called Anime Evolution at Simon Fraser University. He listened to the panelists talk about the experience of recording for all of these shows he loved watching on TV and remembers realizing, “I could do that.”
He approached the participating voice actors after the panel, asked them questions, and gained more perspective. They were very gracious and patient with him, sensing his genuine enthusiasm and passion for the craft, and became a huge inspiration to Josh. He continued to check in with them over the years, even taking voice acting lessons as part of his post-secondary studies. But one connection in particular really helped him make his start in the industry.
When Facebook was first getting popular, many people were realizing the power of social media in connecting with people you may never have met in person. This was true for Josh when he came across the profile of Raj Ramayya, a vocalist for the composer Yoko Kanno, who wrote and arranged music for many of Josh’s favourite anime. Josh sent him a fan email and, to his surprise and delight, Raj wrote back. As they connected more, Raj inquired about becoming a guest at anime conventions near Josh, and Josh got to work. He was able to contact the event organizers for Anime Evolution, and recommended Raj as a guest. He also volunteered to be Raj’s guest liaison, making sure Raj’s experience at the con went smoothly.
Raj enjoyed the experience so much he decided to do it again at another nearby convention, and then another, and another. Josh sometimes accompanied Raj in person as his assistant, sometimes just handling the booking details from home. Soon, Raj offered Josh a job at his music production company Strawberry Hill Music where Josh has worked for almost 15 years.
With Strawberry Hill Music, Josh has been able to help coordinate music and audio projects for movies, television, video games, and anime and host online industry workshops and events. He has even been able to meet and work with some of the people who helped create some of his favourite series growing up, which is something his childhood self never dreamed would be possible!
Using a Special Interest for Personal Growth
Josh’s story demonstrates how special interests can offer meaningful, healthy pathways for personal growth for autistic people.
He recalls reading the books “Ask Iwata” by Satoru Iwata and “Disrupting the Game” by Reggie Fils-Aimé, former presidents of Nintendo and Nintendo of America, respectively. These are both books on leadership, but because the information was coming from people he looked up to in an industry he loved, he was more receptive to receiving it. He learned a lot about leadership, team building, organizational structure, and personal motivation, all because his special interest allowed him to absorb that information.
Josh has also discovered opportunities for personal development through his career. Voice acting has helped him speak more dynamically, clearly, and slowly. This in turn has made him a more effective communicator.
Event hosting has helped him consider the logistics of all participants, allowing him to make plans for various scenarios. This has acted as a perspective-taking exercise that has helped him get out of his own head and understand others’ experiences.
Writing, which Josh is now pursuing in creating his own original fiction, has also given him more time to reflect deeply on the world around him.
Opportunities to travel also arose, and Josh took them, taking Josh to the USA, Mexico, and Japan multiple times on his own. While the travel process can be very stressful for an autistic person, he has adjusted and learned how to handle things like delays or changes in a carefully planned schedule. Sometimes his travel is related to his work, and sometimes it is just for fun to see new places and visit his friends around the world.
He encourages his autistic peers to follow their passions and grow at their own pace.
“What is it you enjoy doing?” he asks. “Explore that and break it down. What about it drew you to it in the first place? Do you enjoy the process of memorization? Do you like to do stuff with your hands? Do you like to go out and see things and visit new places? Do you enjoy talking with people?”
“It’s all about what you personally found intriguing about the subject in the first place.,” He adds. “If you can replicate that with a different interest, all of a sudden, you have the ability to learn all these different skill sets. And who knows where that could take you!”
Josh is a voice actor and entertainment consultant based in the Greater Vancouver Area. You can follow him on Bluesky.
