The voice within made Joe’s dream come true
SHARJAH: He makes you smile. He inspires you. His journey can be an inspiration for all those who wish to follow their passion without losing hope. He is an obedient son, who enrolled in a college to pursue his graduation, despite having a passion to become a voice over artist one day. Without having any proper training and guidance, he dreamed of becoming an artist who wanted to be heard. Today, people in the UAE recognize him through his voice. He shared the stage with Atif Aslam and Guru Randhawa, in a concert. He hosted 2019 Miss Polo International Dubai and many more reality shows. He exuberates extraordinary energy and charm. His voice is arresting, you have to pay attention when he starts talking. He is indeed a charmer extraordinaire.
But he has worked very hard to reach where he is today. He is Joe Mohan, popularly known as “Voiceguy Joe.” A son of an Indian Air Force father, Joe hails from Kerala; but his father’s job kept him in Delhi, where he spent most of his time. He went to Delhi University to become an officer one day, to fulfill the dream of his father, but could not complete his graduation that time, since he was made for a different world. But to show his obedience towards his family, he worked in Delhi — however his passion stayed with him like a silent companion.
“I lived two different lives at one stage of my life, for a long period of time. My father wanted me to become an officer like him, but my heart was somewhere else,” he said while talking to Gulf Today.
Talking about that stage, he said: “Since my father was in the Indian Air Force, he had a different perspective. He never considered showbiz a very serious thing. Like all fathers, he too was keen on my academic achievement and a full time regular job.”
“So to please him, I started my career as a door-to-door marketing executive in Gurugram, while continuing my Bachelor of Commerce degree, though I did not complete my degree that time.” During his stay in Delhi, at the age of 19 or 20, he knocked the door of almost every recording studio to get a break, but in vain. Finally, one studio agreed to record his voice — this gave him the confidence to chase his dream. Later, he started getting work in commercials as a voice over artist, but continued in a 9 to 5 job.
He further got to work in a few leading BPOS in Delhi, before moving to Oman in 2005. Talking about his Oman days, he said: “I agreed to go to Oman only on a condition that I would be allowed to follow my passion. My boss in Delhi kept his promise and connected me to a few agencies.”
“From 2005 to 2010, I worked as a corporate trainer, while doing lots of voice overs for big companies in my free time”. By now Joe had many hats to wear, such as Voice Over artist, presenter, host, Emcee, anchor, corporate trainer and motivational expert. But he still dreamed to follow his heart. In 2010, he quit his full time job to concentrate on his passion. However, in 2013, he had to rejoin in a full time job, to survive. Finally, the year 2015 brought him to Dubai, where he worked as a corporate trainer until April 2017, before falling into the well of uncertainty. Recalling his period, he said: “I was without a job for 7 to 8 months. I saw real struggle. All my savings vanished. Meanwhile, I sent a sample of my works to more than 100 organisations; but not many responses came.”
While going through a challenging time, he learnt a lot. Taking help from social media, he started refining his skills.
Finally, 2018 turned out to be a fruitful year for him. “I started getting lots of clients. People started recognizing me. Today, when you will go to watch Hindi movies in Vox Cinema, you will hear my voice — and this makes me happy. I feel contended. “I do voice overs in English and Hindi. My clientele is increasing day by day and I am bubbling with lots of ideas”. Tasting success has not changed Joe at all. “This is only the beginning of a long journey,” he said.