INTERVIEWED AND WRITTEN BY EMILY PETERS
PHOTOS BY HOSSEIN SHAMS
Have you ever questioned whose voice is narrating certain massive advertising campaigns, or who you’re hearing as you step into your favorite theme park? If you have, there’s a good chance the answer is award-winning VoiceOver artist, Milena Tinoco.
The self-made star of her own Cinderella story opens up about taking a bold leap of faith, constructing her cutting-edge studio, and be-coming part of Universal Studios history.
“My parents came to the States from Cartagena, Colombia. My brother and I are the first generation born here. We were actually born in Chicago, but since we moved down to the Fort Lauderdale area when I was an infant, I consider myself a Florida girl. As first-gen kids, our parents wanted to make sure we knew Spanish, so they were pretty intentional about having us learn to speak and read it. Eventually we learned English in school, but our parents still made sure that we spoke Spanish at home, and I grew up being fully bilingual. Honestly, it’s one of the greatest gifts they could’ve ever given me.
My childhood sort of set me up for a career as a performer. Growing up, my mom homeschooled my brother and I. She had created this character called Ooopsy the Clown, and was pretty famous around South Florida. Since we were home, she
would take us to all of her events and have us dress up and perform with her as characters like Barney, Minnie Mouse,
and Pocahontas. Essentially, my life has been performing since I was a little kid. When I think about it now, it sounds insane… but it felt so normal to us back then.
I had dabbled with acting classes here and there for fun, and when I was a teenager, had some profession-al headshots done. I always thought of acting as a fun hobby. I had an agent and would audition for things sporadically, but it was nothing I did seriously. While I was in college at FIU, I started modeling and acting more frequently. I would book on-camera roles in commercials for local businesses, did some trade show modeling, and was a spokesmodel for a race team that took me traveling all over the country. It was so much fun, but still only a side hustle while I focused on school, trying to find my real job.
Life landed me in Indiana, where I eventually got married and started nursing school while booking on-camera commercials through my agent, Helen Wells. Around that time, I booked a Spanish-speaking role for a Safe Auto Insurance commercial. A few weeks later, my agent reached out because they needed me to go to a studio and record a pick-up for radio. At that time, I didn’t even know what that meant – I had never heard of voiceover… I was just a nursing student who did some acting. I went to the studio, recorded the spot, and really enjoyed it. It was my first look into that world, and I needed to know more. I remembered I had a friend who was a sound engineer at a studio in Chicago, and I started asking him about VO. I visited the studio once and there was a woman recording commercials for Red Lobster, and I thought, ok… now this is amazing! So I shadowed him, learned as much as I could, and after two years of begging, he finally helped me make my first bilingual demo. I understand now why he was so reluctant and told me I needed training first – having a demo does not automatically translate into success.
There I was with a shiny new VO demo, finishing nursing school and trying to book on-camera and voiceover work without much luck, when Telemundo entered the picture. The network had come to the area and was looking for a TV host. Through a series of beautiful connections I made in Indianapolis, the station reached out and asked if I would be interested in the position, and if I could write and produce my own segment. I jumped at the chance to practice my Spanish and learn another aspect of on-camera work.
I spent the next few years focusing on growing my nursing career and raising my two boys, booking work occasionally. I even have pictures of both of my kids as babies in the studio with me. People assume now and usually say, ‘Your voice is so nice, of course you do voiceover.’ In reality, I actually hated my voice my entire life – whenever I heard playback of myself, I would cringe. I was just working and being a mom, completely unaware that VO was about to change my life.”
With an impressive client roster that includes MSC Cruises, Walmart, Bausch + Lomb, Olay, and Ambetter Health, plus a trail of glowing testimonials, Tinoco’s success speaks for itself. Yet the true measure of her achievements lies not merely in building her empire, but in why she built it.
“I loved nursing. I loved the challenges, caring for people, and having a true purpose. Acting and VO were still there, but I never thought they were going to be a career, because I was convinced I needed benefits and a bi-weekly paycheck. Then Covid changed everything. After lockdowns, a move to Orlando, and months of working in the ICU and ER during the pandemic, I was mentally exhausted. When I began, the time we spent with our patients was seen as valuable, and the care was so present. I took my time with everyone, giving support and learning about their families, not just drawing their blood and giving results. During the pandemic we were so short-staffed, and there were so many patients, the ratios became very dangerous. I would come home crying and so stressed out. I remember getting Covid myself, and as I sat home in quarantine, I started questioning whether this was making me truly happy and how I wanted to spend my days going forward. That’s when I decided to take a break from the hospital and take a chance on voiceover.
When I first started out, I didn’t have an agent and hadn’t done very much training, so I spent most of 2021 getting coaching and making new marketable demos. What I discovered, was that there’s an entire community of people doing exactly what I was trying to do. Suddenly it didn’t feel so lonely. I started interacting with other actors and working on a platform called Voice123. I booked consistently there, and about a year after going full-time, I signed with my first national agency, CESD New York. A few months after that, I signed with several other agencies, Stewart Chicago being one of them. From that point on, I started seeing the opportunities that had the power to transform everything.
Before I decided to go full-time in 2020, my first home studios were my little walk-in closets surrounded by my clothes. When I went full-time, we built a studio in my garage, not thinking ahead about the super-hot Florida summers. For five years I sweat in that sauna for hours and hours, building a business I could be proud of. It holds such a special place in my heart, but in 2026 it was time for an upgrade. Along the way, I’ve met so many talented and generous people who helped me grow. One of them is Tim Tippets, the VO Tech Guru. I knew that if I wanted to build an incredible state-of-the-art studio office, I would need the best consultant. Tim crafted an amazing space for me in a cute little she-shed, complete with the best sound mitigation options – double drywall, green glue, a floating floor, and custom acoustic panels. It’s exactly the sound I’ve always dreamed of. I brought in a decorator to help bring my vision of a super girly, super me space to life. My favorite part is a neon sign that says, Follow your dreams. That’s been my motto since I was a little girl.”
Auditory performers take great time and dedication breathing life into printed words and bringing brands into existence. So much so, that the public often repeats their catchphrases without ever fully grasping the arduous commitments and grueling demands of voiceover work.
“As far as training my voice goes, I always do vocal warm-ups before a session. I’m also careful not to go to noisy places where I have to speak loudly or be around smoke, and I rarely drink alcohol. I try my best to stay hydrated, but there are times when life happens and I get worn down – in those moments, vocal rest and Throat Coat Tea with honey are my go-tos.”
Every artist, while treasuring their catalog of work, has a few milestones that stand out in their mind.
“My first job when I moved out of my house was selling cell phones for Verizon in Pembroke Pines, so being one of the brand voices is a true full circle moment. Also, having my voice in the theme parks is absolutely a dream come true! Like most Florida kids, I grew up going to Disney, Universal, and SeaWorld. I know what it feels like to be a kid (or a full-grown adult, haha!) sobbing as you walk out of Magic Kingdom’s legendary castle show. Between the music, visuals, and narration, it’s so nostalgic and the magic is so special… I never imagined I could be in one of those shows. I was first asked to provide the voice for a cameo with the minions in Universal Studios Orlando’s CineSational lagoon show and some pre and post-announcements. About a year after, the creative team came back and asked me to narrate a nightly show at the newest park, Universal Epic Universe, and I was so emotional. The concept, story and script were so beautiful. It was definitely a “pinch me” moment in the booth, and I actually cried during that session. I got to see the original fountain show at Epic live for the first time with my boys last year, and that was even more special. Getting to share that with them meant everything to me. This past week, (July 7, 2026) they debuted the updated show complete with fireworks, and named it Celestial Goodnight, and now my voice gets to bid everyone in Celestial Park goodnight ev-ery single evening! How cool is that?”
Already bestowed with prestigious awards, Tinoco’s visibility in the industry is on the rise.
“You know those moments when you wonder if you’re on the right path? I have those every once in a while, and it’s beautiful when the universe answers. Working with Uni-versal was one of those answers, and being nominated for three VoiceOver awards – including Female Voiceover Artist of the Year at the annual One Voice Awards in Dallas in 2024 was another. What we do is so weird, because unless you work in video games and animation, nobody knows who you are. Your voice is famous, but we are these anonymous creatures working by ourselves in little padded rooms. I know at least for me, I didn’t get into this for the recognition – I got into it for the love of the craft. So to be recognized by my peers and those in the industry was the greatest honor.
I took home two awards that year, one for a corporate narration demo I created with the wonderful Anne Gan-Guzza, and another for Best Automotive Commercial of the Year for a spot I voiced for Ford Trucks. Just being nominated for Female Voice Actor of the Year was a win for me. To be included in a category with nine of the most insanely talented and successful female voice actors was mind-blowing, and I am still so grateful!”
Positioning herself as a true industry leader, Tinoco has certainly attained some of her aspirations and is fully devoted to pushing forward, continually extending light and optimism in every part of her personal and professional daily routine.
“I want to continue doing VO for the rest of my working life. I truly love it and feel in my heart it’s what I’m meant to do. I miss the hospital sometimes, and at first I struggled with leaving healthcare to go into this somewhat self-serving career. Then I realized that while my voice can be used to support myself and my family, it can be used to help others as well. I’ve recently started speaking at conferences and wanted to offer something unique and impactful. I want to give people hope and inspiration. Instead of talking about performance technique or how to land an agent, I discuss things that initially stopped me from reaching the level where I am now – limiting beliefs, imposter syndrome, feelings of unworthiness, insecurities, and self-doubt. These are things I believe we all share and maybe don’t talk about enough. A couple of years ago, I had the best agents and the most incredible opportunities in front of me, but I still felt stuck. It wasn’t until I learned to work on my mindset that I was able to unlock all the potential that I had inside and create the career of my dreams.
My goal is to give people a safe space to be vulnerable, dream big, and learn to get out of their own way- reminding them that they are worthy of all the goodness that life has to offer.”
