ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE
Ronalyn Mawili
Get To Know: Jeff Utanes a.k.a. Goku ng Pinas
Photo credit: Jeff Utanes / IG
Jefferson "Jeff" Utanes, popularly known as Goku ng Pinas, shared to Advocates Philippines his journey in becoming a voice actor.
Jeff, the Filipino voice behind Son Goku of Dragon Ball, has been in the voice industry for 26 years. Jeff shared that his talent in voice acting was discovered at a young age.
"When I was 8 years old, I discovered my talent in voice impersonation. I can do the voices of Elvis Presley and Rey Langit. But what can you expect from an 8-year old boy. Then in high school, I was influenced by my late choir mate, Noel Magat. He did voice impersonation to entertain us. So I did the same. I was a performer and became famous in our school," he said.
Jeff studied Broadcast Communication in Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
In 1997, when he was still in college, he was encouraged by his sister to audition in DZMM’s Radyo-Radyo, a Sunday Radio Show that showcased talents in singing and radio drama.
"My sister Cathy saw the ad from TV about DZMM’s Radyo-Radyo. She encouraged me to audition and thought that I can be discovered. Luckily, it happened. And the rest is history," Jeff said.
Jeff's first voice acting project was in the anime Tico and Friends.
On August 1, 2000, he started dubbing for Dragon Ball in GMA 7.
He became the Filipino voice of Son Goku, replacing its first voice actor, Nestea Ramirez.
"Siya [Nestea] po ang unang voice actor na hinangaan ko as Goku nung bata pa lang ako. Kaya siya ang maituturing kong unang Goku ng Pinas. Unang ipinalabas sa Pilipinas ang Dragon Ball Z, gaya nang pagkakatanda ko, taong 1989 sa RPN 9. Pinalabas ito sa wikang Ingles. Itinuturing ko ring childhood hero si Goku dahil napahanga niya talaga ako sa kakaibang lakas at kapangyarihang taglay niya!" Jeff wrote in his Facebook post in 2020.
Aside from Goku, Jeff said that over the years, he has lent his voice to many popular characters in TV shows, including Doraemon, Kogoro Mouri, Mr. Krabs, Jumong, and Mickey Mouse.
His latest dubbing projects include Turkish Drama on ETC, Turkish Drama on Net 25, anime on GMA, Chinese Drama on GMA, Ever Night on ABS-CBN, Ang Probinsyano (English dubbing), Thai drama series on ABS-CBN, movies soon on TMC, Netflix and Amazon Prime, and cartoons on Netflix.
Aside from voice acting, Jeff is also a dubbing director and is also involved in voice-over work.
"Aside from dubbing, I do voice over for the sponsors of Showtime. And I’m preparing to be awarded by my High School (Victorino Mapa High School) for being a Blue Falcon Awardee on February 26, 2023," he said.
Challenges in the voice industry
According to Jeff, there are many challenges in the voice acting industry, but he sees the rewards as greater than the difficulties.
"There’s a lot of challenges in voice acting. Sometimes, there’s a lot more auditioning than the actual work. So it is more rewarding if you’ll get the role and if it’s a long series. If you can do many voices, the advantage of it is you can be casted in so many projects. But the disadvantages of it, you will not be paid more hehe… Also, one of the most rewarding in voice acting is if you will be casted on premium titles that are internationally known and if the character is so famous."
He also shared a piece of advice for aspiring voice actors:
"Just live with your dreams. Don’t lose hope. You can apply online through me or other online platforms and always give your best in every audition you will attend to. Just follow my principle that voice acting is real acting! Not just doing funny voices."
26th year as voice actor
As Jeff celebrated his 26th year in the voice industry on February 8, he expressed gratitude to his fans, supporters and social media followers.
"Aba’t! Akalain mong 26 years na pala ako sa Voice Industry! Maraming maraming salamat sa pagmamahal at walang sawang pagsuporta sa mga programang kinaaaliwan n’yo mula noon hanggang ngayon! Cheers!" Jeff wrote in his Facebook post.
This is your Goku ng Pinas saying ”Oh mga bata, mahal ko kayo! Kaya huwag kayong mawawala! Hanggang sa muli nating pagkikita! Wala munang paalam! Kame Hame Wave~!!!” he added.
Jeff, the Filipino voice behind Son Goku of Dragon Ball, has been in the voice industry for 26 years. Jeff shared that his talent in voice acting was discovered at a young age.
"When I was 8 years old, I discovered my talent in voice impersonation. I can do the voices of Elvis Presley and Rey Langit. But what can you expect from an 8-year old boy. Then in high school, I was influenced by my late choir mate, Noel Magat. He did voice impersonation to entertain us. So I did the same. I was a performer and became famous in our school," he said.
Jeff studied Broadcast Communication in Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
In 1997, when he was still in college, he was encouraged by his sister to audition in DZMM’s Radyo-Radyo, a Sunday Radio Show that showcased talents in singing and radio drama.
"My sister Cathy saw the ad from TV about DZMM’s Radyo-Radyo. She encouraged me to audition and thought that I can be discovered. Luckily, it happened. And the rest is history," Jeff said.
Jeff's first voice acting project was in the anime Tico and Friends.
On August 1, 2000, he started dubbing for Dragon Ball in GMA 7.
He became the Filipino voice of Son Goku, replacing its first voice actor, Nestea Ramirez.
"Siya [Nestea] po ang unang voice actor na hinangaan ko as Goku nung bata pa lang ako. Kaya siya ang maituturing kong unang Goku ng Pinas. Unang ipinalabas sa Pilipinas ang Dragon Ball Z, gaya nang pagkakatanda ko, taong 1989 sa RPN 9. Pinalabas ito sa wikang Ingles. Itinuturing ko ring childhood hero si Goku dahil napahanga niya talaga ako sa kakaibang lakas at kapangyarihang taglay niya!" Jeff wrote in his Facebook post in 2020.
Aside from Goku, Jeff said that over the years, he has lent his voice to many popular characters in TV shows, including Doraemon, Kogoro Mouri, Mr. Krabs, Jumong, and Mickey Mouse.
His latest dubbing projects include Turkish Drama on ETC, Turkish Drama on Net 25, anime on GMA, Chinese Drama on GMA, Ever Night on ABS-CBN, Ang Probinsyano (English dubbing), Thai drama series on ABS-CBN, movies soon on TMC, Netflix and Amazon Prime, and cartoons on Netflix.
Aside from voice acting, Jeff is also a dubbing director and is also involved in voice-over work.
"Aside from dubbing, I do voice over for the sponsors of Showtime. And I’m preparing to be awarded by my High School (Victorino Mapa High School) for being a Blue Falcon Awardee on February 26, 2023," he said.
Challenges in the voice industry
According to Jeff, there are many challenges in the voice acting industry, but he sees the rewards as greater than the difficulties.
"There’s a lot of challenges in voice acting. Sometimes, there’s a lot more auditioning than the actual work. So it is more rewarding if you’ll get the role and if it’s a long series. If you can do many voices, the advantage of it is you can be casted in so many projects. But the disadvantages of it, you will not be paid more hehe… Also, one of the most rewarding in voice acting is if you will be casted on premium titles that are internationally known and if the character is so famous."
He also shared a piece of advice for aspiring voice actors:
"Just live with your dreams. Don’t lose hope. You can apply online through me or other online platforms and always give your best in every audition you will attend to. Just follow my principle that voice acting is real acting! Not just doing funny voices."
26th year as voice actor
As Jeff celebrated his 26th year in the voice industry on February 8, he expressed gratitude to his fans, supporters and social media followers.
"Aba’t! Akalain mong 26 years na pala ako sa Voice Industry! Maraming maraming salamat sa pagmamahal at walang sawang pagsuporta sa mga programang kinaaaliwan n’yo mula noon hanggang ngayon! Cheers!" Jeff wrote in his Facebook post.
This is your Goku ng Pinas saying ”Oh mga bata, mahal ko kayo! Kaya huwag kayong mawawala! Hanggang sa muli nating pagkikita! Wala munang paalam! Kame Hame Wave~!!!” he added.
Feb 9, 2023
