After 20 years of being a voiceover artist, Kuhle Nkosi has finally received recognition.
He has received an award for Best Narrator at the Finisterra Brazil Film Art & Tourism Festival for his voiceover work on Apex Alley, a feature documentary produced by Film Mamba. The film explores the remarkable journeys of sharks along Africa's eastern coastline and the science being used to understand and protect them. At the festival, Apex Alley received five awards across categories including Best Script, Sea & Beach, Nature & Wildlife, Documentary and Best Narrator.
Could he be South Africa's very own David Attenborough? He humbly declines the suggestion and says he needs to put in the work to be on Attenborough's level, even after 20 years of working on commercials and productions and playing a vital role in connecting audiences to stories.
"David Attenborough was definitely a very big inspiration behind narrating this documentary but I have a very long way to go before I can even try being under his shadow," Nkosi says.
He is, however, pleased with the win because it is his first since he started voiceovers, which is often in the background.
"The Finisterra recognition came in a category that had about 100 submissions from 80 countries. To win in such a largely contested category is a huge honour," he says.
But his story with the voiceover came long before Apex Alley.
Born and raised in Johannesburg, Nkosi describes himself as a "native Joburger". Now 43, he grew up in a family with creative inclinations. His father was a thespian at school, while his brother worked as a television presenter.
"That influenced me and my passions for the arts. I went to AFDA and it's kind of how I got into voiceovers. I'd been impersonating and doing accents in school and my friends would laugh and encourage me to take it seriously."
During his graduation year, Nkosi's then-girlfriend landed a job editing news at the SABC. Nkosi jokes that his male ego struggled with the fact that she would be earning while he was not.
He looked at what his schedule allowed him to pursue.
That happened to be voiceover work.
What might have started as a practical decision would eventually become a career. Nkosi has since planted strong roots in the industry that has seen him grow from strength to strength.
His career has taken him into commercials, productions and documentaries, allowing him to use his voice to give shape and character to stories that audiences might otherwise experience differently.
Yet, despite the reach of the work, the person behind the microphone is not always immediately recognised.
He does mention that the anonymity of the profession can be a professional obstacle.
"The downside to that is because people don't really know who you are. The necessary exposure one needs to kind of elevate their career and further progress gets restricted."
It is a contradiction at the heart of his profession: the voice is everywhere but the person behind it can remain invisible.
For Nkosi, recognition is therefore not simply about receiving an award. It is also about creating greater visibility for an industry whose practitioners often contribute significantly to the final product without necessarily receiving the same public recognition as those who appear on screen.
He says the industry has started seeing voiceover artists by launching awards specifically for the industry. He does hope that the long-standing awards platforms can recognise the industry as well.
"Which is why having the South African Voiceover Awards, which launched last year, is so imperative. It would be great if standing or existing award ceremonies, like the Saftas, could also acknowledge voiceover artists because it is a performance and the people who are the participants of the voiceover industry in this country are some of the best in the world."
Nkosi mentions South African voiceover artists' special talent that sets them apart from many others all over the world.
"The South African accent is neutral and we are able to move from one accent to another seamlessly. Something others struggle with."
For him, this ability is part of what makes South African voiceover artists valuable beyond the local market.
It also speaks to the country's broader creative talent and the ability of local practitioners to work across different audiences, accents and storytelling styles.
With the Apex Alley win under his belt, Nkosi hopes it allows for more opportunities.
"I would love for this to open more doors for myself and I feel that a win for me is a win for the rest of my peers. I would like to believe that when people look at anyone from South Africa who flies the flag abroad and is able to achieve something internationally, then not only does the rest of the world pay attention to that individual but they start to ask: Who else does South Africa have? What else does South Africa have to offer?"
Nkosi believes that we can build audiences internationally outside our borders — making examples of Tyla, Trevor Noah and one of our greatest exports in the music industry, Amapiano.
"There's just so many people who are ambassadors of this country and are flying the flag internationally and they've played a role in attracting more eyes. I would hope that the same would be done here. I think it could be greater work or collaboration done with the department of sports and culture to shine a spotlight on ceremonies like the South African Voiceover Awards, that might also help gain more exposure for the rest of the practitioners within this industry."
The world is always eager to listen to what South Africa has to say and what it has to offer. Nkosi wants voiceover work to be part of our artistic exports.
For an industry built around sound, recognition can be complicated. The audience might remember the words, the emotion or the feeling a voice evokes, without ever knowing the person who delivered them.
Nkosi's Finisterra win offers a moment to change that, not only for himself but for other voiceover artists whose work has quietly shaped the stories audiences consume.
Nkosi says that what he wants from the Apex Alley recognition is for the microphone to be less invisible and for the industry he is in to shine as brightly as those who work on camera.
The voiceover Nkosi did on Apex Alley brought the film to life, helping the rest of the team bag many awards at the Finisterra Brazil Film Art & Tourism Festival.
For two decades, his voice travelled further than his name. Now, with this recognition, Nkosi can claim his name among the stars whose names are known and respected internationally.
The world can now put a name to a face but in this instance, a name to the voice.