To speak of Memo Sauceda is to speak of one of the most recognizable voices in Spanish- language dubbing and, at the same time, of one of […]

To speak of Memo Sauceda is to speak of one of the most recognizable voices in Spanish- language dubbing and, at the same time, of one of the most active advocates for those who practice this craft. Born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico, his voice has for decades been that of Hollywood figures like Mel Gibson, Kevin Costner, and John Travolta, as well as unforgettable characters such as William Wallace in Braveheart and Mr. Mackey in South Park.

His path, however, did not begin in front of the microphone. Memo trained in university theater in Monterrey and, barely a week after graduating with a degree in Administrative Computing Systems, he traveled to England to study at the Drama Studio London. Back in Mexico, he built a career that spanned theater, dubbing, voice-over, telenovelas, and television hosting, until in 1997 Telemundo brought him to Miami to host programs like Edición Especial, Mira que TVO, and Ay Caramba, with which he won three Emmy Awards. Today, in addition to ranking among the most respected talents in the Hispanic market, with more than three decades of experience and recognitions such as the Voice Arts Awards, Memo Sauceda has taken on a role of guild leadership.

He has participated actively in organizations such as OVU, WOVO, and SAG-AFTRA, and currently presides over LAVA, the Latin Association of Voice Actors, a unit created under the structure of NAVA to represent Spanish-speaking voice actors from all over the world in the face of one of the industry’s greatest challenges: the cloning of voices through artificial intelligence.

In this conversation with Center Stage, Memo Sauceda shares his perspective on the art of performing through the voice, the changes the industry has undergone over the last three decades, and the urgent battle that voice actors are waging today to protect the most valuable thing they have: their sonic identity.

The Lesson That Drove Him

His career began in the theater of Monterrey and took him from London to Miami, but there was an exact moment when Memo understood that his path would lie in voice acting. It was during his first leading role dubbing a film, when the director harshly confronted him for not being at the professional level the work demanded.

Far from discouraging him, that experience marked a starting point. There he understood the respect the profession deserves and recognized everything he still had left to learn. From that moment on he made a decision that would define his career: no matter how long it took, he would prepare himself to become one of the best dubbing actors.

Theater, His Best Teacher

Having lent his voice to actors like Kevin Costner, Mel Gibson, and John Travolta left him with a deep conviction about the nature of the craft. Memo asserts that he had a great advantage when entering dubbing: the theater he did in college and the acting training he sought outside the country. Being an actor, he insists, prepares you in an impressive way for this work.

In those days, moreover, the performer needed an internal clock to help with lip synchronization. Today, thanks to tools like Pro Tools, that second part no longer weighs as heavily. But the foundation remains the same, and on this he is categorical. “To be a good dubbing actor, you have to first, preferably, be a good actor,” Memo affirms.

Three Decades of Transformation

Memo began his career at a time when dubbing and voice-over were very different industries from those of today, and for him there is no doubt about what the most important change has been: technology transformed everything. Now commercials and some dubbing are recorded from home, without the need to go to a professional studio.

That change had a profoundly positive side on a personal level, since it allowed him to travel with his family and record from anywhere in the world. But he also acknowledges a loss. By not recording with colleagues alongside him, especially in dubbing, a certain magic was lost, one that only happens when everyone is in the same physical place.

In exchange, technology democratized access in a way that previously seemed unthinkable. Talent stopped being concentrated in a few capitals, and today a performer can build a career regardless of where they live. “Now there are opportunities for voice actors from anywhere in the world; you no longer have to go live in one of the big cities to be successful,” Memo explains.

Union as a Priority

His work within groups like OVU, WOVO, and SAG-AFTRA, added to the presidency of LAVA, keeps him in a constant balancing act. Sustaining those guild leadership roles while maintaining an active career as a dubbing actor and voice actor is no easy task, but for Memo there is only one way to achieve it: understanding how important it is to stay united and support one another within the industry.

Memo frames it almost as a matter of survival. If those who make their living from the voice want the industry to continue, defending it has to be a personal priority, because otherwise it runs the risk of disappearing. His recommendation is concrete: both beginners and professionals should be, at the very least, members of the association of their own country, and from there choose the international organization that can best advance their career. “The only way to achieve it is by understanding how important it is to stay united and help each other in this industry,” he comments.

A Unified Voice for All of Latin America

When we asked him about his vision for LAVA in the coming years, Memo is clear: to bring together the greatest possible number of professional Spanish-speaking talents and to help organizations throughout Latin America give their members a competitive advantage to stand out on a global level. The immediate priority, he explains, is to keep the community informed about everything happening in the industry that could affect their careers, in addition to equipping actors with the tools necessary to protect themselves.

On why it was important for there to be a specific organization for Spanish-language voice professionals, he considers that NAVA today leads the efforts to protect talent, with a robust organizational structure and a proven ability to take advantage of the resources available in the United States for nonprofit associations. Functioning as a committee within that structure opens the doors to all of that and commits them to operating under the most demanding standards, both ethical and professional. “Our priority right now is to share information about what is happening in the industry that could affect their careers,” Memo affirms.

The Challenges That Unite the Guild

The Spanish-speaking market brings together very different realities across Mexico, the United States, Colombia, Argentina, Spain, and other countries. Even so, Memo identifies common challenges that unite all Spanish-speaking voice actors as kindred. The most urgent today is knowing how to protect oneself from the abuses that occur in the industry at the hands of individuals or companies without professional ethics.

He enumerates those threats: fraud, the bad practices of certain AI developers, compensation well below professional standards, and unreasonable payment timelines, which in Latin America can range from six months to a year. To that list he adds a personal conviction, that voice artists must stay united to gain strength and bring about real change. Without that unity, he warns, LAVA’s efforts to improve the industry will not have the impact they seek. “We voice artists all have to be united in order to have more strength and bring about a true change for the better,” Memo explains.

The Battle to Protect Voices

Artificial intelligence has become one of the industry’s main concerns, and Memo keeps it very much in mind from his role at the head of LAVA. The greatest risk, he warns, is that an actor’s voice will be stolen without their consent and without any financial compensation, only to then be used in the training of AI models or employed indiscriminately across any available medium.

In the face of that threat, LAVA is already taking concrete action. On its website they make available the NAVA rider translated into Spanish, a document that any actor can add to their contracts to protect their work.

In addition, they constantly share the most recent frauds and how to avoid them, along with the advances in protections achieved in different countries, with the intention that actors not become discouraged and continue fighting for the same guarantees in their own territories.

The Pepe Lavat Case and a Triumph for the Guild

The theft of voices is not a distant hypothesis, but a problem that is happening with increasing frequency in dubbing and in commercials. And there is one case that marked a turning point in Mexico: the cloning of the voice of Pepe Lavat, one of the country’s great voice actors, who passed away some years ago, used for one of the government’s commercials.

Memo shares with us that the outrage that episode generated, both within the field and among the public, had a concrete effect, since it helped get laws passed to protect voice artists, an advance he celebrates as a victory for the guild.

In explaining to us how the theft of voices has occurred in dubbing, Memo distinguishes two paths: the first occurred when some artists recorded for an AI company without fully understanding the scope of what they were signing, and by accepting the contract they gave permission for that company to sell their voices to third parties, which ultimately ended up being used for AI dubbing by a major platform.. The second, he tells us, has a more unexpected origin: certain platforms allow you to upload to their servers the audio you want to clone, and many fans of dubbing actors have uploaded the voices of their favorite characters without realizing the harm they cause.

The good news is that some of those platforms are removing the audio when actors request it. At LAVA they are helping make this happen, with detailed instructions for requesting that audio be taken down if someone finds it on sites like Fish.audio.

The Voice and Machine in Balance

Despite everything, Memo makes clear that his stance is not one of rejecting innovation. Neither he nor LAVA is against the new technology; what they ask is that the rights of voice artists be respected. Their banner is the ethical use of AI. That responsible use, he details, involves several concrete commitments: being transparent about the way the models are trained, paying for that training if an actor’s voice is used, compensating the use of that voice according to the medium in which it is employed, granting the corresponding credit, and respecting the decision of anyone who chooses to stop lending their voice for this type of work.

Memo even points out that the technology can have admirable uses when applied with respect. For him, one of the best examples was when Val Kilmer was able to “speak” again in the film Maverick, a case in which AI restored the voice to an actor who had lost it due to a medical treatment. “We are not against the new technology; we are only asking that the rights of voice artists be respected,” Memo adds.

Advice for New Voices

For those who are entering the industry, whether in Latin America, Spain, or any Spanish- speaking country, Memo offers two pieces of advice that sum up his philosophy. The first has to do with information. Many changes are coming, some good and others not so much, and the more informed an actor is about what is happening, the better they will be able to protect themselves. That is why he insists that anyone who is not yet one should become a member of the voice actors’ association in their country.

The second piece of advice points to constant preparation. Studying, keeping one’s eyes open, and recognizing where the opportunities that truly make sense for each person lie. The better prepared a performer is, the better they will do. On that front, Memo highlights that LAVA offers at least twenty-four classes a year designed to help its members grow as professionals. “Prepare yourself, study, keep your eyes wide open, and notice where the opportunities are that make sense for you,” Memo advises.

From the entire Center Stage team, we thank Memo Sauceda for sharing his time, his experience, and such a committed perspective on the present and future of voice acting. Conversations like this one allow us to understand not only the art behind each performance, but also the importance of defending the rights of those who make their voice a profession.

His perspective makes clear that the industry is going through a decisive moment, one in which technology opens doors at the same time that it poses unprecedented challenges. And in the face of that landscape, his message is hopeful: with unity, preparation, and firm ethical principles, voice artists can continue to protect what makes them irreplaceable. Because in the end, beyond the technical advances, the human voice still carries a truth and an emotion that no machine can replace.