As YouTube continues to solidify its place as one of the world’s leading streaming services, second only to the BBC in the UK as of July 2025, the production value of its content is steadily rising. The days of YouTube being synonymous with DIY video clips, ‘You’ve Been Framed’ style home videos and niche in-jokes are fading, and it is now widely regarded as a go-to platform for younger audiences.
It’s no surprise, then, that the new series TRANSFORMERS: CYBERWORLD has found a home on the smaller screen. At The Voiceover Gallery, we are no strangers to long-form animation, so when we were approached with this project, we were raring to go, armed with the right workflows, technologies and world class voices to jump straight into action. Series One saw us cast, record, direct and edit 36 episodes, with every three episodes recorded and edited within just 16 hours.
At The Voiceover Gallery, we take the same kind of ‘nose-to-tail’ approach that some restaurants do, with a full audio/production service. Katie Berkes, Head of Production here at TVG, alongside Project Manager Martha Clarke, manages TRANSFORMERS: CYBERWORLD, and handles all the casting, scheduling and everything in between. She credits the success of managing a project of this scale with effective workflows that begin with navigating contractual agreements, taking into account the organic, global-by-nature and less restricted formats of social platforms. Alongside this, talent availability and flexibility play a huge role.
“Trackers are our most powerful tool,” says Katie. “They are something we do not use on smaller-scale projects, but they become our Bible for work like this. They track where we are with each batch, from assets and scheduling to edits and pick-ups, and allow the project to run smoothly at scale.”
From an audio perspective, speed and organisation are critical. Head of Audio Joe Lewis, who also directs the voiceover on the show, explains, “We have super-slick workflows in Pro Tools, so even though we are dealing with a high volume of takes and sometimes thousands of small files, everything is named, edited and essentially ready for delivery the moment the session finishes.”
Our full-service approach allows us to experience a project from multiple creative perspectives. For TRANSFORMERS:CYBERWORLD, this included close collaboration with Head Writer Ali Lightfoot, who developed the show and its characters.
Reflecting on the process, Ali describes the joy of seeing ideas translate to screen. “Seeing a direct line from the ideas in my head to what appears on screen, and hearing these iconic characters say words I have written, is incredibly rewarding.” He also highlights the challenge of writing for YouTube, where storytelling must balance creative ambition with audience behaviour. “You are competing for attention in the biggest entertainment library in existence, while also appeasing an ever-present algorithmic overlord. The challenge is blending all of that into something that is genuinely fun to watch.”
“We’re getting these wonderful performances from our cast and we’re also pretty efficient getting through the sessions – whilst still having a laugh at the same time. Which I think is important – I don’t know if you can make a fun show if you’re not also having fun making it – it bleeds into the final product.”
Ali Lightfoot, Head Writer, TRANSFORMERS: CYBERWORLD
It goes without saying that performance plays a vital role in bringing that writing to life. Jess Caroll, who voices Elita-1, highlights the importance of representation within the series. “I love Elita’s strength, wit and intelligence, and the fact that she knows how to get things done. It is great to have a strong female role model for the kids watching the show.”
Kyle, who voices both Optimus Prime and Bumblebee, speaks to the emotional depth of the characters and the responsibility of portraying such iconic roles: “What has been written is not one-dimensional. There is so much heart and humanity packed into these five-minute episodes”, he explains. “With Optimus Prime, there is a huge legacy to uphold, and that weight is not lost on me. Bumblebee, on the other hand, lets me lean into the kid inside all of us, his energy, humour and heart.”
For Kyle, preparing for the role meant fully immersing himself in the world of the much loved franchise. “I started by grounding myself in the universe of Transformers,” Kyle says. “I grew up on Beast Wars: Transformers and had the toys from that era, so I knew this new series would have a deeply invested fanbase, just like the one I was part of as a kid.”
Jess Carroll echoes that sense of responsibility that comes with voicing a character, especially one that is so loved. “This one is very different because it has such a huge and established fanbase. I found it quite daunting (and exciting) to step in to it”.
Kyle goes on to describe the ways in which animation VO work compares to others. “Character work is more engaged and reactive compared to commercials or narration. It’s imperative to connect with the character, their actions and intentions… to bring them to life. With commercials and narration you sometimes get that opportunity but, generally speaking, character work is far more grounded and emotionally driven.”
Writer Ali added “TRANSFORMERS:CYBERWORLD has been such a wonderful opportunity to grab the helm and create a whole dang show with a host of extremely lovely and talented cast and crew. The reception by the fans has also been so overwhelmingly positive – it’s very humbling and not expected at all – I’m just glad we could make something they enjoy.”
TRANSFORMERS:CYBERWORLD is engineered by Jack Cook and directed by Joe Lewis at The Voiceover Gallery in London. You can catch all episodes of TRANSFORMERS:CYBERWORLD on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@TransformersOfficial/videos
