Theatre Alum Drew Hobson: A State of Decay leads to a world of growth

Featured Image: Drew Hobson, a DJ, screen actor, and voice-over artist, who considers his most rewarding work to be teaching theater and playwriting to youth. (Photo: John Ulman, courtesy of Drew Hobson)

Hobson has wanted to act since he was 7, when he went to see the movie "The Goonies". He just knew he wanted to be part of what was happening on screen. So he started taking acting classes and getting into school plays. “I went to Summit K12, and then went on to Franklin High School to the famed theater department there,” Hobson said. Then, after graduating from Western Washington University with a degree in theater, he moved back home to Seattle.

“I sat down and had a conversation with my mom and I told her I wanted to be a professional actor. So I was preparing to starve, to live off of Top Ramen, and basically just struggle. And she stopped me dead in my tracks in the conversation and she said, ‘Don’t ever ever say that. Cause you’re setting yourself up for failure. If you’re one of those people who are lucky enough to know what they want to do and what they love to do, then you simply just find a way to make it work.’ And that was a really profound moment in my life because I was like, ‘Yeah, she’s right.’”

In 2012, a video game company was having a hard time finding an African American voice for the lead character in a new open-world zombie survival game called "State of Decay." Hobson recorded an audition on his home equipment and sent it in. Hobson was cast as a character named Marcus Campbell.

Drew can also be seen in the short films Color TV, No Vacancy, and Closing Time. His voice can be heard in other video games, including Golem (PS4 VR), Guild Wars 2 (PC), BattleTech (PC), Fire Emblem Heroes (Nintendo Mobile), Chaldea (YouTube), as well as several video and radio commercials.

Read the full story by Kathya Alexander at South Seattle Emerald.