Ethan Kempner MARLBORO — The voice behind one of the characters on Nickelodeon’s popular preschool television series “Team Umizoomi” belongs to a young man from Marlboro.
Ethan Kempner, 12, is the boy behind the voice of Geo, the energetic shape expert and master builder on “Team Umizoomi.”
Ethan, who is in the seventh grade, spends one to two days a month in New York City recording his lines as Geo.
The young man is no stranger to acting, having appeared on various television commercials, including spots for Chuck E Cheese amusement centers.
Ethan wanted to act after he saw his sister work on a television soap opera. He said he and his brother wanted to take a chance at acting after seeing her work.
The chance to be on “Team Umizoomi” came about when Ethan’s mom, Cheryl Kempner, told him the show was having auditions. Ethan said he thought it would be cool to be on television and went to audition for the show.
According to its Internet website, “Team Umizoomi” is an “animated live-action series on Nick Jr. It is located in the center of a wonderfully urban environment, where the streets are paved with origami, the sidewalks are swirled with color, and even the manhole covers have whimsical patterns embedded within. ‘Team Umizoomi’ is made up of Milli, Geo and Bot, who solve everyday problems with their Mighty Math Powers in order to keep Umi City running smoothly.”
Hearing his voice coming out of the mouth of an animated character was a little weird at first, but now Ethan thinks it is pretty cool.
Since he lends his voice to Geo and is isolated in a sound booth to record his lines, Ethan said it is rare that he sees his fellow cast mates.
Even though Geo is an animated character, Ethan said there are similarities between himself and his alter ego. Both young men are very energetic and Ethan said Geo even has a hairstyle that is similar to his own.
One of the best parts about being Geo is that Ethan is getting a jump-start on his future career.
The young man said that when he gets older he would not only like to act, but to also be a teacher. Since Geo helps to teach children basic math skills, Ethan is already practicing being a teacher.
When Ethan isn’t at school or in the studio, he enjoys activities such as basketball, playing the tenor saxophone and karate, where he is a black belt.
Although he is the voice of one of the main characters, Ethan is modest and kept his part a secret until after the show debuted, his mother said.
Cheryl Kempner said her son is dedicated to completing all of his schoolwork, recording his lines for the show and participating in his various activities.
Ethan described working with “Team Umizoomi” as being a lot of fun and something he hopes to continue doing into the future.