Barbara Dunkelman

Barbara Julie Dunkelman^[1] (born July 2, 1989^[2]) is a Canadian actress and internet personality. She is known for her work with the former production company Rooster Teeth, where she served as a Creative Director and was formerly the Director of Social and Community Marketing and a Program Director for RTX.^[3][4][5][6] She also provides the voice of Yang Xiao Long in the web series RWBY and Nerris in Camp Camp,^[7] and is a partial owner of the FCF Wild Aces Indoor Football Team.^[8]

Barbara Dunkelman
Dunkelman at the 2018 Florida Supercon
Born	Barbara Julie Dunkelman (1989-07-02) July 2, 1989 (age 35) Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2008–present
Partner	Trevor Collins (2018–present)

Early life

Dunkelman was born in Montreal, Quebec, to a Jewish^[9] family, and was raised alongside two brothers. She and her family moved to Ottawa, Ontario, when she was 8 years old. She graduated from Concordia University with a degree in Marketing in June 2011.^[10] Dunkelman is a permanent resident of the United States, residing in Austin, Texas.^[11]

Career

Dunkelman in 2016 with a group of cosplayers dressed as Yang Xiao Long, her character in RWBY

Dunkelman signed up on Rooster Teeth's website in October 2004.^[2] In 2005 she attended and assisted at the premiere Toronto Red vs. Blue fan event, RvBTO.^[12] Starting in 2008, she helped organize it as co-host and Rooster Teeth liaison.^[13][14] She was a hostess for WatchMojo.com for several months in 2010.^[15]

In September 2011, she co-founded the triple award-winning Internet Box podcast^[16] hosted by herself, Michael Jones, Ray Narvaez, Jr., Andrew Blanchard, Mike Kroon, and Dylan "Dylon" Saramago, with Lindsay Jones and Kerry Shawcross being added to the cast later on. In December 2011, she was hired by Rooster Teeth as their first Community Manager, in charge of developing community features and the company's social media.^[17][18] At the time of her hiring she was the most-followed member on the Rooster Teeth community site.^[19] Since February 2012, she appears regularly on the award-winning Rooster Teeth Podcast.^[16]

In May 2013, alongside fellow employee Jack Pattillo, she was interviewed as part of Microsoft's 2013 E3 Xbox One reveal.^[20] Despite her numerous appearances on the podcast and at events, she estimates that "only 25 percent" of her job, which entails marketing and management functions within the company, takes place in the public eye.^[19] Also in 2013, she began voicing the character of Yang Xiao Long in the Streamy Award-winning series RWBY, which is her most recognizable acting role.^[21][22][23] She has also lent her voice to Cosmos in Fairy Tail and ORF in X-Ray and Vav.^[24]

In the 2019 companion book to the series, Dunkelman said that at the time she was working as the community manager at Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum introduced her to Yang Xiao Long's character, remarking "I'm working on this show and there's this badass Goldilocks character. Do you want to play her?," with Dunkleman saying yes, even though she had never done any voice acting yet, and was listed at the end of the 'Red' trailer for the character Ruby Rose, even though she hadn't even auditioned for the role at the time. Dunkleman also said that Yang is "fun to play" as she is even-keeled in real-life while Yang can become very hot-headed, called it an honor to play "a character who's such a badass" and said it was nice to live vicariously through Yang, who loves motorcycle-riding.^[25]

Beginning in September 2016, Dunkelman began hosting Always Open, a lifestyle and sexual health podcast within Rooster Teeth.^[26] The podcast went on an "indefinite hiatus" in June 2020,^[27] but returned in March 2023, along with a new YouTube channel entitled "All Good No Worries".^[28] Also in September 2016, Dunkelman launched an eponymous clothing line at Rooster Teeth.^[29] In September 2019, Dunkelman became a Creative Director at Rooster Teeth.^[4]

Dunkelman has amassed a number of live-action acting credits, which include roles in Rooster Teeth Shorts,^[30] Immersion,^[31] Day 5,^[32] and Ten Little Roosters,^[33] as well as the horror comedy Blood Fest.^[34] She is also one of five partial owners of the FCF Wild Aces Indoor Football Team.^[8]

Personal life

Dunkelman has been in a relationship with producer Trevor Collins since 2018.^[35] On November 23, 2023, the couple announced their engagement on Instagram.^[36]

In 2021, she revealed in a video on her YouTube channel that she has a severe case of hyperhidrosis, and that she would be seeking surgery to curtail the effects of her condition.^[37]

In a March 2023 interview with her friend Arryn Zech, a fellow voice actor on RWBY, Dunkleman said she is "not fully straight", but is "for the most part...fairly straight".^[38]

Filmography

Films

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2015	Lazer Team	Cheerleader	Cameo
2017	Lazer Team 2	Reporter #2
2018	Blood Fest	Ashley
2023	Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen	Yang Xiao Long	Voice only; Direct-to-Video[39]
2024	Red vs Blue Restoration	Security Team #2	Voice only; Direct-to-video

Web Series

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2011–2014, 2016	Internet Box	Herself	Podcast
2012–2024	Rooster Teeth Podcast	Herself	Podcast
2013–present	RWBY	Yang Xiao Long	Voice, motion capture
2014	Fairy Tail	Cosmos	Voice only
	iBlade	Worker of Secrets / Sharon
	Ten Little Roosters	Barbara
2014–2015	X-Ray and Vav	ORF	Voice only
2014–present	Immersion	Barbara / Soldier (Blue Moose)
2014–2020	Red vs. Blue	Jensen	Voice only; Writer of episode "Head Canon"[40][41]
2015–2021	Death Battle	Yang Xiao Long, Mama Boomstick	Voice, episode: "Yang VS Tifa", "Macho Man VS Kool-Aid Man"
	Fanarchy	Herself	Documentary
	The Strangerhood	Planner	Voice
	Tom & Bill	Additional Voices	Voice; one episode, uncredited
2016	Crunch Time	Beatrice
	Day 5	Flip
2016–2019	Camp Camp	Nerris	Voice only; Season 1-4
2016–2020	Always Open	Herself	Podcast host
2016-2018; 2021	RWBY Chibi	Yang Xiao Long / Herself
2017	The Eleven Little Roosters	Agent Moose
2018	Nomad of Nowhere	Dolores	Voice only
2020–present	Zelda Hero High	Zee
2021–Present	Tales from the Stinky Dragon	Bartholomew 'Bart' Finn (Campaign One), Adelyn Bovant (The Chosen ones), Ellga Von Brath (Campaign Two), Muffin (Maze Rat Pack), Dug Boone (Campaign Three)	Podcast
2021	RWBY: Fairy Tales	Yang Xiao Long	Voice only; one episode
2022	RWBY: Ice Queendom		Voice only; English dub
2023–present	Stinky Dragon Adventures	Bartholomew 'Bart' Finn, Old Hag, Dragon, Various voices	Voice; lead puppeteer
2024	RWBY VTubing	Yang Xiao Long	Voice only; guest
	RWBY Beyond		Voice only; one Episode

Video Games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2014	Smite	Yang Xiao Long	Voice only
2016	RWBY: Grimm Eclipse
2018	BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle[42]
	Paladins: Champions of the Realm
2022	RWBY: Arrowfell

References

1. Sorola, Gus; Free, Gavin; Dunkleman, Barbara; Burns, Burnie (February 16, 2016). "Rooster Teeth Podcast #363" (Podcast). Rooster Teeth. Event occurs at 42:24. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023. ALT URL
2. "RoosterTeeth Profile". RoosterTeeth. Archived from the original on September 14, 2013. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
3. Rex, Vanessa (December 18, 2012). "GAW Visits Rooster Teeth". GamerAssaultWeekly. Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
4. Spangler, Todd (September 24, 2019). "Jordan Levin Takes Reins at Rooster Teeth, Co-Founder Matt Hullum Shifts to New Role". Variety. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
5. Ervin, Dominic (July 16, 2013). "RTX 2013: Gus Sorola Interview". IngloriousGamer. Archived from the original on October 22, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
6. Childs, Jessica. Interview with RTX Co-Organizer Barbara. San Antonio Counter Culture. Archived from the original on October 10, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
7. Shawcross, Kerry; Jones, Lindsey (October 11, 2017). "Interview: RWBY's Kerry Shawcross and Lindsay Jones" (Interview). Interviewed by Rai Kelly. Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
8. Knox, Kristopher. "FCF 2021 Playoff Rosters, Schedule, Live Stream, Format and Odds". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
9. "Ex-Montrealer voices character on popular online series". The Canadian Jewish News. August 31, 2017. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
10. Dunkelman, Barbara (June 21, 2011). "What did I do today?". RoosterTeeth. Archived from the original on September 14, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
11. "Barbara". Rooster Teeth. Archived from the original on October 3, 2019. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
12. Carbone, Anthony. "The Stories of the Rooster Teeth Community Event Coordinators". Gamer's News Network. Archived from the original on October 13, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
13. Denecour, Caleb (May 10, 2011). "Everyone meet BigNiceJohn and Blawndee". RoosterTeeth Community Group. Retrieved September 13, 2013.^{[dead link‍]}
14. Gallaga, Omar (June 22, 2012). "Two Austin websites bring in geek fans for real-world conferences". Austin Statesman. Archived from the original on September 14, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
15. "VIDEOS HOSTED BY BARBARA DUNKELMAN". WatchMojo.com. Archived from the original on September 14, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
16. "2012 Winners and Nominees". PodcastAwards.com. January 7, 2012. Archived from the original on December 10, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
17. Burns, Burnie (February 12, 2011). "Welcome Barbara!". RoosterTeeth. Archived from the original on September 14, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
18. Evon, Ryan. "A community like no other: My experience at RTX". Odessa American. Archived from the original on August 3, 2019.
19. Anne Jones, Leslie (July 15, 2014). "Meet Barbara Dunkelman: Internet celebrity, community manager, superhero". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on April 24, 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
20. "Xbox Live Stories — "BlawnD & Jack P"". Xbox. YouTube. May 23, 2013. Archived from the original on December 23, 2022. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
21. "Rooster Teeth Productions Presents RWBY Concept Art by Ein Lee (Q&A)". Concept Art World. July 18, 2013. Archived from the original on February 11, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
22. "RWBY Volume 2: Production Diary 3", Rooster Teeth, YouTube, May 15, 2014, archived from the original on March 29, 2023, retrieved July 7, 2022
23. "死ぬほどかっこいい謎のアニメーションプロジェクト『RWBY』シリーズ最終トレーラーが公開！ : Kotaku JAPAN" [The final trailer for the "RWBY" series, a mysterious animation project that is cool enough to die, has been released! : Kotaku Japan]. Kotaku JAPAN. June 15, 2013. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
24. Silverman, Joshua (June 2, 2013). "RWBY: Yellow Unveiled". ConstantlyCalibrating. Archived from the original on August 30, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
25. Wallace, Daniel (2019). The World of RWBY: The Official Companion. San Francisco, CA: Viz Media LLC. pp. 21, 68, 71. ISBN 9781974704385. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
26. "Always Open Podcast". Rooster Teeth. September 1, 2016. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
27. RoosterTeeth [@RoosterTeeth] (June 9, 2020). "Thank you for joining us for 10 seasons of Always Open! The show will be taking an indefinite hiatus, but we are so thankful for all of the time spent together on this show. 💛" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 9, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2023 – via Twitter.
28. Dunkelman, Barbara [@bdunkleman] (March 7, 2023). "TODAY'S THE DAY! Not only is Always Open officially BACK, but it's also the launch of our new channel! Any support you can offer (watching, liking, commenting, subscribing- anything!) will be so appreciated by our whole team! 🌻🧡" (Tweet). Retweeted by yes. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023 – via Twitter.
29. RoosterTeeth [@RoosterTeeth] (September 22, 2016). "Introducing an addition to the RT Lifestyle brand: the @bdunkelman clothing line!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 8, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2023 – via Twitter.
30. "Siri: The Horror Movie". YouTube. December 20, 2011. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023.
31. "Immersion: Simulation Racer". YouTube. May 22, 2013. Archived from the original on September 30, 2022.
32. Day 5 Episode 1 - Waking Nightmare. YouTube. Archived from the original on February 6, 2017.
33. Ten Little Roosters – Episode 1: And Then There Were Nine. YouTube. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023.
34. Spangler, Todd (August 4, 2017). "Seychelle Gabriel to Star in Rooster Teeth's 'Blood Fest' Horror-Comedy Film". Variety. Archived from the original on December 12, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
35. Dunkelman, Barbara [@bdunkelman] (14 February 2018). "So... Happy Valentines Day. 😊💕" (Tweet). Archived from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2023 – via Twitter.
36. "Instagram".
37. I have Hyperhidrosis., March 19, 2021, retrieved April 7, 2023
38. Zech, Arryn (March 28, 2023). "The Voices of Blake and Yang from RWBY talk Bumbleby - Always Open". All Good No Worries (Online). Interviewed by Barbara Dunkelman. YouTube/Rooster Teeth. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023. I know for me, I identify as a not fully straight woman, but like for the most part, fairly straight{{cite interview}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) comment at 17:47-17:55
39. Couch, Aaron (December 15, 2022). "'Justice League x RWBY' Movie Unveils Voice Cast (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023.
40. "Head Canon". RoosterTeeth. Rooster Teeth. August 21, 2016. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
41. Dunkelman, Barbara (August 20, 2016). "My Red vs. Blue Episode". Rooster Teeth. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
42. Arc System Works (June 5, 2018). BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle. Arc System Works. Scene: staff credits.

External links

• Barbara Dunkelman's profile on Rooster Teeth
• Barbara Dunkelman at IMDb
• Barbara Dunkelman at Rotten Tomatoes