Raising the Stakes: Turning Reads into Real Performances

Character, Connection, and the Rise of Audio Drama

In today’s episode, you’ll meet Great Voice student Anna Kunkin and industry guest Brady Flanagan.  Anna Kunkin is a bilingual medical interpreter whose years helping Spanish-speaking patients navigate doctors’ appointments and immigration interviews have given her a deep sense of empathy and connection. After growing up partly in Mexico and becoming fluent in Spanish, Anna found a career where advocacy and communication come together. Brady Flanagan is a voice actor, writer, director and sound engineer based out of Salt Lake City. He is the founder of the Voice Support Community on Discord as well as the creator of the audio drama Rogue Life. Brady and Susan discuss the booming world of audio dramas and why the format has exploded in recent years.  Tune in as Susan coaches Anna through a commercial read where they work on developing a clear point of view by speaking to one specific person and creating a believable world behind the script. And learn how podcasts are helping fuel a new generation of scripted audio entertainment built around immersive sound, full casts, music, and storytelling “for the ears.” Hosted - Susan Berkley Producer - Salena Metreger  Music by Darrin Fossella  Show Opener by Tanya Wade This episode is sponsored by Full Compass and Less Annoying CRM. Great Voice and Full Compass have partnered to provide great quality equipment at the best prices. Visit GreatVoiceGear.com [http://greatvoicegear.com] to see Great Voice Company exclusive kits. Take advantage of an exclusive deal for Great Voice Podcast Listeners on a CRM designed for voiceover businesses. Go to https://greatvoice.com/crm [https://greatvoice.com/crm] to learn more.  Join the Voice Support Community on discord: https://discord.gg/amEcdfEJCR

One Story at a Time: Building an Audiobook Career

In today’s episode, you’ll meet Great Voice students Nan Charters and Andrew Smith, two audiobook lovers who found their way behind the mic after very different careers. First, you’ll meet Nan Charters. A former publishing professional and legal assistant whose love of books, language, and reading aloud eventually led her to voiceover. Encouraged for years by people complimenting her voice while lecturing at church, Nan finally took the leap during COVID and immersed herself in Great Voice training and certification. Next, you’ll hear retired IT professional Andrew Smith, who turned a longtime interest in broadcasting and voice work into a growing audiobook career. Andrew shares how one audiobook led to another, including return authors and a new trilogy project, all recorded from a shared home studio with his wife, who is also a narrator.  Tune in to hear Susan coach Nan on the power of contrast—using a subtle sense of foreboding beneath bright, beautiful imagery to create intrigue and draw listeners deeper into the story. And then Susan works with Andrew on slowing down his delivery and visualizing the scene, helping the imagery come into sharper focus and making the performance more vivid and immersive. Chapters * 06:31 Building Character and Story for Audiobook Auditions * 12:43 Refining Performance and Tone * 24:46 Life as an Audiobook Narrator * 30:25 Exploring Character Depth in Narration Hosted - Susan Berkley Producer - Salena Metreger  Music by Darrin Fossella  Show Opener by Tanya Wade This episode is sponsored by Full Compass and Less Annoying CRM. Great Voice and Full Compass have partnered to provide great quality equipment at the best prices. Visit GreatVoiceGear.com [http://greatvoicegear.com] to see Great Voice Company exclusive kits. Take advantage of an exclusive deal for Great Voice Podcast Listeners on a CRM designed for voiceover businesses. Go to https://greatvoice.com/crm [https://greatvoice.com/crm] to learn more.

Raising the Stakes: Turning Reads into Real Performances

In today’s episode, you’ll meet Great Voice students David Peterson and Omar Masoodi.   David Peterson turned a recent layoff into an opportunity to pursue his long-standing interest in voice acting and character work. Growing his skills with The Great Voice Company and putting himself out there on the pay-to-play sites, David wants to bring his unique voice to animation, video games, elearning and more.   Omar Masoodi is a special education teacher of 35 years and longtime public address announcer with a natural love of storytelling. With experience in radio and a growing presence on Voices.com, Omar shares how consistent daily auditions are already leading to paid work.    Listen in as Susan coaches David through an audiobook scene, focusing on “raising the stakes.” And with Omar, Susan shows how adding specificity can help bring vague copy to life. But stay tuned, because a special bonus interview where Omar talks about his recent successes on the pay-to-play sites and what he’s learned about scams and how to avoid them.   Chapters * 05:47 Audiobook Narration Techniques * 16:59 Exploring Corporate Voiceover Scripts * 25:51 Creating Authentic Connections in Voice Over * 34:09 Navigating Pay-to-Play Platforms Hosted - Susan Berkley Producer - Salena Metreger  Music by Darrin Fossella  Show Opener by Tanya Wade This episode is sponsored by Full Compass and Less Annoying CRM. Great Voice and Full Compass have partnered to provide great quality equipment at the best prices. Visit GreatVoiceGear.com [http://greatvoicegear.com] to see Great Voice Company exclusive kits. Take advantage of an exclusive deal for Great Voice Podcast Listeners on a CRM designed for voiceover businesses. Go to https://greatvoice.com/crm [https://greatvoice.com/crm] to learn more.

A Pinch of Tech, A Dash of Sound, and the Art of Voiceover

In today’s episode, you’ll meet Great Voice student Chef Pam and co-founder and creator of SourceConnect Rebekah Wilson.   Chef Pam is a cook and content creator with a thriving YouTube channel, "Cooking at Pam's Place." She started to create a visual reference for her children, but over time, her love for cooking and sharing her culinary adventures evolved into a full-fledged online presence. Pam wants to bring her personality to voiceover and is working with the Great Voice Company to do just that.    Rebekah Wilson, Source Elements CEO and co-founder, has spent 20 years building a tool that allows remote collaboration in sound engineering, voice acting, video editing and more. Susan and Rebekah discuss how important SourceConnect has been for the voiceover industry as well as a breakdown of SourceConnect, their plans, and their training program.   Listen as Susan helps Pam infuse her knowledge of cooking into creating a delicious Subway commercial and then learn all about how Rebekah Wilson built SourceConnect to help voice over artists and creatives all over the world work together seamlessly.    Special deal for Great Voice Podcast listeners - save when you sign up for SourceConnect by emailing welcome@source-elements.com with code greatvoice26 and unlock exclusive discounts just for listening!   Chapters * 10:06 - Enriching scripts with sensory language and imagery * 11:14 - Improving pacing for dynamic voiceover delivery * 16:51 - Introduction to Source Connect and its industry impact * 28:52 - Using Source Connect as a marketing and networking tool * 30:48 - Special discount offer for listeners

Building Buzz: Branding, Books, and Breakthrough

In today’s episode, you’ll meet Great Voice talent Susie Hackel, a former reading specialist who transformed her lifelong love of storytelling into a flourishing voiceover career. After walking away from voiceover decades ago (back in the cassette demo days!), Susie restarted in 2020 with The Great Voice Company and today she’s narrated dozens of children’s audiobooks, booked indie games and animation, built steady momentum on Fiverr and the pay-to-plays, and recently signed with Stewart Talent. Susie shares how she landed her dream children’s narration work, built a strong LinkedIn presence, and branded herself as “Bee Your Voice.”  Then, listen in as Susan works Susie through a commercial script, uncovering the emotional journey of the spot and elevating the performance beat by beat.   Chapters * 05:40 Fiverr experience and building her portfolio * 08:23 Most successful projects and direct marketing * 11:31 LinkedIn strategy and networking tips * 36:03 Overcoming imposter syndrome and enjoying success Hosted - Susan Berkley Producer - Salena Metreger  Music by Darrin Fossella  Show Opener by Tanya Wade This episode is sponsored by Full Compass and Less Annoying CRM. Great Voice and Full Compass have partnered to provide great quality equipment at the best prices. Visit GreatVoiceGear.com [http://greatvoicegear.com] to see Great Voice Company exclusive kits. Take advantage of an exclusive deal for Great Voice Podcast Listeners on a CRM designed for voiceover businesses. Go to https://greatvoice.com/crm [https://greatvoice.com/crm] to learn more.