In November, as I was wrapping up my first round of voice over coaching and getting close to being “demo ready” (I’m heading up to NYC in a couple of hours to record my narration demo), I started thinking about how I wanted to brand myself; how was I going to differentiate myself from all of the other voice actors out there?

The best branding is truest to core values and core self. So I took some time to think about that…who was I really?

It’s a pretty tough question to answer, and it could lead down a rabbit hole. I tried to keep it limited to the things I did that brought me joy.

I kept coming back to the word “storyteller”.

I always wrote stories in middle school and high school. I always enjoyed consuming media (writing, movies, video games) that took the time with world building and plot development. I majored in Communication and English in college, with a concentration in writing in both. I’ve written off and on over the last 20 (GULP!) years since I graduated, and I run a Dungeons & Dragons game.

Yet, somehow, I never really pursued it in a real way. It’s always been there.

And when I looked a little deeper, it is what drew me to voice acting: the desire to tell a story. Whether that be giving a voice to a character, or narrating a book, or giving the words behind a campaign some meaning, it’s all storytelling.

When I finally made that connection, I understood what I was doing and why I was doing it. I also understood why I knew I would be successful: because HARD WORK + LOVE = SUCCESS

All of this is to say that today is my birthday, I’m 42, and I’m starting to figure it out for myself. So sometimes it takes a while. Don’t worry about getting “there”, focus on “getting” there…focus on the process, and then go do the things you need to do.