Many of us have had thriving careers which were built on a solid educational foundation. We’ve climbed the ladder, been successful and then something changed… A yearning to try something new…a desire to follow your heart, your passions, or even just follow a gnawing impulse. Sometimes it takes a change we didn’t expect or something we can’t control (like being laid off) to give us the window to take the leap and go in a whole new direction.
Meet Heather Thivierge, who spent 25 years as a chemist before discovering a new passion in voice over work.
After being laid off from her job and looking for a career change, she found the "Work from Home doing Voice Overs" course online. With a great voice and around six months of work going through the course, Heather has been working as a part-time voice artist and just secured a client that will allow her to go full-time. Check out her inspiring journey. Here's our interview with Heather.
Q: What was your background (education/career) prior to enrolling in the Work from Home doing Voice Overs course?
A: I was a chemist for 25 years.
Q: What motivated you to enroll in the Work from Home doing Voice Overs course?
A: I've always gotten compliments on my voice. I competed in forensics in high school. I had been told countless of times to consider voiceovers, but I went in a science direction instead. I became a chemist and worked as one for 25 years. The last company I worked for had just laid off 100 people, and I was one of them. The thought of looking for a new chemist job at this point in my life made me sad. I realized the reason why was because I didn't wish to do that anymore. In that same moment I said that maybe now is the time for me to pursue voiceovers, so I bought the course.
Q: How did you find the Work from Home doing Voice Overs online course? Online search? Referral?
A: Online search.
Q: Could you share your initial expectations about the course? Did it meet or exceed those expectations?
A: Honestly, I didn't know what to expect, but after watching the introduction video, I felt comfortable enough to make the investment. I was very happy with the course. I loved the pace, particularly the emphasis on completing certain action items before continuing with the course.
Q: How long ago did you complete the course?
A: Six months.
Q: How much time do you spend working as a voice artist? (part-time, side gig, full-time?)
A: I'm part time, for now. My goal is to do this full time.
(A few days after completing this interview, Heather was hired by an audio series platform which will help her segue to full time voice acting!!!)
Q: What types of voice over work have you completed so far? Audiobooks, commercials, podcasts, etc.
A: I've done commercials, podcasts, and some character voices.
Q: What’s your favorite type of voice over work?
A: Commercials. They're short, but they create a lot of brain power. It's a challenge to analyze a script, deduce its message, and then interpret that message with the "correct" voice. The shorter the script, the more challenging this is, and you become better at discerning everything.
Q: What’s a typical work day like for you when you are doing voice over work?
A: I start the day by seeing what auditions have been emailed to me. If any of them look like a good fit, I do my vocal warm ups and then audition. Doing voice overs is low key training on how to write and edit copy, so I managed to find a separate WFH job doing that between auditions. I also maintain my website, find new leads to directly market to, check my social media. I try and incorporate some exercise in, but I need to do a better job at that.
Q: What do you love most about being a voice artist?
A: It's a powerful creative outlet for me, and I've learned that's something we all need.
Q: What advice would you offer to others who are considering becoming a voice artist?
A: Find a way to WFH, so that you can audition as close to the casting call as possible. Take everything said in the course about creating a proper recording space very seriously. Take acting classes, business classes, and marketing classes. Don't make your social media pages about you. Make them about the people you want to hire you. Lastly, play the long game. You need a lot of patience for this line of work.
Q: Please describe your recording space. Where do you record? How did you treat the space?
A: I converted a closet into recording space. It was already carpeted, so I placed acoustic panels all over the walls and on the back of the doors.
Q: Would you like to provide additional links to your work and/or website? Please share here.
A: Sure! Here’s my website: www.htvoiceover.com
Also, Click Here to check out her podcast.
Stay tuned for more student success stories like Heather’s story. Or better yet, start creating your own.
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