If you have ever seen an animated film, TV show or commercial, then you are familiar with these talented people who are responsible for bringing these characters and stories to life.  Our next guest shares her experiences of working as a voice actor! 

Please introduce yourself to our readers…

My name is Leara Morris-Clark. I am originally from Tampa, FL and I moved to the Boston area in 2013 by way of TN. I have an AA degree in Fine Arts and a BA in Psychology. I have varied interests such as Photography, Drawing, Reading, Social Media, Writing, Web Research, Gaming, Singing, Voice Acting, and Arm Wrestling. My two jobs allow me to balance my creative interests with my need for order and concrete concepts.

Can you tell us what company you work for?

LearaVoice

http://learamorris-clark.wix.com/learavoice

What is your title there?

Voice Actor

What are the exact responsibilities of your job?

I do voice over for various projects including but not limited to audiobooks, educational content, product promos, animation, podcasts, telephone greetings and messages, and sales videos.

What is it about your job that makes you love it?

I love to dive into a character and become part of creating a world that has meaning beyond my individual self. I also really enjoy pleasing the client. When I am able to collaborate and help them bring to life something that they have envisioned it is exhilarating. I even enjoy the administrative tasks that are involved in being a business. Always learning new things and networking are two other exciting parts of the job.

What particular skills or talents are most essential to completing your tasks?

The ability to take direction is very important. Acting skills and natural voice talent are key. It also helps to know mic techniques and audio editing software. Staying organized, time management, client support and self-promotion are necessities.
What level of education would you say is required to perform your role?

Some level of training about the industry and some personal coaching are very helpful, as well as how to manage yourself as a business. This is not necessarily something one needs a college education for but acting classes, coaching, studio training and voice acting specific courses are available and can go a long way toward becoming a success in the industry.

Do you find that you bring your work home with you? (And is that a good or bad thing?)

I have a home studio and that is where I do my work. This kind of job requires a good amount of self-discipline and time management so that is doesn’t overlap everything else since it is done from home. I am currently pretty absorbed with it and I have some benchmarks for myself to reach and then my time will balance out a bit better. I have to be careful not to neglect family or other responsibilities as I pursue this career.

How does this job compare to other jobs you’ve held in the past?

I have been doing random voices and accents since I was a child and it only recently occurred to me that there was an entire industry revolving around the ability to do those things and that not everyone could do it. I have immersed myself in the voice world and have been taking on projects left and right. I have so much fun doing it that it hardly seems like work. This is a dream job! No others compare.

What is your favorite food?

I have to be honest; it would be easier to tell you what I don’t like. I don’t like oysters!

Thank you for sharing Leara!  You can reach her on Twitter @learavoice