We recently connected with Andy Garcia-Ruse and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Andy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

That being said, I am a disabled Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) survivor; thus, my learning process took a lot longer than many others may take due to the limiting nature of my disability (e.g. executive functioning deficits, poor memory recall, reasoning, planning, sensory processing problems, visual deficits, physical limitations and pain, and extreme neurofatigue), but I still got to the finish line.

Andy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve been working as an Audiobook Narrator for three years as of this upcoming June. I’ve narrated books from a variety of genres including: Young Adult (YA), Sweet Romance, Rom-Com, Sci-Fi, Cozy Mystery, Non-Fiction, and LitFic. Since beginning this career, I’ve been able to join SAG-AFTRA (our industry union), work with Big 5 Publishers, give back to the audiobook industry community by serving as a mentor, and have even expanded into other areas of voiceover work, coaching, and writing.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I never realized how important social media was for this career path, but it is! I look at social media as being a living, breathing, evolving resume for prospective clients, fans, and colleagues. When I started using social media professionally I had no idea what to do except for one thing— be myself. All the social media trainings, tips, and tricks I’ve learned have been helpful, but at the end of the day I’ve always just gone with my gut: to present an authentic self (including all my triumphs and trials) and that’s worked for me! I approach social media through a lens of psychology meets sociology (my two masters degrees), combined with my sales and marketing background and the results have yielded beyond my expectations. In fact, most of my business comes directly from my social media! Now, I even coach other fellow artists on how to approach social media.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

As an Audiobook Narrator, not only do I get to make my own schedule (which enables me to have gainful activities, despite my disability), but also I’m able to have such variety in my work life! As an Enneagram 7 personality type and a neurodivergent person with ADHD, I’m always craving to do new things, and acting provides this. From book-to-book everything is different (storylines, characters, accents, genres, etc.). I’m never bored and continually being challenged. The creativity of storytelling not only brings me joy to produce, but it also serves a functional role: it continues to help me in my lifelong TBI recovery by allowing me to continue to improve my speech. And for this reason alone, I could never feel more grateful.

Contact Info:

• Linktree: https://linktr.ee/andygarciaruse
• Website: www.andygarciaruse.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theotherandygarcia/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/public/Andy-Garcia-Ruse
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theotherandygarcia/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/otherandygarcia
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@andygarciaruse
• Other: https://linktr.ee/andygarciaruse https://www.tiktok.com/@andygarciaruse