We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cara Leighty. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cara below.

Alright, Cara thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

If I could go back in time, I definitely wish I had started in VoiceOver YEARS ago! I know it was always something that I was interested in as a kid, teen & young adult so I wish I had started pursuing it sooner! I’ve just realized how amazingly fun it is & even though I have always been creative and done creative things career-wise, I wish that I would’ve jumped into it a little earlier than I did. I mean it’s better late than never & I’m thankful that God has opened the doors for me over the past couple of years! I just wonder where I would’ve been if I had started sooner. God knows what He’s doing, so it was probably supposed to happen EXACTLY how it did.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hello! I’m Cara! I’m a commercial & animation voice actor based in Atlanta, GA! I’ve always loved voiceover/voice acting! When I was a kid I used to watch The Simpsons and try to imitate the voices I heard on the screen. I also used to get super excited when the teacher went around and called our names to read aloud in class — something NOBODY likes! Even though I got my BA in Broadcast Journalism, I dabbled a little in the VO industry over the years; assisting my husband with various video projects & volunteering my pipes for radio station sweepers & promos. After having kids, I started creating funny & relatable content on YouTube, Facebook & TikTok. Even though I’ve had some success as an online creator, the algorithms have been difficult to navigate. So after taking a fast from creating content, God started opening up some amazing doors! In the spring of 2021, I started actively pursuing voiceover as a career; taking classes out of LA (virtually) with Voiceover Camp. After taking a beginner’s course with its founder Krizia Bajos, my love for VO reignited & I continued my studies with her and some amazing coaches; like MADTV’s Debra Wilson.

Once the COVID numbers started to slow down, I decided I wanted to expand my studies. I started taking some local courses through Heidi Rew & Mike Stoudt’s Atlanta Voiceover Studio; studying, training & learning from major animation/commercial VO talents such as Brian Bremer, Debi Derryberry, Katie Leigh & SOOO many more!

What sets me apart from other voice actors is that I’m Cara Leighty! There’s nobody like me!

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

I think the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is seeing GROWTH. I personally have always struggled with feeling like I wasn’t good enough for a lot of things I’ve done in my life/career. When I was creating content on YouTube I never got enough subscribers & my channel was demonetized. When I started creating on TikTok, I would do really well & then my account started struggling between views & numbers. Being complimented, encouraged & told by my voiceover coaches that they are amazed at my growth has definitely been super rewarding to me. It encourages me to keep pursuing the career that I love so much & continue to learn & grow as a creative.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Yes, kinda. I would LOVE to be in an animated tv show, movie or web series OR be a puppetter!! While animation has always been my ultimate goal as a voice actor, I honestly love EVERYTHING voiceover! I think everything is so much fun & so interesting! And it’s amazing when you start thinking about how VO is used in everyday life — it’s on your phone, on your GPS, in the airport, on movies, television, the news, e-learning, audiobooks — the list goes on and on and on! That’s the thing that gets me excited about this career — all the possibilities! But yes, animation is #1 on my list!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrsleighty
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caraleighty/
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/mrs_leighty
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/TheLeightyLife
• Other: https://voice123.com/voice-actor/caraleighty

Image Credits
LOGO by SHAXARTS (@shaxarts)