Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Danielle Famble. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Danielle, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’ve love to hear an interesting investment story – what was one of the best or worst investments you’ve made? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)

Best investment I made was in myself by taking the time to learn how to become a voice actor. At first I didn’t know how to edit audio and how to use the editing software. I spent hours on YouTube and Google looking into how connect my microphone to my computer and get “broadcast quality” sound. I knew this was important because this was during the pandemic in 2020. Before the pandemic, typically a voice actor would go into a studio and there was an engineer who would be responsible for doing these things. As a voice actor, my job was to show up and deliver my lines. This “new era” of voiceover required the voice actor to wear many hats and one of those was being your own engineer. I knew that spending time and investing in learning how to be the best editor I can be would reap dividends in my career because I could become more efficient. Really, what I was doing was investing in my education in this one facet of my business. This had ripple effects because it created the resilience in me to be able to tackle learning how to do other things in my business as well, like learning more about financials in my business or learning how to negotiate rates. As a creative entrepreneur, we wear many hats and it’s important that we know how our business runs so that one day we can bring in help and train others on what we do.

Danielle, 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?

My name is Danielle Famble and I am a Voice Actor. I’m the voice behind television commercials for major brands, radio advertisements, online training videos, political ads and more. Basically when you hear a voice on tv and it’s not the person on screen speaking, that’s a voice over and its actors like me who voice them.

I got into voiceover from a career as a musical theater actor based in the NYC area. I studied classical music and theater in college and moved to the Big Apple after college. I initially wanted to be a Broadway star so I took classes and auditioned for musical theater gigs around juggling multiple day jobs. I performed in regional theater shows and on cruise ships for many years. I was also in an episode of Law and Order: SVU as well as on variousTV commercials. During the pandemic in 2020, I started voice acting more seriously (because we were all sheltering in place). That was at the hight of the “Me Too” movement and “Black Lives Matter” Movement, so I think there was a need for diverse female voices at that time. I started booking more and more jobs and honed my skills. I became a full time voice actor about a year later and have been growing my business ever since.

I think my background in musical theater sets me apart in my field because I lean on the musicality of the spoken word. There’s a musical cadence to the text and I can hear that. It also has helped me become a great listener and collaborate with the directors in sessions.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I’ve had to unlearn the “starving artist” mentality. It’s totally unhelpful and I think it keeps artists playing small. When I first moved to New York, I remember thinking that I needed to immediately find an agent and that person would take care of me. All I had to do was be talented and show up for the opportunities I was given. In the meantime, I needed to scape together side jobs and side gigs that wouldn’t get in the way of my availability to show up to the opportunities I was given by the gatekeepers. I needed to live frugally and be ready to leave my apartment as soon as someone told me “yes!”

Honestly, this is toxic and doesn’t work with the high cost of living these days. It’s okay to have a steady day job that more than pays the bills. It’s okay to be multi-passionate! It doesn’t make you any less of a creative if you have other irons on the fire that provides a good income for you until the creative pursuits also pay the bills. It doesn’t mean you’ve “earned it” any more or any less.

There’s a strange kind of glory in the struggle of being a starving artist that I don’t think should be glorified at all. Ya know what’s sexy? Paying the bills, having an emergency fund, having enough money set aside to be able to say “No” to a project that doesn’t serve you. That’s the kind of creative entrepreneur I want to be!

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

I’m currently in the process of building an audience on YouTube. At first I thought it should be easy due to my acting background, but it isn’t. I’m finding the process challenging and frustrating at times. The person who was once outgoing and happy to be seen on stage isn’t coming through on camera. One thing that’s helping me get through it is to remind myself that I’m a beginner and I’m learning something new. I’ve never done this before and there’s something to be learned with every video. So I’d encourage anyone who’s just starting out, like I am, to be kind to yourself. Take it one video or post at a time and document your process. You’ll get faster and more efficient as you go on, but you’ll only have this one time to be a beginner. It’s okay to not be “good” right now. As creatives, we want to show up in a polished and professional way. I think there’s an opportunity to let your humanity shine through as you learn how to show up in the way you want to on social media.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.daniellefamble.clom
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daniellefamble/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dfamble
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellefamble/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@daniellefamble

Image Credits

Branding Babe – Amanda Ghobadi