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

Debi, appreciate you joining us today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

My first job after graduating UCLA as a pre-med student was as a receptionist in a commercial real estate firm. I learned how to write a proper business letter (emails didn’t exist back then, but an email is very similar to a business letter).

I waited tables for over 7 years during my time in college and for many years after college as well. Waiting table is very hard work, both mentally and physically. I learned to write things down so I didn’t forget them, and I also learned that when I am a customer, it is very important to be polite to your server.

Debi, 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 am a singer/songwriter and a voice actor. I have sung, written songs, and played guitar for as long as I can remember. All facets of singing and voice acting bring me joy.

After graduating college, I decided that medical school was not really the way I wanted to go. I moved to Nashville to be a country music singer/songwriter. I spent 3 years there, and the singing jobs I got were singing jingles for commercials … in a kid’s voice. I still did songwriters’ nights and wrote music, but it didn’t occur to me to pursue a career in voiceover until I took a job as a body double for a 12-year-old boy in a movie with Jim Varney called Ernest Goes to Camp, and one of the actor’s moms said she thought I should do cartoon voices. She gave me some names of casting directors in Los Angeles. I wrote letters to the casting directors, which I mailed off with my demo on a cassette tape. One of the casting directors wrote back and said she liked my voice, but I would need to live in LA. So, I moved back to Los Angeles, and she walked me into ICM. That was the biggest voice agency in LA at the time. I started booking cartoons in just a couple of weeks and that was over 30 years ago. I still do voiceover as my primary source of income. However, my love of singing, harmonizing, and songwriting has remained. I still pursue my music, and it continues to bring me joy.

I felt I had so much to share in voiceover that I wrote a book called Voice Over 101: How To Succeed as a Voice Actor. Then after pandemic, a 2nd edition of the same book was published. I love to help, so I also coach privately and in class situations. I try give people the best advice and help that I can.

I have had a female trio folk/country band for over 20 years called Honey Pig, and we sing 3-part harmonies for songs I have written and for my very favorite cover songs.

Kids’ music has always been so special to me because of the impact music can have on a child. In addition, kids’ music is challenging because if kids don’t like it, then they are not afraid to say so! Lol. This new album, Gotta Go Green, is my 4th children’s album. I’m so very proud of this project for the message it brings to our children as caretakers of our planet. The music has a very contemporary feel, with some faster and some medium-paced songs. But all have a great message and carefully hidden learning opportunities on tangible things a person can do to help the planet. There are songs about carbon footprints, molecules of H2O, Earth Day, recycling and the plight of the orangutan in the rain forest.

With the huge impact that social media plays, I have incorporated animated music videos of my songs into my new YouTube channel “Debi Derryberry KIDS!” I think the visual helps so much with the message.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I am just starting my journey with my new YouTube Channel “Debi Derryberry KIDS!” There are tricks that I am learning that will help to grow the channel. But every platform’s success and growth relies on consistency. I have been posting TikTok videos regularly for years, and it has grown to 1.3 million followers. I now understand my TikTok audience and know what they want to hear about. Most of my followers are fans of cartoons I have voiced over the past 30 years

Instagram is mostly saved for activity in my voice acting world. It is where I post about my encounters with fellow voice actors and tricks and tips for voice acting.

My YouTube Official channel has things that I love to share that may or may not be related to the entertainment industry. I post things like DIY videos on how to repair a dog toy, make an earthquake kit, cook a quiche, or sew on a button!

My YouTube channel “Debi Derryberry KIDS!” is solely for kid-friendly content from music videos of my kids’ songs and videos of my pig, Mimi, doing silly things like eating an orange or getting a bath. My pig, Mimi, died about 10 years ago.

YouTube is the most recent of the social media platforms that I am working on. My goal is to have a million subscribers to my kids’ channel and to continue to be able to share my kids’ music and fun kids’ things. I have a great team of support, and we have a lot of fun.

Across all the platforms, though, consistency in content is key. A social media presence requires constant caretaking and nurturing.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

As far as resources go, I really wish I had educated myself about the music business long ago. About three years ago, I took a class on how to place songs in movies, TV, and advertisements and how the streaming platforms work. This was a HUGE eye-opening experience. Just being creative with writing and singing songs isn’t enough. To be visible on today’s Internet/digital stage, one must really know how the nuts and bolts of the process works. In addition to ongoing business networking, I try to continue to learn the tricks for engineering, social media, and computer skills. I wish someone had told me how important this was MUCH earlier in my career!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://debiderryberry.com/kids-music and https://www.debiderryberry.com/biography
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/debiderryberry
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/DebiDerryberryVO
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@DebiDerryberryKIDS
• Other: https://tiktok.com/@debiderryberry

Image Credits
Cathryn Farnsworth