Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gary Bennett. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Gary, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?
The TLDR here is Yes…and No.
At 50 years old, after working as an electrical engineer for 28 years, the last 14 years running my own successful engineering firm, I felt it was time for a change. I didn’t know exactly what that change looked like, but I knew that I needed to find another path. After several years being an avid audiobook listener, I realized that narrating audiobooks was actually a job that someone could do, and it was a revelation to me. My curiosity turned into genuine interest and then into true passion once I realized that I, too, could help bring books to life in this amazing world of audiobooks. I quickly realized that this was a pursuit that I wanted to fully invest myself into, realizing that although I was starting at the bottom and I had so much to learn, I also knew that this was the right path for me. I found myself in a generous and welcoming community within the industry, something I had never felt before in my previous professional life. As I continued on my journey I realized that I had finally figured out what I wanted to do when I grew up!
I am so grateful for my current place in this world and am so rewarded with the work I do. I know that had things happened differently, had I discovered this creative career sooner than I did, I would be a different person with different experiences that would have molded my progression along different paths. So although sometimes I truly wish I would have discovered my creative path sooner, I am quite happy with where my life experiences have led me and, honestly, I wouldn’t change a thing!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I have been an avid reader since I was a child, filling my days with the stories of Tolkien and Asimov and Anne Rice among so many others. When I entered the professional world after college and found myself travelling often, I discovered the joy of reading with my ears through audiobooks, and it opened up a whole new world for me. I listened to audiobooks whenever I could, and when I came to a point in my life when I felt I needed to do something different, I happened upon an interview of one of my favorite audiobook narrators in which he talked about how he got into the industry, and I realized at that moment that THIS was something people did FOR A LIVING–a literal light-bulb moment for me!
After converting my home office to a part-time home recording studio and setting up the equipment and software, I played around and quickly discovered a genuine interest in learning more about this world. On a fluke, I auditioned to narrate a few short children’s books and realized two things: first, yes, I LOVED reading and recording the books and bringing them to life, and second, I needed to learn as much as I could possibly learn so that I could get better. I knew that I needed training, in both the performance side of the business and the technical side of the business (running the software, wearing the engineer’s and the director’s hats). Having run my own business for 14+ years, I felt pretty confident about that third side of becoming successful in this field, so I immediately started pursuing coaching and training, and have, for the most part, continued to coach and train consistently and constantly throughout the almost 7 years in the business.
I enjoy books of all genres, and as a lover of science-fiction, fantasy, and mystery/thriller books, I think my passion for narrating books in those genres continues to drives me, and I am quite proud of the portfolio I’ve built. But it is the connections I build with the stories and the characters, no matter the genre, that give me the most reward and for which I am grateful each day I step into my studio. I am proud of not only the many stories I have been graced to narrate, but also the many wonderful relationships I’ve built with my authors. Through my continued coaching and growth, I bring a true human connection to their stories.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
This is an especially salient question in today’s environment, and a very easy one to answer in my opinion. With the recent advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning, society is becoming more and more accepting of what these technologies can do, and I fully support much of the potential benefits to be gained. But there must be a hard line drawn when the question arises of replacing the work of artists and creatives with artificial, non-human sourced work. There is absolutely a place for these technologies, but the arts is not the place. Technology can only mimic what humans can create, and society must not be lured by the ease and cost-savings and other so-called advantages of using technology as a substitute for the human experience.
By supporting human-only artistic and creative endeavors, and by voicing strong opposition to any non-human substitutes to those endeavors, artists and creatives will be allowed to thrive and continue to bring their work to the public and to keep the human experience alive.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
Professionally, I come from a world not known for creativity. My previous life as an electrical engineer and software programmer did have some creative problem-solving facets, but generally speaking that work lives in a much more rigid environment. When I first started my journey of becoming an audiobook narrator, I imagined sitting down in front of the microphone and reading would be fun and easy work! I was right with the first part–it IS fun work, but this job is anything but easy.
In addition to the varied technical aspects–setting up your recording environment, running the recording software, mastering the audio to ensure the specifications are met–there are many performance considerations that play into every book I narrate, from the presentation of the characters (how they sound, what their attitude is, what their emotional state is, etc.) based upon my research and pre-reading of the book (yes, I do read the book before I record the book), to the accents of the characters (and the training to learn how to voice those accents), to the proper pronunciations of all the names and places (learned from compiling and researching every one of those names and places). All of these challenges are part of the process in the recording of each audiobook, but in addition to these technical and performance considerations, the most challenging part of this job stems from the emotional connections that must be forged.
As the narrator of the audiobook, I portray every scene, every character, every emotion, and every attitude. I need to connect to each character at a deep emotional level so that I feel what they’re feeling, so that I can genuinely convey those emotions to the listener. When the emotions of a scene (or a whole book) run high, or when there’s a lot of intense dialog or action, it can be very draining, physically, emotionally, and even spiritually. I am wholly invested in the story and the characters, and I feel all the feels, throughout each session in the studio. I’ll often need to stop mid-page, mid-phrase, even mid-sentence to compose myself, just a little, so that I can continue recording through a challenging passage. And when a recording session is finished and I exit my studio, there’s a necessary release of all that energy, of all the emotions and I often need some quiet time alone to process and decompress.
And finally, there is the physical challenge of spending several hours in studio each day. I work from home and record in a professional recording studio. The interior space of my studio is 3.5 feet x 4.5 feet, and houses a large video monitor, my microphone and associated equipment, a studio monitor (speaker) and a desk. I squeeze through the door and seal myself in to the sound-isolated space, which has only a very minimal amount of air flow for circulation. While recording, I cannot run any large-volume fans or air conditioning because those introduce too much noise, so I essentially work in a very small sauna for anywhere from 6 to 12 hours every day. The internal temperature of my studio varies between a constant 78 degrees to 92 degrees or hotter during the summer.
After a day in the studio I am often more exhausted than I ever was in my previous jobs and careers. As rewarding as this job is–and it really is the MOST rewarding job I’ve ever done–it is also the most consistently exhausting job I’ve ever done.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.garybennettreads.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theactualgcb/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GaryBennettNarrator
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-bennett-642668/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheActualGCB
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GaryBennettAudiobookNarrator/featured
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-178733775
Image Credits
Headshot photos by Jason J. Kim Photography