We recently connected with Heather Nichols and have shared our conversation below.

Heather, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I have been a full-time voice actor for the past 5 years, although I have worked part-time in this field for over 15 years. I spent many years primarily pursuing on camera acting, with voiceover being a secondary focus. My agents at the time asked if I wanted to also be submitted for voiceover work, so I said sure, not really expecting much to come from it. To my great delight and surprise, I very quickly booked numerous national voiceover commercial jobs, and really fell in love with the genre. A few years in, I got quite burnt out on the on camera acting grind. I became a mom, and took a step back from performing for a bit to focus on my new twin sons. Also during this time, I became the head of marketing for a large event production company, which I did for 5 years remotely. However, I very quickly missed acting as it the only thing I have ever wanted to do with my life. I decided to re-visit VO as it was a way for me to stretch my creative muscles while being home with my twins and still working my “regular” full-time job. Eventually, I started booking more and more VO work, to the point where it was very difficult to manage alongside my marketing job. With the support of my husband, I decided to take the leap, and dive into voiceover full-time. I have spent a great deal of time, energy, and money to get my business off the ground, and turn it into a sustainable revenue stream. It definitely is not something that typically happens overnight, but if you are willing to put in the time and work it takes, you can make it happen.

Heather, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have wanted to be an actor since I was 3 years old. Growing up in West Virginia, I did everything I could that might help me achieve this dream: beauty pageants, dance, show choirs, local theater productions, etc. I had to work extremely hard to find and get the experience I needed in order to pursue acting as a career. Although I never had a real backup plan for if the acting avenue didn’t pan out, I did get a degree in Marketing, which I feel has helped me immensely in my acting and voiceover career. Since I also have a background in corporate marketing, I bring a well-rounded view of a campaign, and understand what the client is trying to achieve. My acting background allows me to create believable characters that resonate with audiences.

I specialize in corporate narration, e-learning, audiobooks, commercial, and dubbing. I teach and coach other voice actors in these areas, as well as the business of voiceover, which is an area I feel is often overlooked, but is integral to creating a successful business.

As a full-time voice actor with a professional home studio, I am able to provide a quick turnaround, broadcast quality audio, and a seamless transaction for my clients. I am proud to have many repeat clients who trust me to bring their visions to life.

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

One area I wish I was more fluent in sooner is audio engineering. In today’s world, voice actors are no longer just “the voice” in a project. We are often expected to be our own audio engineers / editors / mixers as well. Understanding audio, the various editing techniques and programs used in the industry, and how to create a proper recording space are all necessary to building a successful voiceover business.

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?

Sometimes there seems to be a misconception about voice actors or actors in general that we are just flighty creatives who don’t have good business sense. While this may be true for some, I have always prided myself on being equally savvy on the business side of show business as I am on the creative side. It takes a great deal of knowledge, training, and financial investment in order to build a creative business, just like any other small business. Having a “good voice” is not enough.

Another current topic I feel many don’t understand is the impact of AI on our jobs as voice actors. While there are some passable AI voice options out there, they will never be as effective as a human voice in connecting with an audience.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.heathernicholsvoiceover.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathernicholsvo
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathernicholsofficial
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathernicholsvo/
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/heathernichols
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watchheathernichols
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@heathernicholsvo