Hi, I’m Erin. I’ve been doing voiceover work and broadcasting for nearly 20 years, and am one-third of Team Setch Studios with my husband (and engineer) Stu, and daughter Cora.
This is going to sound strange, but I don’t think my voice is what’s made me successful as a voiceover artist. Put another way, when I do voiceover work, it’s not my voice that draws people in.
Voiceover is about finding the right person to tell a story. For some projects, you might have someone who’s not a professional actor, but they have this incredible, deep passion for what they’re talking about. They sound authentic.
“It’s that authenticity that connects people with brands.”
I don’t think authenticity can be faked, either. People, audiences, are smart. I think back to my time growing up, I was really into playwriting and theatre. In theatre, our job is to connect with the audience, to make them feel like the actors are speaking to them. We were invested in the stories we told, like they were our own. I think about how that shaped me. I’m still invested in the stories I tell.
I don’t talk to the mic, I speak to the person listening.
I think I’ve found success because I care whether the people in my life— my clients and my community, my friends and family—succeed. It’s a team effort, of course, and I’m really grateful for the support I receive from Stu, Cora, and my extended voiceover team, but it works because we all share the same values about the success and well-being of others.
We’re interested in what other people are doing, we’re interested in their stories. We get to be part of so many families other than our own, it’s really, just great.
After nearly 20 years in voiceover and broadcasting, in just as much time seeing the world, what I’ve learned is that I haven’t changed that much from who I was growing up. I think my eyes are bigger, and I’m seeing more of the world and the people in it, but the values I brought with me from childhood are still very much a part of me.
I think what has changed is that I have the chance, now, to take the things that make our community special and share them with the people who have touched our lives from afar.
I’m still learning, I’m still growing and becoming a better artist, but I’m taking time to do things locally, to join with our community-minded friends and family and make meaningful, local impacts. I love what I do, and I’m excited to see what comes next, but I’m also reminded to take time to step away from the mic and connect with friends and neighbours, to learn about them and take time to hear their stories. That’s really important to me, because it creates a deeper connection to my community, and it makes me a better storyteller.
I hope I get to tell your story. I hope I inspire you to take action in your own community, because I think, together, we can make the world a little better.