Meet Susie Dryden

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

Hi Susie, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.

As a voice actor, imposter syndrome is almost standard, especially when people are just starting in the industry. A lot of people come in thinking all you need is a good voice but voiceover requires a lot more than a nice sounding voice. The one thing that helped me overcome imposter syndrome was coaching. I had acting classes, took part in improv exercises via Zoom, learned all about marketing my business, mastered DAWs (digital audio workstations), and got advice on how to build a home studio on a budget. My acting coach taught me well and one point he drove home was to know my worth. I put in the effort, studied the craft, and developed confidence in my skills. Now, when imposter syndrome tries to rear its ugly head, I can hear my coach’s voice reminding me that I’m skilled and knowledgeable, and good at what I do. That means I’m worthy of being compensated well for those attributes. The only way to succeed is to have confidence in your craft, even if you need to fake it for a while. Every working voice actor will agree that coaching is the most effective way to avoid imposter syndrome.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m an entertainer at heart. I sang jazz and spent years working in radio as an on-air talent before switching to VO and it was not as easy as I thought it would be. I had to retrain myself to sound conversational rather than using the peppy, fast announcer voice I’d been on the radio. Voiceover isn’t selling, it’s telling a story. And I am a storyteller. My goal is to reach people and get them thinking. I want listeners to get so lost in my storytelling that they forget who and where they are. The goal is to deliver the copy or dialogue in such a way that listeners feel like they’re hearing a book so good it’s impossible to put down. Telling people what I do is always a conversation starter and I’m happy to talk about it and share what I’ve learned. The best thing about this industry is the support veteran voice actors provide. It’s such a welcoming community full of people who want to see me succeed.

I also love the variety of the things I voice. Commercials, narrations, explainer videos, eLearning, guided meditations, radio imaging, and character acting are just some of the opportunities I’ve had. Voiceovers are used for so much more than advertising. The opportunities are endless.

As a child, I loved going outside to look at the stars every night so I decided to turn that into my brand and went with a celestial theme. You can check it out, as well as my demos and some recordings of my past work, at www.susiesaysvo.com.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I did musical theater in high school and performed as a jazz singer since my teen years. Those skills taught me to be a little more fearless with my work.

I invested in myself and got professional coaching that opened my eyes to the acting part of voice acting and so much more. Improv is also an excellent way to hone skills.

Confidence is key. Don’t go into an audition thinking you might not get the job. If anything, be overconfident. Use movements or gestures as though you’re performing in a play, movie, or TV show. That helps with authenticity, which is what most clients are looking for.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

I’m always looking to collaborate with other creatives and businesses like advertising agencies, local production houses, small business owners in my area who might want a professional voice for their businesses, videographers, real estate agents, and radio stations. Pretty much anyone or anything that is looking for a great voice that can boost their work and add to their clientele. I cohost a podcast so I also like connecting with other podcasters who may be interested in collaborating.

My contact information and request form can be found at www.susiesaysvo.com. Or you can email me directly at [email protected].

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