Meet Maayan Voss De Bettancourt

We were lucky to catch up with Maayan Voss De Bettancourt recently and have shared our conversation below.

Maayan, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

As cliche as it sounds, my purpose found me. I knew I wanted to make some form of art from the time I was small, specifically as a performer. The only question was what medium, and how to get to where I could make a living off of it as well. I always wanted to connect and share the feelings that music, film, TV, and theater gave me with other people.

I actually started in music, playing the flute and singing in the San Francisco Girls’ Chorus. I went on to get my degree in opera, but always kept one foot in the theater and film world. When I was a teen, I took classes at the American Conservatory Theater. I got a minor in theatre arts in college, and acted in plays and student films. But the threads running through everything I’ve ever done are connection and storytelling. I want to make people feel, whether it’s through tears or through laughter, through music or through video games. That’s what drives me, what my purpose is.

All that said, I’m not sure there really is such thing as “my purpose” — and that having a “purpose” is overrated. We’re not machines, there’s no POINT to being a person. We’re here, and what we do with that is completely up to us. It’s a choice, not universe-mandated. Additionally, I think a person’s “purpose” isn’t always fixed; it can change throughout your life. “Purpose” is our way of summing up our ineffable guiding forces into something we can mold into a framework for action, communicate to others, and keep in mind as we move through the world.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’m a voice actor! Which means I spend a lot of time in soundproof rooms playing pretend. One of the most fun aspects of voice over (VO) is you end up playing all kinds of characters you wouldn’t be able to physically embody — you’re basically only limited by your acting skills and vocal range. I did a commercial once where I was the tiny cells in a petri dish, I’ve played demons and cats, and of course various human characters of all ages.

My current work is mostly in commercials and video games. I actually had two exciting indie games come out this year! 3 Minutes to Midnight, a point-and-click adventure in which I play the main PC Betty, and HeistGeist, a deck-builder RPG where I play a teen hacker named Zoya. I’m ironically pretty terrible at video games, but I love working on them. It’s like choose-your-own-adventure animation!

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’d say three things that have really impacted my journey are curiosity, friendship, and flexibility.

Stay curious. Learn whatever interests you. None of it will be wasted. I cannot tell you the number of times that something niche in my knowledge base that I just learned for fun and never ever considered might be useful — came in handy.

People talk about networking, but the heart of your network is your friends. The people who truly care and will go to bat for you when you’re not in the room, who think of you when opportunities arise, who introduce you to people they think will help you. The people who feed your soul and inspire you. The people you want to do those things for in return, who awaken your generosity. Those are the people who will not just move your career forward, but make your life better. Make friends.

Your path will inevitably swerve and twist, and it’s crucial to be able to bend with it. If I wasn’t flexible and open to change, I would never have started doing VO. But because I was able to recognize a new path when I saw it, I’m living an extremely cool life I couldn’t have even imagined five years ago.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

Noticing what I was into and getting me the training and experience I craved. My mom saw that I was obsessed with music and immediately signed me up for lessons. I never even had to ask. She noticed I was super into acting and signed me up for classes at one of the most prestigious training programs in our city. She always encouraged me to pursue my passions, and still does.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.maayanvoss.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maayanvoss/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maayanvoss/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/maayanvoss
• Other: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/maayanvoss.bsky.social

Image Credits

Jessica Osber
Two Dudes Photo
Scarecrow Studio
Opernfotograpfie Detlef Kurth