Meet Aubrey Tyson of Phoenix

Today we’d like to introduce you to Aubrey Tyson

Hi Aubrey, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was born and raised in Chandler by two amazing, hardworking parents. As a kid, I learned that these things are important in life: helping others, music, and humor. I wanted to be a librarian, a teacher, a veterinarian, the voice of every Disney character, and a therapist.

At 16, I got my first job working at my local library in an entry-level position. I moved up into various positions over the years, and eventually received my Masters in Library Science from the University of Arizona.

One of the things that drew me into working in libraries was being able to help people in really challenging situations—connecting someone to a resource when they need to write a resume or just got evicted, maybe they are experiencing a mental health crisis, or maybe someone needs a book for SAT prep. Libraries bridge the gap for their communities, helping connect individuals to life-changing resources and services they may not know exist. Helping others has always been an imperative and rewarding part of what I do.

During the pandemic, I started to feel like I needed to do something else. Something totally different. Since we were staying at home a lot during this time, I started being more creative as a way to cope with stress and anxiety; singing, playing piano, and making music. My husband is a composer and had all these instruments and microphones lying around the house. I started playing around with them, and eventually, we were recording music together all the time.

I should back up a little. For years, people in my life told me I’d probably enjoy voice acting in cartoons. I joke around that my husband doesn’t know what my real voice sounds like because I’m almost always talking with different voices just to make him laugh. He surprised me once with a coaching session with a Voiceover Artist here in Phoenix. Unfortunately, the coaching session did not go well and I left feeling deflated and uninterested in ever actually trying. Little did I know, she just wasn’t the right coach for me!

Back to the future, years later, during the pandemic, I’m interested in trying something new because honesty, library work is the only work I’ve ever done. With the encouragement of my husband, I started listening to voiceover podcasts, watching webinars, reading articles, and basically immersing myself in everything “voiceover.” I knew it was entirely possible I would fail, but I was inspired by other people in my life who were just going for it. The pandemic reminded us that life is short. So, I booked some coaching sessions with a couple of different coaches, continued learning, and once I felt ready, I started auditioning for jobs.

My husband took a walk-in-closet and repurposed it into a recording space for me. He treated the room with acoustic paneling, heavy blankets, and a double door (and Christmas lights for cozy vibes). A voiceover isn’t something you do with your phone. You need a good mic, good headphones, the right software on your computer, and the sound of the space needs to be broadcast-quality. You also need to know how to use all this equipment effectively. That was a big learning curve!

Over the last few years, I’ve booked gigs doing commercials for TV and radio, corporate videos, PSAs, political spots, B2B videos, e-learning content, phone trees and voicemail greetings, and some other interesting jobs (like in-flight announcements for a small airline, for example) I love that each job is different, and I enjoy telling stories in a way that will resonate with the listeners. I love that I can bring my own creativity to each project, and I get to collaborate with some really awesome people.

I now work part-time as a Librarian, so that I can do both of these jobs that I really love. I can still help people in my community, and then do this creative work that I really enjoy.

I live in South Phoenix with my husband and 13 year old pup, Strauss. When I’m not working, I enjoy listening to a good audiobook, watching a true-crime doc, taking walks, trying new recipes, and my husband and I still make music together all the time.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When you do freelance work, you’re essentially running your own business. Unfortunately, you don’t just get to do the fun part and call it a day. You have to figure out how to market yourself, and learn who to market to. You have to learn how to budget, how to manage a CRM, read and understand contracts, handle invoices, and taxes. You have to learn negotiation skills, and must become comfortable with rejection. You need to continue to prove to your current and future clients that their listeners prefer a human voice to an AI one.

Some of these things I am starting to feel relatively comfortable with. Others, like taxes… might take me more time. But it’s a long game and I’m learning every single day.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As a Voiceover Artist, I mainly work in the commercial and corporate realm. I’ve done commercials for car dealerships, political spots, commercials for non-profits, and many animated explainer videos. I’ve done several “about us” videos that you might see on a business’ website. I also record phone trees, on-hold messaging, and voicemail greetings for businesses.

While some of my work has been local, the majority of it has been with production companies or solo creatives from all over the world. One of the projects I’m most proud of is a Mercedes Benz digital ad that I did this past spring. The client was in Germany but they wanted to do a directed, live session. So we connected at 1:00 AM my time to get the spot done.

I feel like one thing that sets me a part is empathy, which is a huge part of being both a Librarian and a Voiceover Artist, in my opinion. Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, being relatable, and speaking in a way that genuinely connects with someone—this is what I love most about what I do. Other than that, I am easy to work with, very communicative, prompt, and care deeply about providing clients with a recording they’ll be excited to use.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
If you want to try something new, immerse yourself in it. Be a little obsessive. Whether it’s reading a business book, setting up coaching sessions, taking a course, listening to podcasts, talking to others in the industry: you just have to start.

I’ve had numerous conversations with people who are so nervous about attempting something, so afraid of failing, that they simple never try. Author Jon Acuff said, “be brave enough to be bad at something new,” and this really resonates. Acknowledge that you won’t be the greatest in the beginning. Mistakes will be made and you’ll learn in hindsight that you could have done this or that differently. Welcome that discomfort because that is how you grow into the person/professional/creative that you hope to become. Just start and be open to what comes next.

Other advice: drink your water and take care of yourself both physically and mentally. When you jump into a new endeavor you’re passionate about, it can be easy to let other things slide. Make sure you’re taking care of yourself personally, so that you can be your best professionally. That includes knowing when to step away and give yourself a break, knowing when to disconnect, knowing how much sleep you need, and when you need more support.

On that note, tell your friends and family what you’re up to or what you want to do. When you say it out loud, there’s more accountability there. And hopefully you have people around you that want to see you succeed and will be there when times are tough.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.aubreytalks.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aubreytalks/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi7-C8Srpywkxght4VK3V6g