You Inspire Me : Susan Bennett

posted in: Inspire Me | 2

She is the famous voice behind Apple’s Siri. She has done innumerable advertisements and voice overs for really big brands. It has been nothing short of a huge excitement for me to get in touch with Susan to let us know what keeps her going.. She is such a lovely person !!!! :) It again reiterates the fact that famous people are always very modest .. Read on to know more about her journey :)

You are the famous voice behind Apple’s Siri, many GPS systems,telephone systems and many advertisements. How did you start your journey as a voice-over artist ?

Actually, it was by accident! | was a jingle singer, and one day I was recording a song for a commercial (along with several others), and the voice talent didn’t show up to read the copy of the commercial. The studio owner asked me to do it because I didn’t have an accent, and that was the beginning for me. I got a voice coach, then an agent, and l’ve been working ever since (knock on woodl!).

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You have been working on some amazing projects. Which one of those has been the toughest so far ?

The text-to-speech work I did that ended up being the voice of Siri was probably the most challenging voice work l’ve done, simply because it was so monotonous and tedious, and it took a long, long time to complete.

How does it feel to be the voice behind Apple’s Siri?

l’ll have to say, like everything else, it has its positives and negatives. I never aspired to fame, so it was an adjustment at first, but now I’m really enjoying it. I do a lot of speaker events and public appearances, which is a whole new aspect of my career. l’m very grateful, actually….especially to my agent, Wes Stevens at Vox in Los Angeles, who has really helped me develop this aspect of my career.

Susan bennett,Inspire Me,voice over artist,Siri

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What are the biggest challenges that you have faced ?

The biggest challenges are all related to doing something new… taking a risk, and learning how to have confidence in a new situation. When I started doing speaker events, I had never written any kind of presentation before, so that was a challenge. I enlisted the help of some talented comedian and speaker friends, who helped me with adding humor, tricks of doing the actual presentation, and learning to relax on stage.

What advise would you like to give to upcoming voice-over artists ?

Voicever has become a real “thing” these days….meaning, everybody wants to do it. lt requires certain skills, though, so you have to start with the basics (having a good voice, being able to read well, having a good ear) and move on to putting together a good mpj demo. Contact me via my website,www.susancbennett.com, and l’ll send you a doc I put together with suggestions of how to break into the business.

Susan Bennett,voice over artist, Siri,Inspire Me

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What has been your biggest learning so far ?

My biggest lesson has been letting go of fear and self doubt. We all do it, and I don’t really know why. I guess we have to train our brains and “fake it till we make it” as the saying goes.

Do you remember where you got featured first ? What was it like ?

That’s really hard to say, because I began my career in music, and I continue to play music now. So… I guess I was first featured playing the piano in a talent contest as a kid. lt was exciting, and continues to be, but I’m basically an introvert, so I enjoy the moment on stage, and then really enjoy going home to my husband and my cat!! : )

Who has been your biggest inspiration and why ?

I don’t have any particular person who inspired me….There are many! However, I’ve gotten inspiration and insight through the writings of people like Venice Bloodworth (KEY TO YOURSELF), Eckhart Tolle (A NEW EARTH), and Pema Chodron (WHEN THINGS FALL APART).

 

You can catch her journey on her following social media links :

Website : www.susancbennett.com

Facebook : siriouslysusan

Twitter : @SiriouslySusan

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