Meet Soraya Butler | On Camera and Voice Actor & Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Soraya Butler and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Soraya, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
As an actor in New York City, I had to make a pivot and focus solely on Voice Acting at the start of the pandemic in March of 2020. It was a no brainer. All the television and film projects that I was in the running for, all went away. Thankfully, I had a Voice Over agent who told me that I had to build a voice over studio ASAP so that I could continue to work. I scrambled, watched YouTube videos, joined FaceBook groups with other voice actors who were so generous in giving advice and recommendations on coaches, classes, podcasts and webinars. I learned about the equipment and tools I would need to get started and jumped right in!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Being an actor in New York City was always a difficult journey. It’s so expensive to live here that I found that I always had to work another job to support myself and my art. For me, that meant working in hotels doing Event Service. I found myself mixing cocktails and passing canapes. I worked mostly at night so that I could audition and work as an actor during the day. Lot’s of juggling my schedule to fit everything in. I knew that I wanted to focus more on voice acting. Every voice over job that I booked was always a lot of fun! I just didn’t know how to do more of it. The pandemic gave me a wonderful opportunity to focus in on my dream and make it happen. There was nothing else going on to distract me. No auditions and no other job to side track me. This was it! I had to put all my eggs in the voice over basket. I was scared and thrilled at the same time. Through the FB group The Voice Actors of NYC, I learned about a voice over conference that was all about the BUSINESS of voice acting-eVocation! It was held virtually in 2020 and that conference really changed my life! I learned about many other genres of Voice acting- Telephony, eLearning, eLearning K-12, Corporate Narration, Audio Book Narration, Explainer Videos and the types of work that I was booking with my agents that most people are familiar with -Commercials, Promos, Animation and Video Games. I decided after that conference that I would establish myself as a business and I launched Soraya Butler VO, LLC. That first eVocation 2020 is also where I met some amazing voice actors and they have become dear friends of mine. My business is continuing to grow and I am so happy that I have so much control over what I do. I get to work from home and have a blast every day! It was also from that first conference and learned about branding and marketing. I worked with the wonderful team at Celia Siegel Management and worked on my brand and launched my website at the end of last year. My Tag is Vocal Rhapsody. Sunlit Sound, Radiant Delivery. My voice is smooth, warm , bright ,caring and professional. I really feel that it captures the essence of my personality. The voice over community is really gracious and helpful in general. I am so pleased to be a part of it. I just started teaching VO to beginners and  have recently become a private coach for both On-Camera and Voice overs through A Class Act  NY.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in Park Slope, Brooklyn. There is so much to do! The Brooklyn Museum is not to be missed. Always something great is happening there. Also, a walk through the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens and a picnic in Prospect Park would be fabulous. I would also plan to go to The Time Out Market New York. It’s a food paradise with an amazing rooftop food hall that has gorgeous views of lower Manhattan. After that, you can walk along the river and ride Jane’s Carousel!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Oh, my Goodness!! So many people to give a shoutout to! Diakeim Lyles, who is a fabulous casting director and coach has been one of my biggest cheerleaders and fans. He is always so encouraging to me! I also want to give a huge shoutout to the FaceBook Group The Voice Actors of NYC, lead by the amazing voice actor Carin Gilfry. I learned so much from this group about equipment, mics, classes, what podcasts to listen to, you name it! A safe space to ask questions and get solid advice from other experienced vo actors. I also want to give thanks to my amazing Team at Atlas Talent and Celia Siegel Management for keeping the opportunities to work rolling in as well has my husband and friends and family for all their love and support!

Website: https://sorayabutler.com/voiceover/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sorayabutler/

Twitter: @SorayaButlerVO

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SorayaButlerVO

Image Credits
Geoff Schuppert, Donna Grossman Bernstein