Check Out Katie Boothe’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Boothe.

Hi Katie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I worked in public schools for about 15 years, teaching Art and Theatre to students in 3rd -8th grade. As I noticed the lack of appropriate and engaging scripts for middle schoolers, I used my experience in adapting public domain works for writing my own scenes to use in class. This year I produced my second original show with students, a mini-musical with four songs written by my 7th-grade students. I am immensely proud of all I accomplished in education, but it wasn’t an easy road. At the end of this year, I am moving on from teaching.

I was always frustrated by the low teacher salaries, and a few years ago, my venture into Voice Acting began as a side hustle.

It was the perfect way to bring in a little extra income while still scratching my creative, storytelling itch. I was extremely lucky to find the incredible Joe Loesch, my long-time coach, who believed in me every step of the way and helped me find my niche. As I built my first recording booth in the tiny guest closet of my home, I was delighted by bringing stories to life with my voice. I’ve worked in audiobooks and graphic novels; everything from children’s chapter books to science fiction, fantasy, romance, and Southern Literature. This May, I’ll be jumping into full-time audiobook production. It feels amazing to work for myself, trusting my own creativity and expertise.

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?
It hasn’t been easy! A lot of people (myself included, at first) think that audiobook narrators just read into a microphone, and you can just basically tell someone in publishing that you’re a good reader, and you’re in. As it turns out, there is a lot of training involved, especially for folks who don’t have acting experience yet.

So for me, the biggest challenge has been learning audio equipment and editing software. I’ve had to focus on giving myself the best chance of landing that audition with industry-standard quality sound, on top of my acting skills.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
A coach that I worked with heard me joking about my Southern accent, and how I had to work so hard to train it out of myself when I started acting. She said I could actually find a ton of work using my natural accent, since stories set in the South are in high demand, and too many actors can’t do a convincing accent. She turned out to be absolutely right!

I specialize in audiobooks with lots of accents, including Appalachian Southern, and most other American dialects.

But I’ve also had a lot of fun voicing characters with RP British, Irish, Scottish, German, Australian, and French accents. My favorite has to be children’s fantasy, though. How often do you get to talk like a caffeinated squirrel or a Mermaid from the Bronx?

So maybe we end by discussing what matters most to you and why?
I feel my life purpose is storytelling. I love how stories can nourish the mind and ignite the imagination.

Pricing:

• $300 per finished hour for audiobooks.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.katieboothe.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vocalboothe/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@vocalboothe 

Image Credits
Joe Loesch and Katie Boothe