By Meet the Business: Liz Drury Voiceover Artist
This week we meet Liz Drury who is a local voiceover artist. I first met Liz when she was a speaker for SWIISH Networking a few months ago and I’ve always found her line of work so intriguing so I was really excited to get a little more insight into the life of a voiceover artist!
Tell me a little about you and your business
I’m a freelance voiceover artist working from a professionally equipped home studio for clients around the world. I work across a variety of voiceover genres including commercials for radio and TV, corporate projects, videos for company websites, e-learning and online training courses, documentaries, audio guides for museums, voicemail greetings and on-hold messages and more.
Why did you start your business?
I started my business in 2013 while living in America. We had moved there with my husband’s job and as I wasn’t working it gave me the opportunity to train as a voiceover artist and start a new career. I’d had some previous experience of voiceover as I used to be a presenter on Channel 7 (the local cable TV station), but I’d never had any formal training. I went to college to study acting, and then I did some specific voiceover training with a company called Edge Studio who are well known in the States as a training provider for voiceover artists.
What do you love most about owning your own business?
What I love most about running my own business is the freedom of being my own boss. I can decide how much I work and when – and even where, as I have a mobile studio that I can take with me when I travel. The fact that I am working from home most of the time means that I have been able to get a dog – he’s definitely a thing that I love!
What do you least like about owning your own business?
What I like least is no longer having a guaranteed income every month. The summer holidays can be a quiet time, and I have to just trust that things will improve again.
What do you have planned for your business in the future?
I am constantly improving my voiceover skills and learning new ones. Recently I have been doing some training on lip synching and dubbing, so this will be a new service that I’ll be able to offer soon.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to star their own business?
The advice I would to give to somebody wanting to start their own business but not knowing where to start, is to have a look for some support locally. In our area we have the E-Factor who offer free workshops for people starting out, and they can give advice on guidance on a range of topics. In other areas the Local Authority could be a good place to start – the Economic Development Team would either be able to help, or know where to signpost people. Other organisations that may be able to offer help are the Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Small Businesses.
What are you most proud of when it comes to owning your business?
One of the things I am most proud of when it comes to my business is being listed as one of 2017’s top 100 small businesses by the team behind Small Business Saturday. I was invited to a reception at 10 Downing Street as part of this, and that was a day I will certainly never forget!
Do you think local businesses are well supported in North East Lincolnshire?
I think that small businesses are very well supported in our area – particularly by the E-Factor Group, and the Business Hive Club. They run many useful workshops, courses and networking events, and they have lots of great members who have expertise in almost any area of business you can think of!
How do you think the business culture has changed in North East Lincolnshire?
I think that as the Business Hive has grown there has definitely been a change in business culture locally, and now that they have expanded to North Lincolnshire, even more businesses are getting involved. There is a great atmosphere of support and I think a desire to work together to improve the area as a whole.
Where can people find you both online and in “real life”?
As well as Business Hive events, I also attend other networking events locally, particularly 4N meetings at Stallingborough and Scunthorpe, the Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce speed networking meetings, and the Work Wise Women meetings. Another group I go to as often as I can is ‘Wired Curry’ – a meet up specifically for people working in the digital and creative sector.
Online I can be found on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and my own website www.lizdrury.co.uk. I’d love to connect!
Thanks for that wonderful insight into your business Liz!
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