Today, we’d like to introduce you to Rachael “Laya” Hoffman.
Rachael Laya, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’m an Atlanta-based voice-over actor with a rich professional background in marketing, PR management, music and media, and nearly 20 years of experience working with leading brands around the world.
I started off in radio at Columbia College in Chicago, with a passion for music and storytelling. Back then jocks would produce and voice all the commercials on air for clients, as an extension of station services. I loved helping shape the narrative for brands and even though my career path and home base shifted over the years, I never stopped talking into the mic.
I moved to Atlanta in the early 2000’s and worked in the nightclub scene, Managing, Marketing and DJ’ing where I met my husband Cliff. Many iterations of my passions came together over the years after. First as a partner to Bill Kaelin, a Marketing agency magic man with moxie, and most recently as VP of Marketing for a international professional beauty brand. However, after a successful yet stressful run in corporate, my health and happiness started to deteriorate. I had a young daughter, Cyla, at home and didn’t feel present. I wasn’t taking care of myself, let alone showing up for my family like I wanted to. So I leaned back into what I love most, my family, and dug back into my creative passion and something I could do from home. This prompted me to launch my Voice Over business, Creative Catalyst Media.
Today, as a full time Voice Actor, I specialize in commercial, corporate narration, animation, AI, imaging, on hold messaging and live announcer/emcee work for forward-thinking brands. My voice is accent-neutral and culturally flexible, appealing to a wide range of clients, such as Google, Honda, Intercontinental Hotel Group, Accenture and many more, and offering the unique opportunity to connect with a broad spectrum of listeners.
I feel very fortunate to love what I do, and look forward to continuing to grow along this journey.
Has it been a smooth road?
Being a “working mom” (a term I don’t particularly love because every mom works hard) comes with its unique set of challenges. It’s certainly difficult to be everywhere at once, and you can feel pulled in two very important and very different directions—to provide for your family and fulfill career aspirations and to spend the quality time and little moments with your family. For several years, my husband and I turned the tables on tradition and he stayed home with our daughter and worked part-time while I climbed the corporate ladder. I’m happy to say we have now found a better home-life and work-life balance. My voice-over work has afforded me more flexibility to commit to both equally.
When it came to branding myself as a voice-over actor, a slight challenge reared its head. It turns out there is another Rachael Hoffman in the voice-over the community. As a marketer and in an effort to not confuse clients and contacts, I knew I had to change my professional name to my middle name, Laya, which now just confuses many of my friends and colleagues who have since become friends!
We’d love to hear more about your work.
Recording out of a fully equipped, broadcast-quality professional studio in Roswell, my accessible schedule offers clients a quick turnaround time on creative projects with superior sound quality. Clients often note that I am vocally dexterous, well-prepared, efficient, professional, easy to work with and direct, which makes for a synergistic creative process. Having the opportunity to lend my distinctive voice to an array of voice-over work and being able to awaken an audience’s imagination, emotion and curiosity is a gift.
When it comes to working, I truly understand both the art and the business of voice-overs. Stemming from over a decade of experience as a house-music DJ and as an on-air radio host, cadence, tempo, dynamics and musicality all play a vital role in how I approach voice-over work with an instinctive ear for timing and precision. As a former marketing and brand development executive, I appreciate how important each narrative is to the success of the project. Business outcomes, budgets and deadlines are terms as familiar to me as they are to my partners and clients. They can count on me to be dependable, deadline-driven and responsive.
Additionally, I donate my services to non-profit organizations I am passionate about through an incredible organization called Crews for a Cause. I lend my voice to projects that need help building awareness through creative media. I’m also fortunate to work on passion projects that support our community, such as voicing liners and imaging for the amazing local online radio station Decatur FM.
About a year ago, I realized my spunky 7-year-old daughter also wanted to join in the fun and started working alongside me in the booth. Now, Cyla is also an accomplished working voice actor, with national representation in the major markets and many incredible projects under her belt. This shared passion has allowed me to help nurture her experience in hard work, perseverance, entrepreneurship, success, failure and money management. But the very best part is being able to teach her that her voice matters, and she can be heard. A mother-daughter duo with voices that both cut through—it certainly sets us apart!
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
YES. The creative industries and support system in Atlanta are incredible! The voice-over community, in particular, is so unbelievably warm and welcoming; it’s like nothing else I have ever experienced. There are fantastic long-time professionals as well as folks just starting out, and everyone seems so willing to help one another. My friend and VO pro colleague Kelly Buttrick calls it “finding your compass,” and you can undoubtedly find your North, South, East and West here in Atlanta.
Plus, we have incredible studios like Bare Knuckles Creative, Acoustec and SoundByte, to name just a few. Film production is obviously still prominent and some of the greatest advertising agencies in the world like 22 Squared, Huge, Nebo and Creative Mammals are here, as well as voice-over specific training facilities like Atlanta Voice Over Studio. This city even plays host to the largest national voice-over conference in the country —VO Atlanta! I’m happy to be here and grateful to be a part of it all.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.layahoffman.com
- Phone: 404-372-7733
- Email: contact@layahoffman.com
- Instagram: @rachaellayahoffman
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rachaellayahoffman
- Twitter: @rachaellhoffman
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/rachaellaya
Image Credit:
Dylan York, Maura Roberts Photography
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