Connect
To Top

Meet Liz Helgesen of Passion Fruit Voiceovers

Avatar photo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Liz Helgesen.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My start in voiceovers was a bit by accident. I was a receptionist at a telecommunications company, working my way through school. It was the early 1980s and our company was a pioneer at building one of the first “interactive voice response” (IVR) systems for touch-tone telephones. Early ’80’s telephone answering systems that said, “Press 1”, and “Press 2”, were just becoming socially acceptable.

For testing purposes, my company chose my voice, which became the voice for their initial offering to new customers. My first big client was the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. I recorded an automated hotline for international travelers. The hotline provided travelers with vaccination and health precaution information prior to international travel. I loved the process of recording, serving a public need and using my gift to engage listeners.

I began developing my craft through voiceover workshops, classes and performing for every opportunity presented to me. I learned early how to take direction from clients, understand their goals and how to best impact and help listeners. At the time, I marketed myself to companies that needed a voice — for training videos, phone systems and transit authorities adding voice to trains and buses. I spent days off from my day-job combing through the Yellow Pages for anyone who would talk to me. Voice messaging technology was a new, emerging field, and so companies were eager to have a professional voice set the tone for their business and image. I got work.

Over time, I built relationships with both talent agents and private clients to create a sustainable business with opportunities flowing from both arenas. Performing thousands of hours recording and building speech systems, automobile navigation systems, rapid transit systems, I am now a master craftsman in what is today, a highly specialized area of speech technology.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
A smooth road? No! But I have been strengthened by the challenges in the voiceover industry and in all areas of my life. Because of them, I continue to grow into the best version of myself.

Childhood struggles left me with the greatest challenge of all: Changing thoughts, beliefs and attitudes about myself that didn’t serve my best interests. I have re-wired my thinking and live by a set of principles that help me re-position, see and use obstacles differently–as a source for growth and change. As a mentor and coach, I continue to study and practice these spiritual principles in every area of my life.

Early struggles involved balancing work and family. In the beginning, I strapped a fax machine to the top of our minivan on a family vacation to keep a client commitment. I had to learn to trust, let go of fear and set healthy boundaries. Setting these limits increased my value to clients and peace to my family; everyone thrived.

Another early challenge was accepting and learning to use wisely, the ebb and flow of work. Even with regular, weekly clients, slow times still exist. I learned to stop fearing quiet or seasonally slow times and started using the available time for personal development, family and volunteering. This shift in perspective–from fear to trust–created abundance I never could have imagined.

A challenge today is that the once small pool of voiceover talent has grown exponentially over the years. The internet and available technology (microphones, computers) has made it easier for aspiring talent to make an impact. Today, I might compete with hundreds of others when auditioning. This is great for talent buyers, but a challenge for the seasoned pro. I manage this obstacle by staying focused and true to my greatest strengths in voiceover, choosing clients with whom I want to work, and trusting (once again) that the work I am meant to receive will come to me.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Passion Fruit Voiceovers story. Tell us more about the business.
We are a full-service voiceover production company, providing companies with professional voice actors who engage and inspire listeners in all types of voice media, from broadcast commercials and corporate films to automobile navigation systems, e-Learning courses, Text-To-Speech (TTS) systems, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology, rapid transit systems and mobile media content. Specialties: US English, Neutral Spanish, European French, French-Canadian. Other dialects and languages are provided upon request.

With thirty years of voice imaging for international brands and interactive voice technology, I am now known as one of our nation’s premier talent for global interactive voice media. As the voice of 7 automobile manufacturers, multiple rapid transit systems and thousands of automated speech systems, it’s estimated that one-in-four Americans hear me on a daily basis.

It’s been said, “Liz is the most famous person no one’s ever known.” When I meet people who don’t know my occupation of voiceover work, I often hear they feel they already know me. That there is a connection, ease and trust they feel on the spot. This gives me such joy to know the impact I make in people’s lives. A recent great joy is when my son bought his first car and discovered I, his mother, am the voice inside his car!

My purpose is to bring the human touch to voice technology. Help people get what they need to make their lives easier. Whether we are providing your bank balance over the phone or navigating your trip via transit, our goal is to make you feel partnered with, cared for, helped. Even though the messaging you hear is pre-recorded, you can trust that while I’m recording, I imagine I’m sitting right beside you in your vehicle, helping you get where you need to go. This is my passion, purpose and mission, in life and in business, and this, I believe is what sets us apart from others.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I have a strong spiritual practice, and so I consider life and business outcomes to be the result of prayer and hard work. Lots of prayers. Lots of work. We create “luck”, and attract it by how we live; we put ourselves on the path to receive that good fortune. External good fortune is created by our internal wellness. It’s an inside-out job.

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Jarrod Knabel

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

Related Items

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in