Welcome back to the sound studio!

In this episode, I share an update on what I've been working on across voice, music and storytelling. We wander through the latest developments in my PhD research, the compositional projects currently taking shape in the studio, recent voiceover work, and progress on my radio play, Dad Bought Me A Grave.

It's all go!

For paid subscribers, this week's Secret Podcast goes a little deeper. I talk candidly about the cloning of performers' voices, how I feel about the rapid growth of AI voice technology, and some of the ethical challenges facing the voiceover industry. I also share reflections on trust, transparency and the importance of protecting creative work in a changing landscape.

If you're interested in voice acting, composition, broadcasting, creativity, or simply how creative projects evolve behind closed studio doors, I hope you'll enjoy it.

Find out more about my work at EmmaClarke.com and subscribe to my newsletter at Substack.

Welcome back!

After a short pause spent relocating, composing, researching and attempting to keep several creative plates spinning simultaneously, the podcast returns!!

In this episode, I talk about where I’ve been, what I’ve been working on and how this Substack is evolving moving forward.

We explore the increasingly strange intersection between voice, creativity, communication, technology and identity — particularly at a time when AI-generated voices and synthetic media are rapidly changing the landscape for performers, broadcasters and artists.

I also share more about my ongoing PhD research, which investigates how my background as a voice actor informs the way I compose music, alongside reflections on broadcasting, storytelling, sound, performance and what makes human communication feel emotionally real.

Expect studio notes, behind-the-scenes stories, creative tangents and occasional dispatches from inside the gloriously odd world of media, composition and voice work.

Paid subscribers also receive access to The Secret Podcast: an extended companion episode featuring deeper reflections on AI voices, the changing voiceover industry, artistic identity, creative reinvention, behind-the-scenes PhD insights and the thoughts that emerge once the “official” recording stops.

Thank you for being here. More soon.

For more info about me and my work, here's my official website.

Episode Title: Hire the voice. Not the birth date.

Summary:In today's episode, I’m sharing a personal story about a recent casting experience - and a broader reflection on how voice work is often misunderstood.

When we hire based on numbers instead of nuance, we miss the real magic: the ability of a voice to embody character, emotion, and story, far beyond traditional labels like age.

A professional voice actor is trained to adapt — to sound younger, older, sicker, sexier, cooler — to be whatever the story needs.

This episode is a reminder that in voice acting, the voice itself is the instrument. Not the birthdate behind it.

In this episode:

Why age shouldn't define casting decisions

How trained voice actors shape-shift vocally

The importance of focusing on performance, character, and storytelling

A gentle call to rethink how we cast voices in creative work...

🎧 Bonus for paid subscribers:Paid subscribers get exclusive access to bonus content, where I dive deeper and share a story about one of the most bizarre things a client ever said to me.

Thank you for listening and supporting my work!If you enjoyed today’s episode, feel free to share it or leave a comment — I love hearing your thoughts.

Here's my Substack: https://ebclarke.substack.com

Here's my website: https://emmaclarke.com/