Please introduce yourself and give us a little background on how you got started?
Hi there! I’m Salena Metreger, a voice actor based in sunny Oceanside, California, but I’m originally from outside of Chi-CAH-go. I studied English Lit in college, but like a lot of folks who graduated during the housing crisis, I took the job I could get, which for me was in manufacturing. I never imagined I’d be in manufacturing for 17 years…but I did, and I’m proud of that. Over the years, I worked my way up, learning business and eventually earning my MBA. I blended the creative with the analytical - balancing marketing, numbers, tech, and long-term strategy - and really climbed that corporate ladder. I worked with an incredible range of people: from farmers to engineers, CEOs to homemakers, all across the globe. It was an education in humanity and business, and it’s a huge part of what shapes me as a voice actor today.
2. What got you into a career in voice-overs?
During my time in marketing and product management, there were always moments when a voice was needed - whether for a sizzle reel, a training video, or a product launch. I volunteered every time. I loved it. I also gave a ton of presentations and made it my mission to keep people engaged. Because let’s be honest, we’ve all zoned out during day-long meetings. I wanted my audience to walk away understanding what I was saying and caring about it. In that regard, voiceover had been in my head for years, and with my little tastes of it at work kept feeding the idea until I finally stopped just thinking about it and did it. I started taking classes. I took classes for nearly 8 months before I did a demo. And I waited till I had a demo to really start putting myself out there.
3. Talk about the challenges you face in the voice over and how do you overcome them?
Oh, imposter syndrome? That’s a regular visitor - especially during quiet spells. But I’ve learned to use those times to invest in myself. I take a workshop, schedule a session with my coach, or focus on auditions. Just staying in motion helps break that mental spiral.
This career is a marathon, not a sprint. When I feel that wave of self-doubt, I remind myself it’s okay to take a breather. Sometimes I just need a day to rest, reset, and come back with a clearer head—and when I do, I always remember just how much I love this work.
4. What in your life experience was most helpful to you in becoming a voice actor?
I think just being a life-long learner and being humble enough to know I can always be better. It’s learning and listening. I’ve come so far, but I’m so excited to see where I go.
5. Any classes, books or programs you recommend?
Well first, I work for a wonderful school – Great Voice Company – and they offer classes in many niches – they pull in industry experts to teach each class. I have taken several of their courses and they focus on both the performance side of voice over as well as the business side of voice over – something many programs tend to leave out. But let me be clear - do your research and find the programs that work for you. What niche are you drawn to—commercial, eLearning, medical narration, audiobooks, animation, games? Find the coaches who are active in that space, and more importantly, find someone who explains things in a way that clicks with your brain. I have done so many classes and workshops and so many of them had amazing wisdom to impart on me. But it took a long time to find a 1x1 coach that would say things in the way my silly-wired brain would not only listen but can absorb and can apply.
6. Can you give an example of a project you have worked on as a voice-over artist?
I’ve got a video game coming out soon where I voice a few characters—super fun. I just finished a children’s eLearning script that made me smile the whole way through. I’m also the event voice for Black Horizon Brewing Company in Willowbrook, Illinois. I’m working on a few audio drama podcasts, and I’ve voiced a bunch of social media promos and local business content. It's a great mix.
7. How do you approach a voice-over script?
I always start by reading it out loud straight, just to get the gist. Then I break it down: Who am I? Where am I? Who am I talking to, and how do I feel about them? What’s changing emotionally? Which words need to pop? Do I need to plan my breaths?
If it’s for a brand or company, I like to research them—what they do, who their audience is, and what this script is trying to accomplish. I make sure I can pronounce everything correctly, follow any notes or direction, and really bring it to life from the inside out.
8. What do you recommend? Setting up a home studio or using a commercial recording facility?
Home Studio. If you can carve out a corner, a closet, whatever you can, make that home studio. But do it right. Sound treat your space and get the right equipment for your space. A large-diaphragm condenser Neumann microphone is incredible, but if you just have blankets up in your closet, it’s going to pick up your neighbor’s television and you’ll never have clean enough sound. The best setup is the setup that gives you that broadcast quality sound WITHOUT having to use compression and gates and noise reduction plugins.
9. Do you have a specialty in voice work, or do you do several types?
Right now, it’s probably social media promos for businesses. But my love is video games and animation. I just did Portia’s Scotts animation workshop and Michael Scott’s Video Game workshop at VO Atlanta and that is what I’ve been working with my coach, Emmanuel Menjivar, on as well as working on more auditions and opportunities there. I play a lot of games and watch a ton of animation, so it’s a world I genuinely want to be part of.
Every time I get behind the mic I feel like I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing. Whether it’s a corporate e-learning script or playing the seductress villain, I’m grateful that I can do this. It’s the creative outlet I always needed. This industry is filled with such incredible, talented, beautiful people and the fact that I get to have a small, tiny sliver of it is mind-boggling. This industry brings characters to life, tells stories, teaches people, helps those with disabilities, promotes the smallest businesses to the world’s largest, helps doctors and patients, it brings joy and entertainment, and so much more. Voiceover is everywhere and it truly matters.
10. What’s a typical day like in the voice-over business?
First, I make sure any emails or customers or clients have been answered. Then I plan my auditions for the day. I do vocal warmups and if I have a lot that span different vocal tones, I group them, so I start with the lower chest voice tones and then break them up where I’ll sing and do additional warmups to get into the higher voice tones and then do those auditions. If there’s anything that requires screaming, though, I save that for the end. After recording, I connect with others in the industry on social media, celebrating friends' wins and just staying part of the community. I also carve out time for marketing. Lately, that’s meant reaching out to local businesses about how I can support their social media with voiceover. I keep my outreach goals realistic so I don’t get overwhelmed.
11. Can you recommend any online resources for aspiring voice talents?
Shameless self-promotion… I produce and edit The Great Voice Podcast – available on all podcast platforms, but we specifically host on Podbean. The host is the incredible Susan Berkley of The Great Voice Company. She’s the voice of Citi Bank, was the voice of AT&T, she’s been around and knows her stuff. Each episode she coaches a student through a script, helping them improve their performance, giving tips on how to break down the script, and so much more. There’s industry interviews and countless free insights. It’s a great podcast. https://greatvoicepodcast.podbean.com/
Other than that, there’s so many great podcasts, great websites, VORadioOnline is a great one, GVAA and voiceactingclub have great rate guides. NAVA is a great resource. There are wonderful discords and reddit groups that support Voice actors of every skill level. Just be careful online. Make sure they’re good, quality sources. Not all advice online advice is created equal.
12. What does this industry mean to you?
Whoa. That’s a big question. Every time I get behind the mic I feel like I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing. Whether it’s a corporate e-learning script or playing the seductress villain, I’m grateful that I can do this. It’s the creative outlet I always needed. This industry is filled with such incredible, talented, beautiful people and the fact that I get to have a small, tiny sliver of it is mind-boggling. This industry brings characters to life, tells stories, teaches people, helps those with disabilities, promotes the smallest businesses to the world’s largest, helps doctors and patients, it brings joy and entertainment, and so much more. Voiceover is everywhere and it truly matters.
13. What are the feelings when you hear and see your peers on shows on the big screen?
Internal and sometimes external screaming. People are so darn talented. Add in all the writers, engineers, producers, directors and everyone that goes into making the finished product, I know just how hard it was to get it to that point and I am just so happy to my friends and colleagues out there KILLIN’ it.
14. How competitive is this industry?
It depends on how you look at it, I guess. Very, but also, it’s not a competition. Each and every project has a team of people who have a vision. And I am either a part of that vision or I’m not. It’s not about someone else being “better” than me, it’s about who has the sound, tone or vibe they’re looking for. Just the other day I got a “hey, thanks but no thanks. You’re not what the director wanted, but you’re exactly what I am looking for on a different project. Are you interested?”
15. What are some of your favorite voice acting roles that you’ve played?
Absolutely the video game I can't yet talk about. I played two extremely different characters, and each one came with a different challenge and it really pushed me. It was so much fun.
16. What do you wish you like to see change in the voice over industry?
There's still a lot of lingering industries that are very much stuck in - women do this work and men do that work. Which is silly nowadays. Men are wearing makeup and pushing fashion trends and women are killing it at sports and tech so why not have a woman promoting the NFL and a man selling the beauty line? It's about knowing your customer. And if you're not advertising to all your customers then you're leaving money on the table. Christy Harst at Building Doors VO is working on this. Go check her out. She's amazing.
Also, I want to see the industry handle AI responsibly. AI is a tool, and it’s not likely going anywhere, but human voices are what give this work its soul. So, let’s protect that. Don’t use our voices without consent or payment. Don’t train AI on our performances without permission. We are quite literally the life behind the voice. Let’s make sure we stay front and center.
17. How do you stay competitive?
Learning. Always be learning. But also staying active online and with people. Be humble.
18. What is next for you what can we expect for you to do this year ?
More episodes of The Great Voice Podcast are coming out—so definitely tune in. I’m also on LinkedIn, and you can find me on TikTok at @wordtalktome, where I mix my love of voiceover with nerdy word history and etymology. It’s goofy—but you’ll learn something.
That mystery video game should drop later this year (and I’ll finally be able to talk about it!), and you’ll keep hearing my voice in social media promos for Black Horizon Brewing Company. I’m also working with a few Oceanside businesses to level up their content—and hopefully, by this time next year, I’ll have even more video game and animation credits to share!
19. What do you love most about the world of entertainment?
I love the joy and escape it brings to people. We don't all love the same things. But there's something out there for everyone.
20. When performing, do you prefer to have others in the recording studio with you or would you rather work alone?
OTHERS. Of course. It is so much fun to work with other people and we push each other, the script, and the story to new heights when we get to bounce off each other.
21. What is your main inspiration towards voice acting?
It makes me happy. Every time I am behind the mic, there's so much joy. For a job where I spend most of my time by myself in a small box talking to myself, there is such an incredible community out there. And I've always been just a little bit weird, and this community absolutely embraces that.
22. Describe your process for preparing for a voice acting role.
First, I light exactly 27 candles and dim the lights. I walk counterclockwise six times. I'm kidding. It depends on the type of role. I like to dive deep into the script and character, build the world, the scenes, understand the background or build it if there isn't one. I want to make the character feel real so when I read I know how that character would act/react in different situations. Music can absolutely help set the mood. If they give character examples, I dig into those so I can understand what tone and personality they're looking for. But also make sure that this is me and not just hashing out someone else's character. Some roles need more than others. But whatever the amount of prep I do, it's about bringing something real and authentic.
23. How difficult is it to land work in the voice over world?
It can be difficult, for sure. But voiceover is everywhere and you never know where you’re going to get work from. Your dad’s best friend, your dentist, your neighbor. It’s important to be open to it all. And to go after it. Rejection is a part of this and it happens often. So go find the next job elsewhere. But always, always play nice with folks. Because people want to work with people they know and like.
24. What makes you stand out as a voice actor?
My background in business and marketing means I understand the big picture. I know how fast things can change, and I pride myself on being flexible and easy to work with. I take direction well, and I care deeply about delivering something everyone can be proud of.
Vocally, I’ve got a wide range—I can sound playful and childlike, warm and mature, friendly, or downright villainous. Someone recently in the industry just told me that every time I talk my voice just makes her smile and feels like a hug. Which is probably the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me about my voice.
25. What do you think is the most important skill for a voice actor to have?
Customer service. At the end of the day, this is a business. You’re doing a job, yes—but you’re also building relationships. That’s what keeps you working and growing in this industry.
26. How do you handle receiving feedback and direction from producers or directors during recording sessions?
I love it. Live-directed or in-person sessions are the best. I’ll always do the best I can in my home studio, but having someone there to say, “This is what I’m looking for” is magic. I take direction seriously and love the collaborative process.
And if I’m not quite hitting the mark? Tell me! I want to know. It’s not about me—it’s about the project. We’re all on the same team, trying to make something amazing together. Open communication makes everything better.
