Meet Jennifer Sims

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Sims.

Hi Jennifer, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in the beautiful city of Santa Barbara, CA, where my love for theatre and drama really took off in high school. When I was 16, I auditioned for a summer program at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) in Los Angeles. It was a big deal convincing my parents to let me live on my own in LA for six weeks, but by the end of the program, I knew I had to go back for the full conservatory after high school.

I spent two amazing years at AADA, diving into acting, singing, dance, and voice training. After graduating, I jumped into the Hollywood hustle, balancing auditions with side jobs like waiting tables and working retail. It was tough, and I often found myself at my neighbor’s place, venting about my “starving artist” life. Luckily, this friend was an art director at a big ad agency and helped me land a receptionist job there. (I think my neighbor was also sick of me, on her couch, whining and complaining) I started at the bottom in the Creative department and eventually worked my way up to producer and then Director of Broadcast.

As a producer, I worked with talent agents and casting directors, directing voice actors for radio and TV commercials. Watching these talented people, I kept thinking, “I want to do that!” Despite loving my advertising career, I knew I had to get back to my creative roots in acting, or I’d always regret it.

Switching to voice acting wasn’t easy, especially mid-life. Even with my background in acting and experience as a Director of Broadcast, I quickly realized that breaking into voice over wouldn’t be a walk in the park. I threw myself into training, recorded my first commercial demo, and started building my career from scratch.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. Transitioning careers later in life was one of the biggest challenges I faced. I was unfortunately somewhat delusional about how quickly I could make voice acting a successful career. I assumed that my background as an ad agency producer and my acting training would make it easy for me to start booking gigs right away. I thought, “Hey, I’ve been the Director of Broadcast, so surely they’ll be handing over all the VO gigs, right?” (LOL) Well, it turns out that’s not how it works.

Breaking into the voice-over world required starting from scratch. Training, creating my first commercial demo, and landing those initial gigs took time, perseverance, and a lot of hard work. Despite my experience, I had to prove myself all over again, which was both humbling and motivating.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
What sets me apart is my background in both acting and advertising. Having been the Director of Broadcast at a major ad agency, I understand the creative process from both sides of the mic. This experience allows me to communicate effectively with everyone involved in a project, from directors to producers to fellow actors, and to deliver exactly what the client envisions.

In addition to my voice acting work, I’m also a voice-over coach. I help aspiring voice actors find their “signature voice,” which is incredibly rewarding. I really enjoy helping them discover their unique “wheelhouse” so they can book more gigs and make more money. Seeing my students succeed and grow in their careers is one of the most fulfilling aspects of my work.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
The Moving Spotlight Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-moving-spotlight/id1597207264

Audrey Helps Actors Podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/audrey-helps-actors-podcast/id1233482206?mt=2

The Insight Timer (for mindfulness and meditation)
https://insighttimer.com/

Vocal Warm Ups for actors/voice actors
https://www.youtube.com/@bestvocalwarmups1

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thejennsims.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejennsims/
• soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jennifersimsvo

Image Credits
Joanna DeGeneres Noelle Romano Becca Murray Beth Hawkes Greg Bell