Heidi Rew Interview
ETAG Founder, Lynda Lee Smith, sat down with Heidi Rew of Atlanta Voiceover Studio to discuss the thriving business she and her husband initially launched in their home studio.
ETAG: You have developed a thriving voiceover studio business over the last decade, but when we first talked you told me it all started small, and then you began getting calls for additional services. Tell me how the home studio turned into an expanded opportunity?
Heidi: My husband, Mike Stoudt, and I both worked from our home recording studio back in 2016. I expressed to him that I missed seeing people since we worked from home. We had both been in radio previously. At the same time, a friend in the industry opened a sound stage and had some open office space.
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My husband suggested we open a small (100 sq ft) recording space there and call it Atlanta Voiceover Studio. Our hope was to offer it as a place for actors to record their voice over auditions. At that time a lot of our on-camera actor friends would pass on voice over auditions because it was such a hassle to set up a recording space. We were hoping we could provide a solution and hopefully cover the rent. Plus, I’d get to see people.
​Heidi Rew of Atlanta Voiceover Studio
​​After we opened, we started getting calls from people in New York and LA that had actors in town needing a voiceover. Since Mike had named it Atlanta Voiceover Studio, we were the first place that came up when they searched. Actors began to schedule audition recording space, but then they started asking if we offered voice over classes, demos and workshops.
We had no intention of teaching, but after realizing there was such a need in Atlanta, we started with an “Intro to Voiceover” workshop led by Brian Bremer, and expanded from there.
Eventually, we moved into a 3200 sq ft space (shared with Get Taped, an on-camera taping service for actors), hired a sound design engineer and now have classes/offerings almost every night of the week.
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ETAG: How has being in Georgia, specifically during the booming entertainment industry period, contributed to the growth opportunities, or could this have happened anywhere in the USA?
Heidi in her studio
Heidi: Voiceover is a career that can be done anywhere, but something that is unique to this city is the diversity. The voiceover industry has changed in big ways over the past 5-6 years and a desire for more diverse voices has increased. That’s one of the things I’m most happy about with the studio. Our goal is to provide resources so that anyone can create the voice over career they want. My hope is that it’s helped more diverse voices enter the industry and thrive.
The growth of the studio has also been due, in part, to so many actors being located here in the city. While voiceover requires acting as a skill, it’s very different. Voiceover is a great way to be an actor and diversify your income.
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ETAG: I recently caught up with J. Michael Collins just before the 2024 Voice Conference in Atlanta, and it was interesting to learn that the conference is sold out each year and he is expecting the growth trend to continue, especially in Georgia. Is your perspective the same?
HEIDI: Definitely. If I’m correct, it’s the largest voiceover conference in the world. Gerald Griffith is who started it years ago (a Georgia native) and he created something incredible. Now that J. Michael and Anna Collins are in charge of it, they have continued to improve and grow the conference into something awe-inspiring.​
ETAG: Do you have concerns around the continued discussions on HB 1180 each year? How would significant changes potentially impact your business?
HEIDI: Yes. If the tax credits go away, it will negatively impact us a lot. Mike and myself make our full-time income from acting and voiceover work. Atlanta Voiceover Studio has been more of a passion project for us.
While you can do voiceover from anywhere, there are certain voiceover projects clients prefer to be done in person. We are finally starting to attract more animation studios and post-production companies.
A change in the tax credits would certainly impact what we call our main studio, which is the recording arm of Atlanta Voiceover Studio.
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ETAG: ETAG is specifically focused on the ongoing destination tourism opportunities that come with a thriving creative arts environment. Not everyone connects the dots to the greater economic impact. Georgia generates over $73B from travel and tourism annually, based on 2022 numbers. Of course, it is not always easy to track the numbers directly back to the creative arts at the state level, but when you are on the ground you see it and feel it. Do you see a direct connection in the work you are doing and the potential for entertainment tourism to become a major economic contributor in Georgia?
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HEIDI: Yes, it’s already obvious that the production industry has huge financial ramifications for the state, and the tourism associated with all this work can continue for decades. In many other entertainment cities, community, hospitality and encouragement are not present.
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ETAG: If you had the opportunity to speak directly to the state leaders, what would you encourage them to do to further enhance Georgia’s magnetic pull of all creative arts?
HEIDI: We subscribe to the philosophy that “a rising tide lifts all boats.” I believe the more that our leaders foster this value in our state, the more we’ll all prosper and continue to create amazing things.
ETAG: What is next for Atlanta Voiceover Studio?
HEIDI: Our purpose is to “Equip, Educate and Inspire” voice actors. Every year we hope to get better at that!​​
Heidi and her husband, Mike