Meet Lisa Colquhoun | Voice Over Artist and Actress

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lisa Colquhoun and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lisa, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
I think work life balance is quite subjective. To some, being able to hustle on their own projects after a full days work is balance, and to others it’s flopping on the couch and binging “The Office”. I am definitely the former!

Before children, I definitely wasted a lot of time! So, finding a work life balance only came into play after my first was born. When Jean arrived I knew something had to change and being away from her whilst working a full time job was not going to cut it.

I started to shift my focus on being able to work at night and during my child’s naps. This meant that I could pursue my voice over career as the house was now quiet. However, this also meant that I was full time stay at home mom, and a hustling mom at the same time which took it’s toll gradually as I was burning the candle at both ends rapidly.

I don’t believe I have the ideal work life balance right, and over the years trying to find it has been very trying and at times quite stressful. But as the kids change my idea of that balance does too.

For now it’s spend as much time with them as possible, and push through the nights with work and marketing. In between that I sometimes take mornings off, see friends and get a massage or two!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My story is quite unique, starting from Durban, South Africa. I was the only white student in my final year of my performance arts degree, and someone with a local radio station needed a “non-regional” voice for their adverts. I was that girl.

I got weekly work with them and ended up releasing an R’nB song that went local. I mean, I’m talking 2002/2003 so local then was when someone down the road heard my voice and that was it.

During the lockdown my acting career and of course, any auditions, were put on hold. So I decided to get back into voice over work as I had a home studio and could work at night whilst my daughter slept.

Since then I’ve voiced for BBC Earth, Magnolia Bakery in NYC (That was a win!), Porsche, Forgiato and some other really great brands. I’ve been able to work with wonderful directors for characters and have also been working long term with a great company called Emotional Ideas Inc, becoming their official AI voice for their new go-kart motorsport: Battle Racing.

I guess the hard part about this work is that I really do have to ‘find my voice’. Or really, voices! This has been a process and one that I’m sure will be continuous. But the fact that I can go from a sultry voice advertising Porsche to Miles, the lactose-intolerant mouse, I think is pretty impressive.

I still have a lot to learn and really love what I do. I would love to learn from artists like Yeardley Smith who voices Lisa Simpson. Any time spent with her would be priceless.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m an avid believer in supporting local produce, so definitely a visit to the farmers market would be a must. I don’t drink alcohol or like noisy places (coinciding to protect my voice), and grabbing coffee with my bestie and getting fresh produce is an ideal day out for me.

After that it would be some tourist destinations with a mix of hidden local gems like the bridge to nowhere or the sunken city.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My husband, Zane, is the man of the hour every hour of my life. He is a director and encourages me to pursue acting and voice work, as well as for a time to rest. He recognises times when I need a break and also when I need to get my A into G!

We actually met in 1994 during a musical production we were both in, and again in 2009. Since then we have built a marriage based on encouragement, prayer and support of each others careers and we end up working alongside each other quite a lot. He is one of a kind.

Diving in deeper, I honestly wouldn’t be doing my work if God hadn’t blessed me with any of these talents. Yes, I work hard at them, but all of the desire to be better and be the best is because I want to honour Him and the family He has blessed me with.

Website: mommavoice.myportfolio.com

Instagram: i_am_lisac

Linkedin: Lisa Colquhoun

Image Credits
Professional images (color and black and white headshots) were taken by Zane Colquhoun – my husband.