Special Guest - Christy Harst

Christy Harst, founder of Building Doors VO, joins BOSS Anne Ganguzza to share her journey from an aspiring journalist to a champion for gender diversity in voiceover. Her story highlights the importance of perseverance, self-belief, and the power of engaging in collaborations with industry talents. In a bold step to challenge industry norms, Christy leads Building Doors VO, a campaign to amplify female voices in traditionally male-dominated fields, such as sports promos. The BOSSes highlight the importance of community support and the ongoing fight for gender equality in voiceover. This episode explores breaking barriers and building doors for women in the voiceover industry

About Christy Harst

For years, Christy Harst had been trying to break into male-dominated sports voiceover promo, but despite top-notch training and creative marketing, she made little headway. During an online workshop with a prominent promo talent agent, Christy asked about her chances of voicing a promo for male-dominated sports. The agent was honest: not likely. While there were opportunities for women in sports promo, they were few and far between. She urged Christy to make her own path. If there wasn't even a door for her to knock on, how could she get in? Frustrated, disappointed, and quite frankly angry, Christy knew she had a choice to make. Either she could give up on her goal of voicing for male-dominated sports, or she could build the door—not just for herself but for all women in her industry to have greater access to these opportunities. So, on March 1, 2024, Christy Harst launched the Building Doors campaign. She collaborates with female voice actors from around the world to voice ads traditionally done by men, encouraging brands and agencies to embrace gender diversity. Building Doors isn’t about taking jobs from men—it’s about equity. Christy’s goal is to see 50% of male-dominated sports promos voiced by women. This won’t happen overnight, but she is committed to making it a reality.

Chapter Summaries

(00:01) Building Doors

Voiceover actor Christy Harst shares her journey into promo work, SOVAS promo nomination, and the importance of perseverance in voiceover career.

(13:07) Empowering Women in Voiceover Industry

Launching a project to amplify female voices in male-dominated fields, utilizing social media, community support, and strategic focus on Instagram and LinkedIn.

(19:20) Building Doors

Building Doors VO promotes female voice actors on social media, funding challenges, and discusses the WESPN conference for networking.

Top 10 Takeaways

Quick-share concepts from today’s episode:

Career Transition: Christy Harst transitioned from a background in broadcast communications with aspirations to become a journalist, to a successful career in the voiceover industry. Her journey was fueled by perseverance and a passion for promo work.
SOVAS Nomination: Christy's Network Promo demo earned her a significant SOVAS nomination, marking a notable achievement as the only woman in her category that year, which inspired her to push for more female voices in the genre.
Empowering Female Voices: Christy is committed to amplifying female voices in male-dominated fields. Her initiative started as a campaign for Women's History Month and has evolved into a platform for creating opportunities for women.
Building Doors VO: Through Building Doors VO, Christy showcases the capabilities of female voice actors, challenging industry norms and striving for gender equality in voiceover roles.
Strategic Use of Social Media: Christy leverages platforms like Instagram and LinkedIn to promote her campaign and engage with a wider audience, successfully using social media to create visibility and job opportunities.
Community Support: The success of Christy's initiative underscores the importance of community support and collaboration, as evidenced by participants landing job opportunities through the platform.
Financial Challenges: Despite the project's success, Christy faces financial challenges in sustaining the campaign, prompting considerations for funding options and grants to support growth.
Industry Collaboration: Christy has collaborated with industry talents like Joe Cipriano and received support from volunteers, enhancing the impact and reach of her campaign.
Future Ambitions: Looking ahead to 2025, Christy plans to feature a new female voice actor each month, continuing her efforts to break barriers and provide opportunities for women in the industry.
Networking and Visibility: Christy emphasizes the power of networking and visibility, attending conferences like WESPN and engaging with major brands to further her campaign's mission and impact.

Referenced in this Episode

Direct links to things we brought up ++

Find out more about Christy Harst and Building Doors VO Follow Building Doors VO on Instagram Connect with Building Doors VO in LinkedIn Recorded on ipDTL - get it here >>

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