The Voice, Not the Echo: How Trusting My Natural Voice Took Me from Novice to SOVAS Nominee by Camile Murdock
Trends in voiceover come and go. So, how do you stay relevant in an industry that moves quick? Camile Murdock has got an answer: herself. Unapologetically, positively, infectiously, entirely herself. Camile brings the energy. Nominated across One Voice, VOX, Radio Times, and SOVAS, Camile's career is a proper success story showing us what happens when you back your individuality and put the work in. Camile shares her journey with a perfect dose of that unique vibe.
Camile Murdock
by Camile Murdock
Back in Jan, I found myself in the City of Angels after being nominated for a SOVAS, reflecting on a voiceover journey that started with a simple intention... to be a Voice, not an echo. To remain as colourful as possible in a sea of grey.
That intention became invaluable. My personality became my biggest plug.
When I decided to become a voice actor, I didn't feel pressure to sound overly polished, if anything, I made a conscious effort to just be me in all my vibrant, bold self. And I'm thankful I had the instinct to do so, because as time went on, more and more I'd see briefs call for conversational not corporate, natural not announcer-y, grounded and easy-going, playful and self-aware. I'm just drinking green tea and minding my business and boom, clients be like no voiceover voice. What had I walked into haha. I guess I joined the industry at the early stages of the shift, long before I had adopted the habit of sounding too scripted.
It was clear the industry wasn't looking for perfect voices, well at least on the commercial side of things. It was looking for real. And what I learnt navigating life in general, is... real is rare. Especially as the world embraces AI, and instead of using it to enhance creativity, they dilute it and remove the human touch, the real. But that's another story for another day.
Of course, instinct alone isn't enough. Voiceover is very much a craft. You need skill! You can buy an expensive mic and the latest software, but if you haven't taken the time to actually learn about the industry, how scripts work, how to be versatile and able to give options, and not just read words, and can deliver clean audio, you won't get far. That's not me selling you limitations, it's straight raw facts.
Training and coaching, as well as just being on the job played an important role in that process for me. It helped me interpret briefs more clearly, make stronger choices and understand when subtle adjustments could elevate a read. Coaching also helped me understand that natural delivery doesn’t mean casual or careless. It still requires intention. Knowing where to place emphasis, where to ease back, and where to simply let the words speak.
It also reminded me that growth doesn’t come from copying someone else’s sound... like why would you even want to do that. Eww.
It comes from understanding your own instrument well enough to use it flexibly. Learning from other voice actors was inspiring, but I never felt the need to abandon what made me recognisable in the first place.
Learn from others, but don't try to become them. Echoes can teach you a lot.
They can help you understand rhythm. They can help you recognise genre. They can help you develop your ear. So trust the echoes, just don’t exist in them.
Voiceover has steadily been embracing individuality. Brands want connection. They want audiences to feel like they’re listening to a person, not a performance.
Everything you’ve lived becomes part of how you sound.
Your humour. Your vibe. Your perspective. Your experiences.
When you sprinkle those elements into your reads, that's where the magic happens. That's how you add flavour. The delivery stops sounding performed and starts sounding relatable. When clients recognise your energy, they know how to use you. They know what you bring. They know how you make scripts feel, and in turn how that translates to matching their brand personality.
As I continued developing my skills and gaining more real work experience, I started noticing something encouraging.
The more I leaned into my natural delivery, the more aligned the work became. Clients weren’t asking me to sound more RP or more (insert whatever bland, boring word comes to mind), they were seeking me out for more of what I already naturally brought. That reinforced something important early on. My authenticity wasn’t something I needed to reduce in order to sound professional. It was something I needed to refine.
Each project helped sharpen my understanding of how to adapt while still sounding like myself. Different scripts called for different energies, but the core of how I communicate stayed consistent. That consistency became part of what clients trusted and why they wanted to work with me.
That didn’t mean every read sounded the same. It meant the intention behind them stayed honest. My delivery was confident without feeling forced or over-performed. No big ego energy, just clarity in what I was bringing to the script.
By default, I’d approach reads as if I was speaking to a friend. Natural, flowing, grounded. Not lecturing. Not selling. Just communicating.
Depending on the script, I’d make subtle emphasis on key words or moments of transition, allowing the message to land without pushing it too hard.
Nothing rushed. Nothing forced. Just considered choices that allowed the story or information to breathe *not me sounding like I know what I'm talking about lol.
That balance helped the reads feel believable, which ultimately helped clients imagine their audience believing them too.
Over a short space of time, that balance between craft and character started opening doors.
I was nominated for Voiceover Newcomer of the Year at the One Voice Awards, which felt like such a meaningful milestone so early in my journey.
Then came the SOVAS nomination for Outstanding Consumer Sales Video - Best Voiceover 18 months later.
Camile Murdock at SOVAS 2026
An opportunity that would take me to Hollywood baybee, surrounded by voice actors from all over the world, in all genres. Mixing and mingling with the big boys like Laurence Fishburne, who was honoured with the Inaugural James Earl Jones award. I almost passed out when THE Angela Bassett gave a speech and presented him with the award. Pinch me, I was in this room surrounded by talent I respected, it was so reassuring and surreal.
Moments like that create perspective. A reminder that there isn't only one way to succeed in this industry. It was confirmation that being myself, whilst continuously developing my craft, had real value. It got me heard and booked.
Because when I looked back at what had led there, the pattern was clear. I hadn’t built my approach around chasing a particular sound. I had focused on developing skill while staying connected to how I actually communicate in my day-to-day, which is a mix of Jamaican tropics and London chill.
Despite what the self proclaimed gatekeepers of the industry may say *side-eye, there is space for individuality.
Voiceover is a craft that requires commitment, curiosity and continuous learning. Training matters. Coaching matters. Community matters.
But your individuality is not an obstacle to overcome. Learn from those ahead of you. Be inspired by voices you admire. Stay open to feedback. Trust the echoes.
Just don’t live inside them like you're paying rent, because I'm not being funny, what others eat don’t make you shit.
The goal isn’t to sound like someone else.
It’s to become a clearer version of yourself.
Be the voice. Not the echo.