Liana Bdewi: From Theatre School to Disney Voice Actor – Audiobook Narrator

Exclusive Policy Wire UK: Liana Bdewi: If you had asked me in theatre school where I thought my career would take me, voice acting would have never crossed my mind. Like many musical theatre actors, I dreamed of Broadway (and I still do!). But after graduating, rejection quickly became the norm and getting an agent was proving more difficult than school had prepared me for. While I was eager to work and constantly auditioning, theatre and film opportunities were few and far between.

Finding Liana Bdewi Voice in Commercials

About six months after graduating, I decided I needed to try something different. I signed up for a commercial voiceover class to see if I would like it. To my surprise… I loved it! The class felt natural, the feedback from the teacher was encouraging and I finally felt like I had found a place where my skills fit. A few months later, I recorded my first commercial voiceover demo with a casting director and signed with an agent, who, more than a decade later, still represents me today!

Even after getting representation, I was still juggling hospitality jobs to make ends meet while building my voiceover career. I invested in a home recording studio (nothing fancy at that point), auditioned constantly through the agency and began finding my own clients through online casting platforms. But I was still itching to perform on stage.

The Unexpected Pivot to Puppetry

In the summer of 2016, an unexpected casting call caught my eye: an audition for a Golden Girls puppet show having its Canadian premiere in Toronto. The posting said: “Puppetry skills are a plus, but not necessary”. I had never really pupeteered before, but I could do a decent Sophia Petrillo and Blanche Dubois impression, so why not?

I was convinced I bombed that audition and assumed I would never hear back. A week later, the producer emailed me to say he loved my Sophia Petrillo but that my lack of puppetry experience would cost me the job. Determined, I raced to the dollar store for supplies, built a sock puppet and practiced nonstop until the callback. Before I knew it, I was in the rehearsal hall and had 2 weeks to learn an entirely new skill before opening night. That was a pivot in my career I was definitely not anticipating. That one audition turned into more than 5 years with the company across multiple productions and even a national tour.

Breaking Boundaries: Disney, Big Brands, and Relocating to LA

For a couple of years, I juggled voiceover and puppetry before becoming a full-time performer in 2018. Since then, I launched my own production company, had the pleasure of voicing national commercial campaigns (for Google, Spotify, Airbnb and more!), became the first Armenian voice to be represented at Disney in an episode of Mickey Mouse Funhouse, worked on numerous Canadian cartoons, video games and got to puppeteer for a handful of television shows. Recently, I made the move from Toronto to LA to continue growing as both an artist and entrepreneur.

A New Chapter: Audiobook Narration

Once I settled in LA, it took me a few months for me to find my footing. I felt like I was at the start of my career again. Building new relationships, hustling to be heard and back on the audition grind. About 5 months after the move, I received an opportunity to narrate my first book, a romance novel called The Book Tour by Emily Ohanjanians, through Penguin Random House. Narration was never on my radar and I was terrified, so I said yes! So far this year, I have completed 3 books with another on the docket. Right before I moved to LA, I thought to myself “You’re getting too comfortable, do something that scares you. Try something different!” And never in a million years did I think that that “something different” would be audiobook narration.

Embracing the Non-Linear Path

Looking back, every career milestone came from saying yes to opportunities I hadn’t planned. Breaking into entertainment will look very different for everyone and there is no “right” way to do it. What I have found to be the most important is creating momentum through honing your craft, relationship building, networking and supporting other artists and projects.

If there’s one lesson my career has taught me, it’s that you don’t have to stay in one lane. The entertainment industry is beautiful, intricate, chaotic and so rewarding when you lean into what makes you unique. This industry rewards curiosity and adaptability and is built on relationships just as much as raw talent. Every pivot my career has taken, from voiceover, to puppetry and now running a business, has contributed more to my success than following a single path.

The entertainment industry is evolving faster than ever. Between AI, remote production and creator-driven content, today’s artists and performers are asked to wear many more hats than ever before. This isn’t something to fear, but an opportunity to grow. Build relationships with the studios, go to events, make the connections and those efforts will payback tenfold.

My path was definitely not linear, (not that anyone’s really is) but I wouldn’t change a single turn.