Ongoing Voiceover Narrator for Podcast + YouTube

I’m looking for a talented voiceover artist to become one of two recurring voices for a new podcast and YouTube media project focused on the incentives, systems, and human behavior behind major business, economic, technological, and current-events stories. This is intended to be an ongoing relationship, not a one-time voiceover project. About the Content I will select the topics, conduct the research, and provide completed scripts. The content starts with stories people are already seeing in the news, then asks a different question: what incentives are actually driving the people, companies, institutions, and other participants involved? Topics may include: • AI and employment • Corporate decision-making • Markets and economic behavior • Technology and disruption • Regulation and public policy • Incentives inside organizations • Consumer and investor behavior • Institutions, power, and competing interests The goal is not simply to tell listeners what happened. It is to help them understand why rational people and organizations often behave in ways that initially seem irrational, contradictory, or unfair. The content should be intellectually serious but accessible to a general audience. Voice Style I am looking for a natural American accent. The ideal narrator sounds: • Intelligent and conversational • Curious rather than preachy • Analytical without sounding academic • Confident without sounding like an announcer • Comfortable with subtle humor and irony • Able to communicate skepticism without becoming cynical • Natural enough to sustain a 25–35 minute podcast episode • Engaging without manufacturing drama I am not looking for a movie-trailer voice, traditional radio-commercial delivery, cable-news delivery, or the exaggerated style common in some YouTube videos. The best comparison is an intelligent, curious person explaining a fascinating idea to another intelligent person. Expected Monthly Work The initial target for each narrator is approximately: • 1 podcast episode, generally 25–35 minutes • 1 long-form YouTube narration, generally 10–15 minutes • Several short-form narrations related to those topics There will be two recurring narrators for the brand, one male and one female. Both narrators may appear across the podcast, YouTube videos, and Shorts rather than being permanently assigned to only one format. Scripts will be provided. Required Audition Please include a recording of the following passage with your application. This same passage is being provided to every applicant so that I can compare voices and delivery consistently. Please record it exactly as written. Do not add background music, sound effects, or dramatic production. Normal recording cleanup is fine. Audition Script: “The Real Reason Companies Blame AI for Layoffs” Companies keep announcing layoffs, and increasingly, AI gets mentioned somewhere in the explanation. The obvious conclusion is that AI is replacing workers. Sometimes it is. But that explanation is almost too convenient. A company that already wanted to cut costs now has something much more attractive than a spreadsheet to point to. AI gives management a story about innovation, efficiency, and the future. The interesting question isn't whether AI can replace jobs. It's why companies have an incentive to tell us that it already is. How to Approach the Audition Use your natural interpretation of the script. I am intentionally providing limited performance direction because I want to hear how you think the material should sound. I am particularly interested in: • Natural pacing • Conversational delivery • Appropriate emphasis • Subtle shifts in tone • Whether the argument is easy to follow • Whether you sound genuinely interested in the idea • Whether I want to keep listening after the sample ends When Applying Please include: 1. Your recording of the audition passage above 2. 1–3 examples of relevant narration work, if available 3. Your recording setup and microphone 4. Your typical turnaround time 5. Your proposed monthly rate for the expected workload 6. Confirmation that the narration will be recorded personally by you and will not be generated using an AI voice Please begin your proposal with the words “Incentives Narrator” so I know you read the complete posting. Ongoing Relationship Consistency and reliability are important. I am looking for voices that can become recognizable parts of the project over time. If the project grows and the relationship works well, I expect the amount of work and compensation to grow with it. This is a good fit for someone who enjoys business, economics, technology, psychology, current events, or simply understanding why people and organizations behave the way they do.