Great narration can take a story to new heights. In 2024, these performers were among many skilled artists whose voices soared in audio, landing their titles among our top listens of the year. Go behind the scenes with these storytellers as they highlight their favourite emerging trends, studio must-haves and more.
Helen Laser
What was your most memorable performance of the year – a highlight of the year for you?
A highlight of my year was narrating The Wedding People by Alison Espach! I loved the writing and getting to do so many hilarious character voices. Plus, I love a voicey, observational perspective, which made portraying Phoebe, the inadvertent woman in a hotel full of wacky wedding-goers, such fun.
Additionally, I worked on so many titles I adored, including Breaking the Dark by Lisa Jewell; got to collaborate with colleagues and friends both new and old; and was lucky enough to do some incredible live events where I got to speak on panels with librarians, audiobook fans, other narrators and everyone who makes audiobooks sing, including but not limited to engineers, directors, editors, producers, casting – the list goes on.
What clever line, fascinating character or brilliant piece of language stuck with you the most this year?
Despite recording it months ago, I'm still fascinated by the relationship between sisters Jules and Poppy from Worry by Alexandra Tanner. As a Jewish New Yorker with a younger sibling myself, I could not stop laughing and sighing at the many antics they get up to, and the heartbreakingly realistic conversations they have. The way Jules both loves and despises Poppy for her similarities and differences to herself is so true and beautifully articulated.
What’s the must-have item you bring into the recording booth?
My must-have booth item: 3+ kinds of drinks. Lemme break it down: Water is my "business drink" (keeping me hydrated and sounding great). Then I like to have a seltzer as my "fun drink," which also simultaneously forces me to consume more water (every narrator can tell you that hydration is key, especially in summer when the booth is about 10 degrees hotter than it is outside). And finally, I like to have coffee or tea as my "little treat," which I tend to sip during longer breaks.
Helen Laser is a SAG-AFTRA NYC-based narrator with over 100 titles to her credit. Her narration has won AudioFile Earphones Awards, she's a finalist for the LA Times Book Awards, The Audies and the One Voice Awards. Her work has been chosen by Reese Witherspoon's book club and The Today Show Book Club.
Andrew Eiden
What was your most memorable performance of the year – a highlight of the year for you?
I narrated a few Jack Kerouac books this year, which was a big thing for me, as I’ve been a fan of his writing since college. The opportunity to lend my voice to his books was astounding, and I’m still a little curious as to how I got to be so lucky. Additionally, under my romance pseudonym, Teddy Hamilton, I narrated Never Been Witched by Molly Harper and Nine Month Contract by Amy Daws. In addition to getting to perform once more alongside Erin Mallon, getting to live and work again in Amy’s imagination was so much fun!
Overall, it’s been a wild year for me. In the beginning I won my first Audie Award, for What Happened to Rachel Riley? by Claire Swinarski, plus an honourable mention at the ceremony for Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. I passed through a few scary events over the months that made me question my place in this industry, but I came away with a deeper appreciation for the friends I’ve made, other narrators, authors, producers, editors, coordinators and the fans, both international and domestic! It’s been a wild year, but I gotta say, best of all, I got to read some of the greatest books I’ve ever read this year (check out Home Is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose!), and I got paid to do it. To say this job is rewarding is an understatement, to say the least.
What clever line, fascinating character or brilliant piece of language stuck with you the most this year?
Here’s a line from Kerouac's Doctor Sax that I read and immediately ran to share with my wife. “‘Tis an odd old saying, my boy – In my travels from one jungle to another in the fetid marshes of the south, and my treks in the plateaus of the gold north, I’ve had enough occasion to recognize this truth: women own the earth, women own heaven too – it is a tyranny without words, and without swords.” My wife nodded and said, “You’re damn right, Jack.”
Do you have a favourite trend of 2024?
With the success of Rebecca Yarros and The Empyrean series, I’ve seen more epic fantasy titles in the romance world. To be honest, I’m here for it. Give me more magic, more spirits and more world-building. I love all of that!
What's the must-have item you bring into the booth?
I have no items that I must bring into the booth with me, however, I do have must-not-have items, mainly my phone. Whenever I bring my phone into the booth, I get so distracted by every text and email, plus I stop after each chapter to play a game, which just ruins my productivity. I still bring it in all the time, though, so this is really just me admonishing myself, because maybe I’ll do better if I admit it out loud?
What kind of stories are you hoping to perform in 2025?
I’ve had the pleasure of reading a lot of good books this year, but lately I have been really getting into comedy and rom-coms. The dark alleyways of the mind have so much to discover and I love thoughtful introspection, but ultimately I’m a clown at heart. I miss having that goofiness in my reading and in my performing, so I hope there’s more laughter and lightness to be had in the coming year!
Andrew Eiden has been narrating audiobooks since 2012. An eclectic storyteller and broadly talented actor, his narration spans nearly every genre, from Disney children’s books to literary works and more. He has over 1,000 audiobooks under his belt, many performed under his much spicier romance/erotica pseudonym: Teddy Hamilton. A staple name in romance audio, he has contributed his voice to books from bestselling independent and published authors alike in nearly all subgenres of the craft.
Saskia Maarleveld
What clever line, fascinating character or brilliant piece of language stuck with you the most this year?
I will never forget the first line of Chelsea Bieker's Madwoman: “The world is not made for mothers, yet mothers made the world.” This hit me hard with how simply and truthfully it sums up what it means to be a mother and a woman, throughout the ages and still.
What's the must-have item you bring into the booth?
WATER! With ice.
What kind of stories are you hoping to perform in 2025?
In 2025, I hope to tell more stories that take weeks to leave me when I am done with them. This is the biggest treat as a narrator, and truly the reason I do it. In 2024, some titles that moved me in this way include First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston, The God of the Woods by Liz Moore, The Briar Club by Kate Quinn, Eleanore of Avignon by Elizabeth DeLozier, and so many more. Thank you, authors, for another amazing year of storytelling!
An award-winning narrator specializing in a huge variety of accents, Saskia Maarleveld is heard switching seamlessly between them, across many genres. Raised in New Zealand and France, she now lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Will Damron
What was your most memorable performance of the year – a highlight of the year for you?
I can narrow it down to two! First, Batman: Resurrection. John Jackson Miller is such a smart, entertaining writer, and this is such a thrilling sequel to a classic movie. Plus, it was just fun as hell to record. Second, Tom Colicchio’s memoir, Why I Cook. It’s an unexpectedly vulnerable look at the chef’s life – both personal and professional – and includes dozens of new recipes that will leave you salivating.
What clever line, fascinating character or brilliant piece of language stuck with you the most this year?
Getting to voice the Joker, Hugo Strange and Batman & Alfred in Batman: Resurrection. Come on, what more could you ask for?
What's the must-have item you bring into the booth?
Beekeeper’s Naturals Propolis Throat Spray. For some reason, I always need to clear out the back of my throat, and this handy product has the added benefit of boosting immunity. I use it every day.
Will Damron is an Audie Award-winning narrator of over 700 audiobooks. He has garnered three SOVAS Voice Arts Awards, multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards, and has performed off-Broadway and in regional theater in New England and his native Virginia. He is also a published fiction author and is currently querying a brand-new crime novel. Will lives in Atlanta with his wife, fellow narrator January LaVoy, and their dog Sir Toby Belch.
Philippa Soo
What was your favourite listen of the year?
Andrew Garfield’s performance in the Audible Original George Orwell’s 1984.
What’s the must-have item you bring into the booth?
Green apples and tea.
Which stories did you perform in 2024?
I narrated Lily Chu's Drop Dead, as well as my children's book, Piper Chen Sings, which released earlier this year.
What kind of stories are you hoping to perform in 2025?
I would love to be able to perform a high-stakes political drama, or something in the fantasy or fiction genre. I really loved Circe by Madeline Miller. Something that takes us to a world unlike our own.
Phillipa Soo is best known for originating the role of “Eliza Schuyler Hamilton” in Broadway’s critically acclaimed show Hamilton, earning her a Tony nomination, an Emmy nomination for the filmed version, and a Grammy Award for the cast album. Soo also originated the role of “Natasha Rostova” in the 2012 Ars Nova production of Dave Malloy’s Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812. Soo stars in the film adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s bestseller One True Loves, and her television credits include Hulu’s critically acclaimed adaptation of Dopesick and a lead role in the Disney+ film adaptation of The One and Only Ivan.
Laura Benanti
What was your most memorable performance of the year – a highlight of the year for you?
Getting to perform Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares a total of 21 times to enthusiastic, diverse crowds. It was lovely meeting audience members after and getting to hear their stories! I also narrated both Sarah Pekkanen’s House of Glass and Jodi Picoult's By Any Other Name. I love listening to my own voice read brilliant books!
What clever line, fascinating character or brilliant piece of language stuck with you the most this year?
Honestly, me calling perimenopause “the amuse-bouche to an old cooch” is pretty iconic.
Do you have a favourite trend of 2024?
Brat girl summer!
What kind of stories are you hoping to perform in 2025?
Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares!
Tony Award-winner Laura Benanti is a highly celebrated stage and screen actress. Benanti co-starred in the hit film No Hard Feelings with Jennifer Lawrence and Matthew Broderick and guest stars in Max’s Gilded Age, Hulu’s Life & Beth (created by and starring Amy Schumer), and Elsbeth on CBS. In the theatre, Ms. Benanti took Broadway by storm at the age of 18 as Maria in The Sound of Music and has subsequently starred in 10 more Broadway shows, including Into the Woods, Nine (opposite Antonio Banderas), and Gypsy (for which she won a Tony Award). Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares, her highly celebrated solo comedy show which she wrote and starred in, was a New York Times critics' pick.
