Joanna lives and works on the island of Cape Breton in Nova Scotia. She earned her degree in Dramatic Art from the University of California, Berkeley and worked for broadcasting before launching her recording and voice over career in 2010. Talking about herself in 3rd person has always felt strange, so let's shift to something more comfortable. 

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Who is Joanna Teljeur

 

Hey, I'm Joanna Teljeur (people always ask me about how my last name is pronounced. It's Tel-zjur . . . like Leisure). 

I've recorded TV ads, eLearning, Youtube ads, all sorts of marketing videos, telephone scripts, and all the other usual types of recordings in the voice over artist's arsenal. But in 2017, I was invited to record an audiobook, and my life was changed forever. 

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Recording is such fun no matter what, but audiobook narration has become my passion. So far, I've recorded over 175 audiobooks in a variety of genres including YA fiction, Romance, Sci Fi, Fantasy, Non-fiction, and Children's. Speaking of YA and Children's, I've performed as a character actor for a few independent animation and video games, and that's something I think I'd enjoy doing more of in the future.

 

Why Audiobooks?

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I’ve never been able to speed read or even read an average pace because I've always read the words aloud in my head as though I were hearing someone tell me a story. Even when I read to myself, I saver every word and turn of phrase - hearing and speaking these words at the same time in my head. This is why it takes forever for me to get through books. 

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When I was little I used to play with stuffed dogs and Breyer horses - pretending that my voice could captivate all creatures and lull them into understanding a magical song that only I could sing. The song was an ancient story that told of some powerful horse god in the forest and how he came to be king. 

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Now, as an adult, I try to have the same, captivating effect for audiobook listeners - even when the stories aren't about magical horse gods.

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When I’m narrating, I can have fun and take my time with the words - feeling how the characters sound, how they would stand or sit, feeling the expressions on their faces, how the words feel on their lips.

 

This is the magic of narrating. It’s the best kind of escape, because not only are you telling a story - you’re living it - all by yourself in the solace of your booth.

 

It’s just magical

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People have said my narration voice is honest, sultry, soothing, lyrical, and my narration style is versatile, intelligent, enchanting, and expressive, but I'm happy to let you decide. 

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I'm a proud member of the Audio Publishers Association and the Professional Audiobook Narrators Association. My husband and I live with a Scottie, a Pug, and a Bouvier, and we spend a lot of time creating things and playing out in the woods.

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Here's my studio info and gear:  Neumann U87 mic, Duet 2 IOS Apogee, Adobe Audition, Whisperoom (but I also have a larger standing studio).