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"Black Voices in Audiobooks" Grant

The Global Actor helps actors Live Where They Want + Work When They Want. Through paid private and group coaching as well as online programs and ongoing free training, actors learn the business tools, performance technique and entrepreneurial mindset they need to have a thriving performing career, no matter where they live.

We want to make sure that actors know that as a community we support Black artists and wish to uplift them further in the years ahead.

Black artists are underrepresented in the voiceover and audiobook industry and as the industry works to change that, we seek to help more black artists prepare for work in this arena. 

  • We call for more black stories to be produced.
  • We call for growth in opportunity for underrepresented voices.
  • We call for more projects to be cast authentically.

In response, we are reopening our grant applications and offering 5 grants for The Great Audiobook Adventure™, an online course/experience to learn the craft and business of Audiobook Narration.

We love you. We support you. Please keep creating.

Our industry and the world needs your voice.  

The Grant Is Currently Closed

If you'd like to be notified when the grant is accepting applications again, please join our mailing list through the form below. You'll also receive our weekly newsletter with more events, free resources and training for actors and narrators.

Grant Specifics

The Global Actor “Black Voices in Audiobooks” Grant is intended to help Black artists currently pursuing careers as actors, singers and performance artists. If you fit this description and you are interested in exploring audiobook narration – we would love for you to apply.  

Recipients of the Grant will receive Lifetime Access to The Great Audiobook Adventure™ at a discounted rate of $500 USD. No-interest payment plans are available. After attending two quarterly check-in calls, Grantees receive access to the Grant Equipment Fund as well as access to Audiobook Demo production.

We will award grants to experienced performers - actors, singers, spoken-word artists (no prior voiceover or narration experience needed). We will review all applications in the order we receive them. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday, April 14, 2025.

Recipients will be notified on April 22, 2025.

What's Included in the Grant?

  • Lifetime access to The Great Audiobook Adventure™
  • 6 Monthly Q + A Zoom Calls with Elise Arsenault and fellow Audiobook Adventurers
  • 6 Monthly Q + A Zoom Calls with Justin Marra, Audio Engineer, and fellow Audiobook Adventurers
  • 4 Quarterly Grantee Calls per year - Bring up questions, get narration feedback, share samples, prep for your demo, and work on your home studio. We’d love to hear your updates too. (You can participate in these calls for as long as you'd like, at no additional cost.)
  • Access to The Global Actor Equipment Fund to purchase gear to set up your home studio
  • 2-sample Remote Demo Session & Production with Justin, Director, Producer & Engineer at The TreeCave
  • BONUS "Be Undeniable" Hot-Seat Narration Coaching 
  • BONUS Home Studio Hacks Call with Justin

Grant Selection Committee includes:

Past Grant recipients and award-winning narrators Angel Pean and Tyla Collier

Angel Pean is an actor and award-winning narrator who thrives on the power of storytelling and being a part of impactful projects that leave their mark. Since training with narrator and coach, Elise Arsenault, she has had the pleasure of narrating for publishers/producers including Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Tantor, and more! Some of her favorite genres include YA, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, and Self-Development. In her free time, you'll find her trying a new recipe, traveling, dancing, or lounging around with her cat, Azula! Angel currently resides in Atlanta, GA, where she is continuing to audition, work, and hone her craft.

Tyla Collier is a 4-time AudioFile Earphones Award winner, and can be heard in many audiobooks. Her narration for Lesa Cline-Ransome’s, For Lamb, was on AudioFile’s Best Books of 2023 list, in the YA category. In addition to her narration, Tyla’s voice can be heard in commercials for Macy’s, Swiffer, Undecember (video game), and more. A professional stage actor who got her start in theatre; she has also performed in the Broadway National Tour of Hadestown, off-Broadway at The Public Theater, and on many other stages across the country.