Meet Our Organizers
Will Damron
Rhett Samuel Price
Will Damron
Will is an Audie Award-winning narrator and three-time Voice Arts Award winner, as well as the recipient of multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards. He has recorded over 600 books in genres ranging from mystery to fantasy, literature, history, romance, business, and memoir. Having performed Off-Broadway and in regional theater throughout New
Will is an Audie Award-winning narrator and three-time Voice Arts Award winner, as well as the recipient of multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards. He has recorded over 600 books in genres ranging from mystery to fantasy, literature, history, romance, business, and memoir. Having performed Off-Broadway and in regional theater throughout New England and his native Virginia, Will is also a published fiction author.
After experiencing a mental health crisis in 2019, brought on in part by the isolation of a relentless recording schedule, Will saw that the audiobook community lacked a designated space to support the mental well-being of narrators. In early 2020, he decided to create that space and bring narrators together, so they could strengthen each other while tackling the unique challenges of this business. Most importantly, the space would be for narrators only, free from the need to posture, network, or impress. The result was the Narrator Alliance, which has grown consistently through online meetings to become a vibrant support group for audio performers around the world.
Will lives and records in Atlanta.
More info at www.willdamron.com
Reba Buhr
Rhett Samuel Price
Will Damron
Reba is a critically acclaimed audiobook narrator with over 225 titles on Audible. She is a 2020 AudioFile Earphones Award winner for her narration of Enemy Women by Paulette Jiles. Originally a musical theater devotee from the Seattle area, Reba graduated from Occidental College with a BA in Theater and Vocal Performance and now lives an
Reba is a critically acclaimed audiobook narrator with over 225 titles on Audible. She is a 2020 AudioFile Earphones Award winner for her narration of Enemy Women by Paulette Jiles. Originally a musical theater devotee from the Seattle area, Reba graduated from Occidental College with a BA in Theater and Vocal Performance and now lives and works in Los Angeles. Her voice can be heard on numerous animated shows and video games including Miraculous Ladybug, Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online, and Elder Scrolls Online. Reba also works on-camera as an actress and host. She is a former host of Disney Channel’s Disney 365 and has hosted numerous live events at the Disney theme parks including the official livestream for the grand opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Reba is so grateful to the Narrator Alliance for giving her a chance to connect and build community with fellow narrators and talk about her favorite subject: Mental Health! Thanks to her own experiences with panic and anxiety she has developed an extensive catalogue of resources and coping tools and is passionate about sharing that information with others. You can follow her for tips and advice on Instagram @get.thee.to.a.therapist.
More info at www.rebabuhr.com
Rhett Samuel Price
Rhett Samuel Price
Rhett Samuel Price
“His sonorous voice takes the listener on a unique historical journey”, “Rhett Samuel Price offers a solid narration of the power of education”. These quotes describe what AudioFile Magazine thinks of Rhett’s narration and a glimpse of the narrator. Rhett is described by acquaintances as “decent, fair, caring and educated”. His family and
“His sonorous voice takes the listener on a unique historical journey”, “Rhett Samuel Price offers a solid narration of the power of education”. These quotes describe what AudioFile Magazine thinks of Rhett’s narration and a glimpse of the narrator. Rhett is described by acquaintances as “decent, fair, caring and educated”. His family and friends know him as warm, funny, quick to joke and well informed on a variety of issues. Possessing an intimate knowledge of law enforcement and courtroom policies and procedures after serving with one of California’s and the world’s most distinguished law enforcement agencies. His background in entertainment began with USC as an announcer for the baseball team and the men’s and women’s volleyball teams. His next foray came with his 7 year run as the traffic reporter for KABC TV channel 7 in Los Angeles and for numerous English and Spanish radio stations. While doing this, Rhett found time to enjoy Scuba Diving and is a certified Divemaster for NAUI, having completed more than 3,500+ dives around the world.
Rhett has always loved telling stories since his childhood days spending weekends at the Coskey family home in Encino CA, thrilling his friends, Kevin, Jill and Jay with his ghost stories and other tales. Rhett began narrating audiobooks after taking a class with Pat Fraley and Scott Brick and has never looked back. Having been raised by a single mother, whose business was mainly supported by the Jewish community and gay men, Rhett has been a longtime supporter of Civil Rights, inclusion of BIPOC, Women, and the LGBTQ+ community in the world.
More info at www.thevoiceofrhett.com
Wayne Mitchell
Jennifer Aquino
Rhett Samuel Price
Wayne is an actor, writer, director, and audiobook narrator living in Los Angeles. Raised in Northern California, he started performing original material as a member of the peer educating drama group Teen Teaching Through Theater from age 13-18, later competing on the Forensics (Speech) team for SFSU. After graduating college he moved to
Wayne is an actor, writer, director, and audiobook narrator living in Los Angeles. Raised in Northern California, he started performing original material as a member of the peer educating drama group Teen Teaching Through Theater from age 13-18, later competing on the Forensics (Speech) team for SFSU. After graduating college he moved to Los Angeles where he studied at the Meisner based Playhouse West.
He has appeared in such shows as Angel, Boston Legal, Vegas, and The Mayans. He co-wrote/directed the independent feature film SOLEDAD (available on Prime Video) about a lonely limo driver befriending a client he’s forced to defend from her prom date. In ’09 he began recording Loop Group (aka ‘walla walla’) on such shows as Community, Satisfaction, Deadly Class, and many more.
He began recording audiobooks in 2018 and has quickly made a place for himself voicing iconic characters like Hellboy, multiple LitRPG series, the pulitzer prize winning Making of the President: 1960, and various Romance titles, garnering a "Swoonie" nomination for his work on The Worst Best Man.
As a founding member of Narrator Alliance, he welcomes the opportunity to connect with narrators from all over the world, helping to provide a place where mental well being can exist as a much needed focus.
More info at www.allthingsWayneMitchell.com
Jennifer Aquino
Jennifer Aquino
Jennifer Aquino
Jennifer Aquino is an actor and award-winning narrator based in Los Angeles with 20+ years working in film, television, commercials, theatre, and voiceover projects. Fun Fact: she's one of the doctors who killed McDreamy on the ABC medical drama "Grey's Anatomy."
Jennifer started narrating audiobooks in 2021 and has gratefully narrated t
Jennifer Aquino is an actor and award-winning narrator based in Los Angeles with 20+ years working in film, television, commercials, theatre, and voiceover projects. Fun Fact: she's one of the doctors who killed McDreamy on the ABC medical drama "Grey's Anatomy."
Jennifer started narrating audiobooks in 2021 and has gratefully narrated titles for Penguin Random House, Hachette, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Audible Studios, Blackstone, Podium, Tantor, and Dreamscape Media. She also directs audiobooks and is on the directing rosters with Hachette, Macmillan, Brilliance, and Penguin Random House. Jennifer is included in the Narrators Roadmap Coaches Directory, and loves to coach narrators for APA Quick Pitch, Meet the Producers, and for auditions with publishers.
She serves in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committees for the APA and PANA. Jennifer also has a business background, having graduated from UCLA with a BA in Economics and brings 15 years of experience in sales, marketing, networking, and leadership training.
More info at www.JenniferAquino.com
Eve Passeltiner
Jennifer Aquino
Jennifer Aquino
Eve has been acting all her life - working extensively on stage in New York, Boston and throughout New England. When she lived in Utah, Eve founded Moab Repertory Theatre where she produced, directed and acted in innovative productions. MRT was as much about reaching out to the audience and the community as it was about creating the work
Eve has been acting all her life - working extensively on stage in New York, Boston and throughout New England. When she lived in Utah, Eve founded Moab Repertory Theatre where she produced, directed and acted in innovative productions. MRT was as much about reaching out to the audience and the community as it was about creating the work itself. This active relationship between art, audience and artists is why Eve loves being a narrator and part of this amazing narrating community.
Eve first started voice acting in video games, television and radio commercials, industrials, and The Washington Post’s Webby-Award Honoree The Women of Kabul, a multi-media piece about real women in Afghanistan and the challenges and triumphs they experienced during war. As a narrator, Eve has been part of productions nominated for Audies, SOVAS, and Independent Audiobook awards as well as an Earphones-Award-winning audiobook. She has narrated for award-winning writers and USA Today and NY Times bestselling authors.
Eve is constantly working on the craft of narrating and the business of this audiobook world - and in all her studies, workshops and conferences she has treasured the relationships she has made. This is why she jumped at the opportunity to attend The Narrator Alliance. Having a safe place to open up, deepen connections through vulnerability, shared challenges and positive encouragement has been a life-line in these constantly changing times. She is honored to give back to the Alliance by being an organizer.
More info at www.evepasseltiner.com
our story
how our alliance came to be
“Burnout” is a term that, by now, we are all familiar with.
It used to be a cautionary flag, a word that industry professionals would bring up as something to watch out for. A sign that it was time to slow down. These days, it’s a condition we all have experienced personally in some way.
In January 2020, before COVID-19 had become a fact of life for ordinary Americans, Will Damron began to identify signs of burnout in his own narrating life. Because audiobook recording (especially at-home recording, the industry standard) requires solitude, intense self-regulation, and sustained emotional involvement, it can take an exacting toll on the performer. And after recording over 50 titles per year for multiple years in a row, Will was feeling the strain. A condition that until that point had just seemed theoretical suddenly manifested in very real ways: irritability, depression, poor sleep, endless hours in the booth, strained relationships, and – especially – isolation. From conversations with fellow narrators, Will could tell he was not alone in his experience. He realized that although there were plenty of arenas in which colleagues could connect for business purposes, there was no designated space to address the mental challenges of this work.
So, in March of that year, Will and a small group of interested narrators gathered at his home in Los Angeles to discuss creating a support group. This first meeting included present-day organizers Reba Buhr and Wayne Mitchell. They settled on a structure, a mission statement, whom to invite to be members, and also a name: the Narrator Alliance. Just days later, the country began to shut down in response to COVID-19.
Not to be deterred, the Alliance used the opportunity to take the organization online. Rather than limit membership to only Los Angeles narrators, we reached out through SAG-AFTRA to open our ranks to any union audiobook performer. The response was immediate. Dozens of narrators signed up, enough that Reba, Wayne, Petrea, and Rhett stepped forward to help facilitate meetings and guide the development of the group. What we soon found in our monthly gatherings was that not only did we have plenty to share regarding challenges like burnout, but we had just as many triumphs to celebrate and lessons to contribute. Most importantly: that together, we could generate joy and gratitude simply by being present.
Today, the Narrator Alliance has over 180 members, and every meeting involves professionals from across the United States and even abroad. We are immensely proud of the consistent compassion and support our members bring to each meeting, and continue to seek ways to build a diverse alliance that reflects the richness of our audiobook community.
