A Special Message from Voices Co-founder, Stephanie Ciccarelli

Tara Parachuk

December 18, 2019

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To my Voices family and members of our community,

Earlier this month I announced to the Voices team that I will be stepping away from my operational role as the company’s Chief Brand Officer, effective December 31, 2019.

I remain co-founder and co-owner of Voices, and continue to serve on the board of directors. 

As you can imagine, this decision was not made lightly. Please allow me to provide some context.

You may have heard the saying, “The days are long but the years are short.” For those of you who have children, you know exactly what I mean.

In recent months I found myself reflecting on the precious time I have with my children and how I want to ensure I continue to prioritize them above all else. I wanted to make a change that would allow more flexibility in my personal life while giving me the opportunity to do only the things that I can do for the business as a board member, an ambassador, and a passionate voice for the industry.

This decision has given me the freedom to say “Yes” to more of the things my heart longs to do with those in my life who matter most.

To my Voices family, thank you for your hard work, loyalty, and dedication. It has allowed us to realize our dream and make a difference in the voice over community.

To our first customers, I want to say a special thank you. Thank you for believing in a company run by a couple you first came to know and trust via email and MSN Messenger chats in February of 2004.

To all of our customers: Thank you for the opportunity to serve you and to share your talent and messages with the world.

To my parents and family, thank you! You were my first champions and most ardent encouragers. You always knew that I would do something with my voice, and I will continue to use the gifts I’ve been given.

To my teachers, grazie mille! I can’t thank you enough for the shaping and stretching you helped me to do as a musician and performer who found her voice.

To my husband and Voices Co-founder, David, thank you for the journey we have been on together. From humble beginnings in a home office to the great expanse that is Voices’s present home at 100 Dundas Street, we’ve been through many office moves, whiteboards, and I don’t even know how many cups of tea. Here’s to more cups of tea and time with our family.

Since David and I first dreamed of Voices, the company has grown and we’ve experienced many memorable moments. Moving from InteractiveVoices to Voices gave us a domain that is older than Google. VOICE 2007 on the west coast is where I met Don LaFontaine, a legend in the business who gave us the movie trailer magic, “In a World…” The book I never knew I’d write was Voice Acting For Dummies. Another major milestone was getting a Series A investment from Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital in 2017 and maturing the company, not only as a corporation but also as an industry leader with the acquisition of Voicebank.

Over the years, we’ve produced many blogs and podcast series, most recently Sound Stories and Mission Audition. We’ve also started hosting VoiceWorld events across North America to connect with our customers. Our first VoiceWorld conference was in 2013 in Toronto. This year we hosted events in Toronto, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City.

In truth, there are many people and organizations that have walked with us and it pains me to not mention everyone here in this post. David and I have an amazing support network that helps us take care of our family, nurtures our faith, and challenges us to be the best people and leaders we can be. We couldn’t have done anything without those who have walked alongside us, held us up, and spoke timely words of wisdom and encouragement.

I’ve been blessed to have met so many amazing people, participated in once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, and been able to share the great love that I have for our industry and for the meaningful work that we do with so many people.

The timing of this change couldn’t be better for me, and I am excited to start this new chapter in the life of my family, the business, and also as a more involved member of the VO community.

I remain an active advocate for Voices, so you’ll still hear from me from time to time, see me on social media, and in attendance at Voices events.

Thank you to our Voices talent, clients, voice over coaches, talent agents and so many of you whom I am grateful to call friends.

Looking forward to continuing as companions on the journey.

Warm regards,

Stephanie

Tara Parachuk

With more than a decade of diverse marketing experience, Tara is dedicated to creating a consistent brand voice in the content she creates. Combining her passion for impactful communication with data-based trends in consumer behaviors and social trends, she seeks to delight audiences with insightful and actionable ideas and concepts that can be applied to their own personal and professional lives. As Senior Manager, Brand Communications, Tara works to ensure the Voices brand voice is clear and focused across all media channels through the use of technical skills and innovative strategy, while also prioritizing a healthy work-life balance for her team.