Here’s a sentence I never expected to say out loud: “Hold on, let me finish recording this children’s audiobook about desert lizards, and then I’ll go check on your dog’s bloodwork.” But that’s basically a Tuesday for me. I’m Erin Culpepper — voice actress, licensed veterinarian, and apparently someone whose two careers collide in the most specific and useful way possible.
Most people hear “vet turned voice actor” and picture a dramatic career pivot. But the truth is, these two worlds overlap way more than you’d think. And when it comes to animal content voice over, science eLearning, and kids’ educational media? Having a DVM behind the mic is kind of a secret weapon.
The Two Careers Nobody Expects to Go Together
Voice acting and veterinary medicine look nothing alike on the surface. One involves microphones and headphones; the other involves stethoscopes and the occasional very unhappy cat. But both require you to take complicated, sometimes scary information and make it feel accessible, and…..even a little fun.
Explaining heartworm prevention to a worried pet owner is not that different from narrating a science concept for a seven-year-old. You have to be clear, warm, and confident without talking down to anyone. That skill set transfers more than you’d think.
What Vet School Actually Taught Me About Voice Over
Four years of veterinary school, plus years of clinical practice, gave me something most voice actors don’t have: genuine fluency in scientific and biological terminology. I don’t have to slow down to sound out “cephalopod” or look up how “thermoregulation” is pronounced. I already know these words. I live in them.
That matters a lot in educational voice over. When producers are casting a science eLearning voice actress for content that involves animal biology, anatomy, ecosystems, or medical concepts, they need someone who can deliver technical terminology with zero hesitation and full confidence — because confidence is contagious. Kids feel it. Adults feel it. It makes the whole lesson land better.
There’s also the credibility factor. When I narrated Habitats: Deserts, a children’s audiobook packed with ecosystem content, I wasn’t just reading words off a page. I already understood the concepts deeply enough to interpret them, not just recite them. That’s a different kind of performance.
Real Credits, Real Science, Real Animals
I’ve been lucky enough to work on some really specific, genuinely animal-heavy projects. ABCya’s science games — including Fuzz Bugs, Alphabats, and Lily Pad Pond — are aimed at early learners and require a voice that makes science feel like play, not homework. That’s a sweet spot I genuinely love.
I’ve also voiced projects in the medical communication space where credibility and warmth have to coexist, or the whole thing falls flat. And then there’s the kids animal content voice work: educational apps like Crayola Create & Play and BabyBus, animated characters, and storytelling content like Poe the Storytelling Bear, which made it onto the Today Show. (Still kind of blows my mind, honestly.) Every one of those projects benefits from a voice artist who genuinely, professionally loves animals.
Voicing Animal Characters Differently — Because I Actually Know Them
Here’s the thing about voicing animal characters: I don’t just like animals in a general “I grew up with a golden retriever” way. I examine them, treat them, understand their behavior, and care about them every single day working as a vet in Wilmington, NC. That relationship shows up in the work.
When I voice a playful puppy character or a wise old tortoise or a frantic cartoon hamster, I’m drawing on real behavioral knowledge — how animals actually move, communicate, and interact with the world. The characters feel grounded because they’re informed by something real, not just by what an animated animal “should” sound like.
It’s one of those things that’s hard to quantify in an audition, but you can hear it — and I’d like to think it’s what makes the characters feel real instead of just cute.
So — Does Your Project Need a Veterinarian Behind the Mic?
If you’re producing animal content, science eLearning, educational voice over for kids, or anything that lives at the intersection of warmth and scientific credibility, I’d genuinely love to be part of it. As a veterinarian voice actor, this is the overlap I was made for — and honestly, it’s my favorite kind of project to work on.
Come listen to my demos at erinculpepper.com and see if my voice is the right fit for your project. Or just reach out — I promise I’m easy to talk to. Probably easier than the cats I see on Fridays.