Karen Kanakanui Biography

Karen first discovered the power of audio and the human voice to connect with an audience during her tenure as a classical music announcer at a public radio station. Over a two-year period, Karen built an extremely loyal audience and raised $4,000 in a two-hour show during the station’s first ever fundraising effort. Without meaning to, Karen discovered a link between a warm, professional, audio message and—well, money!

Karen loved radio and the connection to the audience but wanted to see if there was more to TV and film, so she returned to graduate school and got a master’s in TV/Radio/Film from Syracuse University.

After graduation, Karen moved to LA, where she worked as an associate editor at a music industry trade magazine before landing at Universal Studios. Over fourteen years, Karen worked in various capacities, eventually managing a group of desktop support professionals for Universal Pictures. And yes, she did walk on a few red carpets and had the opportunity to see a lot of TV and movie stars walking around the lot!

At Universal Pictures, Karen was a visionary, relating to her clients in ways that showed she understood the challenges of both the big picture (the film business) and their specific department. She was able to bring solutions to solve their business challenges in the form of cutting-edge technology and software development.

Although Karen liked the film business, and was well-liked by the film directors, producers, and actors supported by her team, Karen’s roots finally called her back to West Virginia. But what’s a big-city girl supposed to do back in small-town WV? Build a virtual copywriting business!

Starting with her contacts in California and by pursuing two traditional online business-building techniques—writing articles and publishing a newsletter—Karen was able to find clients across the United States—and then find others in her own backyard as well. At the same time, Karen began to see the potential of using the Internet multimedia capabilities to tell a sales story. She was drawn to audio and video, as well as the written word, and explored ways to bring them together. Today, Karen brings her many years of experience and success in a successful blend of copywriting and voiceover she calls "voice persuasion."

As a voiceover artist, Karen brings her background in copywriting to give her an edge in the ability to use voice persuasion in order to move leads along, convert sales, and increase ROI.