Meet Julie Gold Walthers | Audiobook Engineer & Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Julie Gold Walthers and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Julie Gold, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
Whole Story Studio has been about 20 years in the making. My first job out of college was at a Detroit-area commercial recording studio as an engineering assistant. I learned a lot and met some incredibly talented people, but it ultimately wasn’t a good fit for me. I returned to school to become an English teacher and spent 7 years teaching high school English in Maryland. When my husband and I moved to Florida in 2019 for his job, I took on audiobook freelance work to keep me busy until I found something more permanent. But slowly, my name started to get out there and more and more audiobook projects came my way. It took about a year of freelancing, but I realized that I had found a career that so seamlessly combined my love of audio and literature that I had to embrace what was happening and fully commit to building this business. I decided that even though I was only focusing on audiobook editing, the name Whole Story Studio would give my business the breadth to eventually encompass the entire journey of writing, publishing, and producing an audiobook.

What should our readers know about your business?
I think that my entire life has been leading up to the creation of Whole Story Studio. As a kid, I loved reading and writing and was always busy listening to or playing music. Looking back, it seems like such a natural progression to now have a career where I get to combine audio and literature. My educational background in sound engineering and English, along with my years at the recording studio and teaching high school, have put me at a great advantage as an audiobook engineer and certainly sets me apart from the average engineer who might only have a technical background. I truly enjoy working with early-career voice talent and authors who are just getting started in audiobooks. I love being able to help others navigate both the technical and practical aspects of publishing an audiobook online, and I really pride myself on being willing to thoroughly explain the process to those who are new to the industry. I find that posting questions online, whether it be in a Facebook group or Reddit, can be a very vulnerable experience for new voice talent just trying to learn the ropes. I like being thought of as a safe space for those who have the drive and curiosity to learn but just need some guidance. I know that’s what I appreciated from others when I was just getting started.

Along those lines, I think the hardest part of working on audiobooks, from an engineer’s standpoint, is just learning the process. I looked everywhere for how to edit and master audiobooks so I could learn what to do, but really noticed a gap in the available information for these types of audio productions. Everyone wants to learn how to do music, and so nearly all of the material I found was geared toward music editing. I wanted to become the best audiobook engineer I could be, and really focus on creating a beautiful listening experience. I was lucky to have a couple of really wonderful people to whom I felt comfortable asking questions, but not everyone has an audiobook fairy godmother or a trusted Pro Tools instructor, and it can be intimidating putting yourself out there.

I want other engineers, voice talent, and authors to know that an audiobook production can be an incredibly fun and smooth process when you get the right people together to make things happen. Having questions about what to do and what all the technical specs mean is totally normal, and you should feel confident talking about your project with whoever you decide to work with. No one should make you feel stupid or incompetent for not knowing the difference between a peak and RMS!

The last couple of years I’ve seen incredible growth with Whole Story Studio, and next year looks like it’s going to be another great year. I’m looking forward to producing a handful of series as well as focusing more on helping others learn audiobook production.

If I have one goal with Whole Story Studio, in addition to continuing to work with small presses, indie authors, and voice talent, it’s to become the place people come to when wanting to learn how to produce a beautiful audiobook. I want everyone to feel comfortable working with me and my engineers, and I want my business to be a place where everyone feels capable and empowered to share their stories.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I like to run, so I’d likely take someone around my favorite routes which go along the Intracoastal and beach boardwalks in West Palm Beach and Palm Beach. On Saturdays, I love going to the West Palm Beach Green Market and picking up coffee from Chik-Monk coffee, donuts from Cider Donuts, and bagels from Makebs. There’s always something fun going on at the Norton Center For the Arts and the Kravis Center. The Hilton in West Palm Beach has been doing these great book clubs, so it would be perfect if we could catch a book club meeting. Of course, we’d stop in Rosemary Square to hang out at Rohi’s Readery, which is one of the most amazing bookstores for kids, and then get some lunch and people-watch. Dinner at Cod and Capers and the Palm Beach Grill is always a must for when people are visiting.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Gosh, there are so many people who have helped me get to where I am today. My husband, Jeremy, for making it possible for me to explore this career. Professor Gary Reid at Michigan State University, an inspiring educator and human who set me down the audio engineering path. John Holkeboer, a friend from the Detroit recording studio days, who opened the door to the audiobook world. John McElroy and Mikhail Shirokov, who brought me onto their QC and editing team at the very beginning of this journey. My incredible Pro Tools instructor, Jack Connors at Perfect World Studios. Everyone at 1909 in West Palm Beach, many of whom supported me and held my hand as I navigated the entrepreneurial world. I’m nearly certain that my business would not be here today if it weren’t for Shana Ostrovitz and the rest of 1909. And my longtime friend, mentor, and audiobook fairy godmother, Jayme Mattler, who has known me since our high school days on the drama tech crew. Jayme has been such a source of inspiration and support to me since we were teens. She has given me the opportunity to grow not just as an engineer and producer, but as a person, and I am so deeply grateful for Jayme’s friendship and encouragement.

Website: www.wholestorystudio.com

Instagram: @wholestorystudio

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jgwalthers/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WholeStoryStudio/

Image Credits
Brian Larrabee Gabby Perez