About Karen

Longtime Harlem NYC resident Karen Murray is a voiceover artist with many television and radio commercials to her credit, such as Verizon, McDonald’s, Nivea, Mercedes, Verizon and Hershey’s to name but a few.

Currently, she is the lead radio imaging voice for iHeartRadio’s “Black Information Network”, the first and only 24/7 national and local all-news audio service for the Black community, heard in 32 markets across the country. In the promo world, she can be heard as the voice of the #BeObsessed campaign for Hulu on TV and social media, as well as on Lifetime Television and Spotify for the “Voices of a Lifetime” programming which includes movies by Mary J. Blige, and the documentaries of TLC, Keyshia Cole and Janet Jackson.

Karen narrates audiobooks regularly for publishers such as Penguin Random House, Blackstone, Tantor, Deyan and Harper, and her audiobook credits have earned her 2 Audie Award nominations from the Audio Publisher’s Association, 2 ‘Earphones’ Awards from the “industry bible” Audiofile Magazine, and appearances on Booklist’s Top Narrator’s lists.

As a documentary narrator, she voiced Lifetime Television’s “Beyond the Headlines” documentary series from 2014-2019, narrating pieces on celebrities such as Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson and Marilyn Monroe, along with many topical news items. More recently, she provided narration for John Walsh’s “In Pursuit” on Discovery ID. She’s dipped her toes into the world of “dubbing”, lending her voice to the 2nd season of the popular Netflix series “Valeria”.

Karen serves as a guest teacher at NYU‘s Stonestreet Studios, where she instructs students in documentary narration. She has taught commercial voiceover at Hofstra University in Long Island, and as an entrepreneur, she ran her own teaching business for 10 years where she was able to sharpen student’s skills, which resulted in some getting signed by agents, and sent out by NYC casting directors.

As a sought after M.C., host and ‘voice of god’ live announcer for nonprofit gala events in NYC, Karen has worked with organizations such as The City University of New York, Susan L. Taylor’s National CARES Mentoring Program, Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement, National Breast Cancer Coalition, ALS Association and Museum of the Moving Image.

When not working, she loves to sew and design fashions (she’s been sewing since she was 9!), is an avid home chef, and a big fan of flea markets, estate sales and tag sales which she attends regularly with her 90 year old mother in CT. Born in Rutland, VT— the great outdoors is near and dear to her heart, and since NYC apartment living prevents her from having a garden– she lovingly tends to her many houseplants.

Non-Profit Work

Karen also lends her services as a voice-over artist to several non-profits in a variety of ways.

She serves as the V.O.G. (Voice of God)/M.C. at fundraising events in New York city and New Jersey, and donates voice-over coaching packages as auction items to charities such as The League of Professional Theatre Women.

Karen shares her years of experience in the industry with groups dedicated to educating young adults, like Harlem-based Project Brownstone.

Send an inquiry here regarding your non-profit’s needs.