Audiobook Narrator
WICKED
SAMPLES
With 30 plus years of experience in theatre and commercial VO, Zura has recorded over 150 titles between herself and her pseudonym (Aria Holland). And has worked extensively with top publishers including: MacMillan, PRH Audio, Blackstone and Podium. She has been nominated for multiple SOVAS Awards, IAA Awards and the OneVoice Award.
MFA - Old Globe Theatre / USD
BS Theatre - The University of Evansville
Coaching
PJ Ochlan, Johnny Heller, Paul Alan Ruben,
Christina Rooney, Shannon Elizabeth Parks,
-Fall 2024 Deyan Institute Master Class
-Spring 2023 / Autumn 2023 Deyan
Institute Masterclass
-New England Narrators Retreat 2022
-Spring 2021 / Autumn 2021 Deyan
Institute Masterclass
-New England Narrators Retreat 2021
BookCons and Panels
2025 - ApollyCon "Behind the Mic"
2024 - ApollyCon: Audiobook Panel w Rebecca Yarros and Scarlet St Clair
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"Her impressive range of character voices and dialects make her a great choice for a wide variety of Genres..."
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- Erick Black, Dreamscape Media
"Zura's voice, like music or poetry, is timeless. She embodies this alchemical combination of classical drama and written word and pure soul -- all the ingredients for a golden storyteller. And she's adaptable, transcendent; narrating stories that span universes and eras, bringing the ordinary and supernatural to searing life with genuine, relatable, emotion..."
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-Lauren J.A. Bear
Author, MEDUSA'S SISTERS
"... She finds the perfect timing for comedy and deftly handles the emotional nuances for dramatic pieces....She is an immediate go-to for almost any project and has my highest recommendation."
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- Khai Dattoli, Podium Entertainment
"It has been a privilege to direct Zura, a director’s dream: Deeply talented actress; gifted storyteller, whose wonderfully nuanced performance is matched by her commitment and actor’s intuition. Authors whose books she has narrated are as fortunate as those given the opportunity to direct her, as in, me."
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- Paul Alan Reuben, Director
"Zura has delivered performances that are nuanced, authentic, and carefully prepped. She is a superb collaborator and a talented actress..."
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- Pete Cross, Dreamscape Media
Zura Johnson, made my books sing.
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- Taisia Kitaiskia
Author, Ask Baba Yaga
From The
Recording
Booth
THE SPEAKEASY TIMES
your narrator, in a nutshell
With 30 plus years of experience in theatre and commercial VO, Zura has recorded over 150 titles between herself and her pseudonym (Aria Holland). And has worked extensively with top publishers including: MacMillan, PRH Audio, Blackstone and Podium. She has been nominated for multiple SOVAS Awards, IAA Awards and the OneVoice Award.
She states, "I discovered my love of storytelling through "books on tape" at the age of four. Narrating audiobooks feels like coming home."
Zura holds two degrees in performance, including an MFA from the renowned Old Globe Theatre, in San Diego. Her greatest strengths as a storyteller, are her broad character range, comic timing, and accent work.
Some of her favorite genres to narrate are LitFic, Fantasy, and Humor. In 2025 she hopes to do more LitRPG and NonFiction.
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Zura identifies as Bi and is neurodivergent. She finds joy in supporting her teens, who both identify as queer, as she works on titles that represent queer life and characters. And neurodivergent characters with whom she and her daughter identify.
Out of the booth Zura is an artist and illustrator. She loves to travel, and experience new places and cultures with her husband and their two children. This past year she learned to ride a motorcycle, and purchased a Honda Rebel 500. Her name is Stella. Zura loves puzzles, subversive cross stitch, and is rather fond of cats.​
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