TEAM -
Natalie Beran
Producer
Meet Liquid Violet's resident Kiwi and Producer, Natalie. She has had an impressive array of jobs prior to settling in the UK, having dabbled in radio, film, tv, theatre, diplomatic relations, hospitality, fitness, voiceover and acting. She brings this wealth of experience to the studio every day, and you'll often find her working with actors, agents and clients with at least nineteen tabs open.
When she is not playing violin in the London Video Game Orchestra, she's tending to her precious allotment, sometimes bringing us the (literal) fruits of her labour if we're lucky.
Q&A with Natalie
What do you do at Liquid Violet/what does your job title mean?
I’m an Interactive Producer, working on games and the interactive side of things. Most days are filled with emails and liaising between clients/developers, the LV team, agents, actors and technical suppliers.
What do you enjoy doing when you are not working?
Seeing theatre productions, playing violin in the London Video Game Orchestra and I have an allotment! It’s always a work in progress, lots of digging. This seasons successes = sweet peas, cucumbers, onions, and frogs.
What is your biggest work-based accomplishment that you are really proud of?
I’ve worked on some amazing things with amazing people, so it’s hard to pick one. I feel super proud when projects come to fruition, opening nights and big events are special, and it’s always awesome when NDA’d projects are released and we can finally say “Look! Look! We did this!”.
What led you to this career?
I’ve worked in a range of creative production formats - in front of the mic/camera and behind the scenes in production/producing - from radio (music/talkback), tv (soap/mini-series), film (long and short) and theatre (including outdoor and site specific) and I’m also a voiceover/performance capture actor! It’s been a varied, creative, and awesome career journey with a lot of different side quests.
If you could have an unlimited supply of one thing, what would it be?
Free travel – from the bus and tube for the commute, to flights and ferries for fun.
Doctor Who offers to take you back in time – what historical figure do you most want to meet?
I have a great great grandmother who was an opera singer, to see her perform and have a backstage tour of all the opera houses from her era would be amazing!
Which team member would you like to swap places with for a day?
From what I’ve witnessed Cosmo has a pretty cushy role – he has no emails, works from home a lot and when he pops into the studio for a visit, it’s all head pats, ear tickles and distracting the crew by just being adorable and wombling around being cute. I think I could achieve this! Cosmo’s work KPI = Kutie-Pie.
What form would your daemon take?
I voiced the Daemonhost in Warhammer 40k: Darktide, so that’s one daemon I can call upon, and for an everyday daemon – a cat, the power to nap anytime would be a magical gift to myself.
What could you give a presentation on with no advance warning?
Lord of the Rings New Zealand filming locations.
What is a job that you would be terrible at?!
Deep sea fishing – I’ve been on a couple of open water trips and haven’t caught a thing.
What’s the best part about your job?
Working with a passionate and creative team to collaborate with clients and seeing everything click into place.
What was your very first job?
Working in a video store. Great job – free videos and games!
What other completely different job would you like to do if you weren’t doing this one?
Something scientific or medical or with animals – combine them all and be a zoo vet / helping endangered species.
What fictional place would you like to visit?
I don’t have a sweet tooth, but to stock up on treats for everyone – Willy Wonka’s Factory!
If you could become an overnight expert in something, what would it be?
Learning / speaking multiple languages.
Any hidden talents?
I make an awesome homemade macaroni cheese.
What’s one song that you have completely memorized?
My mind blanks when reading this question! But I worked in radio for years, so put on a random track from a variety of genres and I can probably sing along without thinking.