What’s your name and how long have you been working for BetterSleep ?
My name is Aster J. Haile and I have been working with BetterSleep for just over four years.
What is a creative content producer?
Most listeners know me from hearing my voice since I voice a lot of the content I create. As a creative content producer, my role is to create, develop and produce narrated content for our millions of listeners who come to us for a good night’s sleep. I produce all the sleep narratives you hear in BetterSleep, so it’s really a dream job — no pun intended! I’m in charge of writing scripts and stories, assigning briefs to our contributing writers, casting and directing voice actors, and defining a vision for all the upcoming content.
What does a typical day look like?
My days are varied. Some days I am in the studio recording, on others I’m writing scripts. I do a lot of research for new content, and much of it starts with data. I spend time finding out what content our listeners play to the most, and want more of, and I innovate based on these findings. I brief contributors on new projects, listen to voice actors’ tracks and give feedback. I also brief our team on visual and sound design needs for what’s being produced and I interact with our listeners on our Facebook Community to get their feedback.
What type of content do you produce?
I produce guided content and bedtime stories to help people relax and sleep. A lot of what I create stems from my background in mindfulness meditation, hypnosis and yoga nidra, which I studied over the years and worked into a style that can help people drift into slumber. I also produce bedtime stories, but not just for kids! Adults love being told a story and I try to produce the most diverse types of stories possible, from immersive sci-fi narratives to classic fairy tales.
How do you come up with new bedtime story ideas?
The most random things can inspire me, but I always check in with our listeners to know what they want, be it through data or interacting with them on social media. After all, we produce these stories for them. I constantly read and research, and also draw from my own experiences.
What’s the best part of your job?
The best part is to know that I am actually helping people. When listeners write in to express how they are finally getting a good night’s sleep, I can really feel their gratitude and this makes me happy.
What are your main challenges?
The daily challenge is to always make sure I give listeners what they need at the moment they need it. For this, we need diversity in content and a lot of it. We are now starting to have a pretty good offer in terms of volume, but I always seek out new voices, new types of narratives and sometimes, we may not find the right voice for a story in particular.
What’s your favorite guidance for sleep ?
It’s definitely Egyptian Sleep Temple Hypnosis for me. This guidance combines two of the things I am most fascinated by, which are ancient Egypt and the art of hypnosis. I love transporting people to places that are out of this time and this guidance does just that.
Which is your sleep animal (dolphin, bear, lion, wolf)?
I am a lion! I am up most days at 5 a.m. and this is my most productive time of day. My parents are the same, we are all very early risers. I love waking up with the sun and seeing dawn. It fills me with hope for a brand new day.
Do you prefer guided meditations or bedtime stories?
This is such a hard question to answer! Both call on different parts of me. One calls on my meditation practice, while the other calls on my love for storytelling and acting. And through both, I can channel my passion for writing and voice acting.
