Awakened Passion: The Wild Ride of Christopher Boucher and Actors Everywhere :By Josiah Smith

Let’s talk audiobooks. You’ve got the good, the bad, and the downright unlistenable. And if you think a narrator doesn’t matter, you’re either new to the game or you’ve never suffered through a monotonous, sleep-inducing performance that sucks the soul right out of a story. But every once in a while, you hit gold—a voice that doesn’t just tell a story but performs it. Enter Actors Everywhere Productions, the brainchild of Christopher Bocher, a man who took the long, winding, and often ridiculous road to becoming one of the most dynamic figures in the audiobook world.

The Origin Story (Cue Dramatic Music)

Bocher’s tale starts in Arizona, takes pit stops in Massachusetts and Germany, and then lands him in college because, in his words, “it’s what you’re supposed to do.” Spoiler: It didn’t stick. Like many before him, the whole figuring out life in your early 20s thing didn’t go as planned, and after a lackluster four semesters, he noped out and joined the Air Force as a computer programmer—because why not?

Then came 9/11, and like for many others, everything changed. Instead of clicking away at a keyboard, Bocher found himself patrolling an Air Force base in what he describes as a glorified hall monitor gig. “They were like, ‘Nope, report to the guardhouse.’ I’m just walking around, no gun, just vibes,” he recalls. Not exactly the tech job he signed up for.

Four years later, he left the military and took another stab at college. This time, he crushed it—4.0 GPA, majoring in computer science, on track to join the FBI. But plot twist: Theater happened.

From FBI Dreams to Stage Lights

It all started with a dancer. No, really. Bocher was dating a drama student, went to one of her performances, and got absolutely wrecked (in a good way) by the artistry of a dancer named Christina Green. “She wasn’t the most technically perfect, but she loved what she was doing. And that hit me hard,” he says. So hard, in fact, that he pulled a full 180—dropped the FBI dreams, double-majored in drama, and set his sights on the stage.

Cue the move to New York. Classic struggling artist phase? Check. Couch-surfing? Check. A brief pastry-induced existential crisis thanks to a baker girlfriend? Also check. But eventually, Bocher found his way into a theater group, BaseTrack Live, a military-focused performance project that toured 40 cities. It was here he met Jake Cheriff, a sound guy who would become his future business acquaintance. One day, during warm-ups (which, naturally, involved reenacting scenes from The Princess Bride, accents included), Jake had a thought: “Dude, you should narrate audiobooks.”

From Brooklyn Studio Apartments to Audiobook Domination

The first book? Golden, got the ball rolling, second book.? A bust. The author ghosted. But Bocher didn’t stop. Then came The Daily Struggles of an Immortal by Kurtis Eckstein—a surprise hit that made Bocher $10,000 throughout the years. That’s when things got real. Enter Michael-Scott Earle, a New York Times bestselling author who tapped Bocher to narrate his Star Justice series. But Bocher wasn’t about to do this the standard way.

Instead of the industry norm—separate recordings spliced together—he pitched a game-changing idea: live, in-studio recording with multiple narrators, vibing off each other like an actual conversation. Earle was skeptical. “I was like, ‘Let me do one book. Just one. Trust me,’” Bocher says. Enter Jessica Threet, an old college friend who happened to be in NYC. “I called her up like, ‘Jess, you’d be good at this. Come over. Let’s try something wild.’”

The result? Absolute magic. Earle’s reaction? “This is how every one of my audiobooks needs to be done from now on.” And just like that, Actors Everywhere Productions was born.

Building an Empire

What started in a tiny Brooklyn apartment evolved into a fully-fledged studio in Queens, staffed with six to eight employees, all driven by Bocher’s original vision: to bring an actor’s soul to audiobooks. Today, Actors Everywhere works with major authors, cranks out bestsellers, and is now even dipping into choose-your-own-adventure style audiobooks. (Yeah, those are making a comeback—who knew?)

Also on the horizon: new narrators like Kitty Pirelli and exciting projects with author Mike Bristane. The duo’s first book together, Amalya of the Borderlands, is already out, with more on the way.

A New Frontier: Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Audiobooks

With technology constantly evolving, Bocher and his team are looking to revolutionize storytelling in a new way: interactive audiobooks where listeners can make choices that change the course of the story. This isn’t just about pressing play; it’s about playing along. Imagine an audiobook where you get to decide the protagonist’s fate, flipping the traditional passive experience on its head.

Chris and his team are already looking into an app to launch that works the story, not just audio by the way but also looking into video as well to follow along with the story. An untapped vein of possibilities.

A Philosophy of Growth

Bocher’s journey isn’t just about audiobooks—it’s about taking the unexpected road, following the spark, and making something real. “It’s the journey, not the destination,” he says. His approach to business is the same: Actors Everywhere isn’t just a company—it’s a launchpad for voice actors looking to push their craft to the next level.

Right now, Bocher has at least five to six major projects in the works, and he’s constantly looking for new ways to push the boundaries of storytelling. Whether it’s experimenting with new formats, mentoring up-and-coming voice talent, or forging partnerships with authors who want something different, Bocher is all in.

The Takeaway: Follow the Damn Passion

Bocher’s story is proof that sometimes, the best path is the one you never planned. From a failed first semester in college to the Air Force, from computer programming to acting, from couch-surfing in NYC to running a powerhouse audiobook production company—his journey is one of reinvention, risk-taking, and relentless passion.

So if you’re out there, stuck in the mundane, maybe it’s time to shake things up. Who knows? You might just find your thing—or, at the very least, a kickass audiobook to get lost in.