Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Meet Karen Jacobsen, a voiceover artist from Queensland Australia, who has one of the most recognisable voices in the world. As the original voice of GPS, she’s helped billions of us to reach our destination.
Back in 2002, she recorded more than 50 hours of audio for the first ever GPS voice system, including 168 versions of the word “approximately”.
Has she told you where to go? Recalculating.
Welcome to Great Big Story’s Amazing Humans: Our celebration of the outliers, dreamers, and everyday heroes who remind us just how extraordinary life can be. Here, we share true stories and real-life biographies that capture the weird, wonderful, and everything in between. These often untold stories sit at the heart of our DNA, portraits of creativity, courage, and curiosity in all their forms. From quiet change makers to joyful eccentrics, each film is a glimpse into what makes us beautifully complex and deeply human. Join us and meet the people who make the world a little more remarkable. And if you know someone who should be featured on the series, we'd love to hear, get in touch
Meet Karen Jacobsen, a voiceover artist from Queensland Australia, who has one of the most recognisable voices in the world. As the original voice of GPS, she’s helped billions of us to reach our destination.
Back in 2002, she recorded more than 50 hours of audio for the first ever GPS voice system, including 168 versions of the word “approximately”.
Has she told you where to go? Recalculating.
Welcome to Great Big Story’s Amazing Humans: Our celebration of the outliers, dreamers, and everyday heroes who remind us just how extraordinary life can be. Here, we share true stories and real-life biographies that capture the weird, wonderful, and everything in between. These often untold stories sit at the heart of our DNA, portraits of creativity, courage, and curiosity in all their forms. From quiet change makers to joyful eccentrics, each film is a glimpse into what makes us beautifully complex and deeply human. Join us and meet the people who make the world a little more remarkable. And if you know someone who should be featured on the series, we'd love to hear, get in touch
