J. Michael Collins

I had a good day on Thursday last week. One of those days where a few things come together and you unexpectedly book more revenue in 24 hours than your usual monthly target. A happy dance may have been involved. Perhaps two.

My instinct, sitting there at about 3PM on the Thursday before a holiday weekend, was to power down the studio, slap myself on the back for a job well done, and open a nice cold cerveza. See you Monday, voiceover business.

Instead, I did another 30 auditions over the next few hours, replied to client emails, worked a bit more on my upcoming book, began writing several scripts for student demos, and did some marketing. I quit around 10:30 that night.

Do I have a problem? Maybe. It’s hard not to love what we do. It’s harder still not to take it for granted when it is going well. Yet, I recalled last April, when after a surprisingly good March considering over a week of lost workdays for VO Atlanta, I had the ugliest month I’ve had in a few years. Yes, it was an aberration, but missing your standard monthly target by 40% even once lingers in the memory. So I passed on the beer and went back to work.

One of the most critical separating factors between the talent I see acting relaxed and comfortable in the consistency of their business, and those who always seem to have a little panic around the eyes, is the sense that the only answer to how much VO work is enough for the former group is always, “more.” While many talents occasionally catch lightning in a bottle, the glow of that big booking or career-advancing step fades quickly. Consistent, repeat business from a core of stable, loyal clients does not.

How do you get there? You do 30 auditions when you would prefer to have a brewski. You make one more marketing call when you’d rather spend a few minutes making monkey noises with your kids.

You don’t stop. You push harder. You keep going.

The issue of what we should charge as voice actors continues to be the most discussed topic in our industry. From talent lamenting major national buyouts coming through agents for $5,000 and then reappearing elsewhere at even more egregious rates to the festering discomfort caused by mega-discount portals where anyone with a USB mic can sell their voice for five bucks to the Wild West of online casting, where excellent rates mingle with exploitative ones. It seems that each day brings a barrage of questions from talent, both new and experienced alike, about what they should charge. However, what is often lost in the conversation is how they should charge. License it. Let me explaine

Unlike craftsmen who create an object of great beauty or utility, or a professional who is paid to complete a defined task that serves a particular temporal purpose, voice actors ply their trade in a field where the majority of what we do creates lingering value for the buyer. When a voice actor is hired, their work is used to generate revenue over and over again; It is not a one-and-done proposition.

Unions understood this well when crafting the concept of cyclical and residual pay for signatories, most often applied in relation to voiceovers that are broadcast on traditional media. This is a structure non-union talent would be well advised to emulate.

That said, in an industry changing more rapidly than ever before, it is difficult to pin down what work has what value and for how long. What about Corporate/Industrial narration? E-Learning? Perhaps most critically, Web Ads and Pre-Roll. How do they fit in?

As talent, we are often thrilled to book a job and get paid. It’s a rush, talking into a microphone and making more in an hour than most people make in a day, or a week. We are blessed, to be sure, but that doesn’t mean we should compromise our value, especially when our work is being used to generate profits far beyond the compensation offered. Furthermore, it’s easy to spin things negatively from a supply and demand perspective for talent, but a quick listen to the quality of the vast majority of auditions submitted online will demonstrate that we are in a much stronger position than we think.

We are not selling clay pots, sculptures, or accounting services. We are not even selling voiceovers. Huh? What are we selling if we aren’t selling voiceovers? Very simply, we are selling licenses.

Like musicians or software bundles, we should not consider our product static or temporal. We are selling the right to obtain value from our talent for a limited time that is also limited in scope. This can apply to anything that isn’t strictly internal-facing.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions of your clients:

* How long will you be using this?

* Where will it be used…on what platforms/media?

* How many views/impressions do you anticipate it will receive?

The fear of losing work because you assert your rights too aggressively is not unwarranted, but it is overcome by the long-term gain in securing clients who are willing to treat you fairly. Moreover, if a client has reached out to you about a job, they are likely already committed to or nearly committed to your voice. You are holding more cards than you realize.

Try negotiating a one-year buy for Corporate/Industrial, E-Learning, Explainer, Telephony, and Medical. For Web Ads and Pre-Roll, use union cycle templates if you can, such as the thirteen-week standard, and go for a year as a compromise.

Remember, perpetuity means forever, and forever is worth a lot.

For the third year in a row, I had the privilege of attending and presenting at VO Atlanta. The past two years have been content and information-packed events that lifted the industry and brought the community closer together. Gerald Griffith and the team that made this event happen raised the bar even higher in 2017, so here is your VO Atlanta recap!

The content speaks for itself. With a lineup of presenters featuring dozens of the industry’s leading lights, 8 separate training tracks, a youth program, a Spanish program, and a plethora of optional value-added X-sessions, not only was there something for everyone, there were full days of learning for anyone who attended, regardless of what their particular niche or specialty was. Add to this the included meals, constant giveaways, and opportunities to connect with people who might advance your career, and VO Atlanta 2017 was a stunning success by any objective measure.

However, the intangible side of things makes VO Atlanta truly special. The voiceover community is unique in the entertainment world in its selfless and unpretentious love of one another and commitment to giving back. Petty jealousies and gossip that define so many other performance industries don’t seem to have penetrated those who live behind the mic and away from the camera. The discussion of community, mutual support, and spirit of sharing what many would consider being valuable secrets aren’t just matters of lip service in our industry. They are the way voice actors live their lives. Perhaps this is born of the blessing of abundance, the collective gratitude that comes from working in a field where those with talent will not run out of opportunities, but it is nevertheless a testament to the character of our colleagues and friends.

The buzz began as early as Wednesday, as voice actors from around the world converged on the Atlanta Airport Marriott, the staff of which likely had no idea what they were in for. The din that began more than 24 hours before opening ceremonies was but a preview of what would essentially become a 5-day rolling party spread throughout the public areas of the hotel, with singing, dancing, drinking and eating both planned and spontaneous turning a sleepy airport conference hotel into a funhouse to rival any nightclub. Through it all, one thing was clear: Here, there were no social classes, no stars separated from fans, no nervousness on the part of new talent engaging with industry leaders…..here, there were just friends.

What did I learn at VO Atlanta 2017? Unfortunately, I didn’t have much chance to take in a lot of the incredibly valuable content, as I spent the weekend busy with presentations and social engagements….but I learned a few things nonetheless. I learned that people love baby pictures, that the British can drink anyone under the table and somehow remain both standing and able to have a witty and intelligent conversation…..I learned the origin story of the name ‘Gravy for the Brain’…..I learned that when Joe Cip wants to share a Martini, the only answer is yes. And, not drinking much more might have saved me from the official conference virus…..I learned to be glad not to have to follow the irrepressible Scott Parkin on stage at any time….and how committed Gerald Griffith is to making talent understand the importance of the business. I learned that in my future X-sessions I’ll warn people not to wear shorts and to bring a winter coat….and that online casting sites can be loved by voice actors when they take the time to love us back. I learned that Armin is still a rockstar, right down to the stray F-bomb…..and that the A/V team are the ones who really make everything come together. I learned a great deal from my colleagues on the eLearning panel, and hope I offered a worthy contribution….and that Paul Stefano is not Peter or Mary. I learned that sushi sometimes takes two hours to prepare, that a real friend will help it find its way to you nonetheless, and that people care about ethics in voiceover. And, on Sunday, I learned that when well-meaning people come together, life can be changed, and an industry can elevate one of its own in the spirit of thanks and love.

I hope you learned as much as I did at VO Atlanta 2017, and I look forward to seeing you all again next March.

Today’s post features voice and screen actor Rob Sciglimpaglia, who as a practicing attorney is widely recognized as the leading authority on legal issues in the voiceover industry. Rob will be sitting on my Ethics in Voiceover panel at VO Atlanta 2017!

JMC: In addition to being a voice actor, you’ve also had an extensive career as a screen actor. What’s the biggest difference between the two?

ROB: There really is no difference. Acting is Acting. Of course, the medium is different so people don’t see your expressions and movements on a voice over performance, however, if you make the same expressions and move the same as you would as if you were on camera, that will be conveyed in your VO performance as well. So I tend to approach on camera and VO the same and just perform, and do my best not to think too much.

JMC: What advice would you offer to people just getting started in VO?

ROB: Learn, Learn, and Learn!  First, learn the CRAFT, and never stop learning it.  Second learn the BUSINESS, including legal matters.  Third, learn about yourself so you can market yourself properly.

JMC: Of course, you are also a lawyer and a well-known authority on legal matters surrounding voiceover. How often do you find yourself helping a talent with a legal issue?

ROB: I help talent of all types, vo artists, actors, and musicians, constantly.  I would say it averages out to 1 a day.  I help artists avoid getting into trouble with the law by setting up their businesses, contracts, trademarks, etc, from the beginning, and I also help those artists who are in trouble and need help collecting on their bills, or who have been sued, etc.

JMC: What’s the best piece of wisdom you could offer talent looking to avoid legal entanglements?

ROB: The major piece of advice I must give is to make yourself aware of the legal entanglements you can encounter in the VO business so that you can properly avoid them.  Too many talents start out wrongfully saying “I can’t be sued in the VO business” and then inevitably end up with some type of legal issue.

JMC: You are a panelist on the Ethics in Voiceover panel at VO Atlanta. What does Ethics in Voiceover mean to you?

ROB: Ethics in VO means the same to me as ethics in any other profession. Law, for example, is subject to stringent ethical standards and if those ethics are breached, a lawyer can be subject to sanctions including losing their license to practice.  Although there are no “licenses” needed to be a VO artist, I believe the same ethical standards should be followed because, in my opinion, that is what makes VO a profession versus a regular “job.”