Voiceover Industry

It’s one of the more controversial aspects of online casting platforms: Bidding. Many industry professionals believe that talent bidding against each other drives rates down, and surely in some cases it does. It would be nice to say, “I won’t work on a job that requires a bid,” but taking such a stand means losing out on a lot of potentially high-quality work and ignores the fact that almost every other freelance industry has moved to a model where contractors bid against each other for jobs. I’m not here to pass judgment on whether it is a good thing or a bad thing, but ignoring economic realities and buyer preferences have helped lead us to a world where corporations working against our interests are trying to control more and more of the marketplace. Even good sites acting strictly as matchmakers (Voice123, Bodalgo) allow clients to post jobs with a budget range or a budget to be defined. It’s up to us to submit a professional bid, and hopefully, this article will help you maximize your earnings.

With this in mind, let’s look at three common types of buyers on online casting platforms and some scenarios that might help you submit a bid that will win the job. Surprisingly, this doesn’t mean going low in most cases.

Please note that the following scenarios assume the usage and length of content is fair for the range provided.

Scenario 1.) The Budget-Minded Buyer

Budget Listed: $250-$500

Let’s face it, while some buyers falsely cry poor; many are producing low-impression-count jobs that don’t justify a high budget for voiceover. I always think of the hypothetical example of Joe’s Pizza in Piscataway, New Jersey. Joe’s got a store in Jersey, and maybe one in Connecticut too. Joe has posted his local radio commercial job on an online site himself, not through a production company or ad agency. You’re dealing directly with Joe. The spot will run for 13 weeks, and Joe’s total cost between production, ad buy, etc…. is about $15,000. Maybe less. Joe thinks $500 sounds like a lot to spend on a voiceover for something with his total budget, and he’s probably right, though he’s open to going that high for a voice he falls in love with. Ultimately, though, Joe would be comfortable around $300, which is 2% of the total production cost.

Now, think about this: How much does McDonald’s spend on an average commercial, start to finish including ad buy? A million dollars? Two? If you were getting 2% of that pie you would probably be pretty happy, right? 2% of Joe’s overall spend isn’t a lot of money, but it’s probably fair for a limited run in local markets. Joe’s looking for a $300 bid, and you might consider accommodating him here.

Signs of a Budget-Minded Buyer:

*Posts the job directly, not through a production company or ad agency.

*Posts as an individual; Joe Smith versus Medical Holdings, Inc.

*Language and direction in the post are colloquial, not corporate-sounding.

*Seems to have limited knowledge of industry terminology, and how things work.

Advice: Use your judgement, and don’t compromise your standards. Some Budget-Minded Buyers may be too budget-minded to justify a bid in the first place. That said, assuming the entirety of the range is fair for the work posted, this is one case where bidding on the lower end of the range is likely to yield better results, though you should still avoid going to the low number or below, as even a Budget-Minded Buyer is prone to being turned off by what looks like desperation.

Where would I bid? $350 for a 13-week run. Maybe some reasonable accommodations for re-buys.

Scenario 2.) The Garden-Variety Production Company

Budget Listed: $500-$800

Probably 50% of jobs on online casting sites are posted by production companies, and sometimes ad agencies. You can often recognize them by use of an adjective followed by an animal as their company name: Glittery Dinosaur, Impetuous Monkey, Jazzy Gopher, and so on. Okay, sometimes the names are more conventional, but I digress.

Production companies come in all shapes and sizes, but let’s assume this one is your garden-variety, middle-of-the-road production house in a big city, posting a job for a web ad for a medium-sized regional brand to be used for one year.

Our Garden-Variety Production Company is on a fairly defined budget that is part of the overall bid they submitted, (yes, production houses often have to submit bids, too,) to the end client. They have allocated up to $1,000 for voiceover, but aren’t telling you that. They’d love to find Johnny Goldenthroat or Jill Perfectpipes for five hundred bucks, but having sifted through the mounds of garbage auditions online a few times before, they understand that the 10-20% of talent who are usually competitive tend to charge a little more, (though they’ve gotten lucky once or twice.) So, they’ve set their budget between $500-$800, figuring they will end up at the high end of that range, and hoping their ideal voice doesn’t come in over their number, though reserving a little cushion in case he or she does.

Now, in my personal experience casting from online sites, most jobs come down to about five talent who really fit the spec well and have executed a competitive audition. Production companies are like Macy’s buyers. They like the big brand names, but probably aren’t going to spring for a Ralph Lauren suit unless it is on sale. At the same time, if they see something in the discount underwear bin, even if it’s Victoria’s Secret, they are likely to pass. If they have five decent reads to choose from, the person bidding $500 and the person bidding $1200 are both probably out.

This scenario is the paradigm for the classic online casting bidding advice of aiming for the high end of the middle.

Signs of a Garden-Variety Production Company:

*The word “Productions” in the name of the client.

*The word “Agency” in the name of the client, (this likely means ad agency, not talent agent, who don’t generally put their jobs online.)

*Another company name with a ‘creative’ feel.

*Broad budget ranges.

Where would I bid? $725 for one year license, 110% optional re-buy.

Scenario 3.) The Deep-Pocketed Corporation

Budget Listed: $500-$1,500

In the final scenario, we find the Holy Grail of online casting clients: The Deep-Pocketed Corporation who has posted their job directly to an online site. These companies are my bread and butter online, and probably comprise about 30% of the work available on these platforms.

The Deep-Pocketed Corporation typically posts their job directly because they realized they needed a voiceover for their internal presentation, training video, lengthy e-Learning project, or B2B sales video, and somebody in the responsible department said, “Well, there’s gotta be a site for that, right?” Let’s hope they chose the right one, but regardless Linda in HR or whomever may be casting still thinks of VO as glamorous, TV, radio, HOLLYWOOD! This is a Fortune-500 company, or close, and all they care about is getting the best voice. They have a budget in mind, but it is the back end of a six figure appropriation for the project, and they aren’t married to it….in fact, the large range indicates that they don’t really know what this stuff costs. Oh, and they need it yesterday.

The individual responsible for choosing the voice for this Deep-Pocketed Corporation is often a senior manager or junior executive…sometimes even higher on the food chain. They are quality-minded in everything they do; The kind of person who sees a Gucci bag that they kind of like, hears the price, and then wants it even more because it seems so EXCLUSIVE. And, oh yeah, how cool is it that they get to play Simon Cowell for an hour and choose who gets to the final show!

My friends…..these are the clients you want.

Signs of a Deep-Pocketed Corporation:

*Company name is something serious and soiphisticated.

*If it’s an individual, their name is followed by a title, or letters of academic qualification.

*On certain sites the company name has been hidden by request.

*NDA required.

*Very precise in delineation of terms for submission and payment.

Where would I bid? $1,800 for one year license, 110% re-buy.

As you can see from these examples, bidding doesn’t have to mean lowballing. Most clients will respect a confident bidder more than a passive one, and a lot more than a desperate one. As a buyer, I’ve personally passed on talent who were competitive when their bids were suspiciously low….thinking, “What am I missing?”

I wish we lived in a world where every client had a set budget and this didn’t require so much thinking, but until we do, polish up your poker game, understand who else is at the table, and play your cards well. You might just end up with a big stack of chips!

Juliette Gray is the very definition of class as a person and a voice. Recently, I had the privilege of producing a new suite of demos for this class act, and she was a true joy to work with. You can hear her here: http://www.juliettegrayvoiceover.com/

Today, Juliette shares her thoughts on the business with all of you.

JMC:

How did you first get into voice acting?  

JULIETTE:

I had been working for the movie studios in Los Angeles for 15 plus years and although there were times when I really enjoyed it – there were many times that I felt like a prisoner between 9-6 – sometimes later. I had to leave my identity at the door so when the opportunity came to take a lay off I took it.  After a few months of collecting unemployment, the thought of going back into another office environment started to make me feel physically ill.  Then one day I was in an athletic footwear store (which is an almost never for me) and the person who helped me was British and he told me that he was studying voice over.  I didn’t know what that was but he gave me some information and once I went to the first class I felt a level of enthusiasm that I don’t remember having before.

JMC:

As a British talent based in Los Angeles, what has been your experience of the American VO marketplace, and how does it compare to the industry in the UK? 

JULIETTE:

I really don’t know much about the U.K. Market, as I never worked in the U.K. as a VO.  From my research I think things are quite a bit different locally although a lot of U.K. talent are crossing the pond to see what we are up to here and how they can get into our market. 

I will say that I have worked for more clients in continental Europe than in England.   That could be because they already have so many British people.  But if I make that assumption then it doesn’t say much about me having a unique style and brand. Its just that I have to work harder at marketing for people over there to find out I exist (therefore I am!) – sorry Descartes.  

I think there is also some disparity being in a time zone where we are not at work at the same time during business hours and the fact that in London at least a lot of the clients like the talent to physically come in.

The good thing over there is a lot of jobs are filled just from demos and not so much from auditioning. As I just completed a Transatlantic reel I plan to market that to England which may be of more interest to them than “just another British demo.”

JMC:

What do you miss about England?

JULIETTE:

Not the weather! Although when the sun does come out you feel you have really earned it compared to Los Angeles where you feel sometimes that you wish it would rain.   

I miss the energy of London and having real walking streets where you can window shop and watch people in cafes.  It has a more NYC feeling than L.A. and that makes you feel more a part of humanity which is a good thing.   

Also the quantity and quality of the culture, art, music, theatre, fashion, food is so fantastic in England.  Yes there is suburbia – but so many of the neighborhoods have been gentrified in parts of town that used to be awful and its great that there is more to London than the west end now.  It gives people a wider perspective on what a good life can offer.

The great thing about England is the proximity to the rest of Europe and being able to take short weekend breaks to other countries and other cultures.

JMC:

What has been your most rewarding VO job?

JULIETTE:
I love the jobs where I actually go to an outside studio to record and where there is a director and it seems more like a collaboration.  I also love working that way because the technical part is with the engineer and I can concentrate 100% on my craft. 

Working for the U.N. news service on projects concerning the refugee crisis, third world problems like no clean water, and lack of medication, especially for children resonate with me.  I did this job several times a week for a year until they lost their funding and it brought about a visceral awareness of the things that are inequitable on our planet and has made me more pro active in feeling we in the west should be less selfish.

JMC:

If you had to start over in voiceover, is there anything you would do differently?

JULIETTE:

I would have done more self-marketing. Looking for my ideal client rather than depending on agents and auditions.

It also would depend on when I would have started because the business has changed even during the 7 years I have been involved.  There comes a time with any pursuit where you have to adjust to new paradigms.  I think I have done that.  I still could be better at the tech side of things and I think if I had been I may have gotten further earlier on.

Unfortunately, there is not enough coaching in this area.  But if you need it there are people out there who can help.  I used to spend way too much time on jobs that didn’t warrant it because of my poor editing skills.  That has improved but if I continue to get long jobs I will either hire an editor or satisfy myself that I am good enough to do it myself. Because now I realize my time is money.  I didn’t think of it that way in the beginning.

Recently, I had the pleasure of chatting with talented voice actress Rain Gwinn about her journey in voiceover. We met at VO Atlanta where Rain took part in my X-Session, and subsequently worked together on her new E-Learning demo, which can be found here: http://www.raingwinn.com/

Today, rain offers a few thoughts about her time in the industry.

JMC

Does your medical background give you any advantage in VO?

RAIN

Having a medical background helps with medical narration of course but even in other less obvious ways. Attention to detail, hours on my feet and endurance.

JMC

What is your dream voiceover job?

RAIN

My dream VO job? Wow, it may sound trite but being able to do this work is a dream! I’m so lucky to be able to do something that I love. My long-term goal is to do documentaries and audiobooks. I will get there but I’m enjoying learning and growing as a voice actor along the way.

JMC

What genres of VO are your favorites?

RAIN

I love long-form, such as audiobooks and eLearning. Anything related to medicine feels familiar and ‘homey.’ Commercials are fun and exciting!

JMC

What advice would you give to new talent?

RAIN

Patience and perseverance are key because it won’t happen overnight…..but achieving any goal is going to take hard work. There’s so much more involved than having a great voice, that’s just the start! Find a great coach who is willing to invest in you and your career. Do your research! I started voice acting at 14, I was a disc jockey and did commercials and live events. I had the coolest job in high school and college! But before I got back into this work, I spent hours and hours doing research, getting caught back up. This field can change rapidly so keep up!

It’s one of the most intangible pieces of direction we get as voice actors: energy. What does it mean? Where does it come from, and how do we know if we have correctly judged the buyer’s meaning? More importantly, how do we add energy to reads that demand it?

When I see the word ‘energy’ offered as a direction point, it tells me that the buyer is looking for someone who is engaged with the copy. One of the great challenges we face as voice actors are connecting with copy that is often boring or full of promotional hype. Even the most conversational and authentic commercials usually end up with some sort of pitch along the way. It’s what we do, and even the best actors among us can struggle to stay motivated when we are faced with price points and hyped-up adjectives.

A frequent mistake that I see talent make is equating volume with energy. I’ve directed many sessions where I have asked for more energy, only to wind up being shouted at. NO ONE LIKES SHOUTING! Be careful not to misinterpret a request for more energy as a request for loudness. They are not the same thing. Moreover, that fancy mic that you and your audio guru of choice have perfectly dialed in is going to pick you up just fine….there’s no need to get aggressive. The mic is not impressed.

Other talents will take direction for more energy and try to get there with inflection, usually raising certain words in order to create a more energetic feel. In occasional small doses, this can be effective, but more often than not it results in a sing-songy delivery that becomes predictable and monotonous. It can even get a bit announcery if words are stretched in the process.

What’s the right way to do energy? Two elements that will help make your reads more authentically energetic are pacing, and most importantly, smile. Pacing requires care because if it becomes too fast it just sounds rushed, but if you are being directed to be more energetic, try kicking the pace up ten or fifteen percent. Then, if appropriate given the content, add some genuine smile. Be careful not to go overboard and become saccharine, but a well-judged smile will add real energy to your delivery as your body loosens up and you start to have more fun. Physicality always adds energy to reads, and smiling is just another element of physical delivery.

Looking to add energy? Add a smile and a little tempo, and don’t use volume or inflection as crutches, and you’ll be on the right track.

Happy voicing!

This week I’m talking with new talent Jim Cooper, a former commercial production pro, who recently booked his first gig as a professional voice actor. Jim’s a talented and interesting individual, and I enjoyed working with him on his delivery and new demos over the past few months, (hear them here: goo.gl/vKgJ54, goo.gl/fAiBFJ.) Discover Jim’s perspective on getting into the industry below.

JMC As a new talent, what process did you go through before deciding to pursue this professionally?

JMC What sort of VO work puts a smile on your face?

JMC What is your dream VO job?

JMC What have you found most challenging so far in your VO journey?

This week I had the privilege of chatting with Mindy Baer, a prolific and highly talented voice actor from the Miami area who recently completed a suite of four demos with me,  (Automotive goo.gl/tuD9Ao, Pharmaceutical Commercials goo.gl/8AnE3h, Political goo.gl/xJzeV6, and TV Narration goo.gl/r1xf4T.) If anyone has, “the voice,” it’s Mindy. I often joke that she is a thoroughbred, blessed with classic pipes that touch the most refined VO notes effortlessly. Check out what she had to say below.

JMC You’ve been in the business for awhile. Tell us about some of your favorite jobs.

 MINDY WOW that’s tough….
Over the (many) years of my career, I have enjoyed most of my jobs thankfully. So let’s see…..
I LOVED being the Female voice for HSN -it was a great group of people to work with and I had a great run for over 7 years there. I often really enjoy directed sessions, and I absolutely LOVE Promo work – so doing Dateline and Weekend TODAY was awesome. I enjoyed being an animated avocado more than I expected – perhaps thats why I love guacamole so much? Midas Muffler, Volkswagen were memorable as well. And there a several local companies who I will always love and adore as they have been with me from the beginning. Truly a special place in my heart for those!
SO many jobs…SO MANY YEARS ouch!

JMC How did you get started in voiceover?

MINDY I started as a morning radio personality.  I was on the air in Miami/Ft Lauderdale for almost 15 years.  Not unusual I know, and I have had to work hard to “beat” the radio out of me.

JMC What advice do you have for new talent?

MINDY You have to decide if you want a hobby or a little side money…..or if you want a career.
And Voice acting is NOT easy and it IS acting.

JMC I understand you are a client of Celia Siegel. How has she managed to advance your career?

MINDY

Celia really helped take my career to new levels. Marketing and promoting has never been my strong spot, and she changed that. Celia really helped me find excellent representation i.e., Abrams in Los Angeles. She keeps me accountable and is a partner in my success.

JMC You specialize in a more traditional, polished sound. What encouragement can you offer talent who don’t do the whole ‘conversational’ thing?

MINDY Haha!  If I had a nickel for every gig I didn’t get because I wasn’t natural enough… I have trained and been coached and I can get there SORT OF…..but I don’t beat myself up anymore.  There is plenty of room for all of us in this industry. I focus on what I can do well and just keep climbing the mountain.

JMC If you had to start again today, what would you do differently?

MINDY I would take it more seriously from the beginning and wish I hadn’t waited so long to get the support I need.  For example, I use a virtual assistant (Raquel Wilson from PeachTree Virtual Assistants.) It’s been a game-changer for me!  And more recently, I wish I hadn’t eaten that donut this morning.