VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Philip Banks]

Yesterday a production company sent me an audition request. I replied with a polite "thanks but no thanks". Next email was a "why not?" I explained that unless it was a fabby-dabby-doo job I didn't rountinely audition. Without a qualifier another email arrives "oh but it is and the client REALLY wants you to audition!" I slept on it and concluded this morning that there was a potential for embarrassment between the production company and the client so I recorded the audition and sent it. About 20 mins ago the Operation Manager sent me an email pointing out how the company does business and asking me if I felt I was part of the business ethos. I thought about it. Do I routinely audition for jobs paying less than my minimum session fee? NO. A polite email from me to him was sent suggesting my details be removed from the talent register.

Are they wrong to do what they do? No. They are very good at what they do.
OK, that makes me wrong doesn't it? No. This is a simple case of mismatch but someone had to say something or there could've been problems.

[JTVG]

Must be nice to be at the stage of your career when you can do that. Oh wait, it was below your minimum session fee? Understandable then.
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Joe Szymanski
http://www.joethevoiceguy.com

[Philip Banks]

Truth is that this company never mentions the fee payable, just sends the audition requests for everything. Although I don't send a bill to anyone for an audition unless it's a paid audition I do treat them as chargeable. In practise this means that any job for which I audition has to be worth at least $680 in order to cover my minimum session fee x2. Half the fee covers the audition and the other half for the job.

[TigerMitch]

Interesting.

I've received requests in the past to audition for gigs where I'm told, in the same e-mail content, what the budget is (the budget, in these thankfully rare instances, being @ half or less of what my standard rate for said type of VO is).

Being professional and polite but, with a bit of diplomatic bluntness, I have responded, simply, with what my rate is (not mentioning even that auditioning for what is being offered would be ridiculous). In these cases, magically, there has been no response e-mail from said potential client.

Burning A Bridge? I don't think so. I feel that potential clients offering such low compensation are not really potential clients that I would want.

Just my opinion (as I place an actual value on my craft)...Mitch

[Deirdre]

I hope more of us continue to do this. The clients have to rise to meet the level of the talent if they want it. We can be accommodating, but we shouldn't allow pay-to-play™ models to pollute every means of getting business.

(by the way— I'm convinced I coined the term "pay-to-play")
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[Jeffrey Kafer]

[Ed Gambill]

I was told the other day of a legal firm in Detroit that answers the phone with "Hello". The implication being that they picked the quality and type of work they would do.

And another thing, my father was a contractor and I often times heard his comment that he wasn't getting the price he wanted for a job he took. Later I realized what he really meant. He never took a job for less than what he knew would make him a positive return; he was thinking it should have been more.

It’s your labor, your talent, your assets set the price and terms that favor you.
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Esse quam videri "To be rather than to seem"
www.SaVoa.org No. 07000 Member AES

[Philip Banks]

5pm. Nick calls. He runs a TV commercial production company in London.

"Need your help. Have absolutely no budget but this job needs a voice. Can you work with us on this?"

Nick has given me plenty of good work so I have no problem with helping him out of a jam.

"It's fine, Nick"

"I'll email you the script now and we can get down to it straight away. Are you alright with $300 for this?"

$300 is Nick's definition of "absolutely no budget". Isn't it nice to work with the grown-ups once in a while?

[bobsouer]

Philip,

Yes, it is.
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Be well,
Bob Souer (just think of lemons)
The second nicest guy in voiceover.
+1-724-613-2749
Source Connect, phone patch, pony express

[Deirdre]

I was offered an opportunity to audition for the in-house voice for a rather huge casino resort megalith-thing. Loads of ongoing work.
Problem was it came through a portal that tends to offer talent very inexpensively.
I asked the budget, was told no money had been discussed, so I politely declined.

The rep who contacted me pleaded disappointment, saying "They don't do union. Too bad. Hate to not put ya in. They are one of my best clients."

Maybe a good client for HIM.
Might've added up to some good money, but the mere fact that this huge client had gone through a low-cost agency/talent portal simply sez to me that they're not interested in top-of-the-market quality, and penny-pinching, deep-pocketed clients are the very worst pains in the patoot.
so skip it.

p.s. Jeff made me laff.
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[Yoda117]

[imaginator]

i always thought "pay to play" originated as a business condition associated with what used to be called "ladies of the evening".
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rowell gormon
www.voices2go.com
"Mr. Warm & Friendly Voice...with Character!"
Rowell Gormon's Clogged Blog - http://voices2go.com/blog

[Bruce]

[Deirdre]

I meant I was first to use "pay-to-play™" in conjunction with services like Voice123 and Voices.com and AgencyPro.

Yep, Al Gore was nowhere in sight that day.



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[Edo]