VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Deirdre]

The value of working a union job is borne out by the client's willingness to respect the rules of fair pay for fair play.

It's worth noting that union work for broadcast or "new media" can get you 10 times what non-union work tends to pay.


Do the union rates seem high? They shouldn't. Anything that's broadcast or used on the net is worth a whole helluvalot more than a lot of folks are charging/offering.
The reason people are paying and TAKING $750 for an internet ad placement/ explainer vid/whatever is because (most of the time) they don't know any better, it's what the market will bear, blah blah blah.

It appears that SAG/AFTRA is finally looking to educate and inform (not just punish and threaten) actors and clients about what is really fair for the work we're doing.

http://www.sagaftra.org/BestInTheBiz
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[Philip Banks]

Off radar jobs pay your bills and then some for a day or so. Anything with a radar "BLIP" pays your bills for weeks or months. Union Bean Counters know that and how to do the calculations. How aware are VO people of "the numbers"? Watch them enjoy a meal together and then spend 6 hours splitting the check.

"WHO ORDERED A BOTTLE OF DOM PERIGNON 1961 and BELUGA CAVIAR?"

Why does everyone then look at ME?

[Mike Harrison]

One thing I've noticed is that some (perhaps many) clients seem to base what they believe a (non-union) voice-over/narration should cost on only the time required to record it; sort of an hourly wage. Some have actually said things like, "What do you mean? It'll take you only 10 minutes to do!"

In the case of a (non-union) narration for a corporate/industrial product promotional video, I've sometimes been successful in explaining: "Unlike a person the company has to pay a weekly salary, plus benefits, and who will typically work 8 hours a day, five days a week, maybe 50 weeks a year, this video will sit on the website and – as long as the information in it remains accurate – it will be available to sell your product 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year."

In many cases, the sale of only one item will (more than) cover the cost of the narration.

Yes. Clients do need to be educated.
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

[yarg28]

I've really appreciated the last few threads regarding union and non union rates, I'm beginning to pick up some work and i'm always nervous that I'm going to blow the negotiation.

As a new talent, I spend so much time learning about performance, sound chains, acoustics, editing, etc. and then I get a few jobs and realize that the business side of it is still so cloudy.

Setting rates and terms is pretty terrifying.

Thanks for the continuing dialogue. It's helping.

gary

[Jen Gosnell]

Thanks for posting, DB. I did know there was a disparity there, but not that much of a chasm. 10x difference is quite a lot.

I looked at the link, and while I am encouraged regarding the union's seeming newfound awareness and action regarding its need to address the huge non-union market, I would like to see much more emphasis on outreach to non-union talent. Without knowledge of the lost potential income plus significant logistical support, I'm skeptical that the union can effectively galvanize many talent to adopt a pro-union position, or achieve the "pre-member"-to-member conversion rates they'd like. It's too bad, because think there are a lot of people out there like me who would happily go union sooner if the circumstances around doing so were more manageable.
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jen@jengosnell.com
https://www.jengosnell.com
Skype: jen.gosnell
971.258.2448

[Deirdre]

Getting the G-D union to see what is really happening in 90% of the nation—compared with the ivory-tower cities— is a glacial process.

I'll be trying to get on the local board again this year. (Thanks for the push, Lee! )It's a popularity contest to get on the ballot and getting New England folks to sign my nominating petition is going to require me to DRIVE all over the get the signatures.

I'll just do it this time. It's high time I took our fight to the boardroom.
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IMDB