VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[kVox]

As we all know, blind auditions have become rather ubiquitous to say the least. For me, at some point it can be a questions of diminishing returns so I’m in the process of evaluating how much time & effort to give them, and when I do, with which company/voice bank/representative? In other words, do an actual COUNT of auditions requested (over a given period of time), auditions I’ve delivered and jobs gotten from those auditions. (A measurable ratio as opposed to my “general recollection” or anecdotal information.)

So I’m running a little experiment for three months; (I’m just past halfway.) I’m doing almost every audition that comes across my desk (or is that microphone?). I’ll share all the results when they’re in, including who I did auditions for, how many, and how many jobs I got from those auditions.

I’m sure many of us work with individual companies, studios and smaller “voice houses” but I’m really trying to get a read on the big houses since (at least in my experience), they seem to be the ones dominating the business in terms of generating the real volume of auditions, (although not necessarily work). The sites I’m talking about in particular are Sunspots, Studio Center, Earworks and Voices.com. I’m on the roster for two of those and I’m considering the others. I don’t include Voices 123 in this group because their whole bidding model is entirely different.

Of course there are dozens of other smaller operations, several of which I’m listed with myself, but they don’t do the massive volumes of work.

My question is, has anyone done this for themselves? Have you ever actually logged this kind of info? Over what period of time? Any interesting or consistent results? If you haven’t, are you thinking about doing so? All it can do is help us figure out where to steer our careers.

I am not looking to start a debate about how/when/why to audition. It’s everyone’s personal choice. What I’m interested in is data, (for lack of a better term). I’ll be adding mine to the mix at the end of September.

I hope you find your career enjoyable and rewarding!

Cheers,
kVox

[scottnilsen]

I haven't kept track to quite the extent you are (how many auditions, for example), but do keep track of how I got the job (through a website audition, referral, self-marketing, etc.). By a wide margin, the majority of my work has come through my own marketing efforts.
It seems this question came up on another board (is there another board?), and if I recall correctly, that seemed to be the experience of several of those who responded.
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[Jeffrey Kafer]

I would fall into a deep depression if I tracked my job/book ratio. And for me, that simply doesn't matter. I'm a firm subscriber to the voice it and forget it mentality. I don't ever want a spreadsheet to tell me that this isn't a worthwhile endeavor.

I am, however, interested in your results.
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[TC]

I don't keep track of those kinds of numbers for the online services I subscribe to, but I do keep track of the auditions I get called to by my agents or by studios in town. I'm assuming that, unlike a Voices.com or Voice123.com audition, if an agent or a studio calls me to audition, they're at least somewhat likely to be calling me for a reason -- that I fit the type being cast, for example -- rather than just sending any warm body they can find.

I'm not sure what good this sort of tracking is doing me, but I'm the kind of person who likes to keep score at a ballgame, so I feel better doing it than not doing it.

[Bailey]

kVox... Instead of swinging at everything that comes across the plate, wouldn't your averages run higher if you swung at something you're more likely to hit?

To do the former, you may not be putting the best that you are into every audition.

Which would get a better score... throw 5 darts at a dart board at one time, or individually with greater concentration?
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[Frank F]

Bailey, Right On Target.

I choose not to worry or think about the numbers. My way of determining if my marketing is working is to see what my R.O.I. tally's.

If I am spending more than what I get in return then there needs to be some changes made. I ask the questions: Is the message wrong for this particular target market? What are my clients comments about the promotion/marketing? What percentage of the market am I trying to reach and have I marketed my service properly? How would I do the marketing differently and more effectively?

Sometimes you need to "kill the messenger", sometimes you don't. You need to determine if your marketing plan is working the way you intended. If it is not working - what can you do differently or is it the right time to "change horses in mid-race"? Remember, "...marketing takes time to see results". (excerpt from LoveNotes: Branding and Marketing for Voice Over Artists by yours truly).

Toodles

F2
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[kVox]

I appreciate the comments and everyone’s take. I'm not looking for advice about when to audition or with whom. That’s everyone's personal choice. Seems to me that what would help us all is some actual data that might contribute to making intelligent decisions about where to invest our time.

I've been at this for a while and thankfully have a healthy client base but I also know it's unwise to ignore trends. I also understand the need for marketing and (thankfully), my marketing efforts are working pretty well.

The issue I'm addressing is to gauge the effect of doing blind auditions since the volume is growing; it's a definite trend. I've been selective about doing them in the past but I’m conducting this “experiment” to see what happens if I follow the advice of the voice houses that say ... "The best thing you can do is submit as many auditions as possible".

Frank’s point is well taken. To my way of thinking, this is just that: measuring my ROI. How else do I measure the effect of blind auditions if I don't ... well, measure it? And I think sharing information amongst professional voice talents could go a long way in helping identify which companies do this well (from a talent’s perspective), and which companies are just “throwing as much as they can at the wall to see what sticks.” They're asking us to submit auditions so they have access to as many quality voice talents as possible without investing any $. Makes perfect sense since that’s in THEIR best interest. The question is ... what’s in MY best interest? How many should I do? With whom? With whom does it lead to actual work? Obviously, auditioning is part of the process. Evaluating where to invest that time is the point.

Cheers,
kVox

[bobsouer]

Kevin,

I'm sure you're going to learn some valuable information from your experiment, and hopefully it will help you hone your future efforts and direction regarding blind auditions.

I look at the money and time spent on these sites from a (maybe) slightly different point of view. The money and time spent are part of my advertising budget. Since I can't know who is searching for my exact voice, I can only evaluate these auditions through my own filters.

Rather than audition for everything that comes through from Voices.com (as one example) I pick and chose those projects that have enough of a budget for the size of the job to interest me, and have a subject or content (to the extent one can tell from the audition copy) that also interests me.

At the end of the year, I look not so much at how many jobs I booked nor the number of auditions I submitted, but at how much money I've made through those marketing dollars and hours. It comes down to earnings per dollar and/or hour invested. So, here's how it breaks down for me.

In the last 3 years, I've spent no more than 2 hours per week auditioning for these "blind" auditions. Or never more than 100 hours per year. I've also spent a total of $1200 in membership fees to enable me to respond to those leads. I've earned over $40,000 on that investment, an adequate ROI in my view. (Per hour earnings are somewhat lower of course, since some time was required to actually record and deliver the various projects for which I was cast.)
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Bob Souer (just think of lemons)
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[kVox]

Bob...very appreciative of the valuable input. I do a similar annual review. It's very helpful.

What I'm trying to get a handle on is the blind audition issue, specifically with companies like Sunspots, Earworks, Voices.com and Studio Center since they seem to be driving the trend as much as anyone and it's grown exponentially in the past 2-3 years.

I'm not sure how often you're given the budget being offered for a project up front but I often get audition requests without any mention of $$$, so it's hard to judge whether it's worth the time. (I get at least 1/2 dozen every week from Sunspots alone that almost never mention what the pay is.) In those cases do you ask about $$ before you submit something or simply pass if that info isn't provided up front?

My SOP in the past has been to pass on anything that wasn't comfortably in my range and/or personal interest. I'm making an exception in this case just to see if it has any real impact.

Be well.
kVox

[bobsouer]

Kevin,

I do not do auditions for folks who are unwilling to disclose the budget up front, unless the audition comes from one of my agents. From them I know the rate will be something with which I'll be happy because they already know me and what rates are needed to book me for work.
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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