VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

Bruce · Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2018 11:13 am Post subject:

I asked them yesterday to pull me from their rolls (I've been inactive there for 9 years), but again today I got another annoying "invitation" to audition. When I emailed them just now asking them again to stop I noticed the invitation's email address is "help" at V123. There's your sign....

B
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VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005

I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .

Ed Fisher · Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2018 7:32 pm Post subject:

In regards to getting "email I don't want" the simple solution is to set up your email program to filter your email and send anything that comes from v123 directly into the "trash" file.

I'm a mozilla thunderbird user, but I can't help but think that most email programs today have a similar function if you look for it.

Once done. Any Email that arrives from an unwanted source is routed out of my inbox, and I never even see them.

Problem solved.
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Bish · Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2018 11:09 pm Post subject:

Yes, I use Thunderbird as well and set up a LOT of filters (trashing, auto-filing, whatever). Yes, I could easily filter out V123 emails... the problem is that I still have people who contact me via V123, so I don't want to have my listing deleted. Receiving these unwanted emails is an annoyance in and of itself, but also a reminder of how they've screwed up. I could ignore it... of course... but I can't run the risk of letting a client down by missing a communication. I'm sure they'll fix it eventually. However, it's interesting that there's a buzz around that so many "undocumented features" have been uncovered that they may actually fall-back to the old platform.
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Bish a.k.a. Bish
Smoke me a kipper... I'll be back for breakfast.
I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls.

Moosevoice · Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 9:16 am Post subject:

It's still not the greatest but I'm at a point where I need to get more auditions coming my way.
Haven't had luck in getting an agent so I'm wondering if I should invest in the upgraded premium with them or use that money (it's cost me about $500 to upgrade) to go towards about half of what a good new demo would cost me.

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Philip Banks · Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 9:39 am Post subject:

The above info looks too much like a Lottery Scratchcard to me. Nearly $900 to be one out of 89? No. Worth keeping in mind that the numbers given have been spun so they look their best.

ricevoice · Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 9:58 am Post subject:

Rick Riley · Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 10:14 am Post subject:

Glenn Moore · Been Here Awhile Joined: 24 Jan 2005 Posts: 241

Not saying you won't get work and make your money back, but I tried to upgrade too and it's proven to be a waste of money. I've gotten one job in the last few months but certainly not enough to justify the expense I have forked out of my bleeding wallet. You may have a totally different experience and I certainly hope you do. Just keep this in mind from my experience...and I'm only giving you my opinion to try and help. In addition to several tiers of Premium, there are also several tiers of Platinum that range between about 3k to 5k per year if memory serves me correctly. Most of my jobs on P2P's have not come from doing the cattle-call auditions, but producers finding me on a search. Can this happen for you? Yes. Will it happen daily or weekly...or even monthly? Probably not unless you're Platinum. Unless you are in a financial position to plunk down money for the top Platinum membership..which will get you're smiling face and demos on the first or second page in a search, it's my opinion that you should not waste your money on a mid-level or even top level Premium. If you are in the position to spend that kind of cash and you have time to audition, then go for it....but if you are you probably don't need them anyway. Spend your time that you would be auditioning for them and do your own marketing. And, if you do decide to go Premium, you will certainly get auditions...maybe 7 or 8 a day....and when they land in your In-box you will see that 20 other people have already auditioned for that job who are on Platinum and the chances of your audition even getting heard are pretty small. Again, not saying you won't get work..I sure hope you do. Oh and the more you audition, the less auditions they send to you. I'm still scratching my head over why they punish people for trying to get work. If you do it, I hope your experience is better than mine and you get work...or at least enough work to make your money back...but don't bet on it:\

Jack Daniel · Cinquecento Joined: 23 Jun 2016 Posts: 577 Location: SoCal

So many points raised within this thread, I feel I must don my Debater's Cape (do you doubt I have one?) and try to address them all, lest I lose points, and then, upon failing, to pretend that I don't care about points anyway:

Point ONE, wherein the unsolicited responder addresses P2Ps:
I don't think any of the P2P sites is very good for a working pro--they all have mostly low rates, despite many protestations of "industry"-level bucks, and the "experiences" they offer tend to suck. Their utility would seem to be for newer talents, who can hone their skills while learning how the VO world works, and how it doesn't.

Point THE TWOTH, wherein the unsolicited responder sheds light on Demos, though most of said light is Lava-Lamp-tinged:
You gotta have 'em, and they gotta be good, but once you have a body of work, demos are much less important than showing what you've done. Two other frequenters of this bulletin board (who shall remain unidentified unless they out themselves) asked their buyers what they looked for when they visited a prospective hire's site: they said not demos, but the work they've done, particularly work similar to what the job is about. My experience in asking actual buyers, rather than VO theorists, about what buyers want is the same. If you have solid work, show it off, esp if you can do so quickly, easily, and in digested form. This is NOT to knock good demos--my own have been valuable in finding solid representation and even some work--but they weren't as important as already having done the work. It seems like a catch-22, but it's really just one of those maddening aspects of life that, with persistence, can be solved.

Point The Terth, wherein the UR addresses the utility of Agents:
I don't doubt that many reps are ticket-takers, merely forwarding along invitations, and that some "managers" may bilk their clientele for...well for what I'm not sure... --but it's only fair to note that others do excellent work--selling clients to buyers, negotiating complex contracts, ensuring promptish payment, providing access to buyers who will NOT go to any other source for their needs because they really don't want to waste time ... These are the agents and managers without whom I'd be SOL, looking from the outside in. People who have spent their professional lives cultivating relationships and trust with buyers who rely on their judgment.

I now remove my cape, shockingly revealing (aha!) yet another cape, a rather sweaty one to be sure, it being Summer here in the Valley.
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Jack Daniel
Narrator / Man About Town

Bish · Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 6:17 pm Post subject:

It's sometimes interesting to look at a resurrected Zombie thread to see how your own attitudes may have changed, Since this discussion first started, I have dismounted, slapped my White Charger on its backside, and let it run off to galavant with its buddies. Nevermore shall it drag my sorry arse into battle... because I really don't care any more. Every P2P question has been asked and answered... the results have been tabulated, and it's clear that the only reliable way to make money from a P2P, is to own one.
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Bish a.k.a. Bish
Smoke me a kipper... I'll be back for breakfast.
I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls.

Jack Daniel · Cinquecento Joined: 23 Jun 2016 Posts: 577 Location: SoCal

Huh. I got suckered into a zombie thread.
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Jack Daniel
Narrator / Man About Town

Kim Fuller · Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2020 6:15 am Post subject:

In skimming past the replies on the zombie thread, as the V123 levels passed by my monitor, I read it as "Choose your pain" instead of "choose your plan". Thought they'd suddenly gone for truth in advertising.

Moosevoice · Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2020 9:25 am Post subject:

Some interesting stuff here. Very thankful for all the well thought out feedback.

Sorry for the zombie thread.

In the ups and down of the VO ride I find myself in a down after a book I had been working on was cancelled 2 months into it and my main sources for auditions (voice123 and voplanet) either having squat to offer or just...uh..nothing (planet!)

These two have been my main 'go to' for auditions so the idea was either upgrade to the higher premium or find an agent.

The agent thing has been tough go but I'll keep at it so that hopefully something clicks.
Need to re-shift to finding an agent and doing some marketing I guess.

I've got enough body of work that that should get someone's attention.

Now marketing on the other hand....
Gasp

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DougVox · Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2020 7:14 pm Post subject:

Just a quick clarification...

The top Platinum level membership'll run you a cool $12,500 a year:

(And by "cool," I mean very much not cool.)
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