VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

heyguido · Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 9:47 am Post subject:

Well said.
_________________
Don Brookshire
"Wait.... They wanna PAY me for this?"

Scott Lyle · Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 8:31 pm Post subject:

Are these rate sheets a private thing? I'll show my lack of practical experience here. I've heard that union rates are available, but as for non-union buyouts, how do you know if a rate sheet you're looking at that someone has posted online is accurate or up-to-date? You all have your own experience to guide you, but someone like myself who is still in the self-guided studying stages of all of this doesn't really have any idea where to turn for good advice. perhaps i'll try and answer my own question and suggest that a reputable coach might have it, si? are these sheets proprietary?

thank you for your input.
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“Real freedom is freedom from the opinions of others. Above all, freedom from your opinions about yourself. ”
― Brennan Manning,

torikamal · Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 12:11 pm Post subject:

I actually never got that email from Voice123, so it must have only affected some members and not others. Sorry you got hit, though--not fun!

I'd like to address two points here.
Believe it or not, Voice123 has essentially been my only link to the VO world, and I now make a full-time living through voice gigs. To be fair, most of what I make is no longer directly through Voice123, but nearly exclusively from clients I've done previous projects for through Voice123. I also do sound design and music work for video games, so I do get some income through that, but the majority of my income came somehow through Voice123.

It wasn't a smooth process, though. I got my first gig a bunch of years back through Voice123 during my trial membership, then I don't think I got a gig for nearly a year after that, and I was auditioning fairly often.

I then tweaked what kind of Smartcasts I would receive (I x'd out several areas I thought I was weak at). Now I land about 2/5 projects, which I'm pretty happy with. My score also sky-rocketed. I'm not sure if this helps or not, but it says that I currently audition 39.53% less than other Premium Subscribers.

Another thing I'd like to address is pricing. I live in Minnesota, and I don't have an agent. Honestly, I doubt an agent would even want me because I don't think I bring in enough to be worth their time. But since I live in Minnesota, I do have a lower cost of living than people on the coasts, so I can afford to make less on jobs. Initially, I took the really cheap jobs, but I don't anymore unless it looks like a really fun gig.

I know there are some bad feelings towards "bottom feeders", but if someone doesn't live on the coast, I'm not sure how else one could break into the industry. I still can't afford to join a union, and I'm not even sure what a union could provide for me out here where there really aren't any union gigs. I'd love to support the unions, but as with anything, it needs to be a two-way street.

In short, I've found great success with Voice123 as a source of ongoing clients, even if the direct income from Voic123 gigs aren't my full-time source of income.