VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

[lisaloo]

To put a finer point on my own ramblings . . .

Where there is no clear contractual obligation (such as a union rule or anything on paper with Company A), ya gotta go with your gut.

Don probably asked for our opinions because his gut told him that this mightjust be a conflict. And in my experience, a situation that feels sorta/kinda/maybe like a conflict to me will likely prove to be an indisputable conflict in the minds of the clients in question.

Sure, we can argue that most voice actors go uncompensated for exclusivity when it is demanded, but until the casting power rests with us as opposed to those who sign the checks, there's a certain amount of whatnot we're gonna have to eat every so often.

Speaking only for myself, I can't lose too much sleep over the many, many inequities in this business. After all, it's not like anyone put a gun to my head and shoved me in front of a microphone.

Beyond the blessing of having a union contract to hide behind when necessary, I try to maintain a healthy balance between self-respect and humility when dealing with clients. I also look out for the interests of my existing clients when auditioning for or accepting new work - regardless of any contractual obligation that may or may not exist.

Best example I can remember:

A few years back, I was voicing both TV and radio spots for a major national retailer (department store), and was later offered a nice, ongoing local gig for a well-known Chicago furniture chain (again, TV and radio). It would not have been as much $$ as the national retail gig, but I wouldn't kick it out of bed for eating crackers, either.

By the letter of the union contract, there was no conflict between the department store and the furniture chain, even though the big store did have a furniture department in a few of its stores and only in the Eastern US. The line was a tad blurry, but the ruling from the union at that time was that it was not a contractual conflict. In short, I could have totally gotten away with it.

Still, my agent and I had the same reaction, even before we called the union: let's not do this.

In turning down the local gig, we also surprised and educated the ad agency -- they didn't even know about the other store's small furniture division on the East coast until we told them about it, and they were deeply grateful for our honesty.

That was in 1998 or 1999, I think. And just last week, I voiced three Class A Network TV spots for that very same ad agency. I've worked for them at least twice a year since 1994, and I think my (and my agent's) basic integrity in actually turning down work might have at least a little to do with it.

I dunno. Everyone's mileage will vary, but I say go with your gut and at least do everyone the courtesy of asking to be sure. The good karma will always come back to smile upon you in time.

Lisa

[Don G.]

Well, here's a little update for those who may be interested.

New client sent me the script yesterday (the session was booked for Monday) and as soon as I saw the script, I realized the companies' products were just too similar. I emailed him last evening:

Dear __,

I received the script, thank you.

I do have one concern, though. I don't know if you are aware, but I am also the voice on the web site demos for _____. I don't know if it is exactly the same as your client's product, but it seems to be very similar. While I do not have any "exclusivity" arrangement with _____, I thought you (and your client) should be aware of the situation.

Please let me know if this poses a problem for your client. Otherwise, I'll plan on being at the studio on Monday, as planned.

I received a call from him today, in response to the email. My old client is a direct competitor and as a result, his client and is uncomfortable using me for this project. He was appreciative of the info, and I'm sure will keep me in mind for future work.

While I hated to turn away work, I'm glad I did in this case. Thanks for all your collective thoughts in this regard.

P.S. Tuesday I received a call from a potential new client who received my demo and wants to use me for some bank spots. One of his first comments was: "...as long as you have no conflicts."

Years of it being a non-issue, and then twice in one week it is a factor. Go figure.