VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

Bob Bergen · CM Joined: 22 Apr 2008 Posts: 939

(sigh) I hear ya, Todd! Oh, man, you should see the emails I've sent, trying to convince the powers that be what it's really like out there. Again, they just don't get it!

For several years I'd been the chair of the vo committee at the union. My main goal has been to address this whole issue. I wanted to create a nationwide summit, where everyone, from union to fi core, actors who work off the card, agents and casting directors, could all dialogue about the realities of the industry. Without judgement or consequences. When it comes to vo, the union needs to reach out to those working and pursuing technologically outside the backyard of the union.

As I was getting this ball rolling, merger took precedent. So I had to put it all on the back burner. At the time I was also a board member.

After merger, we had much work that needed to be done union wide. So a year after merger, I was rolling up my sleeves and ready to go! But alas, I was not named chair of the vo committee. Though, I was asked to be on the committee. OK, I'll take my case to her.

The new chair wanted none of this. She loudly announced to the committee that this vo committee would only tackle issues where there was data based facts to go off of. I tried to explain that no one keeps records at the union on non union work. I tried to explain that make more good money in non union vo. That after 15 years of conditioning, both the talent and the buyers have created a better business model. Gone are the benefits, but in exchange for a faster and easier way to conduct business without the red tape of the union.

I was told this is all anecdotal opinions of my own, and with nothing concrete to back it up, she forbid the committee to tackle this.

So, I resigned from the committee. I can tackle anything I want as a concerned member.

Cut to this new "best in the biz" initiative. When I first got wind of it, I popped a note to a board member who is behind the launch of this. I told him that for this to be successful, there needs to be incentives. Actors around the country need incentives to even join, as they may see 10 plus non union auditions a day but perhaps 3 union auditions a month. They'd be closing the door on existing and returning clients by going 100% union. Their agents get more non union audition and work than union. And the union would have to create a model for the buyers that is as easy and fast to book union talent as it is to book non union talent.

This did not go over well.

So, I'm reaching out to you, the working vo talent. They ain't gonna listen to me. They might listen to you.

todd ellis · Posted: Fri May 22, 2015 9:14 am Post subject:

thanks bob --- we are not hard to find.
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Deirdre · Posted: Fri May 22, 2015 9:14 am Post subject:

I'll try again to get on the board of the New England Local this year.

It's hard because 95% the people who would vote for me don't live in New England.

Your story about that dame at the helm of union VO makes me wish we could figure out a way to make our own union, and kiss the suits good-bye.

Not sure I'm ready to tackle that. Not yet. I need more lawyers.
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juliaknippen · Club 300 Joined: 25 Nov 2012 Posts: 348 Location: NYC

I'll throw myself into the ring as another "pre-member" who is on track to be in the top 5% of earners this year. This is my first year as a full-time freelance VO. I quit my day job in January, and my sole source of income now is non-union VO work. And I live in NYC. I have 3 non-union agents that send me out on auditions at the big casting houses in the city, I record and produce audiobooks via ACX (both stipend and royalty share), and I have returning and new clients who have found me online or through word of mouth who come to me directly. I do commercial TV and radio, corporate industrials, online video and radio (all at competitive union-scale rates), and audiobooks.

I did a job in January on a SAG-AFTRA waiver, and at the end of February, I got my letter telling me that I now qualify for membership. But if I were to join the union, my income would immediately drop to $0. Mainly because I haven't been able to secure union representation in NYC, where it is impossible to audition for union work without a union agent. Do they really expect me to join the union and stop doing VO until I can convince someone that they need me on their roster? I'm already doing work that I love and getting paid a living wage that affords me residency in one of the bright, shiny cities.

I'll continue seeking union representation, but until I get it, there is no way for me to even begin competing in that market. So joining the union at this point would be career suicide.
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Deirdre · Posted: Fri May 22, 2015 9:37 am Post subject:

Jeffrey Kafer · Posted: Fri May 22, 2015 9:43 am Post subject:

I'm a union guy living in LA, but I don't have big representation or residuals (aside from some audiobook royalties). Since all of my Union work is converted, obviously, I could be a non-union performer. Hell, I could get the healthcare and pension without joining if I wanted. I just like being part of the club out here. And I manage to do that on a solid 6 figure income feeding a family of four.

That said, I don't think we need incentives for performers to join the union. We need incentives for the CLIENTS to hire union talent. I see more and more BIG Fortune 500 companies sending non-union auditions through agencies. Why is that? Because they are learning they can get union-caliber performance at non-union prices. The idea that only Union performers can give good performances is a ridiculous notion. Give the clients good, economic reasons to hire union talent and the performers will join to get access to those jobs.
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todd ellis · Posted: Fri May 22, 2015 9:49 am Post subject:

it's a good idea in theory, jeff, but that would require that the suits admit we exist.
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ConnieTerwilliger · Posted: Fri May 22, 2015 9:56 am Post subject:

I'd like to "like" Jeffrey's remarks.

I went fi-core because there were ZERO AFTRA contacts in San Diego at the time. If I had had people to work for, I might have made a different decision. And then the Internet happened....

(We just had a station re-organize, but only one station...the PBS station.)
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bobsouer · Posted: Fri May 22, 2015 10:55 am Post subject:

Bob Bergen · CM Joined: 22 Apr 2008 Posts: 939

((((HUGS, Bob Souer!!))))

Everyone here is adding such valuable info and experiences. I'm still waiting for that union contact email but when I get it, I urge you all to make your voices heard. They need to hear messages like the one Bob posted, that his income is down since NOT reinstating his fi core status.

I'll share a situation that happened to me. I might have shared it on VO-BB before. Hallmark wanted to hire me to voice Porky Pig for a talking Christmas ornament some time ago. They were willing to pay me my day rate, but refused to go through the union. They just had bad experiences with unreturned phone calls, and miles of paperwork. And, after many years of finding sufficient non union talent, they just didn't want to deal with the union runaround.

I told them I could not do this non union. Too high profile. I said I'd be happy to take care of the administrative stuff, deal with the union, sigs and paymasters, etc. But they still said no.

I went to the powers that be at the union and asked how was THIS protection? The answer I got was, I have to honor global rule one, and it was no longer true that actors and buyers get the runaround at the union. (sigh)

Six months later, Hallmark came back to me and agreed to do the job union.....for scale. Scale is less than 20% of my day rate, which they'd previously agreed on. I lost out on literally thousands of dollars by being a good, loyal union boy.

I shared this story with the current chair of the vo committee as well as the committee. The chair basically told me that she was sorry my career was such that I would have to consider working non union. She understands things get tight. But from where she stands, and her experience is, very little of the vo work is non union. Very little money is being made non union. And she appreciates that I held tight and refused to do this job non union. But she wished me luck in my career and hoped things got better.

Aaaaaaand, that's when I resigned from the committee.

ConnieTerwilliger · Posted: Fri May 22, 2015 12:02 pm Post subject:

And that is a very very disheartening story...
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Jeffrey Kafer · Posted: Fri May 22, 2015 12:28 pm Post subject:

todd ellis · Posted: Fri May 22, 2015 12:34 pm Post subject:

disheartening isn't even close. see my note to jeff above --- they don't even acknowledge our (non-union talent) existence ---

---

i have typed & deleted a whole bunch here. i'm going to have to be done with this thread. it's making my stomach hurt.

that is a sad, sad story bob.

both bobs, actually.
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