VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

Rognog · Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 7:36 am Post subject: VoiceTalentNow.com

I just noticed them in Backstage and emailed them for more information. In the response I got they said I'd have to be willing to work for as low as $20 a spot.

I understand that companies want to pay vendors, suppliers, etc. as little as possible but isn't this a little ridiculous? What kind of talent do they think they'll attract? What quality of finished products do they expect?

With talent agents there are some hard & fast guidelines to measure their credibility: are they franchised, do they charge their talents a fee for representation, do they require you to take certain classes, etc. With VO sites, it seems alot more murky.

What are your standards for joining voiceover marketing websites? How do you separate the legit ones from the "scams"?
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dhouston67 · Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 8:23 am Post subject:

I listened to a few demos. That particular site has some decent talent,

Thing is, they do charge the talent $15 to get started...and unlike V123 or Voices.com, there's no guarantee you'll be listed. Looks like they do some vetting to make sure no hacks or wannabes get on... but boy, do they ever pay hack/wannabe rates.

Okay, maybe I shouldn't say that. Still, you have to decide how many $20 spots you need to do in a day to be able to make your minimum. Do they guarantee providing that many spots a day? Do you really want to spend all day cutting 30s just to make enough for grocery money?

No value judgements. Just some questions to be asked.
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Bailey · Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 9:28 am Post subject:

Mainstreetprod · Guest

I nearly sent the $15 - nothing to lose right? Then I decided to check and see if the site comes up in any search of voice talent, voiceover, etc. Not on Google. Then I Googled Voicetalent.com and a Myspace site came up.. the owners.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=4792750

Probably no need to say more.... Wink

Joniv · Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 11:28 am Post subject:

For a hoot I went on and inquired about getting info to be a voice talent. I couldn't find anywhere mentioning a $15 fee for talents. Where should I be looking?
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BenWils · Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 12:09 pm Post subject:

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Ben

"To be really good at voiceover, you need to improve your footwork and hip snap."

dhouston67 · Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 12:55 pm Post subject:

dhouston67 · Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 7:34 pm Post subject: Re: Hmmmmmm....

Mainstreetprod · Guest

What are you using as a search term? I Googled voice over, voiceover, and voice talent and looked through 5 or more pages of sponsored links and didn't find Voicetalentnow.com. Are you just Googling their name?

dhouston67 · Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 8:01 am Post subject:

Just "Voice Talent".

Yesterday their ad showed up two pages in, today it's not visible. The frequency of Google Adword spots depends on how much you pay (or "bid") per click; basically it means they're being outbid by other advertisers.
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dhouston67 · Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 1:27 pm Post subject:

Mainstreetprod · Guest

The email I got in response to an inquiry a couple of days ago wanted the $15 fee. Nearly gambled on it, then discovered the owner is a VO guy himself, fairly high on the list, and after seeing his My Space site, I have my doubts about how well promoted VTNow.com is. I would want some hard traffic data before signing up.

Joniv · Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 8:03 pm Post subject:

Interesting. I emailed and asked if they charged their talent a fee and they said no. The paperwork they sent me didn't ask for a fee, either.

What's up with that?
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dhouston67 · Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 8:58 pm Post subject:

Joni,

I sent a demo and the "fact sheet", got an offer to join; still no mention of a signup fee. Based on Fred's experience, they may have only just dropped it. (EDIT: Oh, and Fred: Not to start an argument, but I think the MySpace page you're referring to belongs to one of the site's voice talents and not necessarily the owner. Just because he lists it as one of his "companies" doesn't mean he runs it. I could be wrong.)

I'll wait until my follow-up email is answered with average # of spots sent to talent, payment type/schedule, etc. If it's not worthwhile then I move happily along.

P.S. The fact that they've been completely anonymous in their e-mails to date is another strike against them.
_________________
Great Voice. Great Choice. For Voice Talking and stuff.
http://davidhoustonvoice.com
Do That Voice! - The DHV Blog

Joniv · Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 6:14 am Post subject:

I got that info, too, David. I thought it was interesting that no place on the paperwork or the web site can you find the phyical location of the office. I want to check the BBB before proceeding with them. Also, when calling the phone number you always get the voice mail, which states that if you don't leave an email address you won't get a reply to your message. I'll let you know how it pans out.
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