Myths About Working in an Online VO Industry

I had heard many things about working in voice overs in the online world, before I tried it myself back in 2005. The other day I was going through some old emails I had written to Voice123 when I was a talent, and I almost felt embarrassed by what I once believed was true. For some strange reason, however, I tend to try to see both sides of a story before really believing it is true.

Needless to say...when I started working at Voice123, my whole viewpoint changed on what really goes down in the online world. I think it is best to state the myths I am referring to, and why 99% of them are not true. Myths most commonly heard:

1. The online industry is cluttered with hacks who get jobs with a cheap mic and a computer.
2. The online industry is nothing but a cattle call of anyone who can pay to audition.
   
3. Producers who use the online industry are only looking to steal people's auditions and use them for full production quality.
4. The more auditions a producer hears, the happier they will be when using a website.
   
5. The low cost of working online is dragging the quality of the industry down.

Before starting here, I came to peace with something an acting teacher said to me in 1994. He said, 'You will always be an outcast in this industry because you care too much about other people, and you see nothing wrong with that. It does not make you a bad person, but it makes you wrong for this business'. In truth, there is a hypocrisy about me writing this then, but I hold myself to the belief that I am always trying to do my best for everyone. That gives me peace of mind. I state this because before I defuse many of these heated myths, I wish to state one thing about the psychology of this business, many choose to ignore at their own convenience:

• The entertainment industry has always been the 'about me' industry. In a self-absorbed mindset of this sometimes lonely industry, it is very common to assume that the 'problem' must be the fault of someone else because they are not doing enough to give me what I want, or at least, portraying that they are thinking 'about me' and how special I am.
• Therefore, many of the myths were created by those who could not keep up with the growing technology, and automatically assumed that the online industry would be a carbon copy of the industry working offline, or that, to somehow give it quality, it should be a carbon copy 'because all the quality professionals think it should be'.

Enough about me... the myths...

1. It is true that the online industry does have many people who buy a cheap mic and think that is enough to compete online, but the truth is that those people NEVER get hired. Besides, this industry has ALWAYS been filled with hopefuls, even before working online, and the very one's who claim this is a reason they do not work online, should wonder how to explain how they worked offline with so many hopefuls. Any agent who may stumble upon this is probably using a cd demo as a coffee coaster right now, and knows that people who are not ready to be competitive, do not get hired.
2. It is true that anyone can pay to audition on Voice123, but by no means does this make them competitive. One of the things I did when starting here was to tell talents the truth, 'Voice123 is the last stop on the bus to getting work, not the first. You have to be set up and invested as a business, and it is competitive. Do not fool yourself.' Many of the talents who sign up, and are not ready, usually quit after a year of not getting work. This is known, and any site using auto-renew or monthly subscriptions, claiming the VO talent is the customer winning out by auditioning for everything, knows it. Paying to audition helped get some sites off the ground, but that was 5 years ago. Progress is about change, so I personally do not see how long this will last. Remember how internet usage was once a monthly-fee, and you do not see that anymore.
   
3. People who use online sites to get auditions cannot or would be honestly stupid, if they used auditions as final production copy. I have never heard of this happening, except in the case where a very young person who did not care, was going to use it for his website. That is the 1%. However, if you have been in this business for years, and cannot spot when a college student or child is posting a project, you had better do some research into 'what looks professional when working online'. If you were fooled, it is your fault, and you are an exception. Now, to be fair, I have seen it when after negotiations and submitting re-takes, there were problems, but by that point you are not auditioning. You need to have a business plan in place to watch for those types of things.
4. The more auditions a voice seeker hears...the worse. Why? Simple...he/she prefers QUALITY over QUANTITY. The more auditions, the more the experience becomes time-consuming. They only need one voice for the job, and they want to find it quickly. Being a QA Manager, I know this. I spend all day hearing about it, and writing to people about it.
5. The low cost of working online comes solely from the fact the middle-men have been removed from the equation. Now, it is up to the voice over talent to set the standard for what people will or will not charge in the future. I think because of this, talents may need to stop thinking in the 'about me' mindset, and start acting on what is best for everyone. Meaning, if you see a good budget, do not under-quote to get the job. You will teach the buyer it is normal to do so. Remember, they are not the only one's new to the online industry.
   

I am often reminded of this famous quote, 'History never repeats, but it often rhymes'. Back in the 30's, when Toto the dog was paid more than the king of Munchkinland, the industry was beginning to take off, and the usual took place:

• Many began to feel like they were working for peanuts and did not want to take it anymore, and the joined together to protect themselves.

I think metaphorically, all who work online are now asking themselves, 'Why am I accepting peanuts for all this work I do?'. Therefore, change maybe right around the corner. When actors unionized in the 30's, this country was in a Great Depression, and think about where this country is right now, financially. That just makes me wonder if people will ever learn their lesson that you have to look at the 'big picture', no matter what business you are in. Even if the business is 'about me', you still have to look out for your fellowman, or you will be screaming for more, when there is nothing left to give.

Out of all the myths I have heard in this industry, until one understands that his/her actions effect the lives of many, either directly or indirectly, there will always be myths. Myths will stop the very day everyone decides to take responsibility for their own actions.

I wonder if that is just too much to ask.


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