The only reason producers believe they can hire talent for a handout, is because there apparently are people who are willing to work for next to nothing, and because there are websites that are enabling these people to sell themselves to the lowest bidder. If you’re one of them, read this: http://bit.ly/bqyXvG

I once read that globally we spend more money on advertising than on eduction. It’s a scary statistic, but it goes to show how much money is spent and made in product promotion.

Let me ask you this: Can you imagine commercials without voice-overs? Can you think of documentaries or industrials without narration? How about instructional DVD’s, Public Service Announcements, Voice Response Systems….

All of the above would not be possible without voice actors. We can make or break a million dollar campaign. We can engage and motivate an audience. We can warmly welcome old and new customers. We can entertain and teach at the same time.

We are voice-over professionals.

Then why don’t we insist that we fully deserve and should get a significant slice of the pie? Are we lacking respect for our own profession? Are we degrading our training, our background and our craftsmanship? Are we devaluing our crucial contribution to advertising, marketing, education and cultural enrichment?

If we don’t take ourselves and our work seriously, why should others? Ultimately, we get what we deserve, and if we feel that we don’t deserve that much, we should stop complaining about rates going down and the cost of living going up.

Or we could start by charging reasonable fees that are a reflection of the added value of our work as well as respect for our unique talent.

I’m a Swedish production owner slash producer slash pro VO. That makes me some kind of ambivalent… Even though we are at the other side of the table as your employers, I think it’s really REALLY important that all professional talents keep a decent rate. Cause what would happen if we, professionals, start to do jobs for a Big Mac? Well no one would be able to be professional anymore. Not talents, not producers. Cause how would studios like ourselves try to charge the clients if the “raw material” was almost for free? We’d all be a dying breed.

Like the fancy ad agency who wanted an extremely explicit voice, a woman between 60-70 with a very unusual accent in Sweden and to have a special kind of character/tone, to voice 5 image films for a bigger client. The ad agency came to us since we have one of Scandinavias biggest voice banks, and offerd us 100 euros to cover both the casting, recording and talent fee. And it wasn’t even the April fools day!!! But how come this client even got the idea of offering this foolish amount? Well someone else has probably delivered a recording to them for peanuts in the past – so they believe you should get a good voice for nothing. That makes me both sad and worried. The same thing when agencies are about to make the final touch for their multi million euro TV campaign for a big brand – how come there is no money left for the voiceover, who will make the real difference?

We at Widevox are no saints though, sometimes we must ask our voices “are you interrested even though the budget is less than normal?” If we wouldn’t do that we’d loose too many jobs – but let’s just promise eachother – don’t accept the foolish budgets, like that Irish company who wanted me for a national TV ad for 20 euros incl studio… “it’s just a few words and you’ll do it in no time”. Let’s politly laugh to the interns who want you for their 120 minute e-learning for 50 euros. Let’s stay professional and calmly deny certain jobs.

I’ll finish off like my hero, Dr Frasier Crane.

Thanks for listening!

All idealists are unreasonable people, because they go against the status quo. Without idealists, very little is likely to change in this world.

I just came back from the annual Walk MS event, and I met hundreds of idealists who believe that a cure can be found and will be found. Without the conviction that one day, it will be possible to eradicate this terrible disease, there would be no movement and no progress.

Here’s the remarkable thing: there were no machetes and no chainsaws; just a chain of people like you and me, who saw a need and who had decided to cut out the pessimism and the cynicism, choosing hope instead. That’s where I find my inspiration!

There’s no question your work in this blog influences others of like mind. As a long time journalist you certainly know that good story ideas are always stolen, reshaped and promoted as exclusives.

While I empathize with your concerns and embrace your idealistic vision, I still think you’d do better with a machete or a chainsaw.

All my clients get a personalized quote, after consult if needed.
The only way to be fair to all of us.

Blue skies — Lauren
http://www.voiceover.ca

Perhaps I am dreaming the impossible dream, but remember that the Dutch know a thing or two about windmills. Without wind, they’re powerless, and if I can provide a bit of a blogging breeze in voice-overland, some wheels might (eventually) start turning. It took nine years before Cape Wind got the green light!

Perhaps it was purely coincidental, but on the same day I published the above article, voices.com published the first of a series of VoxDaily pieces on rates, quotes and editing:

http://blogs.voices.com/voxdaily/2010/04/a_discussion_about_rates.html

http://blogs.voices.com/voxdaily/2010/04/quoting_for_audio_editing_services.html

http://blogs.voices.com/voxdaily/2010/04/quoting_for_voice_over_editing_work.html

I might be preaching to the choir, but I happen to know that the Ciccarelli’s love to sing.

At the risk of tooting my own horn (but it’s my own blog so what the hay), I hope you’ve also taken a peek at my most popular articles. I only started tracking the popularity of my posts a few weeks ago, but it is clear that -based on numbers alone- my ramblings about rates and pricing have struck a chord inside and outside the voice-over world.

Perhaps not all of those readers are members of my choir. And just maybe, some of my choristers will take my message to heart and pass it on to others. After a while, this fool’s errand could become something way more serious and might even surprise the most prima donna-ish of cynics.

Even though they looked like fools and sounded like fools, court jesters had an important role to play. They’re often portrayed with a mirror in their hands. Some see my blog as one of those mirrors.

I have no problem being the jester, wearing a floppy three-pointed hat with jingle bells. And when I speak, it doesn’t always make sense to every member of the audience.

Some might even call it… Double Dutch!

The big league producer/directors I’ve known wouldn’t have any trouble at all with your logic; they expect to pay for professional services. In fact, if they are hiring an unknown, they know in advance that TALENT ALWAYS GETS PAID…even if the tape is on the floor.

The only people with whom you can make in roads are inexperienced talent who need to understand their worth. The ones who have enough confidence to go into a session and give 3 solid takes, will eventually understand their worth. The ones who remain insecure in their talent will never win a negotiation with the man with the money. …another fool’s errand.

I’m with you, Paul, but I think the reality is you have to blaze your own trail until you hit the road paved with gold. There will always be talent undercutting you and scoundrels with money trying to cheat you even on the super-highway of the rich and famous.

Good luck on your mission, but I think you’d do better with a machete or a chainsaw.

But what’s the point of repeating that what I’m saying is pointless? If you have any suggestions on this topic that are more to the point, by all means: share them! I always value your depth of experience and wealth of knowledge, and I’m sure my readers could benefit from your insights and ideas.

The Dutch have a saying that goes like this: “The best captains are on shore.” I don’t think of you as one of them. So, hop on the deck and help me set the sales in the right direction (pun intended, of course)!