I took an online class on what to do with pay-to play voiceover websites. For those of you who don't know, pay-to play is just that, you pay a price, monthly or yearly, for the auditions that come in your inbox and you get a chance to do paid voice over work. (mostly non-union)
Voices.com
1) Audition quickly (first 20 and you should have a chance if your recording is comparable)
2) Audition often (stay near the computer most days mon-fri as much as you can)
3) Make sure you have the right voice category that works for you (if you have gotten work as a child voice then do it, if not don't try, know if you are mature or young adult: Trust me it will help)
4) Be willing to be directed by phone (minor)
Reasons: Voices just tosses you lots of auditions. If you get an audition for your voice age and it say BOTH in the m or f category, then you've gotta be even quicker on the trigger. I've dedicated the next two months to a regiment of doing these auditions quickly and often. It has paid off, though not as much as I'd like.
KEY NOTE: You need to be competitive first. If you are consistently getting about one-two jobs a week and NOT doing this, then you may want to give this a try, you could possibly up your weekly. You're gonna get a lot of jobs in that first twenty but as you keep consistently doing this the jobs will compound on each other because clients may not listen for weeks. The key to this grind is being good as voiceover to begin with and willing to do this as kind of a day job.
Voice123
1) Audition correctly
2) Know your skill level.
3) Use V123 to get exactly what you want.
Reasons: V123 docks you for auditioning too much. However, it's not as bad as it was, I basically installed the same system for Voices in v123 and I realized that low-budge to be defined are not for me. If it's a choice between auditioning as getting docked I want the money jobs. Also, you're going to get auditions that have already been auditioned for, you may get it and look and see "Oh 17 have auditioned and been listened too", weird. The fact is they gave it to them first, it'd be impossible for 17 to jump on right after you get the website refresh. You have to know your skill level here, if you are competitive and think you can pull jobs with a smaller amount, then go for the big jobs. You'll get less auditions but they will be money auditions. If you are new, DO the amateur to be defined stuff, you'll be grinding and getting practice. You'll figure out what you're willing and not willing to do. I had to do a trilogy of audiobooks for $85 an hour to realize that I have to do them for a minimum of $200, but now I know how to do audiobooks and have no problem with them. Cut your teeth. Do elearning, announcing, radio, everything you can get your hands on, even free stuff. I did free cartoons for people until it wasn't fun anymore. You never know what free job will get you something, you may do a job for a future Steven Speilberg or JJ Abrams. Who knows?
KEY NOTE:
Costs $300 a year. Is it worth it? Depends. Can you beat the small amount of competition, because voices.com has a lot of people but the quality may be lacking. V123 has some quality to it because the more seasoned people will choose this over voices because they can't jump on projects quick. I can, so I choose voices over v123 but I have both.
Voicebunny
1) Grind quick
2) Make Money (bit by bit)
Reason: If you cannot hear the ding of a voicebunny audition coming in (a bell rings) you're not going to get the audition. The weird thing about vbunny is that they charge the client for auditions. Say 10 auditions, for auditioning you get paid a little something. Maybe 5-10 bucks, plus you've got a 1 in 10 chance at the job, PLUS you only record 1 shot at the job, revisions cost more. Great right? Not necessarily, you have to grind it fast and quick. The jobs come at odd hours and if you see one you have to jump on it, PLUS they aren't great paying jobs, some may be downright bad. I did what would be a 4 page for about $50, it wasn't until I got the job that I thought, OH GOD this is so not worth it. But, I did a small redo for an extra $10, and they hired me again for a similar size job for $150. Voicebunny is free but you have to be ready to jump on it. It has to be like standing next to the mailbox outside waiting for these AND ready.
KEY NOTE:
It'll be frustrating if can't hear that bell, you'll see constant auditions pass you by. But it's free.
MAIN POINTS:
If you work during the day, v123 is the closest that you'll get to being a good idea and it's not that great of an idea. The grind is tough and takes hours an hours. I play wow, which I haven't done in years, while I watch the sites and I record when the audition pops up. But, here's the difference. I want this as a career and I'm risking a possible day job to do this. The next step is to be in constant contact with my clients which is something I haven't been doing. I'm also scared of getting a union job because these small tiny jobs have been so consistent and good to me. You can find extra money from voices and v123 to supplement your income, ABSOLUTELY. As long as you're good. How do you find out? Feel free to contact me and I can critique your demo and what not. The main thing I've found in success is just being realistic, HUMAN, not a cartoon. That will get you jobs. Smiling while you do readings. People can hear a smile. It's interesting. Anyways, I've ranted long enough. Til Next Time.
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