Pay to Play : Everybody has an Opinion

Hey everyone,

This may be a little bit of a negative nancy post but it's coming from the heart and it's coming from a good place.

Pay 2 Play, as people may have read, are just sites like Voice123 or Voices.com where you can get non-union jobs for smaller pay and if you're good enough, you can get a living going.

Some say that this "Cheap" job thing is just killing the VO industry, making people have to bring down their pay significantly and making clients get cheap, practically free VO.

My feelings are this, If you can make a living doing Sag-AFTRA  jobs and making the big buck, then more power to you. If you can't make the money, then it's your own fault. I'm not going to starve for the sake of principle and I don't think any of you should too.

If you're union, then you're in the big time. Do it, make that bank. Kick ass. Me? Those big jobs, even with an agent, are few and almost non-existant. These little guys.... pay rent and keep me auditioning for the big ones.

Now here's the negative. Here's what pisses me off more.

I really hate how easy it is for any remotely successful VO artist to try and make money off other less successful VO artists. That just PISSES ME OFF!

For every person who wants me to not do Voices.com, there is always one person who has a marketing pdf, or a seminar, or a demo productions studio, or a class. They know people think of VO as a get rich quick scheme so they take advantage.

Go into a Linkedin VO group. There's always some guy spouting off his marketing strategy to make thousands off VO. Newsflash, marketing your VO before you get good at it, is just dumb.

For example, I saw a guy post on a group about being unable to make rent and he really wanted help getting some VO work to get food on the table. People on there were quick to put their two cents in that was basically putting this guy down. I'm not saying P2P solves anything, but apparently having a bunch of VO friends doesn't solve anything either. At least P2P and even the crappy sites get you chances at MONEY! Making money, not taking money.

If you spend ANY, mark my words, ANY money on VO, make sure that you FIRST and foremost spend it on a makeshift studio and maybe a pay 2 play site for practice. If you see a class (online or in person) Make sure it is with a legitimate casting director, not an actor or VO actor. If a VO actor is immensely successful and filled to the brim with money,  he or she would happily tell you how they got where they are and who they worked with for FREE.

If there is a school, ask them before you get tuition to them, HOW DO YOU GET INTO THEIR TALENT POOL. Is it only teachers? I've been surprised to get that answer a LOT. If you spend a year with a school and graduate, they aren't gonna bank on you. That says a lot.

Don't waste your money, get that studio up and running. Figure out what needs to get done to get you going. Put down that money to study with the best. Do contests, free auditions, audition for ACX, even voicebunny. All of those things are practice and you may win something out of it.  Just be careful and be thankful.

If anyone ever needs advice on anything. I will offer my best advice. Free of charge, no strings attached, just honesty. If I was getting paid, I would feel bad if people didn't do well afterwards. Since I'm not, I feel like i can be really honest with people. Which I think is a good thing.

Great Things To Do When Work Slows

This is for the VO artist who has been getting jobs and suddenly finds that lull.

This usually happens during the holidays or who knows when.

Here are some fun marketing tips on things to do.

1) Make a Linkedin Account

https://www.linkedin.com/in/justindtorres

Everyone should have one of these. The great thing about a linked in is that it is relatively harmless, everyone uses it and if you worked with someone, it isn't intruding to send a connection.

2) Find old videos

As a form of promotion, search out all those old videos that are floating around the internet with your voice on it. Sometimes it takes a while but if you find something, it's pretty awesome. Link that.

3) Make a facebook page for you as a Voice Artist. Here's mine.

Justin D. Torres

4) POST THOSE VIDEOS UP!!!

Notice my facebook page and how it's just video after video. You can do the same thing with linked in. You can post a video from every job you worked on. Suddenly, it's an interactive fun zone full of your voice being brought to life.


5) Reconnect with old clients

This is a tricky one. I would say after 6 months, try and send a message thanking them for the work. Sometimes you can be cool and ask for the video as an excuse. The key is to tell them how much you enjoyed working with them and if they need someone again, just email you. The key is to be on the radar. You may not get jobs straight away but you are putting yourself out there.

Two of these steps take a minute. The rest could take hours but this is investing time into your career. DO IT!!!

Here's an old video of mine.

The Importance of being Efficient

As you enter the freelance world, everything will be bright, fun, and freedom will be abundant. Your hours will be short and your smiles will be bigger. But, at some point, just like everyone, you'll get used to it and you'll get lazy.

I have this tendency to wake up later and later and do less and less. 

I was listening to a class by Brian Tracy about time efficiency and after all the overwhelmingly great ideas he said, "If there is one thing you should take from this, it's this one point. Ask yourself, "Am I using my time efficiently?". 

He went on to state facts that very little of us use time efficiently. Majority of the things we do in a day, they aren't really efficient things. We aren't thinking about long term. We're procrastinating or doing somethings that just don't need to be done.

So, if you're a freelancer and feeling the lull. Here's my suggestion.

1) Wake up earlyish. Earlier than you normally wake up is early, it's all relative.

If you're body thinks it's early, it will wake up. USE THAT WILLPOWER. If you have to snooze, do it twice. But, GET UP!

2) Plan out your day in increments. 10 minutes or LESS

Audition for an hour, eat for a half an hour, contact production studios for 15 minutes. If you know you only have a specific amount of time, you'll work ONLY on it.

3) Do Something physical. 

I have crossfit scheduled because I literally can't will myself to do this. Go for a run. Do a motivational audiobook while you run. It can be 30 minutes, maybe even 15. This will clear out your system to make you ready for VO. A groggy VO is not going to get the job.

4) Start Your Day.

Try and stick to the plan as much as possible. If you push your ass and get things done quickly, reward yourself. Do something fun. An efficient 3 hours in a day is more than an inefficient 3 days. You'd be surprised how much time people waste.

5) HOLD YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE

This doesn't mean beat yourself up. It's kind of a mind thing. Make it feel good to get stuff done. You are investing in yourself. This is the one thing that will pay off dividends.

6) REALLY think about what you want.  And be willing to change things.

Some people want to delve into work and make money. Great! Some people really want to meet someone. GREAT! Some people want to connect with family more. AWESOME! You can want all those things and schedule them in. Schedule 20 minutes of a call with a family member. Schedule 20 minutes of online dating research or online messaging. Challenge yourself to go out and meet people.

We get into a sticky situation when we do one thing to get another. Do something that you know will directly affect what you want.

I know this kind of felt like a motivational thing, rather than a voice over thing. But, efficiency is what makes successful people successful. SO DO IT!!