by Joshua Alexander
CONTROVERSY! FIRE AND BRIMSTONE! TAR & FEATHER HIM!
Disclaimer: I already know this is going to be a long and most certainly controversial blog for those who have been involved in the voiceover industry. Breathe easy. I’ll say some things you’ll like; I’ll say something that will make you want to throw a microphone at me. (Please throw 416’s or Neumanns only, as I can turn around and sell them to pay for my hospital stay. Thanks!) Either way, please know that I am not endorsing any one approach; I’m simply talking about what has worked for me as a voiceover businessman. I’m fully cognizant that I’m putting myself out there on the chopping block, and going out on a limb. So be it. Here goes…
THE REST WAS HISTORY
Voiceovers. It’s not what it used to be. Is it worse, or is it better?
As J. Michael Collins stated in a recent webinar with Jon Florian on VoiceoverXtra, lower rates and fighting harder for good pay is “the new normal.” The question here is what will you and I do to adapt and overcome? The market has changed.
Many years ago, when puppies were the oldest animals, you’d get a call from your agent, hop in the car, drive to a recording studio, record in front of producers and technicians and end clients (maybe), and then return home and pray and wait. Then, when you’re awarded the job, you hop in the car, drive to a recording studio, record in front of producers and technicians and end clients (maybe), and then return home and pray and wait…for a paycheck.
Now, with the advent of the Internet, home studios are springing up all over the globe, in closets and custom builds alike. They can run anywhere from a clothes closet to a pipe-and-drape setup to a WhisperRoom or StudioBricks studio. And they truly allow flexibility in recording and auditioning.
It used to be a situation where you could cock your eyebrow, give your head a little George-Clooney-shake swagger, and say “Call my agent.” Now, the question looms on the horizon, especially in the state of Washington as it pertains to the National Right-to-Work foundation, are agents even necessary? As VO Agent Alliance states:
According to the National Right-To-Work Legal Defense Foundation (nrtw.org), “a Right-to-Work law secures the right of employees to decide for themselves whether or not to join or financially support a union.” Each state has its own statutes regarding this issue and should be researched online or at your library or through contacting SAG-AFTRA directly. Right-to-Work states include states include: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming. The remaining states are considered “closed shops.” Nearly half the country falls under Right-to-Work, which more or less renders the unions, in our case SAG-AFTRA, somewhat useless.
So where does that leave us, represented and non-represented alike?
TIME TO BEAT THE STREETS
What does all of this mean for the hardworking agent-dependent voiceover artist? Ultimately, it means that they need to look for more work on their own.
Voiceover agents used to be the gateway to voiceover work. “You want voiceover work? Gotta get an agent.” Not so anymore.