What do voice-over agencies and studios expect from talent?
We’re one of many voice-over agencies and production companies that work in this industry. We’ve spoken to several of them over the years and have a good understanding of how we all see projects work and, most importantly, how to make them go smoothly.
However, it’s not uncommon for many to have a lack of understanding of how production companies and agencies work.
Don’t worry though, we’ll walk you through what voice-over agencies and audio-visual production companies like and don’t like. The aim is to improve working relationships and increase opportunities for everyone involved.
So, let’s dive into it!
DO: Respond quickly and personably to emails
These points might all seem obvious, but you would be surprised how often this doesn’t happen!
Whenever you get an e-mail from a voice over agency, particularly one like Voquent, then you are usually on a very short shortlist and are in realistic consideration for the job. Sometimes you might get open casting calls sent to every agency, but the way we work makes those situations rare.
Responding promptly to e-mails makes the job of the agency much more effortless. There is often immense pressure from the client to provide information quickly, and many of them seem to think agencies all have a little cupboard full of voice actors they can access at any time!
Being friendly and personable in those e-mails, even if the job isn’t something you are interested in or think the rate is too low, makes the whole experience much better for everyone!
DON’T: Get offended about being shortlisted for a job
The above might sound unbelievable to some, but we have heard many producers and agencies complain about this.
It is a standard process for a client to pick multiple voice options and shortlist various talents.
So, when we contact you about a project that may not match your taste, you are not directly picked for the first time or is below your usual working rates, please cut us all some slack—don’t be offended.
It’s not our fault the customer wanted a couple of options to show their client or wanted a couple of ‘backup’ options if their first choice wasn’t available. This is just how it works, and we’re only doing our job.
DO: Be clear and upfront about what you expect to be paid for a job
We work with customers worldwide, and what is considered a fair or ‘industry’ rate for a project may vary from one country to the next.
In general, there is a lot of fear surrounding rates. We hear this again and again from voices actors worried that rates are being eroded. But this erosion isn’t coming from studios and agencies like us – it’s coming from the freelance platforms flooding the market.
But remember: your rates are precisely that – your own.
We turn down projects every day, and we only ever offer projects to voices that we believe are a fair value of their time and effort. If you don’t think they are a reasonable rate for you – all we ask is that you tell us politely what you would accept.
Another thing to bear in mind is to ensure that your invoices contain all relevant information (name, address, e-mail, telephone number, bank details) to act as professional financial documents.
Voice agencies and production companies deal with thousands of invoices a year. So having to chase down a voice artist because they haven’t provided the correct information can make it harder for you to be paid and cause issues for the finance team.
DON’T: Increase rates for random reasons after already agreeing to a rate
Rate cards can serve as a guide or a talking point, but they do not represent actual rates that customers pay. Nor are they reflective of a voice actor’s rates when working with an agent or intermediary.
A rate card without that collective agreement backing is nothing but a series of guidelines and, in some cases, aspirations.
Sometimes the scope of projects change, and we go to great lengths to protect the voice actors we work with from unreasonable requests, but you shouldn’t assume that you can increase your rates arbitrarily. Otherwise, you will put an agency in an awful spot with their customer.
We’ve known some voice actors try to put up rates mid-project for no reason. Or even worse, agree to a fee when shortlisted and then put it up when they’re finally selected because their rate for a live directed recording is three times their standard rate – not cool.
If an agency can’t trust you to stick to your word about rates, how can they feel confident working with you again in the future? They can’t.
DO: Be honest about the quality of your home studio
Essentially the same as ‘don’t lie on your CV’, don’t do it because you’ll be found out very quickly, and it immediately raises the question, ‘what else aren’t you being honest about?’.
Yes, it might make you feel better to say you record with a Neumann U87 and hope nobody can tell the difference, but any audio professional will likely spot this, and it will be too late – it could sour the relationship entirely.
That’s not to say you can’t talk lovingly about your professionally sound-proofed studio (which is covered wall to wall in duvets) because, frankly, you probably can get away with this if you set it up correctly.
Being upfront about your microphone model, pre-amp model, and recording software is essential to some customers and for a good reason.
It’s helpful to have a few backup studio options, too, such as a local studio or a fellow voice actor’s home studio where you can record. Just in case something goes wrong with your equipment or it doesn’t match the customer requirements for the job.
Most agencies will be OK with booking you into an external studio if necessary, so be honest about your studio setup.
DON’T: Hugely overcharge specifically to cover your home studio costs
It doesn’t cost a fortune to create a professional quality home studio.
However, you are naturally well within your rights and perfectly able to spend a King’s ransom on studio equipment! The thing is, if you do that, that is ultimately just your choice. If you want to get fancy audio equipment because you think it will help you stand out from the crowd, you are more than welcome to take that risk.
Still, unless you are getting very steady work with consistently outstanding usage fees attached to it, you must understand that it is a risk. It’s the same as investing in any other business.
You have to balance the cost against the potential returns, and there is always a chance this may not perfectly work out.
However, one thing to avoid is to jack up your basic session fee to well above your experience levels to cover the cost of the studio and recoup it quicker. No agency will spend extra on a voice just because they have an expensive home studio when they could book a professional studio with an engineer at a lower cost.
This is a crucial tip if you are working with agents and production companies!
DO: Be receptive to feedback, follow the tone brief, read the script thoroughly
Clients often want to participate live in voice-over sessions, with it generally more common than not across the whole industry.
When the client participates in a session, you must be prepared in the content and the brief. Try your best to match the tone they are looking for (especially if there is a reference Demo Sample). And take on board all feedback.
If a client says, “can you do it more like this”, then say “yes, of course,” and try your best to do it.
It’s self-defeating and unprofessional to argue with them instead. We’ve had experiences of voices arguing a point about technique or tone – leaving the client feeling like they’ve just wasted a lot of money on audio they don’t want.
And of course, being friendly is always necessary. Even if you can’t do something, a client will come away from the session much happier if you were good-natured and tried to accommodate them.
DON’T: Say you offer live direction in your home studio if you have never recorded with live direction before
Imagine this. We’ve gone back and forth for days – sometimes weeks – the project is agreed and we’re busy sorting out the recording schedule when suddenly, out of nowhere, the voice tells us sheepishly, “Uhm…so can I just put the client on speakerphone for the session?”
Unfortunately, this is quite common.
If you put the client on speakerphone via Skype, Zoom or on your tablet or mobile, the microphone will pick up the client’s speech and background noise. Unless you know what you’re doing, background noise can make your audio completely unusable.
We work with voices regularly for offline sessions, and if we do get a live requirement with that voice, we’ll book them into a local studio that can accommodate.
At Voquent, we offer consultation for a studio setup. Contact us if you’re interested in booking one. We do have to charge studio time for this as it takes our engineer away from project work, but it’s well worth it. He’s very clever and handsome. [ED – who put this in?]
DO: Follow the audio deliverable requirements
This is self-explanatory and linked to the previous point about following the brief, but it is always worth re-stating the need to follow the specific brief.
A production company like Voquent will always provide professional, broadcast-quality audio editing services before sending them along to the client. Ensuring you follow the brief and send the files correctly split into takes, named, recorded. The proper bit depth and sample rate, exported with the correct number of channels (i.e. mono or stereo) and recorded cleanly without background noise, speed up the whole process.
Any production company or agency will have multiple projects simultaneously, and the less time they must request changes or spend fixing files, the more pleasant the memory of the experience of working with you will be! Following the brief goes a long, long way.
DON’T: Send the audio directly to the client and cut out the agency, or watermark your recordings
If you’re asked to deliver the audio to the agency for cleaning and editing, don’t send it to the client. The client is paying us for the job, and we’re your client.
Always deliver the work to who is paying you directly for the job, unless you’ve got explicit instructions to the contrary. If you provide the audio to the client directly, this immediately takes the agency/studio out of the equation.
A good agency like Voquent ensures the audio is fully cleaned and edited to broadcast standards. So even if the client asks you to deliver to them, the short answer is to apologise and tell them you need to send the audio to the agency contracting you.
They will understand, and it keeps the supply chain in the correct order and means we’re not dealing with unnecessary customer complaints.
Another thing to avoid is “watermarking” your recordings (i.e. saying something before or after the recording that is not explicitly in the script). This requires more extended audio editing and is generally just a pain for everyone, so don’t do it, please!
DO: Ask the agency or the production company if you have any questions or concerns about the project/client
We’re here to help! We want to get the best quality project delivered for everyone, which also keeps everyone happy.
Suppose you have any concerns about the project, whether it’s the content, the usage, the rates, the client, or anything else. Ask the producer who booked you. There’s no such thing as a stupid question, so always ask the producer for clarity where needed.
DON’T: Attempt to bypass the agency to work with the customer directly
Whoever pays you for the work is your customer. They are the ones that have given you the opportunity, and you owe them your loyalty.
Attempting to bypass the agency by forging a direct connection with the end client is a betrayal of trust and completely unprofessional. We’re in the same boat. Our primary customer base can often be other media agencies, translation agencies, creative agencies, production companies, freelancers etc.
We value each of them because they have invested a lot of time and money in developing relationships with their customers. These relationships are valuable, and we would never attempt to circumvent our customers to approach their clients directly.
As a working voice actor, you need to keep this firmly in mind! Appreciate the customers who bring you the work—another reason to stick with the agreed delivery instructions.
DO: Appreciate that there is a lot of work before and after a voice-over recording that goes into every project
Voice actors often ask us the question, “what’s your percentage?” which indicates they’ve misunderstood our role.
We must use the term ‘voice-over agency’ for the SERPs (search engines), but we’re an audio-visual production company operationally. A production company specialising in the delivery of complex, multilingual voice-overs and translations.
We do a lot more than just cast and supply voice actors for solo recordings.
We don’t ‘represent’ voice actors like an agent, and we don’t make a flat percentage on their rates. If we had this business model, we’d have to get every voice actor to sign a contract with us, and we’d also expect a cut of all their work.
Of course, this isn’t how we’re set up: we agree on a budget for all production work with our customers, often including voice-over services.
In summary
The voice-over industry is saturated with talent and agencies and production companies exist as a necessary resource and filter. There are always going to be exceptions but the majority of these companies, including Voquent, actually ensure that rates and terms always remain fair.
Working together is more successful than working alone.
These points will aid you well if you’re seeking regular, repeat work with multiple agencies and over time, you will hopefully be able to build up and sustain your own pool of direct clients that offer consistent work at generous rates and pay quickly.
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