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HOME OF VOICE TALENT KIRK JORDAN
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Nox Media Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Are
they really
worth
all the hassle....
“Cattle
Call” websites are so named due to the process whereby a potential voice
seeker chooses from a large pool of candidates. For
the client, it can be a mind-numbing experience... having to wade through countless,
absolutely hideous demos to find a legitimate one. Many of our clientele
have shared this experience~ they have vowed to never use those sites
again, for their time is far too valuable to waste on an endless chorus line
of the unqualified.
For
the Professional Voice Talent, they can also amount to a
vast waste of time. Due to a complete lack of any qualifying standards, most
"talent" sites offer
a virtual cornucopia of inexperienced individuals. Take a stroll through some
of these sites and you'll find some remarkable profiles. In an effort
to impress a talent seeker, they'll cite such silly “qualifiers” as
'the old ladies at church think I have a nice voice'.... to 'I worked at a
restaurant and called out orders on the microphone'. One of our favorites,
however, is a guy who claims '25 years of experience' because
he's been making sounds with his mouth since he was a baby... then, for
his demos he includes a 911
call he
recorded on the job. Yep- a 911 operator for hire! While I value 911 operators
and their valuable contribution to public safety, they do not automatically
come to mind when thinking "voiceover talent".
There
are a LOT of these
types... and as long as they pay the membership fees, these websites will be
happy to send them job leads for which they are not qualified. Therefore, the
field becomes crowded with substandard offerings from individuals desperate
to be hired. Which presents
another problem: Extremely low bids. A bargain-shopping client may settle
for a lower quality voiceover... if they're only having to pay a few bucks
for it.
So...sorry
to say, it's not a pretty picture. The
"talent pool" lacks credibility due a dilution caused by hordes of
the unqualified... potential clients lose patience.... and rate quotes
vary divergently, from $10 to $1000 for a given project. Ultimately,
everyone loses...everyone,
that is, except the voiceover
website. Their paid subscribers guarantee continued financial success.
For their part, these sites would likely argue that it's a small price to pay...
to be lent a facade of credibility, the veneer of legitimacy... with a potential
for lucrative work.
Another
concern for the Professional Voice Talent is that of having their
work stolen. This occurs more than you might imagine, so it is wise to never provide
a high quality, finished product UNTIL payment arrangements have been finalized.
If they demand an un-watermarked, perfect and completed recording for a demo,
most likey they are thieves. Past incidents such as this have led to our dissociation
with certain sites (see story to the right). ======>>>>>
While
we do maintain a presence on various talent sites across the web,
it is important to emphasize that we do not pay subscriptions. Occasionally
we are contacted by clients who have combed through these sites and found us.
So, by all means, sign up for a free account... but we would caution against
membership fees.
Happy
shopping for your next voice and/or audio production, may you choose well.
Ever
heard of Guru.com?
Cattle
Calls?
We
withdrew from this site following some very poor experiences. We took exception
to what amounted to the theft of services, for which the website offered
no support.
No thanks!