Double Dutch

So, what else is new?

NOTICE THE SHIFT?

If you are one of my regular readers, I’m sure you have noticed a shift in the past couple of months. Since I started my company Nethervoice, I have turned my Double Dutch Blog into an extension of my website. So, instead of having one platform in the blogosphere, I now have two: one at  VoiceOver Casting and one on my own site. I guess that’s part of  the “Double” in Double Dutch. VoiceOver Casting has been a great launch pad for me, and it will still be a place where I feel among friends. So, don’t worry… this is no goodbye!

However, in terms of branding, I think it’s important to have a clearly defined, single identity for Nethervoice. Much to my surprise, my blog has become an integral part of that identity. Since the start of my new site in July, thousands of new readers have found me, and that number is growing by the day. I have found a renewed passion for writing, and the journalist in me discovered opportunities to stir the pot of  all that’s cooking in the voice-over world. And if it’s up to me, I will continue to rock the boat every now and then… with your help, of course. This site is only as strong and relevant as our connections.

COMMUNITY

I firmly believe that a sense of community is more vital than ever. When the economy is doing well and there are plenty of opportunities, it’s easier to be more or less self-reliant.  But when the going gets tough, and when there are more talents and there’s less work than ever before, the pressure is on.

Let’s be honest. The voice-over market is pretty much saturated at this moment. You don’t need a degree in economics to realize that a greater supply in a weakened market can only mean one thing: tumbling prices.

The best way to speed this process up, is to have suppliers engage in a furious bidding war. Darwin would have named it: “Survival of the Cheapest”. Isn’t that exactly what is happening? And if you don’t believe me, why is it so hard to buy products that are not “made in China”? Before we know it, all of us will be replaced by speech synthesis technology. It’s almost as good as the real thing and I bet it’s a lot cheaper.

STRAIGHT TALK

A week or so ago, I had a long conversation with one of the people at a voice-over website that shall remain unnamed. I asked him why they were still posting $50 jobs on their site. He gave me two reasons:

1. It’s a free market; it’s not up to my site to set or uphold minimum rates
2. As long as there are people who are willing to do these jobs for $50, this site will post them. He then added: “Believe me, there are plenty of people willing to do these jobs for fifty dollars.”

Now, I could just filter these low-budget jobs out. End of discussion. But that does not solve the fundamental flaws in the system. If we leave things to market forces, we will end up with a “survival of the cheapest”, and in many respects, we’re already there.

The market has no morals. The market does not care about what is fair and reasonable. That’s precisely how and why we ended up in this economic crisis. And that’s exactly why there’s such a thing as a minimum wage (which is not even enough to sustain a family), and why governments all over the globe are proposing and imposing new rules, regulations and oversight.

I have a feeling that a lot of these low-budget jobs are snatched up by amateurs. Now, I don’t mind losing a job to a talented amateur. I do mind losing a job to an amateur charging 20% of my minimum rate, because for this person “it’s just a hobby”. Their voice-over work doesn’t need to pay for the mortgage, health insurance, college tuition, pension plans, car payments, groceries and so on and so forth. And by the way: most of these things have gone up while our rates are steadily going down.

STANDARDS

Any organized profession that takes itself seriously has minimum standards, it offers continued education, it does research to further the field and stands up for its members to make sure that they get paid a fair wage. What makes our line of work so different? Is it because so many of us aren’t unionized or otherwise organized?

Perhaps the instrumental word is “organized”. The question is: are we just a bunch of freelancing, every man and woman for him- or herself, and may the best win-group of people? In that case we are throwing ourselves into the hands of the lowest common denominator, as voice-seekers watch us fight over a $50 dollar bone. I think we could and should do much better than that. We haven’t gone to the dogs yet, or have we?

DOOM & GLOOM

Well, if you’re looking something a bit more lighthearted,  my latest blog might just do the trick… And if you happen to be a Cyril Ritchard, Peter Cook or Steve Martin fan, you’re especially in for a treat. A Dutch treat! What else did you expect?

continue…

Add comment October 5th, 2009

To join or not to join…

“It’s the best thing I ever did”. “A total waste of money”. When you ask fellow vo-pros what they think of voice-over websites, you better be ready for a heated debate! Especially when you’re getting started in the business, you’re probably trying to figure out how to spend your money wisely. Are these sites an easy ticket to success, or a waste of time, energy and cash? Here’s my take on it.

1. People tend to get disappointed because of unrealistic expectations and not necessarily because “the sites don’t work”. However – as we have seen with Facebook- dissatisfied members can join forces and demand certain changes. We all know that some voice-over sites are more open to feedback than others. Ultimately, sites that don’t listen to what their members are asking for will pay the price.

2. Never fully rely on vo-websites for leads. These voice search engines should just be one tool in an overall marketing strategy. Nothing less, but certainly nothing more. Personally, I make sure to have various streams of income. That’s why I spend part of my time as a Dutch/German translator, and part of my time recording voice-overs. Sometimes I combine both when reading copy I just translated!

3. For me, the value of these vo-sites is not only determined by the number of jobs they generate. Voices-com, for example, offers an amazing wealth of information, from podcasts to blogs to rate info. It helps beginners to hone their craft, and it gives established talents the opportunity to generously share what they have learned. Even though you don’t need to be a full-paying member to benefit from this cornucopia of resources, it’s only fair that the people running these sites should be compensated for their contribution to our profession.

These voice-over superstores also give us a chance to scope out the competition. In a world that’s getting smaller and smaller, it’s good to know what colleagues are up to. There’s so much great talent out there, and it’s not getting any easier to carve out a niche. Being able to listen to what others do, has given me a better sense of how to position myself.

4. Much of this discussion about these sites has been focused on the cost of membership. Especially in this economy, is it really a worthwhile investment? One of the questions we should also ask ourselves is this: how much money and time could we potentially save by joining these sites? If you’re like me, you probably didn’t get into this business because you’re a marketing genius. How much hard-earned cash would we have to spend individually, to get even close to reaching the client base these sites tap into each and every day?

Most of us would rather spend time in front of a microphone, than drumming up new business. In part thanks to these sites, we can focus on what we do best! Let them make the connections, do the legwork and promote our skills. And at the end of the day, they can even make sure we get paid. What’s that worth to you?

5. Now, don’t think for a moment that I believe these sites are perfect. Far from it. I worry about “artificial intelligence” matching voices to certain projects, excluding others. I’m very concerned about the bidding war by talents who are played off against one another, deflating our rates from within. And I’m skeptical about sending in a demo when I see that 80 other hopefuls have just done the same thing. But at the end of the day, it all comes back to the person who stares at me when I look into the mirror. Instead of blaming outside factors for my success or lack thereof, I ask myself what I can do to stand out from the crowd. And here’s the thing: that’s something no site can or will ever be able to give you!

Cyberspacially yours,

Paul Strikwerda

6 comments April 23rd, 2009