Over the past couple of months, the product development team at Voice123, especially Henry and Angel, has been working very hard to make sure more voice job opportunities are available.
Today, we wish to announce changes in Voice123 that all voice talent should know…especially those who never used Voice123, or may have stopped some time ago. See below, and we hope you are very excited about this!
Inactivity message is gone
- The message used to appear on profiles for voice talent inactive over 30-days, but many voice talent pay to use Voice123 just for the search feature.
- If they never logged in, they would become inactive…and they were VERY active.
Renewing does not reset auditioning stats
- Simply put…if you have been with Voice123 for a while, or intend to start today, when you renew…your history stays with you.
Biggest change…The dreaded SmartCast “Penalty” shrinks to almost nothing!
- Since May of 2008, SmartCast had a formula that would lead to 7% of voice talent who matched a job, would NOT being invited due to the amount of auditions they had submitted.
- NOW, only 1% of voice talent not invited to jobs for over-submitting compared to voice talent similar to them.
- An example…if a job matches 100 people…1 person wont get invited due to the amount they have submitted lately.
More on what this means…
“Am I in the 1%”?
- There are always voice talent that tend to get on Voice123, and mistakenly assume it is a Craigslist-form job board.
- In 2012…this almost never happens!
- Voice talent who are selective, and know how to target the right jobs for themselves based on voice seeker behavior and job parameters, will have more opportunities with less concern.
If you are not invited for something…
- Please note: Still in place is “when” you get invited. Make sure you have your profile and My Demos sections filled out; text and proper boxes checked off!
- See this great video on how the system REALLY works. Please share it, too! Only 3000 people have seen it!
Still want more?
- Stay tuned! More to report very soon!
Personal aside about this…I am stating this from personal experience working here: Through the efforts of voice talent over the last 5 years, I have seen voice talent professionalism make the online business more competitive, which has influenced such changes, that once felt necessary. The Voice123 voice talent I have met in person, listened to, and shared emails or chats with, are helping to pave a more professional path for working online. When such a movement takes place, positive change is inevitable.
We hope you will bring your professional voice over talent to Voice123!
Hey! Here are the guys responsible for these recent Voice123 changes!
If you were once a premium member of Voice123, it would be great to hear you again.
What do you think of these changes? Any thoughts to share?
About the author
 |
Steven is the Community Manager of Voice123 |
Marc Schwartz
June 15, 2012
Awesome news Steven! It sounds like the Voice123.com staff is really staying on top of the market and making changes to better assist Voice Talent in getting more opportunities to get work. Something most of us really need!
I’m really looking forward to hearing what else you have in store for us in the coming months!
Best Regards,
Marc
http://www.voice123.com/MarcSchwartz
Kyle McCarley
June 15, 2012
The “you audition too much” part of SmartCast’s formula has been my biggest complaint with Voice123 since Day 1. Knowing that it’s being dialed down significantly definitely seems like a step in the right direction to me. Looking forward to the future around here. Thanks, Steven!
Steven Lowell
June 15, 2012
Well Chris…from what you say…did you ever take a webinar by us when things weren’t working out?
We wish we could get people work, but we offer job postings and advice.
myvoworld
June 15, 2012
First I would like to say… I LOVE V123!!! This site is one of the best things that ever happened to me & my Voiceover Career!!! The upgrades make iy even better!!! I’d like to thank everyone at V123 that dedicate their brain-work, overtime, effort, and dedication to help me & Voice Actors everywhere continue “VOICING THE DREAM!!!”
CHEERS TO V123-3.0!
Denise Nelson a.k.a. Ladie Mo$t…
Steven Lowell
June 15, 2012
Hey thank you Denise!!! It is great to hear/read from you again!
We are glad the upgrades are going to work well for you, and hope it will for many others too!
Robert Gray
June 15, 2012
Hey Steve,
I’ve been a premium subscriber for about a year, I was looking to gain experience and to recoup my initial investment. I got the experience but didn’t recoup the investment. I was hoping to use my earnings to renew my membership. After more than 200 auditions I landed only 2 gigs for a grand total of $160.00.
Please give me some good advice in that I’m cash strapped at this time. Thanks
Rob
Jordan
June 16, 2012
Today, I just upgraded my account to Premium after a few weeks of watching the available projects via my Standard account email notifications. I’m very glad I did, and look forward to reaping the benefits of the revised SmartCast system.
Debbie Irwin
June 16, 2012
This is a super, big change. Props to you and the team for hearing your constituents and responding with words and actions! Long live the 99%!!
Christy Diachenko
June 16, 2012
This sounds great! I’m relatively new to Voice 123 and have been very impressed so far, with the exception of the “penalty for auditioning too much” aspect. Smart cast is so, well, smart
, that most of the invitations I get are projects that are spot on for me and what I have to offer – so of course, I audition for them! Nice to know that the the penalty parameter is being toned down.
Robin Rowan
June 16, 2012
Hooray for Voice123! I believe I could be one of your oldest (in subscription time, not age!) members, dating back to 2005. I appreciate the careful consideration and matching you do for us, which translates to more jobs at higher pay (than other similar sites). When I go to a job on another site and see that 213 people have auditioned for a $100 job, it shows me that people aren’t being very selective–or maybe that’s the downside of the economy right now, but that doesn’t happen on V123, thank goodness. Glad to see positive changes. Keep up the good work!
Jeff DeMuth
June 16, 2012
This is a great idea. It encourages me to keep plugging along. I have not gotten a gig yet (since March 26th when I joined) but this does not discourage me. I am also reaching out in the community where I live and marketing myself there as well. Even though I haven’t gotten a gig yet, the ones I have submitted have been helping me to hone this craft/talent. I listen to the competition often here, and at other sites to see what I am up against, as well as radio and TV spots. I sing with a Barbershop chorus in my hometown and we have a motto that goes “You gotta do the work”. It’s appropriate here as well. Thank you V123 for being pro-active.
Jeff DeMuth
Deborah Howell, Afternoon Host, "The No Stress Express" 94.7 The Wave
June 16, 2012
Great changes, all! I don’t “over-audition” but I’m happy that there’s no longer a penalty for those who like to submit often–even daily. After all….it’s what we do.
Michael Sutherland
June 16, 2012
Thank You! Quite frankly I never thought that auditioning too often should be a penalty.
Other than that part of the “equation”….I think you folks at Voice 123 are awesome
Michael Sutherland
Drita Protopapa
June 17, 2012
Thank you for thinking of the voice talent always and making changes that improve our workload and happiness factor!
Julie Beal
June 22, 2012
A very welcome and timely change. Thank you for understanding that this is our profession. We shouldn’t be penalized for wanting to work!
Si Hawk
July 14, 2012
Steven,
Great work! These sound like great changes. I look forward to working with Voice123 for many years to come!
John O'Leary
July 15, 2012
I only have a PC and a phone. How can I audition?
voicebyangie
July 15, 2012
So pleased to hear about the changes to V123.I have just renewed my second year of membership and I am happy to have done so. I am a new talent and scored 4 jobs towards the end of my first year. This year is a little slow but I have leant to be way more selective with which jobs I audition for .
Thank you all at Voice 123.
Peter Bright
July 15, 2012
More opportunities are always a good thing in this business.
My compliments to those responsible for the redesign of the program and the thinking that went in behind it.
Mimi Weisbond
July 16, 2012
Great work Steve. I, too, always thought the penalty was misplaced.
Carter Revell
July 17, 2012
You guys have made something that was already great even better!
Rebecca Blair
July 22, 2012
Hi! I have been with v123 since 2005 but with my sons acting and singing career and my steady clients I haven’t had the time to audition for quite a while. That said, I used to always make time every day to audition for jobs that fit me.. It was just part of my daily routine in the studio. I am happy to know of these changes, but it’s not surprising.. You guys have always continued to evolve and knowing you are there for me when I need to increase my audition rate.. Well that is definitely a comfort! Keep on being number #1, you all should be very proud.
Nonie Craige
July 24, 2012
HI! Kudos to all of you! From the get-go, when I became a member of Voices123, before my very first job in VO…I received a call “we heard you on Voices123 and would like to hire you”! I’ve done work for them for years. And I have had other jobs from seekers calling to hire me, but I never made it my business to audition for you, but 1x a month and NEVER won a gig. This June, it hit me, I love recording and this is such a great site and platform for me to tweek my skills and try different things. You have great jobs available! I have a new appreciation for all of the dedicated talented persons on both sides of the fence, our truly dedicated staff and very talented VOers. I am learning NOT to audition for those jobs that are not my passionate signature voice, esp when the feed back is “Not LIkely”.
Each of us has a specialty and after all these years and my new “gong-ho” attitude to audition, I finally won my first Voices123 audition, narrating the Mix Roots Foundation PSA at the SF Giants game tonight!! I’m thrilled as this will be my biggest audience yet. Again, thank you to you,Steve, along with the dedicated staff at Voices123, you all have a very special place in my heart!
Steven Lowell
July 24, 2012
Thank you Nonie!!
I did get your email too! Is this you? http://www.youtube.com/user/lennartintv
Awesome work!! Congrats to you again!!!
Bob Barr
July 30, 2012
These changes look good. Congrats!
Dave Roberts
July 30, 2012
Actually speaking Steve; what you have done in terms of allocating auditions to talent that are qualified for various auditions is a good thing. Obviously Voice 123 does not want beginners auditioning (unless they sound great and fit the mold) for jobs that demand a seasoned voice over artist. On the other hand, “voice seekers” are willing to go with any voice that seems perfect to their project in the world of “pay to play” which is now becoming more common day by day. ( I can’t tell you how many major pros from LA and New York, that my agent has talked to recently asking for further representation…that is an indication of “where has the work gone? Is it now global?) The answer to that is yes. It has gone global…and yes, we (pros included) are all competing on that level.
I can only hope that voice seekers that dumb down the pay scale will realize that what they pay for…they will get. I’m not knocking those that have only a year or two in the business…but I understand the irony. We, who have worked so hard for a decade or more to make a name for ourselves, built stellar studios complete with ISDN and being represented with a qualified local agent are now on a different plane and it just happens to be everywhere/worldwide. Even our agents are a little confused? In short, our jobs just got harder and more intriguing.
And as clients sit back and say, “I can get the same style voice for much less on a national commercial (provided I spend a great deal of time working with that voice directing it via phone patch) I wind up with exactly what I wanted in the first place and it cost me pennies on the dollar.
Having said that, I will warrant you, that ten years from now, every commercial, every promo, every documentary, every character in animation or what not, every voice that is broadcast or on internet, will be milk-toast compared to what we have known as “performance.” Is this a good thing? Probably it is. It’s the lay of the land as we know it today. The way I see it, is this: “every voice needs to dumb itself down to the point where it no longer performs, but sounds just like you’re talking to your neighbor next door. Unless, of course, one of your talents on voice123 gets a gig that must deliver a fantasy VO demanding a commanding voice that requires inflection, adventure, intrigue, conflict, and a denoumente within it’s parameters such as those pros who read audio books classics such as Moby Dick, Treasure Island, The Tale of Two Cities, The Illiad and more just to name a few.
In closing, tonight I will audition my ass off and pay to play (also with a successful agent in tow) to see if I can garner some of the jobs you have posted on voice123. However I realize with all the competition out there, it’s a little like winning the lottery.
All my best, Dave.