Podcast Length: 14:15
As Actors’ SOUND ADVICE, we strongly encourage all non-union voice talent to aim to become Union (SAG-AFTRA). That begins by applying some basic union policies and standards in order to achieve the best, most professional results in your career.
We encourage you to aim to become a union voice talent for a variety of reasons, including among them: the pay and working conditions are a dramatic improvement over remaining non-union or simply settling to get by as an online “gig worker”.
Here are a few industry standards and policies to commit to—to improve your bottom line, elevate your brand, instill confidence, and expand your voice acting business.
1. Base your non-union rates on ‘union scale’.
“Scale” is the term that refers to the minimum pay rate. The union maintains a minimum rate for each classification or form of usage. The repurposing of your performance or likeness, for on-camera or off-camera, all have designated minimums. So, whatever the intended use of the voiceover job versus the final use of audio may change, but whichever rate is greater, is what you are inevitably owed for voicing the project. (More on that in a moment.) Suffice it to say, scale is the lowest rate both non-union and union talent should expect to receive. It’s the lowest going rate for the designated job, regardless of whether you’re just starting out or not.
That said, the primary difference between union and non-union rates are residuals.
Union talent receive residual pay in addition to session fees for voicing commercials and various broadcast projects for television, theatrical, streaming and their continued “re-usage”.
In lieu of residuals (aka “resids”), agents tend to account for the value of using the talent’s performance by ballparking a flat rate amount that also includes the talent’s non-union session fee as compensation. Plus, on occasion, the additional 20% non-union agent commission. Should the client find they require an extended use of the talent’s likeness (performance), a designated, limited period of time, standardly incurs additional fees. These terms are generally accounted for in advance of hiring all manner of talent, not just voiceovers, and based on the vast experience of scores of union talent and productions.
2. Secure representation with qualified talent agents.
Talent agents have access to work individual voice talent don’t have access to on their own, and agents afford you an average of 5-55 times greater income than voice talent are able to secure on their own. Without the experience and understanding of the industry talent agents tend to offer, and again regardless of whether the voice talent is union or not.
Of course, agents specialize, just as talent do. To add to this, far too many talent assume agents should be expected to groom and develop their careers, when, in fact, agents require talent arrive on their doorstep already well-trained, well-produced with professional demos and fully prepared and available to work.
However, relying solely on a single talent agency as your sole source for employment as a voiceover generally isn’t a realistic approach if you hope to work with any regularity. (Learn more about how to secure representation with talent agents here.)
3. Always require 24-hour cancellation notice.
Should a client cancel at the last minute prior to a confirmed recording session, then the client is responsible for covering your session fees, which for nonunion talent tends to average between $300 and $1,200 per project or more.
Charging for last-minute cancellations is standard practice for most businesses, and voiceover is no different. Otherwise, lost revenue for your time and effort preparing, the cost of securing a studio other than your own, and ultimately rearranging your schedule to accommodate the project is inevitable. Again, this is standard practice for most businesses, though the average gig worker doesn’t typically apply sensible business practices to themselves often to their own peril.
4. Stay in your lane: You’re being hired to voice the project, not produce, write, cast, edit and engineer the job. Those services incur additional costs to the client.
Don’t assume these skills should be expected of you as a nonunion voice talent and, worst of all, already included in your rate. Quite the contrary!
Union talent are required to solely voice the project, that’s it. Nothing more. Doing so keeps you focused on delivering your best performance, rather than dispersing your creative attention and energy, especially considering the client’s branding is on the line here. That’s the primary goal.
Granted today all talent are required to offer clean, professional remote recordings and possibly a few, simple edits on our auditions as needed. However, if editing is not among your skills, don’t assume these services are needed and wanted from you. Don’t assume mixing and editing should be included in what may be your already seriously low rate as a budding (or even as an established) voice actor.
One of the greatest missteps ALL small business owners share when they’re first starting out is under-valuing, if not utterly de-valuing, they’re true worth.
The truth is potential customers rarely purchase the cheapest option when shopping to hire or buy. Instead, potential clients consistently choose the second most expensive option in case you were wondering. Ironically, most small business startups attempting to appear competitive do so by undercutting the lowest rate they can find on the market. This novice approach to pricing inevitably only serves to undermine the voice talent’s true worth and seals their fate from ever making ends meet or achieve a proper income from this field.
You’d be better served to concentrate your efforts primarily on voicing the job you’ve been hired to do rather than including production elements that are beyond your skill set.
It’s probably the greatest small business misstep you’ll likely be encouraged (often purported from assorted, less than credible sources) is to offer more services than you’re honestly capable of delivering.
The best rule of thumb is to under promise and overdeliver.
This is a common issue that’s not exclusive to voiceover, but is present in practically every profession you can imagine. It became a common issue for voice talent that likely evolved out of “gig culture” instead of from any real expertise or business acumen.
Your professional reputation and future booking potential with a respective producer will be undermined should you deliver poorly executed services.
Besides, claiming to be a producer places you in direct competition with your primary target audience as a voice talent, namely PRODUCERS.
Even if you happen to be a professional producer, you’re probably not being paid to include all those additional services, you’re only being paid as a voiceover. Unburden yourself and stay in your lane.
5. Don’t accept voice projects paid “in perpetuity”.
Non-union voice talent typically receive a flat rate for their work. However, it’s important to establish in advance how long the client may use your recorded performance for the pay. Determining the length of time the client is allowed to use the audio you’ve voiced, whether it be used just once, for 6-8 weeks, a single 13-week cycle, for six months, a year or possibly two years, the designated use inevitably falls to you to hold the client to. They can only continue to use your voiceover for a designated, limited time or they will owe you an additional stipend, typically the same flat rate with a 10-25% increase with each renewal of use, but only unless it’s established in advance of the session. Otherwise, you may be leaving money on the table.
Suffice it to say, you’re always entitled to be compensated for the added use and/or reuse of your likeness and the original recording whether you’re union or not. It’s in your best interest to be paid for each repurposing of the recording, especially if your vocal branding becomes iconic in some way, which many have been known to do.
6. Don’t assume your VO clients are more experienced than YOU when it comes to production.
You may not consider yourself all that experienced when it comes to recording and directing yourself as a voice actor. Don’t assume that whoever hired you understands production or knows how to articulate precisely what they need and want from you during a recording session. Clients may offer very little, if any insight, and generally rely on the voice talent to come through with creative options that bring what may otherwise be considered rather dull, wooden text.
7. Telling yourself you can always raise the rate “later”, should tell you your rate is probably already undermining your worth.
Union rates determine the lowest, minimum rate (scale) you should expect and willing to accept as a professional voiceover. So, be sure, as a non-union talent, if you’re asked to offer a rate, determine your rate based on union scale, and then add no less than 25% to cover your various expenses. Yes, I’m suggesting you ‘pad’ your minimum rate by about 25%. Because as a small business owner, you will always have overages you’ll be required to cover. From training, to demos, to promotion, and maintaining and upgrading your home studio, let alone your taxes and dues, all require continued costs and upkeep. You’re not simply walking and chewing gum here. This is an expertise and a profession.
Even if a potential client doesn’t fully disclose, or realize their ultimate intentions for the use of the voiceover you supply, include a standard policy (in the form of a brief sentence in your service agreement or email) that should your voiceover be repurposed in additional forms of usage (overages), regardless you are to be paid whichever rate is greater. The client may never use your voiceover in the end. Nevertheless, you did the work and you’re still entitled to be paid for your time, skill, effort, and likeness.
Also, clients will assume whatever rate you initially charged will be the rate they establish for their ongoing production needs. Most small businesses simply don’t know what it costs to hire a voiceover until they know, and you’re the experienced professional they’re counting on you to offer clarity when it comes to their budget. If this is beyond your skillset—avoid pursuing voiceover work independently. Instead, I strongly urge you to rely on securing work strictly through talent agents.
Otherwise, expect to see whatever rate you offer become the rate their budgets will come to reflect on every project they hire you to voice from now until time in memorial.
8. YOU are the keeper of your conflicts.
The term “conflicts” refers to projects you’ve been paid to voice that are currently airing (or are ‘in use’) or you continue to receive income from. Maintaining your conflicts is basically keeping track and avoiding any possible conflicts of interest that would essentially have you work for the competition.
Conflicts are also referred to as exclusivity. In other words, you’re exclusively representing a specific product or service.
For example, if you’ve recently voiced a commercial for Dell computers then you’d have a conflict voicing commercials for any other computer company. You’re exclusive with Dell, until any and all possible reusage or ‘holds’ of your likeness have expired. Therefore, you aren’t available to accept commercial auditions for Apple or HP (Dell’s competition) or anything dealing with computers other than Dell as long as the project is airing and/or you’re currently receiving compensation. Once the term of usage has expired, you’re released and free to audition by accepting all manner of tech/computer projects from the (former) competition.
For what it’s worth, there are no conflicts in radio (or corporate in-house narrations). But it’s relatively uncommon to voice a project solely for radio today given the numerous platforms and streams of promotion that are readily available to the broader public.
Suffice it to say, the responsibility falls to you to maintain your conflicts (aka exclusivity). This is standard practice whether you’re union or not. You’re expected to keep track of the clients and projects you may have a conflict with, and, again, you’re NOT to even audition for the competition while these jobs are active.
9. Supply a simple, one-page, universal service agreement for yourself.
If you feel you absolutely must pursue voice work on your own from some of the assorted online sources readily available, without the benefit of qualified talent agents, then we strongly suggest you create a basic service agreement for yourself. This way you’ll ensure you and those hiring you are on the same page as to:
a) Determine what you’ve been hired to deliver (including the formats the client requires)
b) Determine what you expect to be paid and how long the client can use your recorded likeness
c) Determine who you can expect to receive final approvals from
d) Determine who you’ll be expected to deliver the final audio to
e) Determine when the final product is required to be completed
Again, we strongly recommend you avoid trying to do everything yourself and leave these details to your talent agents, rather than pursue work through these means, but we’re well aware many do. (Often to their own peril.) We maintain it’s generally best to stay in your lane as a voice actor and concentrate on being the best voiceover you can be while securing proper representation through credible sources across the country.
10. A good deal is only a good deal if it benefits BOTH sides, not just one.
Know your worth as a voiceover, but keep in mind the client’s financial goals don’t exceed yours. Understand that you deserve to be properly compensated just as your client deserves to be well serviced.
Far too many talent are quick to propitiate to potential clients out of fear they may “lose the job” if they don’t appease every random wish and whim, while negating your own true value as a professional voiceover.
Conversely, the very same may be true, just far less likely.
Clients can be intimidating often because they tend to have a business background that many creatives lack. Most clients have a ball park budget in mind often with unrealistic expectations with regard to timelines, unlimited modifications, as well as the final result.
Dedicate yourself to consistently offering your best and only accept fair compensation based on these simple standards from the very start.
Be honest with your client and yourself by making them aware of possible increases they may need to cover as you move forward, and what might be negotiable. This helps establish an open communication between you and a private interest, as well as managing expectations and to avoid misunderstandings.
For what it’s worth, much of what’s defined here are generally issues talent agents handle with producers, that can and should be averted entirely by being a voiceover first and foremost: aim to become union, and maintaining your simple, workable home recording set up. Keep it simple. Unburden yourself!
And have a happy and whenever possible, easy Labor Day!
Copyright © 2024 by Kate McClanaghan. All Rights Reserved.
