Is voice123 a scam, or misleading people?

Ed Gambill · **Voice Talent** Joined: 04 Jun 2007 Posts: 585

Ok your back, Howdy

I'm blowing out the candle Very Happy

Maxine Dunn · **Voice Talent** Joined: 25 Apr 2004 Posts: 675

Karen Lehman · **Voice Talent** Joined: 02 May 2007 Posts: 190

Ed Gambill · **Voice Talent** Joined: 04 Jun 2007 Posts: 585

"Trust, but Verify" was a signature phrase of Ronald Reagan. It seemed to work for Ronnie why not for Hail and any one else who doesn’t have the same level of “comfort factor” with V123 as other here have.

The greater part of what has been said on this dead thread seems to be in support of V123, when you consider the concerns many were facing some weeks ago, there was the potential for miss trust over what many may consider misuse. Some still appear to have a large level of dissatisfaction with the current casting method.

It would be a worthwhile thing to have an independent group to audit any online business. Banks have audits, non-profits have audits, all manner of professionals have audits. Even Ronnie’s GAO (General Accountability Office) does audits.

I am not suggesting that I know of any irregularity that V123 has engaged in, just saying that a third party audit and seal of approval would be nice. Remember the Good Housekeeping seals of approval.

I know from years of doing audits that it’s a good thing to know how things stand. As a prudent business person its my opinion, that all of us would be better served by independent evaluation of any internet company we deal with.

Hail was miffed to be sure. Was his concept of verification wrong? Not really.

Maria Durand · **Voice Talent** Joined: 19 Jan 2007 Posts: 3

Before I joined Voice 123, I thought the same way, I thought it was a scam. But I researched. A quick internet search led me to Voice 123 members online, a woman who has her own page. Don't remember how exactly I did it. But I emailed this woman and she gave me some advice. She said she had landed some jobs but I shouldn't expect to get famous or rich off V123. Fair enough.
I have had voice agents and I am actress so I know how the process goes, it's like someone said.. you audition and forget about it!
I waited several more months to join watching hundreds of audition notices come to my email address and not being able to submit because I wasn't a Premium member yet.
I finally joined last month and today I got the first bite.
I believe this is indeed the wave of the future. So you may want to sit and wait around for jobs to come to you and you may wait forever or you may want to do everything in your power to get better in order to yield success.
It's up to you.
Very Happy

Allison Scussel · **Voice Talent** Joined: 25 Apr 2007 Posts: 928

I knew about V123 for a couple of years because they contacted my job (a radio station). They were looking to increase their female data base. At first, I wasn't a primary member. My last name became public through a google search and I started to get stalked by a listener. I deleted my profile and layed low for over a year.

It was only a few months ago when I joined again and became a premium member, eliminating my current employment from my profile. Since then, I've been hired for a couple of jobs, and got a few private leads too. Tonight, I received an email from a client I auditioned for several weeks ago. They are considering me for a huge project and even if I don't get the job, they have other offers in the future they would like to consider me for. I was thrilled when I heard this! Smile

There are many reasons why talents don't get hired and it has nothing to do with lack of talent. My boss is a voice seeker and often has me sitting in on the audition process because he wants my feedback. You have to keep trying. Submit your best audition all the time. Eventually, your talent will be recognized, remembered, and you'll land a job. One job can lead to two or three and more.

V123 never promised me leads that would guarantee I could pay off my mortgage. However; the response I've gotten from some seekers has been positive and certainly not a scam. There are thorns in every rose bush. You just have to know which bushes to avoid.

~Ally~

Maxine Dunn · **Voice Talent** Joined: 25 Apr 2004 Posts: 675

Allison Scussel · **Voice Talent** Joined: 25 Apr 2007 Posts: 928

Thanks Maxine!

Seriously, since my boss has become a voice seeker for radio promos, sweepers, and liners I have been very involved with the voice seeker process. (At least from his POV) It's hard work for a seeker. I've heard awesome talent and the end result was "not for this job". That doesn't mean the talent has no talent. It's just not what the seeker was looking for at that time.

Good, credible seekers are listening at V123. This is just one of many sources to get your name out there.

~Ally~

Kara Edwards · **Voice Talent** Joined: 26 Oct 2006 Posts: 347

Trust your gut when responding to any lead. If it doesn't feel right, it isn't.

Several months ago I was sent a private lead for a new animated series. Even though it was written very well, something just seemed 'off'. Turns out it was an anime fan that wanted various clips of my voice to rearrange and turn into something I would never knowingly agree to. I followed my gut, did the research, and did not fall for the scam.

Are most of the leads legit? Yes. Do you still need to be careful? Absolutley.

Allison Scussel · **Voice Talent** Joined: 25 Apr 2007 Posts: 928

Great advice Kara. You are very talented at animation! Good for you to be able to read between the lines.

~Ally~

Bob Bair · **Voice Talent** Joined: 06 Oct 2003 Posts: 274

Kara,

Wow, what a nice catch on your part. I would have never thought of that but I can see now how easy it could be to deceive someone and get a bunch of clips.

Imagine someone such as yourself that has had international exposure conned into making a few select lines of audio. With the proliferation of digital audio editing, they could easily take your lines and make your character say whatever they wanted. Then post that for all to hear!

Christopher Caldwell · Joined: 15 Jul 2008 Posts: 4

Found this newsgroup after doing a search in google to see whether this voice123 is a scam or not. It's got some major issues. I recently joined after getting so many come-ons for auditions. In the last month, I auditioned for 14 jobs. Now, I am rarely considered for the higher paying stuff. I'm told that smartcast has determined i've auditioned too much. 14 times in the past six months! I've only been a member for 1 month! And 14 times is not a lot of auditioning.

I get daily summaries of the jobs that "matched my profile" but also get a message that I have not been invited to audition for these. They want to be fair and give these opportunities to people who have not auditioned as much. Of course, these jobs usually pay the best. The one's I'm not invited to.

I did a voice talent search with all the criteria that matches my profile, and i dont even show up! It's like I no longer exist.

My background: I've been making my living full time for almost 30 years as a vo artist. I've won numerous awards and am heard nationally every day in the USA. The reason I can audition 14 times in one month is because I own my own studio and am in it several hours per day. I understand I won't win every audition, I've been in this job for years. I DON'T understand why I'm not in voice123s search engine when I enter in my description.

The first two days after I joined, I received three private invitations, and one immediate booking. Now, I get nothing. I've written asking what's going on and get some condescending response of how "customer satisfaction is their number one priority". Not to sound boastful, but I'm used to getting much better results when I audition elsewhere. Otherwise, I wouldn't have survived in the business for as long as I have. I would have kept my "day job."

I feel disappointed. Like at the Fair when they lure you in with the big fuzzy animals, but you just get a crappy token. The big animals are just to get you to plunk the money down.

Something to be learned by this. Anybody with a credit card is able to join. You don't need even need talent. You can lie, too. Put in your profile that you have a big studio with ISDN and can put in music tracks with your top of the line Pro Tools set up, etc. LOL I listened to more than one audition of someone who says they have all this ability, equipment, etc, but the demo reveals a different story. It sounds like someone on a microcassette held up to the phone.

I'm a believer in the biblical passage: He who hastens to get rich will not go unpunished.

They could impose more stringent requirements, or filters, or limits. They certainly should not penalize you for auditioning. Obviously, if you only offer your customers the average fruit, but keep the good stuff hidden in the back, eventually word gets out and you lose your customers.

Erik Sheppard · **Voice Talent** Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2005 Posts: 1317

Back from the dead...... it's Zombie Thread!

Claire Dodin · **Voice Talent** Joined: 16 Aug 2005 Posts: 400

hmmm...

I am wondering if this is the reason for smartcast...

Christopher Caldwell · Joined: 15 Jul 2008 Posts: 4

LOL. Well, I'm glad someone benefited from the resurrection of the topic.