Disgusted and Not Renewing.

Lance Blair · Posted: Tue May 20, 2008, 20:44 (GMT) Post subject: Disgusted and Not Renewing.

Thankfully my V Eins Zwei Drei "subscription" ends next month. I've always made a decent profit on the subscription fee, but the amount of time I've spent deleting leads and auditioning now and then has been an utter waste of time. I got one great repeat client from Vee One Hundred and Twenty Two Plus One, but that was three years ago. I haven't gotten a private lead in over a year, and with the glut of "talent" nobody can even search for me. I market my services as being Atlanta-based, but when the #8 Atlanta talent is actually from Arizona, then this is an ineffective marketing tool for me. None of my new clients who have contacted me out of the blue over the past six months found me through V Eins Zwei Drei.

The scripts and projects are horrible and chitnzy. Frankly, they're demoralizing and simply boring. I get better scripts from local mom & pop shops that have never tried vo marketing before. Low budget TOS scripts blow V I II III scripts out of the water.

The budgets are outrageously low. The final nail in the coffin was today's West Virginia Music Center that was offering $15 for a :30 spot. I don't give a darn if it's a local spot running in Malawi only...$15 will buy you a couple of Big Mac Meals and a pen so that you can make a cardboard sign that reads "Will Work for Food". I also have no respect for the low-self esteemed leeches who actually auditioned for this spot.

My subscription was worth it for the first year. The past few years have been an absolute waste of time. No return on investment whatsoever. I didn't sign up as a way to get gigs, I signed up as a small part of my overall marketing. I'm not going to use this tool anymore.

In the end, VEE EINS ZWEI DREI has gone out of its way to coddle bottom-feeding seekers, and has done nothing for the talent pool.

To be objective, I really like SchmartKaste. My complaint isn't about landing auditions. The time has just come where I simply have no respect for the vast majority of seekers that now troll this "service". I feel cheapened for paying to play in this cheapo game here. It's not my scene. At this point, I don't want the seekers to contact me, because chances are they'd just be total pains to work with and probably wouldn't pay on time anyhow.

Best of luck to all of you who continue to use it.

Robert Jadah · Posted: Tue May 20, 2008, 21:40 (GMT) Post subject:

You might find, Lance, that getting out of the wading pool actually pays off.

For the same reasons you so lustily articulate, I left the site some five months ago. So far in 2008, my VO income has tripled.

The two facts are not necessarily related, of course, but I do believe that for some people, the angst and frustration and time wasted at the vocal flea markets actually serve as concrete life vests.

I've said it before: if I'm going to be abused, insulted, and abased for $295, I can just as well go to a fancy French restaurant.

You're a bona fide talent and pro, Lance This is V123's loss.

Voice On!

Lance Blair · Posted: Tue May 20, 2008, 22:31 (GMT) Post subject:

Thanks, Robert. You definitely inspired and influenced me on this decision. I wouldn't be taking these people's calls, so why should I actively spend my morning coffee time wading through their dross? I've got way too many marketing leads to follow right now to spend time on this.

Diane Havens · Posted: Tue May 20, 2008, 22:41 (GMT) Post subject:

My hourglass is almost ready to turn as well, Lance....

Every well deserved success to you outside these four virtual walls,

Dave DeAndrea · Posted: Tue May 20, 2008, 23:13 (GMT) Post subject:

Lance... I'm afraid I'm going to have to disagree with you....

There's no WAY you can get 2 Bic Mac meals AND a pen that will be of a high enough quality to write "Will Work For Food" dark enough and large enough for anyone to be able to read from any distance beyond 5 feet... (not to metion the cost of the cardboard) for $15!

Robert Jadah

Lance Blair · Posted: Tue May 20, 2008, 23:47 (GMT) Post subject:

LOL Dave! Bic Mac...there's a slip Smile

I love the "it will only take you fifteen minutes" excuse.

Crackwhores actually make more than a dollar per minute. Don't ask me how I know.

Darren Altman · Posted: Wed May 21, 2008, 11:32 (GMT) Post subject:

Hey Lance,

I'm beginning to think your way too. When I first enrolled on v123 I'm not kidding you when I say that I landed 3 of my first 5 auditions. When I posted that on the forums, everyone went nuts and couldn't believe what a strike rate that was, as I was new, I didn't think anything of it really. Since then.... nothing. Nada, zip, zilch..

I'm finding that since the re-vamp of v123 things have changed. More and more "Budget to be defined" are showing, which reeks of having to negotiate a piss poor fee, from someone who isn't willing to pay properly and would rather argue the toss later, after they have chosen their voice.

Also, in the last few weeks there have been tonnes of jobs that have been thrown back into the mix for re-auditioning. What's that all about? That never happened before? The rates are getting lower and what surprised me is that I am now seeing television ads that want to pay $150, what's that all about? A TV voiceover for £75? These guys are laughing all the way to the bank on this site.

I am regularly auditioning and have had no success for ages, the joy has been taken out of auditioning for me and it now becomes a chore, an obligation and something that has become mundane instead of how it used to be for me: Exciting.

I'll monitor the situation and see what happens over the next few weeks..... Crying or Very sad

Diane Havens · Posted: Wed May 21, 2008, 11:59 (GMT) Post subject:

Interesting you should say this, Darren. When I joined in 2006, I landed the most work the first 6 months of my membership, and then it waned considerably, to only two this past full year. Ironically, both my technical and voice skills have improved dramatically over the past two years. I chalked it up to more and more competition signing up -- and that may be true. Oh, and I am quoting a bit higher. That could be it. And more and more leads are not right for me. So there's that. But might there be other forces at work here .... ? The Site has become so complicated, I don't think anyone, including its masters, know anymore.

Robert Jadah · Posted: Wed May 21, 2008, 15:34 (GMT) Post subject:

Diane Havens · Posted: Wed May 21, 2008, 15:39 (GMT) Post subject:

Robert -- so funny you should say that. I just saw another lead that said it "didn't have to be perfect," so it would sound more real. That's because these people do not understand acting or actors or the value of creating such "imperfection".

Garbage in, garbage out.

Greg Houser · Posted: Wed May 21, 2008, 17:41 (GMT) Post subject:

yes, because when I have my company represented, I don't want people to think that we're "professional", "sincere", or care about "quality".

I mean, that'd make them want to use our services... can't have that.

I often wonder whether many of these folks wish to remain in business or not. Rolling Eyes

Allison Scussel · Posted: Thu May 22, 2008, 04:55 (GMT) Post subject:

Lance Blair · Posted: Thu May 22, 2008, 05:40 (GMT) Post subject:

We are off-camera professional talent, so we shouldn't be paid less than PA's or interns on video or film shoots. A good off-camera voice can be more effective in selling a product or idea than an on-camera talent in many cases.

Any one can talk or read. Very very few people can speak with the power of persuasion when they cannot be seen. These people deserve ever penny they earn.

I guess talk is cheap, but good talk is expensive.

Vee Uno Dos Tres is all about cheap talk.

I know a few guys personally who were paying to play but could never ever land a gig. These are guys who are successful thriving talents. I suppose they were either too good or they couldn't be heard amongst the din of sell-out cheap-seat wannabees.

Darren Altman · Posted: Thu May 22, 2008, 09:33 (GMT) Post subject:

I went to bed at 12.30 and woke up at 9 to find 14 new emails in my inbox. 12 of them were from Voice123 with "Re-invitation...." notifications. What's that all about?

This never used to happen. Why are so many (it seems like all!) projects being thrown back into the mix for re-auditions? Why are the majority of voice seekers not happy with all the auditions they are receiving? I just don't get it, this is making a mockery of the audition process. Unless there are now so many jokers using this site that they are receiving really poor quality reads?

But then I know that we on these forums are all voice pros who take this very seriously and make a living from it.... what's going on? This site appears to have changes in just a year and it's all since the re-vamp.