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VOICE-OVER INCOME Voice-Over 'Wage Gap' Is Not Females-Only. 'Gut-Twisting Issue' Affects Your Bottom Line June 18, 2019 (VOXtra) - Are you charging clients what you're worth as a voice actor? A recent article by voice actor Lynne Darlington (Female VoiceOver Talent Self-Inflict Their Wage Gap - A Client's Perspective) generated lots of buzz online, including a perspective that male VO's also short-change themselves on the value they bring to the microphone. In case you missed the comments posted directly on Lynne's article, please read them below. They could be important to your own bottom line. PS: Lynne's article is also the catalyst for an entertaining and insightful discussion of the "wage gap" in an upcoming VO Boss podcast, co-hosted by popular voice actor/coaches Anne Ganguzza and Gabby Nistico. This podcast episode will be released on June 25. See more about it at the end of this article. 'Gut-Twisting Issue'  Kelley Buttrick Lynne and her client are wonderful for bringing this
gut-twisting issue to light! Thank you to them and to VoiceOverXtra for
publishing it. Truly, this makes my stomach churn and blood boil. Recent studies have proven
that a female voice is preferred by listeners of both genders in many cases
(see a summary here: http://www.kbvoiceovers.com/site/im-just-sayin/), so why
on Earth should such a hot commodity not value itself more? Come ON ladies! Other creative industries are putting their collective feet
down (3% Conference, Free the Bid, SoundGirls and others), why aren't we? As others have said, this isn't just a female/male issue. Lowball rates are an
industry-wide issue. We all wring our hands and spend hours on social media
lamenting it, but what are we actually doing about it? Man or woman, I urge to seriously consider your value when quoting projects on
your own. Consider your training, your experience, your gear, your business
expenses, etc. You're worth it.
'Not A Gender Thing'  Philip Banks
Male and female alike, the majority probably DO know their worth. They fully
understand that $50 is not what anyone would expect to pay a good professional
Voice Over person but, based on the quality of their work, less than a
"Ben Franklin" would still be considered wildly optimistic. It is not really a gender thing, but the point is well made. It's about people
in the market who can't get work because they deliver poor quality
performances. Low price is all they have to offer.
'Industry Standard For Non-Union?'  Rebecca Haugh Thanks for this story, Lynne, it's very provocative. It's
wonderful that your client expressed herself to you, and agreed to let you
share the story. I don't know to what depth this low-pricing issue exists for female VO's, or at
what level of voice-acting experience in the female VO side of the business.
Your story triggers that desire to know more about if this is a real issue, and
how deep it goes. I guess it triggers more questions for me than answers! Your story gives a feeling that there is an "industry standard." I
agree that the GVAA is a good resource, as well as the SAG-AFTRA union rates.
But an "industry standard" for non-union? There isn't much of one,
particularly after this explosion of freelancing with the internet, P2P websites
being pointed to as reasons VO rates for all are sliding downward. Your story didn't mention what website your interactions initially occurred on.
If we really have an industry standard, why was bidding going on? Why are we
participating in bidding at all, right? Why doesn't the client simply offer a
flat rate, right? But they more often do not. I have one final thought about the term "self-sabotage," which sort
of means these 'low ballers' already know what they should charge, but don't.
That might not be the case. I think "ignorance" or
"uneducated" would be more likely the common situation.
I encourage all VO's to do your homework on VO rates. Ask for help about that
when you need it from trusted mentors, agents, colleagues in the biz. IF they
know and go low anyway, they are in survival mode and scrambling, OR have such
bad audio quality they know they cannot earn more for it.
'Town Hall' Video Includes VO Rates  Anne M. Richardson The revelation that female voice talent bid lower than male
voice talent is frankly alarming, and I'm not sure what drives that.
I don't worry too much about a gender-pay gap in the audiobook industry, as I
do mostly union work for large publishers. I'm secure in my knowledge that
SAG-AFTRA would never negotiate rates that disparage one gender over another. For what it's worth, the World-Voices Organization (WoVO) recently held a "town hall" meeting
with GVAA and VOAA, in which the state of the voice-over industry was discussed,
including topics related to rates and strategy. World-Voices members also have
access to several webinars focused solely on rate discussions with top talent
in the VO world. Here is a link to the "town hall" meeting:
https://www.world-voices.org/News. 'The Only Way That'll Change Is If ...'  Heather Costa Absolutely!! If you don't value your worth and price
yourself at competitive rates, you're more likely to lose the job for seeming
inexperienced, or for having a lack of confidence. It's sad to see that women
tend to price themselves lower than men, but the only way that'll change is if
we make it happen! Thanks for writing this article, Lynne Darlington, I think
it's an important discussion to have!
Lowball 'Cheapens Your Worth'  Kate McClanaghan
Amen, to THAT, Lynne! (And thanks for mentioning my article
in Backstage. I appreciate it!) This doesn't surprise me at all! We've all read for years that women earn
between 52 - 80 cents to every dollar a man makes. But when it's YOUR call? Come
ON! That's how debilitating and polarizing low-balling yourself can be!
Regardless of gender.
Proving once again, one of the greatest obstacles ALL voice talent face, like
every small business, is pricing. Quoting the cheapest only cheapens YOUR worth.
It's not your true value or the true value of the project. STAND UP to the task at hand and quote 10-15% ABOVE the standard rate (found on
either VORG or GVAA's rate guide). That's business 101, whether you're starting
out or not!
Trust me, that 10-15% is a comfort zone for negotiation, as well as a net to
cover unforeseen charges that inevitably arise for you as a small business
owner.
With further regard to the gender issue, here's one for you ... Recently I held
a rather massive union casting. For the first time in ages we paraded in the
'usual suspects.' As one 'gentleman' left the booth he (very politely) asked
me,
He
asked this in front of a roomful of talent (all men) as they were about to
audition for me. The room suddenly went dead quiet. "Yeah, I kinda do mind," I told him. Talk about awkward. Tell me something: If I were a guy, would any one even think of asking me how
I was able to do anything myself, let alone purchase a home, establish a studio
(this is the 10th studio I've built over the years), or run a business? Frankly,
it been 20 years since I've been asked something so mindless.
I wanted to say, "It's 2019, you doorknob! Wake the hell up!" I
didn't. But, you rarely get the opportunity to audition in front of the casting
director/producer on a union commercial project any more, and if that's your
best 'plays well with others' move, then FLUNK. Thanks for playin'! Anyway, aim higher, Guys! You're worth it! I promise! ; ) 'Self-Imposed And Knows No Gender'  Bobbin Beam The wage gap is self-imposed and knows no gender. Every
person who calls his or herself a voice actor has unique talent and levels of
proficiency at any given time. Some may be very new, or some well-seasoned.
Some are doing it full time and earning a fabulous living. Some are just
getting by. Others do it as a hobby or as a part-time side hustle. Every career
ebbs and flows. And the industry continues to evolve at lightning pace. More
often than not, we are all pressed to negotiate against ourselves. But do it
anyway, because of desperation to please others or ourselves. Or they're
ignorant and lazy about doing due diligence. There are more people than ever
entering the industry every day. Unless you can get union rates, there is no
industry standard. Unfortunately, not everyone is working at that level and
there are as many lowball job offers as those who will accept them. Talking
about how much you get on social media is toxic, as it invites comparisons. The
biggest problem is that once one agrees to do the $50-200 gigs, the perception of
working for less becomes reality.
'The Difference Is Confidence'  Natasha Marchewka... and the rate conversation goes on ... but, never have we
seen such a definitive indication that we are separated by gender. Grateful for
this article! Thank you, Lynne. Knowledge is power!
A few things I've noticed in voice-over of late that may be part of this
discussion:
I am
acutely aware of this in myself, and am not surprised that it would touch many
women I know. (A man seems to rarely have a problem with this. Simply an
observation.) The difference between the female talent in your story and a few VO women I
know who are outrageously successful in their business is confidence. Because
they have solid training, receive outstanding feedback from clients and
coaches, and have remarkable support within our community, the cycle of
confidence seems to build and grow. They have their low days, but never
question their rates.
I think the secret to improving our rates and our asking power, aside from
top-level training and strong, supportive female VO friends, is the confidence
to know you can always ask for more than you think - and stand strong with your
decisions. Very enlightening article! Thank you!! 'Empowering Messages' For Female VO  Monique Bagwell This is spot-on and a real eye-opener. Great article, Lynne! I wonder if this is a 'western' perspective or is it 'international'? I do agree that we women have a tendency to undermine our value in any
business. That's why I love VO groups like Lisa Biggs' Voxy Ladies and
Ganguzza/Nistico's V.O. Boss, because of their empowering messages they offer
female VO. 'Lowballing Serves No One'  Annie Sullivan Excellent article - thank you! I know, when I had just
started out in VO - and even when I audition in genres where compensation
values are unfamiliar to to me - it was difficult to know what to charge and
scary to know that others may be bidding less, so that I may not get the gig. I
quickly learned that if I don't value myself and the work that I did, that I
could not expect my clients to value me, either. Lowballing serves no one and
only undermines the entire voice-over community - regardless of your gender! 'We Will All Be WINNERS!'  Lynne DarlingtonI am thrilled that my article has started this conversation! Thank you
for your insightful, interesting and thought-provoking comments, keep
them coming. I would like to clarify that I have not been a paying
member of any P2P websites and haven't for quite some time. I have kept
my complimentary profile on this one particular P2P to continue to
receive private invitations which you can receive with a NON-paying
profile. Thank you, Anne M. Richardson, for sharing the timely link to the
GVAA, VOAA and WoVO Town Hall meeting discussing the 'State of Our VO
Industry.' This video of the town hall meeting is worth watching. Our
industry is at a critical crossroads, and we all need to hold the line
with securing fair and equitable industry rates. My preference is for my
agents/partners to negotiate and secure my rates, and keep an eye on
usage; however, the reality is the web has changed the playing field. I
am contacted by producers, directors, etc... directly seeking a fee for
projects. I pull out my GVAA rate guide and I am good to go! We all have
to be vigilant. Let's educate clients and our VO peers about proper
industry rates, not audition for the low lying fruit, and we will ALL be
WINNERS! HEAR 'VO BOSS' PODCAST ON JUNE 25  On June 25, click here (or https://voboss.com/business-Anne and Gabby discuss likely reasons why female voice talent might under-bid their worth when quoting VO jobs - and what they can do about it. Anne asks, "If you don't value yourself, what makes you think someone else is gonna value you?" The popular weekly podcast features business owner success tips, along with interviews with "some of the strongest voices in our industry." "Today's voice talent has to be a BOSS," say Anne and Gabby. For more info and previous episodes, visit: https://voboss.com. |
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It’s about self-worth, fairness, and dignity. I have never regretted turning down jobs that were beneath my standards for fair wage. VO Karma has somehow seen to it that a new client always came along - but Karma and luck are always aided by effort and focus.
A number of times, a client walked away when I shared my rates. However, a number of them also came back after hiring the "cheaper" voice. Not always, but enough times to encourage sticking to my guns.
Negotiation has never been easy, and neither is turning down work. I am grateful for GVAA, SAG-AFTRA, WoVO and others for transparency re rates. These guides provide a great foundation for leveling and supporting a fair playing field.
In this business, BE worth it. Training, coaching, continuous tweaking. Then remind yourself, and your clients, that you are.
Thanks again for a great thread!