voice over rates

Bridging the VO Gap – International Voice Work with Shelley Avellino

head shot of Shelley Avellino Bridging the VO Gap — Shelley Avellino

I don’t know what percentage of VO work is done internationally in the current market, but it’s a lot. Personally, 80% of my voice work is for clients outside my home and native land, eh? Whether you’re an expat working for the US market back home, or live on here but are accessing work abroad, bridging the gap between home and away takes finesse. Shelley Avellino knows that more than most. A Brit from Wales who’s been living abroad (in the US and Hong Kong) most of her adult life, she’s just launched a new service to voice over artists helping us navigate customs and costing and clients, oh my.

A casting director for Sweetrush, and director and performance coach at Melissa Moats’ Voice Over Studio in Las Vegas and a terrific talent herself, Shells was on her way from Vegas to London today for the One Voice conference, but I caught her for a few minutes to shed light on her new site and service.

Kim: What led you to create Bridging the VO Gap and offering the service you do?

Shelley: I’d been thinking about doing it for a very long time. I actually have to thank Tom Test for this because six years ago at my very first FaffCon, he was doing a talk on International voice work and said “Hey Shell, you’re foreign, why don’t you be part of my talk and tell people what you do?” And I did and after a lot of people approached me saying, “I didn’t even think about looking abroad for work.” To me it was normal and I thought everybody was doing it, but of course they weren’t. So, I began writing all the information I had and have been gathering for the last six years or so properly and put it together to be able to help other voice actors realize that they don’t have to just stick to their own back yard. There’s so much work out there, but they may not know exactly where to start. SO Bridging the VO Gap is a great way for people to know there’s somebody out there who’s been there, done that, got the T-Shirt, learned sometimes the hard way and can give people guidance on what mistakes to avoid.

Why You Should Go International with Your Voice Over

Kim: There are a few moving parts to going international with your voice over work? What are they?

Shelley: Exactly. It’s just like when you market yourself here. You may have an agent, may belong to a Union, and get a lot of work that way and don’t do a lot of self-marketing and that’s great. But for those who don’t have that or rely on Pay2Play sites, again you’re limited, you may get jobs from P2Ps, but not clients. Clients are a little more hard to come by. So, for those who are not Union and not relying on P2Ps, international marketing is a great way to start, and the first “moving part” is where. Where do I even start looking? ‘Cause the world’s big, right? It can be quite scary to know what to do, where to begin. So, I help people break it down. Where do I look, where are the good resources, search engines, how do I get around that. And then we move on to how do I contact these clients. People speak different languages and have different customs, so you have to navigate that moving part. And then once you’ve booked a job in say, Italy, it’s what voice over rate do I charge, do they do usage, how do they do business, how do they talk to their clients, what’s the best way to contact them? So it’s all those moving parts, knowing different currencies, different time zones, all that kind of stuff.

Kim: Theses are one-on-one lessons over Skype or Zoom, right? Without revealing the info you give away in your sessions, what can participants expect to get, in a nutshell?

Shelley: Yes, Skype or zoom and the reason I’m doing them one-on-one is that everybody’s journey is different and I want to be able to tailor it to best fit each person’s needs. What I do covers so much, some people might only want info in one area, they might already be marketing abroad, but they want to expand and they don’t know how to find rate cards for certain countries, or other aspects they want me to cover with them. Or it might be they’ve got a live directed session with someone in another country and they’re not sure of themselves. I do performance coaching as well, which is something I love to do and I always give a little bit of insight into customs of say live sessions in France, or China, or Singapore, or India, because it is very different. They deal with clients and business in different ways. I can go quite in-depth depending on what someone’s needs are, or I can give a broad outline. It really depends, it’s kind of bespoke.

Diving into International Voice Over Rates and Customs

Kim: The world is wide and there is so much cultural diversity. You dive into voice over international rates and customs in your course. You must have put a lot of research into the various markets. How did that happen?

Shelley: That was a bit of a task. It’s all right getting voice over rates from production companies and Unions in specific countries, but if there’s a South African client, for instance, how am I going to get rates for that country? I decided the best way to get an indication of rates in various countries was to reach out to the voice over talent themselves. So, I spent a long time over many years building this info and getting input from more than one VO actor in each region and building up my rate sheets that way.

Kim: Who do you think will best benefit from working with you?

Shelley: I think somebody who’s been in the craft for maybe a couple of years and just wants to branch out to get new clients. People new to the industry can get an overview of what’s out there, so really most people can get something out of Bridging the VO Gap. Even those who’ve been at it for years and years, because guess what? They may have a couple of areas they work at outside of where they live, but they may not know about certain directories or certain places to go for usage rates, or sweet little websites to be aware of. So, I’d say probably everyone could find something of value.

Kim: Is a one-hour session sufficient? Or if voiceover artists want to really take on the world, do they need more time with you?

Shelley: I’ve done a bit of both with people. Again, it depends on what they need. Some people may only need an hour, and some may come back to me and say, ok, I’ve got a handle on this, now I’d like more insight into listing on certain websites, currency or payment issues. An hour is good to get the basics or work on something specific. And if someone wants to work with me on voice over performance afterwards, I’m totally down for that.

Determining Rates: A Formula for a Simple Voice Over Pricing Guide

Voiceover Business

Female Voice Over actors Event — At Uncle Roy’s with Shelley Avellino, Dearbhla Trainor, Laura Schreiber & David Toback

While eating cake in Uncle Roy Yokelson’s Jersey living room this past weekend at the 13^th Annual VO Barbecue, I tossed out this blog idea to Dan Leonard, George Whitham, Brad Newman, and a few others and got a thumbs up. So here goes. I am about to stir the pot. Having been a full-time voiceover artist for over 25 years, I am very passionate about voiceover rates, have heaps of experience in what constitutes industry-standard voiceover rates and (obvi) a lot of opinions. What has been bothering me is a lack of clarity around where different talent price themselves vis a vis their particular pecking order and ta-dah! I have a solution for that.

Union Voice Over Rates

Firstly, it’s an excellent idea to become familiar with SAG/AFTRA, ACTTRA or Equity pricing. Union rates have been negotiated between producers and entities that represent the performers. Having sat on some of the committees elected to participate in these great discussions I can say coming to agreements are long and arduous. One thing people always seem to forget is that these negotiated rates are the basement in pricing. One should not ever work for anything lower than what has been negotiated, and with talent, experience and demand, one can negotiate higher rates.

Non-Union Voice Over Rates

In the expanding world of non-union voice over rates, the debate is great on how much to charge for voiceover work. If you partake in any form of non-union voice work, I caution you to avoid a desperate race to the bottom in order to continue to get your share of the pie in our market. There lies the path of fiverr, burn out and not being able to sustain a healthy career in VO. That being said, how you price your voice work is not one size fits all. Yes, look at some of the rate guides that are out there, but also check each other out. A lot of us are now posting our rates on our sites. Survey some of the better talent and constantly working talent to determine what that might be.

5 Pricing Factors to Determine Your Rate

Our art is a craft. Some of us craft better than others. Some have chosen to polish one aspect above another. Not every voice actor is equal. But then not every job is equal either. How do you sort out what to charge? Inspired by a copy writer friend, Steve Roller, I give you the factors to take into account when sorting out what you should charge for a particular job. First of all, go through these and rate yourself 1-3 (low, medium, high). Keep track of your numbers & I’ll tell you what to do with them further down.

Your Voice Over Experience

Are you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro? How long have you been at this? Are you full time or are you working at something else to support your voiceover habit? How long have you been able to write “voice actor” as your job on your tax forms? Have you won awards or been in any stand-out or high profile series or jobs? If you are not yet full-time or have been full time in VO less than 3 years, give yourself a 1. If you’ve been making 6 figures for more than 10 years, give yourself a 3.

Your Perceived Voice Over Value

How do people see you in the market? Not your peers, but your clients. Are you known? Have you done something remarkable and do you promote it? What does your reel sound like? What does your web site look like? Is your YT or Vimeo Channel full of samples of what you’ve done? What is your social media presence? How many connections do you have on LinkedIn, or followers on Facebook or Instagram? Are you one of the go-to talents in your city? Your country? 1-3. Mark it down.

Your Actual Voice Over Value

Strip everything away and ask yourself honestly, how good are you? What feedback have you received about your craft from your clients? And how good in their industry are those clients? Are you working on triple A video games or is your income mostly from games produced in countries with developing economies? Have you ever won or been nominated for an award, or do you have dozens under your belt? Below, average or above? 1, 2, or 3?

Your Geography in the Voice Over World

How expensive is the city in which you live? New Yorkers and SoCal people have high rents/mortgages. You guys live in the 3. Whereas if you live in Greenville, SC, Omaha, NB or in Canada (like me) things cost less. Jot down a 1.

Your Hunger for Voice Over Work

Are you crazy busy this week? Do you have a mammoth project in your inbox that you need to set aside time to prepare? Have you met all your financial targets for the last couple of quarters? Then you, my friend, are happily not that hungry for voice over work right now. Give yourself a 3. But if you haven’t booked yet this week (or this month), you qualify for a 1.

Figuring Out Your Own VO Rates

Old Fashioned cash register voice over rates — Source: Alvaro Reyes

If you’ve added all your numbers up, you have something between 5 and 15. Multiply that by .1 So a newbie will be at .5 and an Award winning, 25+ year pro (like yours truly) will have a 1.5 Here’s where the magic happens. Now go back to your guide whether it’s the Union rates or non-Union (which are actually about the same) and multiply their suggested rate by your personal number of .5 to 1.5 SO, if your tally was 1.1 and the suggested rate is $500, you can with clear conscience (and data to back your decision), comfortably charge $550. If your tally was .8, your rate might be $400.

Variability in Voice Over Rates

Why shouldn’t we all just stick with the rate as-is? Same reason my narration rate doesn’t match Sigourney Weaver’s. We’re not all at the same point in our careers. I was a full time radio announcer for 4 years before I became a member of the Union. Those 4 years and the increasing quality of the work I did within them gained me access to qualify for Union rates. Before that, I may have thought my work was as good as. But it wasn’t. I wrote this because of so many friends and colleagues with lesser degrees of talent/experience who aspire to charge suggested rates, but aren’t there yet. It’s also for the multitude of experienced, talented voice artists who should be charging more. A lot more. Know your worth. Know the market. Price yourself accordingly.

I will now remove myself from the soap box I have been spouting and ask for your comments. What do you think? Rates are a hotbed in terms of topics. I’ve pulled the covers back. Want to climb in?

Voice Over Rates: How to Find the Razor Sharp Edge of Pricing your Professional

Voiceover Business

After sorting out how to find the right voice with top notch audio quality and a quick turnaround time, the big question for producers hiring voiceover professional is rates. How much does it cost to hire a voice actor to narrate your material?

The simple answer:

Voice over Rates — Credit: Election Academy

Union

First let’s sneak a peek at the Union vs non-Union rates. If it’s a Union (Sag-AFTRA-ACTRA) gig, the minimum or “scale” rates are set and negotiated between representatives on behalf of the actors and the producers who are signatory to the union. The actor then may agree to do the job for scale, or ask for “scale and a half,” “double scale,” etc. This is more common for experienced or in-demand actors.

Rates are a hot topic among artists who make their living with their vocal chords. Sometimes a contentious one. Whether those artists are union, non-union or both (i.e. Fi-core, for financial core – SAG AFTRA members who pay their union dues, but rescind voting rights to be able to work both sides of the lot).

Voice over Rates How to Find — Credit: Nick Maillet

Union folk walk the tight line between anxiously guarding hard-fought for rates and keeping rates competitive in the rising tide of non-union work. Being organized, they are also the loudest complainant that rates for the most strenuous types of voice work are the often the lowest. And, it’s true. Genres, like gaming, audiobook work and dubbing are all low-men on the totem pole. Long-form audiobook narration is a rewarding, but slogging marathon and dubbing while exhilarating, requires tight precision in timing and delivery. Gaming demands intense energy and characterization of life and death situations, where the stakes are always high and the pace to perform is wickedly fast. (At a studio where I often direct commercials, narration & demos, I was invited to audition as a gaming director. I was told my direction was spot on, excellent even, but the time I took to get the actor to deliver the performance was just too long for the gaming world.)

Non-Union

If you have not signed an agreement with the actor’s union(s), or your project is being produced virtually (with input from various contributors around the globe), then your project is non-union. Rates for non-union jobs generally depend on two variables: the project and the actor. More specifically, the length, use and intended/projected audience of your project, and the quality of the voice actor (and occasionally both how busy that actor is and the depth of your relationship).

Professional voice actors who work non-union jobs most often charge prices in line with union gigs. Most producers who are not Union signatory, still want great talent, they just don’t want to either be locked in to residuals and buy-outs on every production or have the flexibility to pick up both union and nonunion work themselves.

Use, Population & Time

How a voice performance is used is the most important identifier in determining price. Commercial advertising (broadcast, theatrical, web, etc.) commands the highest fee structure and is also based on population. How many eyes/ears will see/hear it? The sliding scale works from local, regional to national ads. And there are differences in price for different countries. A national ad in the USA has 5 times the potential viewership of a national ad in the UK and 10 times that of Canada. The prices reflect that. When you take international ads and audiences into account, international economies also come into play. The average weekly salary in Jamaica is 1/3 of an average American weekly wage, and people in India make less than 1/10 of what those in the US make. Commercial rates may be negotiated as a lump sum or follow the Union model and be broken down into a rate for the session (the time during which the ad is recorded), the use (where it will be seen), population (by how many) and for how long (for 13 weeks, generally called “one cycle” or longer, up to a full buy-out – all uses for all perpetuity, in which case, you are looking at a big-ticket item).

There is also quite a difference between commercial and narration rates. Typically, we think of narration as corporate or business videos, and training or eLearning programs. Narration rates are often set in either 10 minute increments (which follows the format of the union rates) or by number of cents per word. For example, the lion’s share of voice artists will say any narration up to the first 10 minutes will be around $300 US (give or take $100) or approximately 0.20 per word (give or take 0.10). Rates for subsequent increments of 10 minutes are generally lower on a sliding scale to a fixed rate (eg. no lower than $100 per 10 mins).

Until you get the hang of it, it can be confusing. Whether you are a producer or a voice over artist. In fact, on our side of the negotiating table, the majority of vetted professional voice over artists discuss our rates amongst each other to keep our prices within what is fair to us, to producers and to respect what the market will bear.

The best way to sort out pricing is have an open discussion with the voice talent you want to hire. Just as you often have a budget range, in most cases, they will have a rate range. The ideal is when your budget range and their rate range find common ground.

If you’re looking for a female voice over artist and want to discuss rates for a project you’re casting, contact me. If I can be of any assistance, I’d love to help.

514-803-2296

kim@kimhandysidesvoiceover.com