If you’re booking voice over talent regularly then you’re more than likely working with a voice over agency. The typical voice over agency has a “book” of voices (their “clients”) who they look after exclusively and put up for gigs. Most London based agencies take 15-20% commission of the voice over fee so it’s in their interest for that fee to be as high as possible. You may also be charged for studio on top as many agency voice actors still work in external studios that often charge up to £200 an hour.
Meanwhile the industry has moved on and post pandemic there are seriously better ways to work with voice actors on a budget. There are plenty of online voice portals where voice actors pay to have a presence and the opportunity to audition. Budgets are set by the customer who do the castings themselves. Some “pay to play” search engines are better than others but due to low fees and a lack of talent management, many top voice actors prefer not to appear.
Perhaps a better approach is to employ a specialist voice over producer to help you plan and execute any type of voice over.
A voice over producer isn’t tied to an exclusive roster of “client” voices. They can go direct to talent they know and trust to bring you bespoke auditions from the widest choice of suitable voice actors. This leads to good chemistry during the session as the producer’s experience brings the best performance out of the voice actor and delivers approved “best takes” finished audio.
A voice over producer takes away the worry. From helping with complex budgets across international markets and usage fees through to scheduling voice actors and ensuring studio quality, a good voice over producer should be there to answer the questions before they get asked.
A voice over producer can team you up with foreign language voice over actors in territory who are fresher and significantly more capable than their equivalents in the UK. No more castings when two or three voice over agencies all send the same talents!
A voice over producer is a shortcut to better voice talent and an important member of your team. If you’d more information on any of the ideas expressed here get in touch for a chat.
James Bonallack November 2022