Any union experiences with Voices.com?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Andrea Lyman on September 11, 2009 at 12:12pm

My bet is Paul Horn might know.

Permalink Reply by Paul Horn on September 11, 2009 at 9:13pm

Hi Perry--Yes, I've learned a bit about Voices.com, and AFTRA attended the v/o conference they sponsored in L.A. earlier this and last year--partly to educate them and attendees about the union. They're Canada based and were almost totally ignorant about AFTRA or SAG. In general, I'd be wary of plunking down much money to try them out..they deal mainly with lower rate, non union gigs. I've had some experience with Voice123.com, voicedirectory.com, and nosed around several others. The other union actors I know who've tried these sites don't report much if any success....I had a few nibbles on 123, but nothing ever panned out. It certainly can't hurt to list yourself and test the waters; and some of these companies offer a free or money back guarantee 30 day trial period....If you do land a job through one of their postings, most of these companies will simply ask you where to send the check unless they're a signatory themselves (very unlikely) and will pay under the applicable contract (plus the separate check to H and R). I have any new clients use my "payroll service" (ArtPayroll) if it's an industrial; if it's a commercial, they've got to be a signatory or go through one. Either way, once I know they want me for a job (I'm talking about any independent producer now, not just an online connection), I call ArtPayroll and have them speak to the client. It can be a bit complicated, but it's doable.....feel free to contact me directly if you'd like to discuss further....617 323 5205. Otherwise I'll certainly be interested in your experience with them (as will others, I'm sure). Thanks for raising this issue. --Paul

Permalink Reply by Perry Persoff on September 11, 2009 at 9:51pm

Thank you, Paul. Perhaps my next step is to check out Art Payroll.

What I've noticed most with Voices123.com--as opposed to Voices.com--has been a lot of very low rate submissions and too many job descriptions that make you wonder if the poster still needs to take English Composition. Too many typo's and noticeably poor sentence stucture makes you, as a voice talent, wonder about the professionalism of the job poster (uh oh, now I better proof this three times before I hit "send"). That said, I have also seen some Voices123 jobs that look interesting and have decent pay. But I have not jumped for the Premium Subscription. Overall, Voices123 looks like a good service for non-union VO actors. My hope is that Voices.com is an alternative with a lot more union work. Who knows? Not me, yet.

Once again, best of luck to us all.

--Perry P.

Permalink Reply by Paul Horn on September 11, 2009 at 9:55pm

Yes, they are the most widely used signatory paymaster in New England, formerly in business as "American Residuals and Talent." Check out www.artpayroll.com

You could also ask Voice.com for a breakdown of union vs. non union jobs (I imagine they keep track of such things) and even ask them how their union members handle the paperwork. Interesting to see what they tell you......keep me posted.

Paul

Permalink Reply by Perry Persoff on September 11, 2009 at 10:09pm

Oh, "American Residuals and Talent." Now that I am familiar with.

I did call Voices.com and ask about how union paperwork, wages, etc, were handled. If I recall correctly, the person I spoke with--who was very sincere--said it is generally between the voice talent and the client. Which pretty much brings me back to American Residuals and Talent. Oops, I mean Art Payroll. Not to be confused with the late great Art Carney. But back to Voices.com, yes, a breakdown of non-union and union jobs would be interesting. I appreciate the idea.

Thanks again,

Perry.

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Permalink Reply by Curtis Eames on April 12, 2012 at 10:20pm

are there agencies/dirs. that handle the union vo jobs? I rarely get called in for them