In our first three blog posts within our talent agency series, we looked at what a talent agent is, how much a talent agent costs, and if voice actors should use a talent agent.
Today, we come at this question from the perspective of the creative director, or project lead who is looking to hire a voice actor but wondering whether to go with a talent agency or a voice over marketplace like Voices.
In this article
In this blog, we’ll answer the question: Should You Use a Talent Agency for Voice Over?
We’ll look at the pros and cons of using a talent agency below:
Pros of Using a Talent Agent
If you’re a creative producer or leading your team on a project that needs a voice over; the chances are you’ve wondered about the different ways to engage and hire the right voice over talent.
Organizations typically can go one of these three routes:
- Use a personal contact or voice actor through a word-of-mouth referral
- Engage and hire a talent agency to source the voice actor for you
- Browse and register on a voice over marketplace like Voices
There are some pros to using a talent agency, and we have them listed below:
- Exclusive Talent
Some voice actors are only available to be booked through their talent agency.
This is rare, however; based on our industry data, most voice over talent use marketplaces and have a talent agent (to maximize exposure and opportunities).
On the off chance that the voice you want to use for your project is only available through a specific talent agency, then of course this is the best option for your project.
This scenario is often common when you’re looking to book a celebrity or famous voice that can also do voice over.
- Personal Relationships
If you have a close, personal relationship with a talent agent; obviously this will impact your decision to work with the individual or not. Personal relationships and years of history with an individual are what lead many people to make the purchasing decisions they do.
Whether you’re shopping for appliances, a car, or your company’s next HR software; if the buyer has a strong personal connection with the seller, this will sway the purchase decision dramatically.
The same is true for looking for a voice actor and potentially engaging with a talent agency.
But before you go with someone because of that history, we’d be remiss if we didn’t suggest you review the alternative options before making that decision.
Cons of Using a Talent Agent
Just like any service, there will be cons that need to be weighed against the pros being offered.
There are three major cons, or difficulties, using a talent agency, rather than Voices.
- Limited Roster of Voice Actors
Talent agents have a smaller stock of voice actors, compared to voice over marketplaces like Voices. It’s just a reality of being able to offer hands-on service to the talent they manage.
If a talent agent has too many voice actors that they’re managing, the talent may feel they’re not getting as much attention and will consider going elsewhere.
With that information, it’s important to know Voices currently has more than two million different voice actors for you to choose from.
We also have a full team to support clients hiring voice actors and another team to support our voice actors.
- Higher Cost
Talent agents charge a commission on the work they secure for their clients.
This commission is usually a percentage of the client’s earnings, ranging from 10% to 20%.
For example, if an actor secures a role that pays $10,000, and their talent agent charges a 15% commission, the agent would receive $1,500.
It’s worth noting that talent agents are not allowed to charge upfront fees to their clients. So keep that in mind when negotiating and reading over contracts.
On the other hand, you can browse Voices’ wide range of voice actors, listen to their demos and accents, all for free.
You can even create an account, post a job and listen to those auditions, all before you pay us.
That way you are spending your money, once you know the voice you want to go with.
- Slower Process
Because you’re getting a personalized experience with a talent agent, it is a slower process.
There will be more back and forth, and fewer automated services. That’s just the reality of dealing with a smaller business.
Voices is a leading technology company with a full team of developers. We’re constantly improving the platform and hiring process to make it as efficient as possible.
Currently, the average hiring processing time (from job posted to voice actor hired) is 24 hours.
Also, clients who post voice over jobs on Voices typically see their first reponses within 90 minutes.
Voices has more than two million unique voice actors on our platform, explore them and hire one for your next voice over project!
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