I received an email from a great VO talent, Stephen de Groot, that said…
“I received a couple of emails from Russian game developers who wanted a sample read from me. One does appear to have a website and YT channel. The other is supposedly a Russian musician. Have you ever received proposals like those before? Not sure if they’re legit or fishing for info.”
I thought this would be such a great topic. How DO YOU know if a VO audition email is legit? I’ve included what Stephen’s response was and some suggestions I’d give as well.
Before I get into this let me explain what I mean by “VO audition email.”
Once you put it out there on Linkedin/website/social media that you do voiceover, you may start getting random emails asking you to audition for something. It could be a project, production company, roster, etc.
Some of these ARE completely legit and personally have turned into jobs for me. However, not all of them are legit.
Here are some ways to determine if they’re legit but first, let me share what Stephen responded with…
“A few questions about the project, can you tell me a bit about the video game you’re developing? The developer? Do you have a website or preview for it yet? Is there a specific character you wanted me to voice?”
Stephen’s response was great, which leads to the first way to determine if it’s legit.
1| ASK FOR MORE DETAILS
Make sure you know the
- Company name and website
- Project specifics (as exemplified in Stephen’s response)
- Usage (i.e. how will they be using the finished project. I just got an email from a company that does in-store advertising. It was helpful knowing this because those rates are different.)
- Rate (if they’re asking you to join their roster, you can simply ask if their rates adhere to the GVAA rate guide and link it)
Sometimes they may not be able to give you all the project details but try to get as many details as possible.
2| IF THEY ASK YOU TO PAY ANYTHING – for a studio, to be on their roster, etc
They are NOT legit. This is a scam.
3| CHECK CONTACT
Check to see if you can find the contact that emailed you on Linkedin or on the company’s website. This helps to make sure they’re representing the company they say they are.
4| SEARCH PAST PROJECTS
You should be able to view past projects somewhere online. That should give you an idea of the quality the company produces. If you can’t find anything, I’d ask them if they have a sample of a past project they’ve done so you can match the tone. Just let them know that will help inform your audition, so you can present them with the best takes.
Hopefully these tips help.
My philosophy is proceed with caution but also optimism. The problem with fear, is it can prevent us from seeing the good because we’re trying so hard to avoid the bad. While I’ve definitely received some scam emails, I’ve received more emails with legit opportunities.