Being the best you can be, OR Supporting your industry not devaluing it.

One thing that's been a major stumbling block in the Audio/Multi-Media industry in recent times is a huge influx of amateur talent that has started to devalue the industry as a whole. This is being seen in Voiceover, Content creation, Audio, Video, and just about any other creative field.

Why is this, and what does it really mean? Well, here's my take. Right or wrong.

Deep down, we're all creative beings. At our very core, we're all artists, musicians, writers, poets, and visionaries. Some of us just recognize this while others stifle it as, what I've been told time and time again, childishness and pursuits of selfishness rather than beneficial skills.

So, in a down economy, like we've been experiencing and when it's hard to keep a job, let alone find a new one, it becomes more tantalizing for us to start looking for creative ways to make money. We've seen a flood of this in the Voiceover industry in particular. People get wind of someone who makes a good comfortable living doing voice work and think "How hard can that be, you just talk into a microphone, right?".

What's the problem with that, you ask? Well, nothing, as long as they take the time to research the industry, build quality demos, get to know the equipment they need to be using and how to properly use it, learn some basic editing skills, and hone their voice delivery to match the expectations of the industry. That's not what normally happens though.

The norm has become the amateurs who pop up on lead sites and start bidding $25 for a voicemail message or IVR. Now, I'm not saying that rates should stay constant, or even consistently GROW, but there needs to be a connect with companies looking for voice talent that you're not going to get the same product from a $25 talent as you are a professional voice artist. Conversely, you're not going to land a professional talent for $25.

What is the difference you ask? Isn't it all just voice to microphone to computer? Nope, sorry, but it's not. The professional has invested money in quality equipment, to maximize sound and minimize noise. The professional is going to converse with the client about delivery, inflection, pace, and format. The professional is going to provide finished, edited, and enhanced product. The professional is going to guarantee his/her work and still be there when it's time for updates and enhancements. The professional has an overhead, as we do this as a business and not just a weeknight hobby.

As a professional, I feel it's my duty to encourage everyone who has an interest in a specific industry to study that industry. Get to know it, and learn to value it and put your best foot forward. Yep, there will always be a market for cheap, but keep in mind that if you undervalue your work, your clients will undervalue you. It's a guarantee.

Be the best you can be and charge what you're worth, not what you think you can get.