I have some questions

Jamie Moore · **Voice Talent** Joined: 04 Jan 2008 Posts: 5

This is a repeat post but I think I may have miscategorized it the first time so here ya go...
I am fairly new to the V123 forum and I am curious... how do you get rated on auditions? is it just happenstance that someone may or may not rate you? I have only submitted on 8 auditions out of 252 and yet the stat board tells me that is 10% more than others and that I will receive fewer opportunities unless I audition less.. this is mind boggling to me... Does anyone else find this backward? I always looked at auditioning as a numbers game, the more you do the better your odds, but here it seems just the opposite.... I audition for everything my agent sends me, as long as I feel I am right for it. It is difficult to adjust my way of thinking. Any other tips anyone would be willing to reveal would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Jamie

Melba Sibrel · Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2008, 14:52 (GMT) Post subject:

Everything you've said makes sense. As far as I can see, SC doesn't make much sense. But I don't see it going away and becoming open auditioning again, with folks using their own brains to figure out if they're suitable or not. I hope it works better for you than it has many here.

Robert Clark · **Voice Talent** Joined: 25 Jan 2007 Posts: 2

Below is an e-mail string relating to a question I asked about this very issue. Voice123 has become like the worst type of government bureaucracy where they have decided what is best for everyone instead of letting the market decide and have chosen to punish everyone in the attempt to make everyone "equal." Communism at its best.

I love the statement, "Our SmartCast system works. We know it does." From what I've read in this forum, it appears that no-one outside the hallowed walls in which Voice123 corporate resides believes this.

By the way, I still haven't heard from Steven Lowell on who his supervisor is and what his or her phone number is.

Cheers!

Robert Clark

RE: Your Smartcast deal (LTK1440332774X)‏
From: Robert Clark (racjis@hotmail.com)
Sent: Fri 2/15/08 1:02 PM
To: The Voice123 Team (help@voice123.com)

Actually, I only reply in this tone to smarmy e-mails that pretend to take on an air of superiority and then don't actually answer the questions asked. And once again, you did this. The point, if you had read my e-mail, that I was trying to make was that if I am to get work through your site, I need to respond to requests for auditions (and once again, if you'd read my e-mail you would know that I don't respond to all requests). However, the more I do this, the more I am penalized by your system because it prioritizes those that repond more often than the average. Therefore, I am apparently getting second hand auditions and less significant auditions. Therefore, if I am to make any money back from your system I have to audition more in order to increase the statistical chance of being selected for one. Therefore, I am in a statisticial death spiral.

You have not answered any of my concerns regarding this!

Instead, you simply spit back at me the section of your Smartcast information to which I was refering in the original and second e-mail and then accused me of not reading the Smartcast information. Tell me, how would I know to ask these questions if I weren't reading the information?

Please send me the name and phone number of your supervisor.

Robert Clark

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From: help@voice123.com
To: robert.clark@voicesbybob.com; racjis@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: Your Smartcast deal (LTK1440332774X)
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:04:50 -0500

Reference number: LTK1440332774X Please use this ticket number in any correspondence with us.
Subject: Your Smartcast deal Dear Robert ,

I am seriously displeased with your tone in your emails and if this is any indication of how you professionally behave over the internet, I am fully happy with giving you a full refund.

Our SmartCast system works. We know it does.

I am a talent myself, and I all have to answer are emails, and when I read things like what you wrote below, it seriously makes me worry that you will upset someone else on the website, either a talent or a client, which in the end hurts everyone. I spend a long time on these emails, yet I see this:

"Well, thanks for this reply that doesn't respond to any of my concerns."

"What on earth does spam have to do with anything?"

"Do you own this company? Who does and who do I need to talk to about this?"

I have been in the VO business 15 years, and with Voice123 for 2 years as a premium member, and then 7 months as an employee.

For the record...your current problems:

1) your profile is barely filled out, which effects your invitations.

2) You obviously ignore that you cannot submit for everything because in less than 3 weeks you submitted for 33 auditions, and looking at your talent to talent comparison, which by the way has nothing to do with SmartCast, I see this...Notice the bold-faced type:
Since Jan 25, 2008 you have submitted 33 auditions and proposals. During this same time period, all Voice123 Premium Subscribers that also speak English (North American) have submitted an average of 3.81 auditions and proposals (approx.)

As such, during the same period of time, you have submitted 766.14% more auditions and proposals than other Premium Subscribers that also speak English (North American).

If you wish to not read up on SmartCast or research how the service works, or not listen when we explain it to you & then write combative emails in response, then you will have the results you are getting.

In case this message does not fully answer your question, or if you have further comments, simply reply to it, please.
Please remember that your highest return of investment is our highest priority. We love to hear from you, please feel free to contact our Customer Service whether you have a question, comment, or idea. We will work hard to make you happy.
Please use this link to rate the response you received in this email.
Sincerely,

By Steven Lowell
Toll Free US & Canada: 1.877.275.8642
New York & International: (+1) 212.461.1873
55 Broad Street, New York, NY 10004
http://voice123.com
Information provided by Voice123, LLC does not represent career advice. Voice123 is a professional marketplace, and does not represent its customers as an agency or management, nor does it guarantee return of investment for services rendered. It is solely the responsibility of the Voice123 customer to evaluate the accuracy, and usefulness of all opinions, advice, services, merchandise, statistics and other information provided through the Voice123 service. Voice123, LLC will not be held liable for the success or failure of its customers, nor decisions made or actions taken by its customers, and those who assume reliance upon the information & tools it has provided. ---------------Original Message---------------
From: Robert Clark < >
Subject:
RE: Your Smartcast deal (LTK1440332774X)
Well, thanks for this reply that doesn't respond to any of my concerns.

Yes, I get projects that aren't right for me and I don't respond to them. However, I am currently indicating that I am responding to 800% more invitations than other subscribers and you indicate that your system prioritizes those that have a lower than average response to invitations. This means that I am in a statistical death spiral and that is why I am penalized for responding to the invitations that are sent me. It has nothing to do with applying for everything. What on earth does spam have to do with anything? That simply makes no sense.

I am sorry, but you simply cannot have 30 plus auditions with two direct invitation and a direct response within 9 minutes. This is an invitation that I received today. I wrote yesterday because of an invitation a that I received yesterday that within a minute supposedly had over a dozen responses. That simply isn't physically possible. This means that I am consistently getting second hand invitations. So, it is not that "this is the speed involved here." I am getting old invitations, probably because of the prioritizing that your system does based upon a goofy algorithm. Are you taking into account those people that are not replying to any invitations? Are you taking into account the percentage of invitations answered to invitations sent on an individual basis?

Also, I have subscribed to this system for over a year now and still haven't received one job offer from it. So, I have been doing this for more than a month and your system hasn't worked at all for me. I decided to give your system another shot last month. Now I find that I am getting consistently old invitations and very poor customer service as evidenced by this last e-mail.

Do you own this company? Who does and who do I need to talk to about this?

Robert Clark

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From: help@voice123.com
To: robert.clark@voicesbybob.com; racjis@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: Your Smartcast deal (LTK1440332774X)
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2008 14:59:47 -0500

Reference number: LTK1440332774X Please use this ticket number in any correspondence with us.
Subject: Your Smartcast deal Dear Robert,

1) You will always get projects that are not right for you. That is why you are 'rewarded' for not applying to them.

2) Auditions are filled because talents audition quickly. That is the speed involved here. We cannot change that. If you get auditions later than most, check your profile, demos, short voice description, & location to make sure it describes all you can do. What projects are posted will match that info.

3) Why do you think you are being penalized? What many do not understand is that 'applying for everything' does not help you when it comes to the internet because of the taboo of spam, and the fact that all people are very busy, and this is now worldwide. The old billboard posting sites work for less than 20% of the talents auditioning.

We never advertised that Smartcast would let you audition for everything. It goes against what some talents think, but you have to use it right for at least a month before you see its true benefits.

In case this message does not fully answer your question, or if you have further comments, simply reply to it, please.
Please remember that your highest return of investment is our highest priority. We love to hear from you, please feel free to contact our Customer Service whether you have a question, comment, or idea. We will work hard to make you happy.
Please use this link to rate the response you received in this email.
Sincerely,

By Steven Lowell
Toll Free US & Canada: 1.877.275.8642
New York & International: (+1) 212.461.1873
55 Broad Street, New York, NY 10004
http://voice123.com
Information provided by Voice123, LLC does not represent career advice. Voice123 is a professional marketplace, and does not represent its customers as an agency or management, nor does it guarantee return of investment for services rendered. It is solely the responsibility of the Voice123 customer to evaluate the accuracy, and usefulness of all opinions, advice, services, merchandise, statistics and other information provided through the Voice123 service. Voice123, LLC will not be held liable for the success or failure of its customers, nor decisions made or actions taken by its customers, and those who assume reliance upon the information & tools it has provided. ---------------Original Message---------------
From: Robert Clark < >
Subject:
RE: Your Smartcast deal (LTK1440332774X)
1) I keep getting urban/hip hop auditions. That ain't me. 2) I keep getting second hand auditions, so they show up in my invite box and they've already had dozens of auditions and there's little hope they'll be interested in me. 3) I signed up with your site to seek work. Why should I be penalized for using your site in the way its supposed to be used?

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From: help@voice123.com
To: robert.clark@voicesbybob.com
Subject: RE: Your Smartcast deal (LTK1440332774X)
Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2008 19:02:05 -0500

Reference number: LTK1440332774X Please use this ticket number in any correspondence with us.
Subject: Your Smartcast deal Dear Robert,
In simple terms...
It means, 'Submit for that which only suits you, and SmartCast will send you invites that are more suited towards your profile'.
In the past, we had problems with spamming that chased good voice seekers from the site, and we are trying to bring them back to get talents the money they deserve.

In case this message does not fully answer your question, or if you have further comments, simply reply to it, please.
Please remember that your highest return of investment is our highest priority. We love to hear from you, please feel free to contact our Customer Service whether you have a question, comment, or idea. We will work hard to make you happy.
Please use this link to rate the response you received in this email.
Sincerely,

By Steven Lowell
Toll Free US & Canada: 1.877.275.8642
New York & International: (+1) 212.461.1873
55 Broad Street, New York, NY 10004
http://voice123.com
Information provided by Voice123, LLC does not represent career advice. Voice123 is a professional marketplace, and does not represent its customers as an agency or management, nor does it guarantee return of investment for services rendered. It is solely the responsibility of the Voice123 customer to evaluate the accuracy, and usefulness of all opinions, advice, services, merchandise, statistics and other information provided through the Voice123 service. Voice123, LLC will not be held liable for the success or failure of its customers, nor decisions made or actions taken by its customers, and those who assume reliance upon the information & tools it has provided. ---------------Original Message---------------
From: Robert Clark < >
Subject:
Your Smartcast deal
What exactly does this mean:

One of the goals of Voice123 SmartCast is to maintain the fairness of the market place by distributing project invitations among all Voice123 talents and voice producers. Voice123 SmartCast gives preference to talents and voice producers that have submitted less auditions and proposals than average.

Bob Spencer · **Voice Talent** Joined: 05 Aug 2007 Posts: 24