I get a lot of emails from wannabe voice talents asking for work. We have strict guidelines on who we will add to our database because clients expect us to recommend people who can get the job done when the session starts. That means talents with a proven track record. I think it’s reasonable to expect anyone who wants to be paid for voice work to have relevant experience.
So you can image my surprise when, a year ago, I received an email from someone peeved at a blog entry I wrote. In this post, I included the worst pitches I’d received for voice work from newbies. I titled the blog “bad pick up lines” and thought nothing of it. I didn’t reveal names. I wasn’t trying to embarrass anyone. It was my way of forewarning would-be voice talents that I’m not going to burn time talking to anyone who hasn’t voiced professionally before.
So when this hack wrote in and complained I’d made him look bad, even though only he could recognize his own words, I deleted the post after thinking that perhaps it was a touch aggressive.
Guess what?
I wish I had ignored that blowhole and left the blog as-is, cos the point was to make knuckleheads think twice before emailing asking for work. Cos in the 12 months since, the bad emails have kept coming:
“I am fresher in this field! interested in voice-over jobs. Let me know If you have any opening.”
“Thought of listing on the database but haven’t had experience in doing voiceover work before… was wondering if I could still put in a listing.”
“I’ve read through your website and note you request a detailed C.V. and a demo tape… Sadly, I have no demo tape … would the fact that I have no previous experience mean you simply wouldn’t consider me as a possible addition to your talent-list? “
And here’s the gem from the original post –
“At the moment in-between jobs and want to get some paid voice-over work – something I’ve been keen to do and often told that I should.”
What a Joker.