Over the weekend, I couldn't help but notice the Fiverr cultists attacking a well-known and successful voice actor on another social media platform for calling out questionable business practices from a particular coach. I can understand the pushback on calling someone out by name and that wouldn't have been my choice, but some of the rebuttals were just childish. "Okay boomer! You're just jealous! You're out of touch!" I intervened with a couple of my own opinions and was called an "old fossil" for saying that I didn't care to work 70 hours a week for 100 clients who pay lowball rates and would rather work 20 hours a week for 15 clients who come back to me regularly for far more reasonable rates! That makes me old? Please.
Professional voice actors should stay true to the standards our agents hold regarding voiceover rates and the advice we give to others. Nobody likes a witch-hunt but these days, there seems to be some pushback when one's slippery shenanigans are questioned. When did it become acceptable to support the teachings of those who lure vulnerable newcomers into questionable courses by making it sound like VO is SO easy and you don't need a lot of talent? Some even stoop to the level of making promises of six-figure incomes. Is this the community we've become? When did mediocrity and gaslighting become acceptable?
For a long time, I have felt that these kinds of opportunistic practices have risked “dumbing down” our profession. The number of “predators” (there is no other word for them) who take advantage of people’s work - or seek to profit off the vulnerable - has reached a low point. What is “old fossil” about wishing to be adequately compensated for your efforts? I think those who engage in this gaslighting are pretty foolish. They imperil our industry as a whole with their short-sighted thinking.
There’s a saying that goes: “If you’re willing to do ANYTHING to get something, you can expect about anything in return”. For me, it just shows a lack of respect for yourself and your work. Having been in this profession for 30+ years now, I remain now and forever in the old school. Because it works. I find that I am respected more by those I work for. After all, if you don’t value yourself, who will?