George Washington III African-American Voice Actor Sourceconnect
(704) 293-7469
george@voevolution.com
  • Home
  • Demos
    • Commercial
    • e-Learning
    • Narration
    • Promo
    • Democratic Political
  • About
George Washington III African-American Voice Actor Header Logo
  • Clients
  • Contact
George Washington III African-American Voice Actor Logo

Clients, agents and being in the middle

October 22, 2010 by George 2 Comments

[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=between&iid=5283680″ src=”http://view1.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/5283680/husband-and-wife-fighting/husband-and-wife-fighting.jpg?size=500&imageId=5283680″ width=”380″ height=”375″ /]
Like most voice artists, I have a number of agents. My agent here in Charlotte however generally only represents me for on camera work. Last week I had the opportunity to audition for an industrial video. I didn’t get the part, but my agent was kind enough to mention to the clients after I left that I also do voiceover. This resulted in me having the opportunity to audition for and win the narration job for the video. Good news!

As I waited for the script, I got a call directly from the client asking about my rate. This confused me, as though I do offer rates directly to clients, I felt that since my agency found this gig, it was not my place to set the rate, especially since there was a rate previously mentioned (if not agreed to in total) in emails that had moved back and forth. I did hem and haw well enough to make sure I was still getting the gig, but deferred to my agent for pricing. It has since been cleared up, and will be done soon.

This situation does bring this point up: how do you handle this kind of situation? I say honor your agreement with your agent. Don’t undercut them, don’t take things away from them, ESPECIALLY in the instance where you would not have gotten the gig without them. In general, your agent has your best interests in mind: in this case, they were able to get a gig for me even beyond the on camera aspect of the original audition. I am not so naive to think there is not self interest involved. Indeed, they were able to book an additional talent for the job they weren’t even planning on having available, and that is direct revenue to them. But the truth is, that revenue is also coming to me through their efforts. That is good enough to earn my loyalty when dealing directly with the client, and in the end, strengthens my relationship with the agency.

I would love to hear from others how they have dealt with similar situations. I’m sure this isn’t a rare situation, and I think that people new to the field and dealing with agents would find additional input valuable.

Have a great weekend….and thanks, Mary Kay!

Filed Under: Agents, Voiceover - Work

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lisa Rice says

    October 22, 2010 at 11:15 am

    Great perspective, George. I can’t help but think of the following:

    * “Honesty is the best policy.”

    * “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

    * And lastly, “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.”

    Enough said. ; )

    Reply
  2. Pamela Vanderway says

    October 22, 2010 at 11:32 am

    I agree with you completely, George. It’s so important to respect the work that your agent does for you! Great article!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • When Your Voiceover Work Impacts You
  • Verizon Dropping ISDN in Some States
  • Sales Performance International – Knowledge is Not Power
  • D-Link Gaming Router
  • Joe Miller for US Senate

Archives

  • February 2023
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • July 2012
  • May 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010

Categories

  • Agents
  • Audio
  • Audiobook
  • Career Development
  • Faffcon
  • Interview
  • Marketing, Sales and Contacts
  • Music
  • Narration
  • Networking
  • On-Camera
  • Pat on the Back
  • Power of Human Voice
  • Press Release
  • Random Thoughts
  • Samples
  • Social Media
  • Sound Resources
  • Tech Talk
  • Tip o' the Hat
  • Tools You Can Use
  • Training
  • Uncategorized
  • Video
  • Video Testimonial
  • Voice Artists
  • Voiceover – Work

Contact

If you want a quote or a personalized demo, feel free to contact me today. I’ll be happy to review your project by phone or email.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

george@voevolution.com
(704) 293-7469
george.washington.iii
George Washington III African-American Voice Actor Footer Sourceconnect
George Washington III African-American Voice Actor Wovo Logo

©2023 George Washington III // Voice Over Site by Voice Actor Websites

George Washington III African-American Voice Actor Footer Logo
(704) 293-7469
george@voevolution.com
MENU
  • Home
  • Demos
    • Commercial
    • e-Learning
    • Narration
    • Promo
    • Democratic Political
  • Clients
  • Contact