Usage

When it's crap but they make it look like sparkly crap

If you've been in the voiceover world for longer than 15 minutes, you've probably encountered the kind of gig that looks decent on the surface, but upon further inspection, like, just reading a few more sentences in the breakdown, you’ll see that it turns out to be a shiny, underbaked muffin of a deal: sweet, glossy, and tragically hollow.

This document—pictured above, sent to me by SEVERAL VO worriers——is a pristine example of how a job can masquerade as “professional” while quietly mugging your time, rights, and long-term earning potential.

Let’s break this down.

1. The math lies. It lies so freakin’ hard.

They’re dangling that sweet, sweet $250/hour "Session Fee", which is technically true, but functionally meaningless. Why? Because they require a 2-hour minimum per session, so your base pay is $500 per session. Sounds fine… until you realize that you’re expected to record an unlimited number of scripts in that session. Unlimited. UNLIMITED, PEOPLE!!! That word should only apply to breadsticks and bad decisions, not voiceover copy.

Also, if you go beyond the first two hours? It's $62.50/hour, which is honestly offensive. That’s Uber driver money without the tips, surge pricing, or the dignity of being able to leave whenever you want.

2. Usage Fee: The Trojan Horse of "bonus" payments

They offer a $2,500 usage fee, which sounds great, until you realize it only kicks in if:

1. You’re in the final materials.

2. The client actually uses them.

3. They get around to doing it.

4. You had an agent.

And if your agent is involved, kiss another 20% goodbye. You know, because agents need yachts too.

This fee is not guaranteed—just like your career stability.

3. Rights grab of doom

In case the payment structure didn’t make you cry already, the Terms of Use swoop in like a copyright-hungry raccoon.

They get:

• Unlimited advertising and marketing use. (There’s that awesome word again!)

• Every form of media since the dawn of time (TV, digital, podcasts, in-store, cinema, the back of cereal boxes, presumably).

• Global usage. (GLOBAL)

• Real estate exclusivity, which is hilariously specific but wide-ranging.

And how long do they get all that for? At least one year, possibly more if they decide to auto-renew by tossing another 10% on top and calling it a new "option term."

This is what we call a buyout that forgot to die.

4. The world’s longest sentence (AKA the "Media" Clause)

If you’re into reading contractual clauses that feel like a hostage note written by a bored lawyer with a thesaurus, this one’s for you. The “Media” definition here is so bloated it should come with an oxygen tank. It includes TV, OTT, email, pre-roll, in-flight, in-cinema, mobile phones, your grandma’s answering machine, and probably a pigeon with a USB stick.

Oh, and they even get archival use. So congratulations: you’re now immortal, but not in the fun way.

Final Thoughts: Learn to say, '“Thanks but no thanks”

This is the kind of gig that preys on newer voice actors who get starry-eyed at anything with a three-figure hourly rate. But to be honest, this isn’t “$250 an hour” when they want to squeeze a gallon of copy into a Dixie cup of compensation. It’s a classic case of “do everything, get paid once, and then please go away.”

Don’t fall for it. Respect your voice. Respect your time. And for the love of diaphragm support, read the fine print. Or better yet—make friends with someone bitter like me who’ll read it for you.

Tonight I am hosting an ASK US ANYTHING event with voiceover casting director Peter Pamela Rose. It’s free! So you should join us. Register by clicking this cool button below!