I visited LinkedIn today like I do every day, and my whole timeline was overtaken by colleagues telling the world they were nominated for a Voice Arts Award.
They were all using the same Voice Arts approved graphics, so nobody stood out. Now, isn’t the whole point of being nominated that you’re supposed to…. stand out? Isn’t the point that you distinguish yourself from the commoners, the unwashed masses, who aren’t quite up to your impressive level of magnificence?
Let’s remember that most of the nominees submitted themselves. I said submitted, not nominated. A single entry for non-SOVAS members is $140 going up to $170 (companies pay more, and there are no cash refunds). And have you seen the list of nominees? It’s longer than a Tolstoy novel! This year we have nominees from Japan and Arabic countries joining us. The Society of Voice Arts and Sciences must be doing well for a charity running a competition that’s still without a conflict of interest policy.
“But Paul,” I can hear you say, “organizing these awards costs a lot of money.”
Then why can the One Voice Awards do the same thing for free? In both competitions the judges are unpaid volunteers. Only at One Voice they’re kept secret until the winners have been announced to make sure they’re not being influenced. Yes, I’m sure there’s a lot of admin involved, but where’s all the money going?
“It’s going to the awards gala, Paul” you say. Oh, you mean the gala everyone is paying for to attend ($475 for non-members)? Yeah, that makes total sense. One Voice has a gala too. You only pay for your dinner.
“Well, these golden statues cost a lot too, Paul. You’ve got to factor that in.”
Are you referring to that shiny award every winner is paying for out of pocket? Last time I checked they were charging $355 per trophy, and it didn’t include a handling fee. You better not win multiple awards, or it’s going to cost you a fortune. Again, at the One Voice Awards no one is paying for their prize. It’s free so money is no arbiter of talent.
Let’s add everything up, shall we?
“But Paul, it’s a business expense. Being nominated and perhaps winning is such good exposure.”
With everybody congratulating themselves for being nominated on the same day using the same social media platform… that’s really going to help you make your mark. I totally get that. But don’t think that during that glamorous awards gala you get to go on stage and thank God, and Joan and Rudy in your acceptance speech (Joan Baker and Rudy Gaskins).
With so many winners in so many categories, the evening would never end. No, only the celebrities and big shots get to go on stage. You know, VIP’s who have been lured to the event to accept an award they had never even heard of. But it’s always nice to say that you were in the presence of Viola Davis or James Earl Jones. It gives these awards more credibility and photo ops. If you are what I call, one of the “regular winners,” don’t expect to be invited to the stage. You’re not important enough. You’re lucky if the emcee knows how to pronounce your name correctly.
And by the way, do you honestly think they let Viola Davis pay for her award?
“But Mr. Strikwerda, people pay for the Oscars too. That’s normal in this business.”
If winning a Voice Arts Award would mean as much for my career as winning an Oscar, I’d enter the competition yesterday. But let’s not kid ourselves. Just because they try to make it look like a duck, doesn’t mean it is a duck. And I think that the big Hollywood studios and all the A-list actors have a little bit more money to spend than the average voice actor.
Here’s another question for you. Who gets to pick all the languages that can compete, and all the categories? Why Portuguese and Spanish, but not French or German? And why is there a prize for the best podcast, but not for the best voice over blog? We have way more bloggers than podcasters in voice over land.
“Oh, Paul… stop it already with the negativity. You’re just jealous you didn’t get a nomination.”
That’s right. I didn’t get a nomination because I would never pay money to submit anything. In fact, I would never enter any competition. As the composer Bela Bartok famously said: “Competitions are for horses, not for artists.” I’m just not a very competitive person and I don’t need the exposure. The only competition I take part in is called “doing auditions.” Every new client I book is worth more to me than a gold plated statue.
I have spoken to a number of winners for my blog, and none of them could offer any concrete proof that winning a prize no client had ever heard of, had propelled their career to a new level. Clients hire the best voice for their campaign based on a demo or an audition, and not based on a nomination or award. If anything, they may think you’re too expensive because you’re an award-winning artist.
Here’s a comment I recently received on Facebook after I pointed out that Rudy Gaskins had used an old image of Meryl Streep to suggest he had had a zoom meeting with her to celebrate her VAA nomination. You’ll find screen shots at the end of this story.
As you can see, people who seem to be loyal to J & R have called me a racist. Behind my back and in emails. So, am I a racist, or am I perhaps motivated by other things?
Remember, I used to be a broadcast journalist, and journalists are skeptical by nature. They question everything. The good and the bad. That doesn’t mean I have anything against Joan or Rudy. I have never met them and I probably never will. I am nothing but a person with an opinion who knows a little bit about the business. I would never ask you to agree with me. I want you to make up your own mind. If you believe that submitting for an award offers good return on investment, don’t let me stop you!
All of the above doesn’t mean that I’m not happy for you if you have been nominated or have won in previous years. I hope it gives you the acknowledgement, validation, and respect you’re longing for, and that winning a prize will make you rich and famous. And I also hope that you will stay humble, and understand that it’s not the end of the world if you don’t win.
It doesn’t mean you’re a loser. It just means that a very small and select group of subjective judges thought someone else was slightly better.
Just try again next year!
Start saving up today.
Now, to quote Steve Jobs and Tim Cook: “There’s one more thing….”
Colleagues of mine told me that Rudy Gaskins made it look like he and Meryl Streep were on a Zoom call together, celebrating her nomination. As you can see below, that photo was taken during a pandemic performance when Streep and two friends saluted Stephen Sondheim. I’m a huge Sondheim fan, and I remember that performance very well.
I don’t like it when voices are stolen, and I don’t like it when pictures are stolen and used to suggest something that never happened. It’s unethical and misleading.
Here’s Rudy’s “collage,” followed by the original photo he used:
“Clients hire the best voice for their campaign based on a demo or an audition, and not based on a nomination or award”
That comment sums it up completely!
The moments that fill me with joy and confidence are the ones from clients like… “you nailed it!” “great job – you made it easy”
Thanks as always for your down to earth view of the VO world!
You’re welcome, Jinny! Although winning an internationally recognized award has never hurt someone’s career.
Like you Paul, I’m happy for anyone who wins an award, or finds success in any venture or aspect of their lives.
Also, as you’ve stated, winning any award does not guarantee increased volume of work in any way. It may psychologically boost one’s ego, and go home to audition with more positivity and vigour, which, could bring more work; and that would be a good thing. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Let’s not forget how many actors have won academy awards and their careers remained the same or actually dropped off.
Especially those suffering from impostor syndrome can get a kick out of winning an award. However, if you make your self-worth too dependent on the opinion of others, you’re very vulnerable. What if you don’t get that external validation? You’ve spent all that money for what?
Winning a big prize is like climbing the highest mountain on earth. Many will never top that experience and are left with the question: what do I do now?
I think healthy constructive criticism and critical thinking are essential in life altogether , especially these days with the domination of the internet and influence from social media sites fake and maybe otherwise. Thank you Paul !
You’re welcome, Jennifer. Critical thinkers are often seen as non-supportive people who are a pain in the neck. However, we need folks to point out flaws so they can be fixed.
Some years ago I recorded a spoof Corporate Narration and I needed to include an invented word that sounded like it OUGHT to mean something. The word perfectly describes Voice Over Awards – Invalueless!
You are a clever wordsmith, Philip!
It seems you have a narrative you are trying to push for awhile. 10years in and still no traction? Look, I grew up playing the highest level of youth soccer, which took me all across the US and into Europe. With that said. We had to PAY to PLAY. Thought we were exclusively invited, or had to submit our team with stats to be invited. we still had to flip the bill for everything. Including entry fees, travel lodging. And though scouts were there, there were no guarantees anyone of us would be noticed. Do you see the similarities?? It’s competition. it’s different than the everyday “regular season”. it’s a tournament. That’s the point. So, I very much struggle to see your issue with people entering competition. Is it that you hate / don’t understand competitions, in general?
Hi Ashton, I always appreciate it when people take the time to read my blog and feel inclined to respond. Thank you!
If you have read my previous blog posts about awards in general, and about the Voice Arts Awards specifically, you know that I believe that people should make investments they think are good for their business. Some folks like to play soccer in Europe and the US, and are willing to spend a lot of money doing so because it gives them an experience that is valuable to them. So, to each his or her own. I have been very open about the fact that competitions are not my cup of tea (the link is even in this article), but that does not mean I hate them. In fact, I’ve been a dedicated One Voice Awards judge for two years in a row!
I assume you have carefully read my article so you are familiar with the arguments I am making concerning the VAA’s. And rather than dealing with the issues I have raised, you assume I am merely pushing some narrative without gaining much traction. If you want to address my concerns, you’d have to come up with something better than doubting the motives of the messenger. But instead, you do what every Voice Arts Awards defender has done so far: find fault with the person and ignore the facts I am presenting. How convenient!
Not one VAA’s fan has explained to me why SOVAs has to charge so much money while the One Voice Awards can do the same for FREE. What exactly makes a Voice Arts Award so much more valuable? Tell me, please! The international clients I work for every day don’t care about an award they’ve never heard of.
The reason I have been writing about the VAA’s again and again has to do with the fact that some obvious flaws still haven’t been fixed. E.g. why is there still no conflict of interest policy, and why does SOVAS only have a 2-star rating as a charity? Can you please explain that? Why aren’t the judges anonymous? Why did Rudy Gaskins pretend to have had a zoom meeting with Meryl Streep that never took place? Why did he take that post down? And why am I accused of being a racist?
Slow but steady wins the race, and that’s why I have been keeping the VAA’s on my blogging agenda. You may not see any traction, but that’s probably because you move around in different circles. I have spoken to people who have been involved in the VAA’s and no longer wish to do so after reading my blog. I have also spoken to people who have loved every minute of their time with Joan and Rudy. As long as these award are on the minds of my readers, I will keep writing about them!
Lastly, I understand how competitions work, and I know that in artistic competitions such as the VAA’s there is no objective finish line like we have in sports. In soccer, whoever scores more goals, wins. In running, whoever clocks the fastest time walks away with a gold medal. It’s not that cut and dry in artistic competitions, so in that respect your comparison to football fails to convince.
If you plan to attend the gala in December, be ready for the party to be disrupted by desperate hospitality workers who have been on strike since July 1st. These are people who make less than minimum wage and who have to sleep in their cars in between jobs because they can’t make ends meet working one job at the glamorous Beverly Hilton. Some of the people you may encounter on the picket line may even be out of work actors! But the show must go on, right? SAG-AFTRA members deserve a fair deal, but let’s just forget about low-level hotel workers that tend to be mostly female with an immigrant or minority background.