Monday, November 24, 2014

End of Year - VO Industry Analysis

One line summary
It's not looking good.

Quantitative View
There are now over 1.12 million talent compared to 100 thousand in 2004. While there is much more work thanks to hyper-fragmentation of ad platforms, the rate per spot is falling rapidly. The SAG-AFTRA paradigm is at risk of further structural decay in the face of this prolific re-balancing of the supply/demand dynamic. Top-listed actors are likely to continue to get the lion's share of the big VO jobs.

Qualitative View
Older writers/producers at production companies have already been downsized or are in positions of management where they do not select VO talent. New, younger, and less expensive creative staff are behind the trend to cast "non-announcery" talent ("No one likes to be SOLD anymore"). This is a major trend; not a fad. Polished, older announcers are now being cast only for ads that appeal to older demographics, or character-type performances. Talent who can adapt and create a character that pleases millennial producers will have better chances of survival than talent who lack the necessary flexibility to adapt.

Conclusion
Fewer talent are in the 95th income percentile than ever before in the history of the art form. A far greater number of talent (perhaps triple vs. 2004) are in the 30th percentile. Each week, the odds that you can make a full-time living in VO diminish substantially.