The case of voice over awards

The voice over awards. It's fantastic. Why is it fantastic? I'll tell you all about it.

The awards. Every French voice actor , English, American (or any nationality) voice actor, has in mind these glamorous ceremonies where everything sparkles, with big chandeliers and lots of gilding, where the women wear sumptuous evening gowns (often with vertiginous cleavage), where the men generally wear tuxedos (often without vertiginous cleavage), with stars who are sometimes a little drunk, and speeches that are sometimes funny, sometimes touching, sometimes provocative... Beyond the spectacle, they guarantee the nominees and winners bums on seats, increased exposure and contracts.

Well, the voice over awards are a bit different. In over 30 years in the business, I've never heard of a serious client - ad agency, production company, agent, casting director, TV channel - who cares about awards. How on earth do they know if a voice actor is good, or if it matches their casting? They use a tool that's hundreds of thousands of years old: their ears and their brains. Isn't that crazy?
(I talk about the casting process in the article Voice over casting: things to do, mistakes to avoid)

All right, the voice over awards don't put food on the table for voice actors. But the red carpet, the glitzy stuff, the champagne, the applause - you've got to admit, it's a thrill. Awards feed our sometimes fragile egos, and respond to the natural and constant quest for validation that is part and parcel of being human, and there's nothing wrong with a self-hug. Awards also feed a whole little industry that lives off the people for whom that validation is important - but everyone's gotta eat, right?

The voice over awards also offer a significant opportunity for those who take part (and who, in many cases, have paid for the privilege) to post on social media that they have been nominated or have won an award. Perhaps even with a photo of them in a posh frock, alongside other equally well-dressed people. Let's be honest, a posh frock is pretty cool. And if they win, they can buy the trophy, which, on the mantelpiece or a shelf, will be the topic of conversation at dinner parties: "Our friend is a star!" When you like to be the centre of attention, it's always a bonus. And even if you're not a narcissist, we all appreciate words of encouragement or compliments. After all, there's nothing wrong with a with a little self-care, right?

Of course, as mentioned above, potential customers couldn't care less about awards, often preferring good old-fashion casting by ear. But these awards allow the nominees and winners to showcase their work on Linkedin to their colleagues that people who are sometimes very competent, sometimes who don't have much in their portfolio but who make a lot of noise on social media, have appreciated their work - and that's better than nothing, right? As for the others, those who weren't nominated, who didn't win anything, the simple fact of taking part makes them feel like a winner winner, chicken dinner. Wearing a posh frock in a glamorous venue tends to have that effect. High five!

And above all, these ceremonies allow voice actors, who often work alone without much social interaction with others in the business, to have a drink (or several) at the bar with colleagues. And that, my friends, is a huge bonus. No, seriously. Huge.

But how do you make the voice over awards even more fantastic?

Of course, these awards could be even better. For example, if they simply celebrated the best work produced, selected by real authorities in the sector, judged by recognised heavyweights in the business (veteran voice actors, voice directors, agents, copywriters, creative directors, producers, sound engineers, etc.) In short, luminaries with a solid, consistent and verifiable career path, giving them unquestionable legitimacy. Then, and only then, could voice over awards be recognised by the major players in the industry (advertising agencies, production companies, TV channels, etc.) as a kitemark standard. It wouldn't change the fact that casting would still be done by ear, but at least it would give the thing some weight. They could be sponsored by manufacturers or suppliers linked to the voice over trade. But Rome wasn't built in a day, was it?

My name is Pierre Maubouché. I've been a full-time French voice actor for over 30 years. It's my only source of income. I have voiced hundreds of TV adverts and corporate films, I've been the continuity voice of several networks, the promo voice for many others, I've taken part in dozens of video games... I've had a real and verifiable career (for a small sample of my work, I invite you to go to the page presenting my voice over work or visit my Youtube voice over channel). And I have something to confess: I've never won a voice over award - the fact that I've never applied for one probably didn't help, I admit, but I'm a bit of a hermit, and I don't need one for my promotion, my work's enough for that.

But when voice over awards have credibility in the industry, when they are useful beyond cajoling the bank accounts of organisers and the egos of participants, who knows? Only fools never change their minds, and every day I try to be less stupid (often I fail, but I'm stubborn). And I like a tipple. Or few. Shall we meet at the bar?

This article presents my opinion, which some people don't share, and that's fine. Some colleagues claim that their award has opened doors for them, and I have no reason not to believe them - local or regional advertisers working directly with voice actors, unfamiliar with our industry, may be impressed. Another undeniable advantage is the networking opportunities. The colleagues you meet at these ceremonies can be a valuable source of advice. In short, there’s a lot on the table. And champagne!

To discuss the topic with your colleagues, be sure to share it with them on your social media. I invite you to comment on this article, and if you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer them!

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