Rod Gonzalez is a bilingual voice actor working in both English and Spanish - and he's got three questions. Does it matter if you're the 51st person to submit on Voices.com? What are the real ingredients for a winning audition? And do any of these rules apply the same way in the Spanish market?
In this Summer Series episode, Marc breaks down how Voices.com actually works, what the voice match score algorithm really means, and why the number you submit in line is far less important than most voice actors think.
Inside this episode:
- Voice match score - what it is, why 100% is your primary goal, and how it determines where you appear in the client's list
- Submission order - when it matters, when it doesn't, and why submitting late is almost always still worth it
- The budget question - why bidding lower doesn't give you the advantage most people assume, and the value perception behind higher quotes
- What's actually booking right now - why listening to what makes it to air beats any other research
- Going wide between your takes - especially when the spec is confusing or contradictory
- Why you shouldn't always lead with your safe take first
- Lead-ins before recording - how a simple throwaway line drops you into a completely different headspace
- The Spanish market in the US - where bilingual talent gets an edge and how to find out what's booking
- Every audition as a rep - the mindset that makes submitting worthwhile even when you don't book
Whether you're on Voices.com, Voice123, or just looking to sharpen your audition game, this one has practical takeaways you can use right away.
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CONNECT WITH ROD GONZALEZ
🖱️ Rod Gonzalez Website - https://rodgonzalezvo.com
🖱️ Rod Gonzalez on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rodgonzalezvo
🖱️ Rod Gonzalez on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@rodgonzalezvo
🖱️ Rod Gonzalez on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/RodGonzalezVO
🖱️ Marc Scott on Instagram - https://instagram.com/marcscott
🖱️ VOpreneur® on YouTube - https://youtube.com/@vopreneur
RESOURCES FOR VOICE ACTORS
* VOpreneur®
➡️ Visit https://vopreneur.com
* Get an instant $25 credit when you sign up for VoiceZam
➡️ Visit https://voicezam.com/marcscott
* For voice over services:
➡️ Visit https://marcscottvoiceover.com
* Join the VOpreneur Facebook Group
➡️ Visit https://facebook.com/groups/vopreneur
If you need guidance with your voice over business or learning how to more effectively market, I can help. Book a 15 minute free consultation with me to discuss your specific needs. https://vopreneur.com/free15
⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:00 Summer Series intro - welcome Rod Gonzalez
00:32 Rod's three questions - submission order, audition ingredients, the Spanish market
02:07 Marc just got back on Voices.com after a decade - here's what he's learned
02:22 Voice match score - the algorithm that determines where you appear
03:15 100% voice match is your primary goal
03:50 If multiple people have 100% voice match, submission order is the tiebreaker
04:30 Submitting late - is it ever still worth it?
05:15 Casting directors listen to every audition - even #827
06:20 Marc's listen rate on Voices.com compared to Voice123
06:47 Any audition attempt beats no audition attempt
07:03 The budget question - does quoting lower give you an advantage?
08:13 The value perception around higher bids - why lowest price usually doesn't win
09:15 Should you quote differently for big companies vs individuals?
10:11 You never really know who's on the other side - don't make assumptions
11:00 Quote what you're worth - Marc has been shortlisted beyond stated budget
12:00 Submit great auditions - that's what it comes down to 13:25 Voices.com vs Voice123 - listen rate and shortlist rate compared
13:56 One in three or one in four shortlist rate on Voices.com right now
14:35 How to check your audition stats on each platform
16:06 The Voice123 basement - and why it's so hard to escape
17:15 The audition ingredients question - labeling, first three seconds, doing what they ask
18:30 The Spanish market in the US - where bilingual talent gets a real edge
19:30 Spanglish as a niche - English with a Spanish accent as a distinct offering
20:00 Listen to what's actually on air right now - that's your research
20:47 The conversational authentic read from a decade ago vs what's booking today
21:30 Track auditions you felt great about - then find what actually booked
22:40 Two callbacks on a national spot that booked something completely different
23:30 Sometimes they don't know what they want until they hear it
23:50 Give one read close to spec, one read way over there - show your range
25:00 For the Spanish market - iSpot TV, demos, and listening to what's on air
26:30 When specs contradict - go wide between your two takes
27:10 Don't lead with your safe take first - and why Marc flipped the order
28:00 The shortlist that came from putting the unconventional take first
28:27 Ad libs at the start - first take or second take?
28:56 Lead-ins before recording - a throwaway line, two different headspaces
30:00 Why more auditions means more reps - and why Marc got back on casting platforms
31:31 Every audition is a rep - valuable whether you book it or not
