Voiceovers and Transparency – The Not Silent Blog 02/09/21

Here is a lesson in transparency…

Last week Matt DuBois, founder of Voice Casting Hub and Voiceovers.com created this post in a social media group:

This came as a shock to many in the voiceover industry as the ownership change occurred in August of 2020 and we as a community had no idea. Matt claims that this press release made the ownership change known. You’ll notice that in said press release there is no mention of Matt selling Voiceovers.com, LLC or parting with the company. Also notice that his signature is at the bottom of the press release.

When pressed for more information, Matt claimed he is bound by a Non-Disclosure Agreement and can’t go into detail. After more comments and requests for clarification, Matt deleted the social media post. I will say that Matt did claim that one of the reasons for him selling the company was that his home was vandalized. This has not been verified, but Matt claims this was a “Black Lives Matter” matter.

The concern is that the business changed hands without the subscribers’ knowledge. Many voice actors subscribed to Voiceovers.com based on their interactions with Matt, his claims of transparency, and the fact that many voiceover industry thought leaders (like myself) vouched for Matt and his business venture.

Another concern is the timeline. It appears that Matt was trying to sell Voiceovers.com within a year of the site going live (April 2019). It’s estimated that Matt generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue from subscribers. I can’t speculate as to Matt’s motivations to start the company or sell it within a couple of years of its founding, but it is curious.

FYI Matt no longer owns Voice Casting Hub either as it is part of Voiceovers.com LLC. You can see the other companies he has founded (four as of this writing) on Matt’s LinkedIn profile.

There is a lot more to this but I can only say so much as other aspects of the story can’t be verified. Feel free to comment on this blog if you have any insights or new facts to share.

DISCLOSURE: I had a complementary account on Voiceovers.com. I auditioned for many projects but never booked. I recently discovered that my account was deleted without notification. I can’t seem to log on to Voice Casting Hub anymore either but I’m not sure if there is a connection.

NOTE: I’m just sticking this in here because it seems tangentially related to this subject: what ever happened to VoiceCastingBank?

TIP OF THE WEEK

Transparency, open communication, and trust are the coin of the realm in voiceovers as well as every other industry. This is a relatively small business and everybody talks. Voice actors, voice seekers, coaches, demo producers, and recording studios can all take a lesson from this situation: demonstrate transparency for better or worse if you want to be taken seriously and trusted.

NEWS AND NOTES

Wednesday, February 17 @8PM EST: VO How-To: Explainers Explained! What is an Explainer Video? How do you narrate one? Where do you get the work? These and many other questions will be answered in this online workshop! If you can’t attend the night of the event, the webinar will be recorded so you can watch the video at your convenience.

Thursday, February 18th @8PM EST: the Edge Studio Business and Money 201 Webinar: ‘Time Management‘. It caps at 25 students and sells out fast so sign up ASAP!

SOLD OUT!!! Saturday, February 20th @5PM EST: The Voice Actors Studio ‘eLearning Performance’ Workshop. eLearning, training modules, and instructional content is a leading category in voiceover opportunity. Join me for a focused eLearning Performance workshop! There are still a few virtual seats left for the March 28th workshop so sign up ASAP!

Thursday, February 25th @8PM EST: the Edge Studio Marketing 201 Webinar ‘Brand Yourself‘. It caps at 25 students and sells out fast so sign up ASAP!

HAPPY HAPPYS

Happy Pizza Day and Umbrella Day!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Tom Dheere is a voice actor with over twenty years of experience narrating just about every type of voiceover you can think of. He also helps voice talents navigate the voiceover industry as the VO Strategist. When not voicing or talking about voicing, he produces the epic sci-fi comic book Agent 1.22.