This Voice Bunny review and summary was written a few years ago when Alex Torrenegra, founder of Voice123, decided that he was going to turn voice talent into slaves by way of his latest business model.
This is a good read for those who want the real scoop on the seedy underbelly of the world of voice overs.
When reading, please keep in mind that very shortly after this article was published, Mr. Torrenegra radically changed both the branding and content on the website for obvious reasons…
If you’re a prospective customer or voice talent looking for the definitive Voice Bunny review, I’ll give you the short version – run away as fast as you can, like a bunny rabbit.
If you’d like to know why, feel free to read on….
A long time ago, Mr. Alex Torrenegra, founder and oft-described dictator of Voice123 wrote an article about his “vision” of the voice-over industry’s future.
I tell ya, it was pretty bleak. Kinda like reading 1984, only nowhere near as entertaining; most of the stuff Alex writes or speaks about is unintelligible.
The title of the article is all you need to know about Alex: “The Future of The Voiceover Industry by Me.”
Anyway, based on this warped, twisted vision of the voiceover industry’s future, Alex went about launching Voice Bunny.
I guess Voice123 didn’t reap enough destruction to his satisfy his appetite. To say that this site and subsequent concept is disturbing is the understatement of the century.
Anyone who is a professional voice talent, someone who hires voice talent or anyone considering a career in voiceover should take heed of what is written here.
Let’s start with the basics….
OK. When we go to the Voice Bunny talents section of the site and we have a list of “Benefits” – this must be what the talent can expect in return for working for the little bunny’s clients. Let’s have a look at a few of them…..
Voice Bunny says that the agreement is non-exclusive and the bunny loves your freedom.
Odd statement. I don’t know of any membership website that requires exclusivity; no benefit there. As for “loving my freedom”…don’t we live in a free country? I already have that benefit, thanks.
VB states we will be more productive as a benefit of membership.
Right. Makes sense. If I’m working for 4 cents a word….I’d have to be more productive, because I’d have to record all day, every day to make my mortgage payment. Good point. Great benefit.
VB says that the talent can record from home and we can choose our own work hours.
Forgive me, but I can’t see how one could record from their cubicle at the office or from the cash register at the store, what with that whacky “microphone” getting in the way. Nope…that studio would have to be at home, for sure.
Thankfully, we can all rest peacefully having the benefit of knowing that there’s no subscription or hidden fees.…
That’s because Mr. Bunny makes the client pay the hidden fees by placing teeny-tiny little words underneath the big, huge ones that says “Plus 20% service charge.” And, he takes 10% from the talent as well! Wow! That’s 30%!
Finally, we have a “benefit” that is easily the most disturbing and therefore, revealing of the bunch – the talent have “the option to remain anonymous….”
Why….
……would a website offer its members the option to remain anonymous? To what end? What purpose? After all, marketing yourself as a voice talent is all about getting your name “out there” not hiding it.
I’ll tell you why….because Mr. Bunny knows that by agreeing to their ridiculous rate structure, you are running the risk of being ostracized by your peers.
Which means one is forced to conclude that……..Mr. Bunny likely has a roster full of……..it’s an ugly word, sorry…….you know, the name of the scar that forms after something has been bleeding from an open cut…..kinda like the economy?
Interesting to note as well that it appears Mr. Bunny is particular about the talent they put on the roster, only 1 out of every 10 applicants.
I guess Mr. Bunny needs professional talent to make it work. Hmmm. I guess that would be another reason why Mr. Bunny offers anonymity.
Be very scared and very wary of the bunny….
This bunny, while presented as a cute, smart and confident little fella, has both the teeth and appetite of a piranha.
It’s very clear that Mr. Bunny would have us all recording in our hot, stuffy booths 24 hours a day for a mere pittance.
If you look at the price structure, you can quickly determine that Mr. Bunny has done away with this whole concept of “usage” and is now charging by the word, regardless of where that voiceover is going to be used.
This means that no longer will you be paid $1500.00 to voice a :15 second National Television commercial! Nope, according to Mr. Voice Bunny that rate will now be……wait for it…..
$30.00 plus his %20 “service fee.”
See what I mean about disturbing? It’s even more sick when you factor in the brand concept; a cute little bunny rabbit.
Beware the wolf in sheep’s clothing.
In my opinion, this site and its entire concept is designed specifically to undermine the entire voiceover industry, all so Mr. Bunny can build a new hacienda in Columbia……
Yo…..Voice Talent! Listen Up!
I will say right here, right now, that if you are a professional voice talent that has a membership to this website, you should be ashamed of yourself.
You’ve lost the right to call yourself “professional” in my opinion, because the pros I know and align myself with wouldn’t even consider working for such a ludicrous fee, because it’s downright insulting.
I don’t care how broke or down-and-out you are. Go get a day job if times are that tough; VB is paying the same rate as the guy who’s flipping burgers anyway.
You do know that rabbits are myopic, right?
Talk about being short-sighted. By being a member of VB, these talent are taking part in the destruction of their own way of living, by undermining a relatively healthy (but fragile) rate structure that all of us have worked very, very hard to establish thus far.
There’s no excuse for being a member of VB and if you happen to have a lame excuse, I don’t want to hear it.
Crawl into your little rabbit hole and hide your name like the rest of the cowardly rabbits.
If Bugs Bunny were here….he’d kick your a**.
Voice Bunny Review – Summary
I digress. This of course, is all my opinion. Go ahead, have a look for yourself.
It doesn’t take very long to understand how I came to the conclusion presented here by simply going to the site yourself and click on a few links.
His “vision” is to get pro (or reasonable quality) voice talent to join VB, hide their names like cowards, keep it hush-hush that they’re working for basically nothing and let the other P2P business (V123) rot and die a slow painful death.
He knows full well that the V123 roster is roundly garbage, so he’s trying to salvage what marginal talent he can from that roster and turn them all into slaves.
I mean, what else would you do with a roster full of thousands of people who you’ve sold a dream to for $299.00 who aren’t making enough money?
Give ’em a carrot…!
How people would even consider the notion of working for such a person is beyond my comprehension. Make no mistake, the name of the bunny is Alex, and he’s not cute – he’s pretty ugly.
Further, he’s designed the business model so that all the talent remain shackled to the computer, waiting for the next “race” to win the cheapest paying voiceover gig on the planet.
The man is probably the sickest of control freaks I’ve ever come across.
Don’t go there. Literally. Please, show some respect for the industry and more importantly, yourself.
Strap on some ca-hones and work toward keeping our rate structure healthy so that those that follow the path in the future find food on the table……instead of a pile of rabbit turds.
Everybody knows that in this business, there’s a time to say “no” a gig. This would be one of those times. Make the right choice.
Spread the word.
There’s a rodent out there in Voiceover Land and it’s reproducing.
