Jamie Has Some Thoughts About Fiverr

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Hey there!

I shot a video recently that discussed the various avenues from which we all get performance work, and I didn’t have particularly nice things to say about Fiverr.

Jamie was watching, and had some things to say and some points to make, and I thought you should hear them as well.

Here’s what he said.


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Hope this helps!

David

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hey there it’s David H Lawrence the 17th
and recently I shot a video where I
talked about all the different avenues
and ways we get work as voiceover people
and I mentioned very glowing terms fiber
fiv er are.com it’s been something
that’s been talked about a lot in the
industry about people going on fiber and
doing work for 5 or 10 bucks or 20 bucks
that normally is usually 20 200 300 400
dollars and undercutting the market and
you know I’d mentioned that that’s not a
great option well Jamie was watching and
Jamie wrote me a note that I want to
share with you because I think it shows
an alternative perspective and one that
I really appreciate so here’s what he
said hey David you’re up to 84 videos
and I have not missed one yet good
content I figured if you are resolved to
make 365 videos this year I would
resolve to watch all 365 you know you
don’t have to do that Jamie but I
appreciate that
my job is certainly easier than yours
most of the time with that in mind I
would like to say that I believe I was
indirectly criticized a few videos back
and thought I would bring it up based on
today’s topic I made a choice not to
post anything in the comments of that
specific video because like the old
saying goes it would have been like
trying to teach a pig to sing it’s a
waste of time and it annoys the pig
who’s the pig in the scenario Jamie I
get what you’re saying so I decided not
to comment for fear of backlash and
criticism here’s the indirect criticism
I received and by the way I asked Jamie
if I could share this with you I’m not
sharing this out of school I asked him
if I could share with you here’s the
indirect criticism I received and it’s
certainly not an isolated conversation
gents
just amongst commenters on your video
it’s widespread topic among vo talent
and he’s absolutely right fiver and
anyone who would sell their services at
poverty level rates and devalue the
entire vo marketplace is an insert your
own negative expletive here has won vo
person I saw on YouTube said it makes my
blood boil and yeah that’s been kind of
the the overall response to it because
you know art is something that’s
subjective it’s something that could be
given away could be sold for next to
nothing or could be sold for a lot of
money and if you’re trying to make your
your living at it you’re you you feel
sometimes in competition with other
people who can do the same thing so he
continues you said I want to clarify why
I do work on Fiverr and possibly shine
light on my different perspective of the
platform I work full-time in vo with
over 20 years voice and production
experience including 15 years as a
corporate production director for a
group of radio stations oh you have my
sympathy right there mister man I do
quite well financially with vo work
memberships on four of the top play to
play sites and my other private contacts
keep me quite busy
mostly auditioning but you know that
game I provide vo services on Fiverr as
time allows these days yes I said it
I provide my services there and that
makes me a bad person I signed up for
Fiverr some time ago and was hired to do
a few jobs here and there no big deal
just filling extra time and making a few
extra dollars really kind of odd jobs
but I never put the pieces I never
thought to put the pieces together it
wasn’t until I was approached
by a teacher who was providing a service
to her classroom in Brazil that it
became clear to me that the perspective
people have for what Fiverr is might not
take all the information into account
the schoolteacher who teaches English
was putting together a class course and
needed a general American vo for the
project the teacher explained to me that
although the money I was asking was not
too much the cost was four times more
for her because of the exchange rate and
then the light went on Fiverr is mostly
made up of people from outside the US
working and selling their services on a
whole different financial scale and
mindset people whose weekly wage we
probably spend on a Starbucks in a week
I’ll tell you what I did I did the job
for the school in Brazil for 20 bucks
about a hundred words to that teacher
that was about seventy five dollars
imagine my voice will be helping to
teach children to speak English in a
classroom in Brazil I volunteered to do
the rest of the chapters at five dollars
each it will take me about 10 minutes to
record and upload each time 30 dollars
an hour if you break it down lots of
people would love to make $30 an hour
across the USA that do do jobs way
tougher than vo work just so you know
for my private clients and on other
platforms
I won’t voice anything for less than a
hundred bucks I’m no Don LaFontaine or
Paul frees but I charge appropriately to
those who can afford it let’s face it
we’re kind of spoiled not everyone in
the world has what we have one thing for
sure they don’t have is the general
American voice that I can provide for so
many projects all over the world so I
choose to share my talent and if you
would do me a favor as you’re hearing me
recite this remember that phrase I
choose to share my talent
a girl I produced a voiceover for in
Norway who was doing a bee conservation
video a honeybee conservation video
project for school
got an inexpensive but not cheap vo from
me she was more than happy to provide me
with a copy of her finished project and
it was really good
she put her whole heart into it an
awesome feeling to be part of that
project I would respectfully ask people
to put down the pitchforks and torches
when it comes to all of us monsters who
dare provide services on Fiverr and take
another look at that world marketplace
with a different perspective
maybe not criticize the platform so much
after all there are bigger dragons to
slay and I don’t believe the platform
was created with the USA vo marketplace
in mind I’m not that myopic but I could
be wrong about that I’m also certain
Fiverr has received plenty of criticism
just like everything and everyone does
now as often as I can I hire people on
Fiverr to do small jobs for me little
Photoshop projects than the like because
these are people who need the income the
jobs get done quickly and done well I
also have the option to give them a nice
tip for a job well done I don’t know how
else a person from Bangladesh could ever
collaborate with me on a project if not
for the fibre platform just some
thoughts damn the torpedoes and that’s
from Jamie so a couple things first of
all I really appreciated how in-depth
you went Jamie with this comment and I
said so when I replied to you I
completely get it and I also think that
you’ve given this a lot more thought
than most of the talent that goes on
Fiverr and says to themselves well you
know I’m not getting work anywhere else
I might as well get work from here I
don’t care if it lowers the the price I
think the the the mindfulness that
you’ve given to this and the gratitude
that you express for the opportunity to
help people in other countries is
awesome
and that statement that let me scroll
back up and remind you of the statement
that I I asked you to remember ah where
is it I chose to share my talent that is
one of the best reasons to do anything
on Fiverr or anywhere else even for free
when you get to a point in your life
where you’re making money that you’re
you’re you should be due you should you
know the stuff that you’re doing is good
and it’s worth being paid well to do it
right you then have the option to do
what you’ve done right here you have the
option to choose to serve it’s no
different from volunteering it’s no
different from doing a favor for a
friend
you know I’ve mentioned several times my
/ finished our rate is over $1000 an
hour currently it’s $1400 an hour and a
friend of mine had a book that just came
out like it was in November and I
offered to do it for royalty share
because I loved the book and I love my
friend and I wanted to do my friend a
favor and I knew my friend couldn’t
afford to meet my fee anything close to
my fee but it was a choice that I made
it wasn’t a choice that I made to
undercut a competitor there was no other
audiobook narrator they’re charging a
certain amount of money and I wanted to
I wanted to do the work so I was gonna
grab it and I think that’s what I and
others usually are talking about when we
talk about fiber but the idea that you
can help someone in Brazil or help
someone in Norway where did you get
Norway a student you know that’s why we
go and we teach in schools and we
volunteer at shelters and we do the
things that we do because the currency
there is not really what we get paid I
mean you know it’s nice you know buys us
dinner or it gives us no currency
whatsoever no money whatsoever the
currency that we’re getting from that is
satisfaction and joy and gratitude and
the the thrill of being in service to
others in making the world a better
place that is a brilliant reason to do
this and if fibers the way that you
connect for doing that that’s great
I so appreciate you sending me this
because it certainly is another lens on
this issue and you know if you were
expecting me to tear it apart and go now
that’s that’s BS that’s I’m sorry I’m
I’m with you I’m with you entirely I
appreciate it
if you have comments about this if you
have questions about this go ahead and
put them in the comments below this
video if you’re on the vo2 BOGO side if
you’re not on the vo go to my website go
over to vo2 gogo calm and leave me
comments there because that’s where I
usually look at them we’ve got a you
know as he mentioned I’m over at this
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Thank You Jamie and thank you for
watching i’m david h Lawrence’s 17th and
i will talk to you tomorrow.

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Responses

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  1. A total lightbulb moment. Thank you for sharing this, David, and thank you for writing it, Jamie. Definitely changed my viewpoint about Fiverr, and in general about sharing my abilities. Thanks so much!

  2. Love, Love, Love this video! Such a great perspective, Jamie! David, again, your kindness and support shows through. “I choose to share” – excellent!!

  3. Kudos to you both. Service To Others is extremely important in our Universe and a choice that needs to be made far more than it is at this point in time.

  4. Hi David! Just a quick note to say how much I appreciate you consistently sharing other people’s point of view, even if they don’t agree with you in total. It speaks so much to your character and caring.

  5. Loved your openness to another point of view or an additional point of view! Loved Jamie’s calm and thorough explanation.