SaVoa.Org

Society of Accredited Voice Over Artists ℠

FAQ

  1. What kind of organization is SaVoa?
  2. What is accreditation?
  3. I am a Voice Over Artist, how do I become a member of SaVoa?
  4. I am a recording studio, voice over marketplace or other organization that produces or promotes voice over work. Can I become an accredited member of SaVoa?
  5. What peer review criteria do applicants have to meet to become accredited and gain membership in SaVoa?
  6. What happens if my application is rejected?
  7. I have to wait for a certain period to reapply?
  8. What does it cost to apply for accreditation as a voice over artist?
  9. If my application is rejected do I forfeit the application fee?
  10. How long is accreditation good for?
  11. How long do I have to reapply for renewal of my accreditation status?
  12. If I am not a member of SaVoa, can I use the SaVoa logo on my site or in promotional materials to promote SaVoa?
  13. Can my accreditation be revoked?
  14. If voice over artists review voice over artists, won’t they just accept their friends for accreditation, or deny others they don’t like?
  15. I do all my recording at a professional studio. Do you expect me to buy recording equipment in order to be accredited, or can I request an exemption from the technical delivery part of the peer review?
  16. Why do I want to be an accredited voice artist with SaVoa?
  17. What is NOT acceptable content on which I may place the SaVoa shield logo and my accreditation status with SaVoa?
  18. What are Friends of SaVoa?

Q1. What kind of organization is SaVoa?

A. SaVoa Incorporated is a professional not-for-profit organization of voice over artists which:

  • establishes equitable vocal delivery and technical delivery criteria for the individual accreditation of voice artists;
  • establishes a code of ethics, membership, business conduct and peer review standards for the accreditation of voice over artists;
  • supports education for the development of skills needed by voice over artists to meet or exceed established standards and accreditation criteria;
  • promotes public awareness about the voice over profession, accreditation criteria and accredited voice artists;
  • provides a mechanism for voice over artists to attain individual accreditation through peer review, thereby promoting quality assurance in the voice over community. Top of FAQ

Q2. What is accreditation?

A. Accreditation by SaVoa is recognition of the ability of a member to provide vocally and technically proficient, broadcast-quality voice over services and to conduct business in such a way that it enhances the profession as a whole. Top of FAQ

Q3. I am a Voice Over Artist, how do I become a member of SaVoa?

A. First, review SaVoa’s Standards and Accreditation Criteria. Then complete and submit your membership application. In submitting your application, you will agree to follow established professional standards and undergo the peer review process for vocal delivery and technical delivery. Top of FAQ

Q4. I am a recording studio, voice over marketplace or other organization that produces or promotes voice over work. Can I become an accredited member of SaVoa?

A. Unfortunately, no. While we appreciate any interest in SaVoa, its purpose is to provide peer review of voice over artists individually for the purpose of accreditation. It would be contrary to SaVoa’s goals to accredit an entire organization which may routinely acquire new affiliations with unaccredited individuals seeking to provide voice over services. Top of FAQ

Q5. What peer review criteria do applicants have to meet to become accredited and gain membership in SaVoa?

A. There are two areas assessed during peer review: (1) vocal delivery, which is further separated into performance and technique; and (2) technical delivery, which evaluates the quality of the audio file and audio production technique. Details are available in the section entitled Accreditation Criteria on this web site. Applicants will be provided with the detailed results of their peer review. Top of FAQ

Q6. What happens if my application is rejected?

A. SaVoa has two goals. The first goal is to establish vocal delivery, technical delivery, and professional business standards within the community of voice over artists. These standards, while attainable, will require a level of proficiency and competency in the skills of voice over work as outlined in the Accreditation Criteria. The second goal is to encourage and guide aspiring voice artists in obtaining the skills necessary to meet those standards and pass the peer review process. It is true that not all applicants will be accepted for admission. We will in all cases apply fair and equitable standards to the peer review process. As stated above, each applicant will receive the results of each phase of review. From this feedback, the applicant can take steps to resolve any issues that resulted in a below-standard technical evaluation or to acquire other training or assistance to improve skills needed to achieve accreditation status as a voice over artist. Thereafter, the applicant may reapply and possibly receive accreditation. Top of FAQ

Q7. Do I have to wait for a certain period to reapply?

A. Yes.

If you do not pass the vocal delivery evaluation, you must wait a minimum of 90 days before you may reapply for accreditation at which time you will be reviewed by a different peer review panel. We hope and expect that, if you intend to reapply, you will use that time to develop skills to improve your voice delivery. Some of you may not significantly improve in just 90 days and so we recommend you take additional time to practice, attend workshops and obtain qualified coaching to develop your skills. SaVoa will assist you in finding qualified, affordable workshops and voice coaching.

If you do not pass the technical delivery evaluation, but you passed the vocal delivery section, you are free to reapply as soon as you have corrected deficiencies in the quality of your earlier audio file. SaVoa will be glad to make suggestions on ways to improve technical quality but cannot guarantee that these will insure acceptance on reapplication.

If you fail one or both areas of the peer review process twice, you will not be allowed to reapply for twelve months and, at that time, you will have to go through the entire peer review process regardless of whether you previously passed one of the two areas. Top of FAQ

Q8. What does it cost to apply for accreditation as a voice over artist?

A. Currently the application fee is $75.00. All sums collected by SaVoa are applied to general costs of operation of the organization, including the administrative cost of processing applications, hiring peer review panels, conducting peer review, and providing written results of each applicant’s vocal delivery and technical delivery. Top of FAQ

Q9. If my application is rejected do I forfeit the application fee?

A. Not all of it. Fifty percent (50%) of the fee will be refunded, and if reapplication is made within 6 months the applicant will pay an amount equial to the refunded fee. Top of FAQ

Q10. How long is accreditation good for?

A. The purpose of accreditation is to establish a professional standard for voice over services. Your accreditation tells the voice over community and voice over talent seekers that you have submitted to qualified peer review and you meet or exceed the established professional standards. For this reason, members are accredited for a period of two (2) years from the date of acceptance, at which time they must resubmit an application for renewal of accreditation status. Top of FAQ

Q11. How long do I have to reapply for renewal of my accreditation status?

A. We recommend you reapply sufficiently prior to the expiration of your accreditation period to avoid a change in your status. If you cannot reapply prior to the expiration of your two-year accreditation period, your accreditation status will be changed to “reaccreditation pending,” If you have not reapplied within 90 days, we will assume you intend to relinquish your membership and you will be removed from the directory of accredited members — at which time you will be required to remove the SaVoa logo and any reference to your prior accreditation from your web site, business cards and any other materials on which you have placed your accreditation status. Failure to do so is a copyright infringement. Top of FAQ

Q12. If I am not a member of SaVoa, can I use the SaVoa logo on my site or in promotional materials to promote SaVoa?

A. Under no circumstances are you allowed to use the SaVoa shield logo on your site or promotional materials unless you are an accredited member of SaVoa in good standing. We sincerely appreciate and welcome your support of SaVoa and we may develop an appropriate logo or link for anyone who would like to promote the organization. However, the shield logo as represented below and on our web site, in any color variation, is for members only and for SaVoa’s use at its own discretion for promoting the organization and its members. Further, any unaccredited individual who uses the SaVoa shield logo without permission or misrepresents his or her accreditation status with SaVoa can be prohibited from joining the organization, perhaps permanently.

SaVoa sample shield logo
Top of FAQ

Q13. Can my accreditation be revoked?

A. Unfortunately, yes. A substantial breach of any provision of membership, including failure to adhere to established codes of conduct, can result in revocation of your accreditation status. Any member who is considered to be in breach of any membership provision will be afforded an opportunity to resolve any such issue that may arise. In addition, revocation may be temporary, depending on the particular issue or provision breached. Top of FAQ

Q14. If voice over artists review voice over artists, won’t they just accept their friends for accreditation, or deny others they don’t like?

A. The voice over professionals encountered by SaVoa are generally fair-minded, and even altruistic. Nevertheless, the peer review process is, for the most part, a blind study all the way around. Although some voices are easily recognizable, the members of the peer review panel will not know the name of the candidate they are evaluating, nor will the candidate know which individuals are on his or her panel. Also, to avoid influence, the evaluation is conducted separately by each member of the peer review panel, none of whom knows the identity of the other two reviewers. Top of FAQ

Q15. I do all my recording at a professional studio. Do you expect me to buy recording equipment in order to be accredited, or can I request an exemption from the technical delivery part of the peer review?

A. No and no. SaVoa members are expected to have reliable access to a space suitable for recording and equipment capable of producing broadcast-quality audio. Evaluation of the technical delivery is intended to assure you have that access, whether it is at your home or at another location. Top of FAQ

Q16. Why do I want to be an accredited voice artist with SaVoa?

A. First, SaVoa is the only accreditation organization in the voice over industry. Its structure and purpose is similar to guilds which, throughout history, have been formed by people of a particular trade to promote their mutual interests and maintain a higher level of competency. In the best tradition of guilds, SaVoa sets equitable standards and then supports the voice over community in achieving those standards.

Your active membership in SaVoa entitles you to freely use the shield logo attesting to your accreditation status on your web site(s), voice over profile pages published on the Internet, business cards, demo CDs, and print ads strictly and solely advertising your voice over services. You may also provide written notice of your accreditation status in other acceptable content. As stated earlier, your accreditation tells the voice over community and especially the community of voice seekers that you meet or exceed professional standards for vocal delivery and technical delivery, and that you conduct your voice over business in an ethical and professional manner. To that end, we will continue to promote SaVoa as the professional organization for accredited voice over artists, and we will publish frequent press releases listing all recently accredited voice artists.

In addition, although SaVoa is first and foremost an accreditation organization, we are currently developing a benefits package for members. Our first priority on this issue is to organize support to accredited voice actors for collection of unpaid voice over services and to arbitrate disputes with voice clients. We will also seek to obtain discounts from audio software and equipment vendors, publishers of educational materials for the voice over industry, voice coaches and workshops. Top of FAQ

Q17. What is NOT acceptable content on which I may place the SaVoa shield logo and my accreditation status with SaVoa?

A. Any content that:

  • is patently offensive and promotes racism, bigotry, hatred or physical harm of any kind against any group or individual;
  • harasses or advocates harassment of another person;
  • exploits people in a sexual or violent manner or contains other mature content explicitly intended for an adult audience;
  • solicits personal information from anyone under 18 years of age or otherwise considered a minor in their geographic locations;
  • involves the transmission of junk mail, unsolicited mass mailing, or spamming;
  • promotes the use of illegal drugs or drug paraphernalia;
  • promotes information that you know is false or misleading or promotes illegal activities or conduct that is abusive, threatening, obscene, defamatory or libelous;
  • promotes an illegal or unauthorized copy of another person’s copyrighted work;
  • furthers or promotes any criminal activity or enterprise or provides instructional information about illegal activities including, but not limited to making or buying illegal weapons, violating someone’s privacy, or providing or creating computer viruses;
  • any content that is not specifically and solely intended to promote the voice over services of the accredited voice artist who was issued the shield logo. Top of FAQ

Q18. What are Friends of SaVoa?

A. SaVoa recognizes that the voice over industry includes established voice over artists who are already well known to the community for their highly qualified work, and also for their generosity in sharing knowledge with other voice actors in support of education. For that reason, during its inception SaVoa established a provision to invite a few of these established voice over artists as Friends of SaVoa. These individuals are fully accredited members of SaVoa. Top of FAQ