Fine Gael criticized for offering €50 for a voice-over artist with “Irish-country accent”
Fine Gael criticized for offering €50 for a voice-over artist with “Irish-country accent”
By Emily Mullen
Advertised by a content officer with the party the job was an international communications piece for Fine Gael members
One Fine Gael content officer will either be expanding their budget or using a less front-facing avenue to find voice-over artists in the future. The individual drew flack online by sharing a series of requests to Facebook groups aimed at individuals working in Irish film, radio, and TV.
The adverts sought male and female voice actors with “an Irish-country accent” for a brief voiceover.
One advert called for “serious applications only” from individuals with “with voice reels” and their “own equipment etc…”
The kicker was the fee attached to the “urgent” work which was “€50 including Vat” making sure everything was all above board the post was sure to specify that the applicants must “be registered for Vat.” The irony of this comment was not lost on users online, who quipped that “you would have to do a shed load of €50 (incl. vat) gigs to be even considering registering for Vat.” The reality is that to be registered for Vat in Ireland your income must exceed €37,500 a year.
The rate advertised is well below the industry standard. A flat rate for the voiceover work advertised should number €125 with an additional €275 added for corporate usage, as calculated using The Voice Talent Ireland rate calculator.
Film Network Ireland told The Examiner that they advised the content officer to increase the rates offered in the job or risk the posts being taken down. When a Facebook user asked the content officer if the voice-over work would be used as part of Fine Gael’s promotional content, the posts were reportedly removed by the poster.
A Fine Gael spokesman told the publication “It was for a piece of content for internal communication for Fine Gael members.” Rationalizing the fee they added, “the voiceover took a short period of time to produce.”
Elsewhere on District: €50 million worth of support revealed for Irish live music industry
