Voices.com

Voices.com

Founded 15 December 2003
Headquarters 150 Dufferin Ave. Suite 800, London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 5N6
Area served Global
Key people David Ciccarelli (CEO), Stephanie Ciccarelli (VP)
Industry Media / Entertainment
Employees 25
Website Official website
Alexa rank negative increase 32,340 (April 2014)[1]
Launched 25 October 2011

Voices.com is a job search website focusing on voice actors and voice actor employers, headquartered in London, Ontario.[2] The company has a global user base of more than 200,000 registered individuals and companies.[3]

Company history

The company was founded in 2004 by husband and wife David and Stephanie Ciccarelli and was officially incorporated in 2005 in Ontario, Canada.[3] The couple first developed the business on the back of a paper napkin while sitting at their kitchen table.[2] The original name for the business was Interactive Voices, and eventually purchased the website Voices.com for $30,000 from the medical journal Silencing the Critical Voices in your Head.[4] It allows employers in small markets to connect with voice actors in other regions, as well as connecting larger companies with voice actors.[5] In 2011 Voices.com had revenues of $2,266,887, 97% of which came from exports.[6] That year the company moved its headquarters from an industrial park to a larger space in downtown London.[2]

Business overview

Voices.com has a store function that provides prices for different kinds of voice services, such as commercials or voicemail messages. It also has a library of articles to educate users about the voice acting industry and trends in the field.[7] The site offers freelancers in more than 100 languages. Beside each freelancer's name there is a small sample of the person's voice that employers can listen to.[8][9] In May 2012 the website launched an app for iPad and iPhone devices,[10] followed by the release of an app for android devices in January 2013, both allowing job seekers to interact with potential employers directly over their mobile devices.[3] Clients that have already worked with Voices.com include ESPN, PBS, The History Channel, Reader’s Digest, and Greer & Associates.[11]

People

David Ciccarelli has been nominated for the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award by the Business Development Bank of Canada.[12] David Ciccarelli and Stephanie Ciccarelli are the authors of the book Voice Acting For Dummies.[13] David currently serves as CEO of the company, while Stephanie serves as chief marketing officer.[14]

Awards

Controversies

In 2006 CEO of Voices.com David Ciccarelli claimed that the Google radio ad product, which was in Beta testing at the time, was nearly identical to the one offered by Voices.com.[16]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Voices.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 John Matisz (7 August 2012). "The voice of success – Local company up for province-wide biz award". Metro. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 John Matisz (21 January 2013). "Voices.com in London gets more interactive". Metro. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  4. ↑ Sprouter (17 October 2010). "Voices.com founder: Be quick and always give great service". Financial Post. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  5. ↑ Thomas Friedman (12 December 2009). "The Do-It-Yourself Economy". New York Times. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  6. ↑ "Voices.com (Interactive Voices Inc.)". Profit Guide. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  7. ↑ TJ McCue (14 September 2010). "Voiceover Talent for Your Small Business: Review of Voices.com". Small Business Trends. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  8. ↑ Steve Mollman (11 June 2007). "Internet gives voice to unseen actors". CNN. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  9. ↑ Blake Ellis (5 October 2010). "Surprising six-figure jobs: Voice actor for TV commercials". CNN. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  10. ↑ "Voices.com launches new mobile app for iPhone and iPad". London Community News. 7 May 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  11. ↑ Friedman, Thomas L. (13 December 2009). "The Do-It-Yourself Economy". http://www.nytimes.com: The New York Times. Retrieved 25 May 2011. We had a script that called for 4 to 5 voices. Rather than hiring local voice talent — for $250 to $500 per hour — we searched the Internet for high-quality voices that we could afford. We found several sites offering various forms of narration or voice-overs. We selected www.voices.com. In less than one minute, we created an account, posted our requirements and solicited bids. Within five minutes, we had 10 to 15 ‘applicants.
  12. ↑ "David Ciccarelli". Tech Vibes. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  13. ↑ David Ciccarelli and Stephanie Ciccarelli (2012). Voice Acting For Dummies. For Dummies. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  14. ↑ Mary Knox Merrill. "Easy High-Paying Jobs – Voice Actor". CNBC. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  15. ↑ Phillip Britt (September 2007). "The 2007 Market Awards: Elite -- Voices.com". CRM Magazine. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  16. ↑ "Startup Cries Foul at Google's New Radio Ads Product". http://www.techcrunch.com: Tech Crunch. Retrieved 25 May 2011. Voices.com CEO David Ciccarelli is crying foul at part of Google’s new radio ad product, which is in beta testing with select Google Adwords customers.

External links