VAC Casting Call Rules

You may either post your own casting call, or link to someone else’s existing public casting call (for instance, an audition opportunity posted on social media that you feel other members would be interested in) .
If you need to share more information than can fit on a post in the server, or want to make it easy to share elsewhere, we recommend creating a Google Doc (make sure to enable public access!)

Quick links:
Which channel should I post in?
What type of information should I include in my casting call?
Why is a deadline required for paid casting calls?
Why aren’t fandubs allowed?

Disclaimer: Casting calls are independently posted by members and are not endorsed or vetted by the Voice Acting Club. All members audition and record for projects at their own risk. We are not responsible for contract, payment, or other issues between client and talent.

Please post in the #server-help channel if you have any questions about our casting call rules or want to know how your project should be categorized!

Please familiarize yourself with the rules below before posting a casting call. Posts which do not follow the rules may be locked and/or deleted.

Post your casting call in the appropriate channel (and ONLY in the appropriate channel).

#casting-calls-paid

For casting calls with MONETARY compensation only. (deferred/potential payment, credit/copy, service trades, or payment via in-game currency or cryptocurrency are classified as “unpaid”.) Both original and fan-based projects are allowed in this channel as long as they are paid.

While it is acceptable to ask actors to submit their own rates, we recommend standardizing the pay rate for all actors on your project and listing this rate in your casting call (see our Indie Rate Guide page for sample rates and pay structures!)

#casting-unpaid-original

Casting calls for hobby/passion projects which are entirely the creator’s own original IP. (Projects made with existing assets, based on existing media or taking place in existing universes – such as Minecraft or Roblox – must be posted in #casting-unpaid-fan, even if the script itself is your own original work.)

#casting-unpaid-fan

Casting calls for unpaid projects that are based on an existing franchise or which utilize an existing world or character(s). For example: comic dubs, game mods, fan animations, fanfic readings, etc. (Fandubs are not allowed – for “why”, see here.)

#casting-calls-18-up

Age-restricted channel for NSFW projects (typically defined as content explicit enough that minors should not even view the audition post.) In the interest of our members’ safety, please note that projects featuring explicit sexual content are required to offer monetary compensation. Please see our pinned post in the NSFW casting call channel for additional details on what types of works are permitted.

If your project does not contain explicit content but you only want adults to submit, we recommend posting it in one of the regular casting call channels instead with a note to please only submit if you are 18 or older. As the NSFW channel is strictly opt-in, it gets quite a bit less traffic than our SFW channels.

#non-vo-services-wanted

If you need to hire people OTHER than voice actors for your project (such as artists, writers, composers, or audio editors), please make a separate post in this channel detailing the additional services you need. Please be advised that most creative professionals such as animators and programmers do not work for free, so you will likely see minimal or no responses if these positions are unpaid.

**Do not post your casting call in multiple different channels, or post in one of the main chats asking people to audition for your project.

Please include a bit of information on your project and the role(s) you are casting for.

Please avoid posting a casting call simply saying something like, “I’m looking for voice actors for my project, DM me if interested.”

The VAC is a server full of thousands of voice actors—do you really want an onslaught of DMs from people who may not even fit the character(s) you are looking to cast? Being specific with what you need right off the bat helps avoid wasting time for both you AND your voice actors!

We highly recommend including information such as:

A brief introduction to your project (example: “I am currently casting the two lead characters (1M, 1F) for an indie visual novel about people who turn into cats and gain superpowers. You can find our Steam wishlist page here.”)
Description of the characters you are casting for (including any relevant details such as personality traits, gender, age range, accents, and/or vocal type—artwork is also quite helpful if you have it)
(If paid) Information about the pay rate/compensation details (example: “The project will consist of live-directed sessions paid at $250 per hour with a 2-hour minimum” or “cast will be compensated at a rate of $4 per line”)
Any relevant instructions for submitting auditions (example: “Please label auditions as CharacterName_YourName.mp3 and upload them to the Dropbox link below.”)
Your contact information (If you’d like actors to send you their auditions via email, please include your email address here. If you specify Discord DM, please be sure your DM settings allow messages from those you share a server with!)
The deadline for how long people have to submit their auditions (see section below for more info)

Tip: Formatting your audition post in a clear and professional manner, and including important information about your project, can help your casting call receive a lot more interest. Choosing a descriptive title and utilizing tags can help, too.

Deadlines are REQUIRED for paid casting calls (and strongly recommended for unpaid ones).

If you are posting a casting call for your own project, you must include a deadline for when you will stop accepting submissions.
While the deadline rule is not enforced for unpaid projects due to the sheer number of unpaid casting calls, we do highly encourage you to include a deadline regardless. General demo calls/roster submission forms are exempt from the deadline requirement if submissions will be open indefinitely.

As the VAC is a global server, we recommend including the DATE, TIME, AND TIME ZONE for when your casting call will close.

Rush deadlines are allowed (for example, same-day deadlines) but please do not cast “whenever you find what you’re looking for”.

Why is a deadline required / why can’t I just cast “as soon as I find the right voice”?

Our server consists of voice actors from different time zones all over the world. You can easily miss out on good options by rushing to cast before a number of people are even awake and checking the casting calls.
People have other obligations such as work, school, and personal commitments, and cannot be at their computer at all hours to check if new casting calls are posted. If you cast the first person who turns in something remotely fitting, you may miss out on great submissions from actors who are busy at the moment you post the call.
Many people bookmark casting calls they are interested in so that they can manage their to-do lists and record when they are able to. It is immensely helpful for people to know how long they have to turn something in. It can be quite disappointing to see a great casting call, think “I’m going to record for that as soon as I get home from work”, only to find out it’s already been cast within a mere few hours!
In the professional industry, auditions have a deadline (though often a short one, such as 1-2 days). Outside of pay to play sites which are more of a free-for-all, submissions are typically reviewed and decided upon once the deadline has passed. It is rare that an audition will be turned away from a reputable agency or studio despite submitting on time. Outside of truly emergency casting situations, “first-come first-serve” is not a professional or expected way to conduct business.
Casting “first-come first-serve” can create an awkward or unpleasant situation—what happens if you hear an audition you like right away, tell that person they are cast, but then another audition comes along that fits even more what you are looking for? If you go back to the first person to tell them they are no longer cast because you “found something better”, that creates disappointment and hurt feelings.
Above all, quite simply, it is unfair to the actors who are interested in submitting to your project!

If you haven’t found what you are looking for, you are always welcome to extend the deadline, either for your entire project or just for the characters you’d like to hear more options for. If you need to close auditions earlier than anticipated, you may shorten your deadline, but please give a minimum of 24 hours notice if you do.

Fandubs are not allowed.

For the purpose of this rule, a “fandub” is defined as dubbing over existing footage from a show or movie (such as an anime or cartoon), regardless of whether the property has been licensed for the English-speaking market and/or previously dubbed.

Fan-derived content, such as game mods, comic dubs, abridged series, and parodies are allowed, so long as there is a significant creative contribution by the producer rather than simply voicing over footage.

Dubs of game cutscenes are allowed IF the scene you are dubbing has minimal or no English voiceover in the official release.

Why aren’t fandubs allowed?

Fandubs involve utilizing and distributing copyrighted footage. Keep in mind that not all countries have a “fair use” provision for copyright law. Hosting this type of project opens us up to potential issues with the license holders.
Our community is a place for all levels of voiceover and production talent, including industry professionals. Fandubs are traditionally frowned upon in the dubbing industry, and allowing them could compromise the reputation and integrity of the Voice Acting Club.
In hobby communities, the casting call channels have often been plagued with people holding auditions for dubbing an entire series, which is an enormous amount of work. These projects are almost always an unrealistic endeavor and result in people doing loads of work for free for something that never gets finished.
While fandubs can be a great way to have fun and practice with your friends, it is best to not include them as part of your professional branding.

**Our fandub rule applies across the entire server—meaning you may also not post fandubs in the self-promo, creative works or feedback wanted channels.

AI-generated content is not allowed.

In the interest of solidarity with artists, writers, and other creative professionals, we do not allow AI-generated images/artwork/scripts, including for casting purposes.

We also do not allow the posting of any casting call seeking actors to train AI voice models. However, we recognize there may be exceptions where such technology is used in an ethical manner for stylistic or accessibility purposes. If you believe your project warrants an exception, please send a message to VAC ModMail to clarify details prior to posting.

Please note that it is considered highly unethical to use actors’ voice recordings to make an AI voice model, absent of clear consent and compensation. Providing voice work for a project does not imply consent for generative AI training or reproduction!

We understand that projects which use AI-generated assets are not always apparent. If you have questions or need clarification on this policy please ask in ⁠the #server-help channel or message ModMail.

“Bumping” is only allowed a maximum of once per 72 hours.

Bumping is where you comment in your own thread with “bump” or something similar to get your post back to the top of the audition list. While you are welcome to respond more often than this to answer a question from a member or provide a legitimate update, posts whose sole purpose are to push the thread back up to the top are limited to once per 72 hours.

Why? Everyone deserves a chance to get their projects seen, and relentless bumping is just spam. If your project is interesting, chances are people will comment anyway!

Do not spam people with requests to audition for your project.

Perhaps you come across someone’s demo in #va-directory and think they could be a great fit for your project. If you think they’d be interested, you may send a targeted, thoughtful DM inviting them to audition. However, do not just spam a link to your casting call in the DMs of everyone you see posting in chat!

It is understandable that you may wish to invite professional voice actors to audition for your project, but keep in mind that most of them will not audition for unpaid projects and/or fan projects, unless they have indicated they are open to such or it is specifically relevant to their personal interests.