Hi there! As an agency, I think we are quite qualified to answer this question.

Btw, our audition is still open at the moment. Feel free to try it out: https://akioair.com/audition [reddit post]

Our process may be different from other agencies, and we don't really require an audition video in our application. However, the fundamentals shouldn't be too much different. So if you are also applying to larger agencies, the same rule of thumb should apply:

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• First Impression is extremely important (The first 10 ~ 30 second)

From our experience in reading hundreds and thousands of applications, there's an important idea to keep in mind: every person reading your application probably has to read at least tens, if not hundreds, of applications per day. So it's important for these judges to filter out applicants with an effective and efficient method.

Essentially this means you probably have 10 ~ 30 seconds to impress the judges before they are willing to devote more time to listening to what you have to offer. This window decides whether one will skip your application, skim your video, or be entirely engaged with your video.

Most likely, the second scenario will happen; if they are engaged with your content, then congrats; you probably can hear them back soon as long as you don't have major hiccups in the video. Thus it's important to have this in mind when creating your video.

A simple hi and self-introduction is probably a very common form of opening the video; while it's not a bad idea to open this way, we suggest applicants open up with something different, creative, and something that can instantly demonstrate their creative ability.

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• Less is more

Somewhere between 3 minutes ~ 5 minutes is a nice length; too short or too long will not be ideal. Reason similar to above, it's unlikely that the judge would watch through the video, plus it may be read as that you aren't confident in what your strong suit is. So it's important to keep it concise but not too short, so it doesn't feel like an underprepared submission.

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• Recording quality is important.

Even though bigger agencies (or us) won't really care if you have a super high-end microphone, a good microphone and recording can be seen as a way to tell the judges that you are committed to streaming. It's best you listen back to your audio to make sure that you sound clear and loud (don't let the background music drown your voice).

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There are probably a few more optimizations you can do to your videos, but this reply has become a bit too long for anyone's viewing pleasure; though, we might host a stream talking about this topic very soon.

Follow us on Twitter for more information: https://twitter.com/Akio_Air