Everything You Need To Know About VTuber Auditions

With VTubing becoming readily available to the public, plenty of people are trying out this new form of content creation. Many have aspirations of making it as a big VTuber star, but just how do they do this? There are numerous independent VTubers out there like KSon and Shylily who are making a killing. But, most of the biggest VTubers out there are partnered with a VTuber agency. 

Lucky for you, in this article, we’re going to break down everything you need to know about VTuber auditions in order to get yourself signed.

What Is A VTuber Audition?

A VTuber audition is the process by which an aspiring VTuber proves their worth to a talent agency. VTuber talent agencies are just like any normal talent agency. They hold virtual auditions for Virtual YouTubers to see if they’ve got what it takes to represent their company and become a valuable asset. The relationship is obviously mutually beneficial as they will help you climb the ladder to virtual fame.

VTuber agencies provide their talent with recording equipment and access to studios in order to improve the quality of their streams. If you were operating on a budget setup before they can help you to achieve the professional video quality that you’ve always wanted. Also, VTuber agencies help to massively boost your popularity and viewers through promotion and collaborations.

For one, you’ll have the help of their marketing teams and guidance so you won’t need to do all the promotion yourself. Of course, you’ll now be representing a company but so long as you can refrain from making outrageous Tweets you should be all good. As we previously mentioned VTuber agencies do an amazing job of pushing up-and-coming VTubers with the use of collaborations. They will get VTubing newbies to regularly collaborate with fellow VTuber stars who are also signed to the agency. For some, this will mean getting the chance to work with their VTuber idols!

In a nutshell… VTuber agencies give you everything you need to become a VTuber that’s capable of going mainstream.

Where To Audition For A VTuber Agency?

Given the rate that the VTuber community is growing, agencies have been popping up left, right and centre. However, there are only a few agencies that seem to be dominating the market at the moment. So, keep on reading to find out who to audition for.

Hololive Auditions 

Hololive is arguably the biggest VTuber talent agency around. They have some of the most popular VTubers on the internet working for them. Names such as Watson Amelia, Ninomae Ina’nis and of course Gawr Gura are all partnered with Hololive.

Since the launch of the company in 2017, they have managed to acquire hundreds of VTubers on their roster from all over the world. Realising the popularity of VTubers on a global scale they have debuted branches in Indonesia and the English-speaking branch HololiveEN.

But this is where your opportunity comes in! If you’re an aspiring VTuber, Hololive hosts auditions fairly regularly. You can take a look at their auditions page to apply every three months to see if you’re lucky enough to land a shot.

Nijisanji Auditions

Next up we’ve got Nijisanji. Nijisanji was founded back in 2018 and set itself apart from the rest by focusing on live streaming. While some of the first VTubers were preoccupied with filming pre recorded content. Nijisanji saw an opportunity in the live content format. Fast forward four years and they have given birth to some of the most popular VTuber streamers out there. Names like Kazuha, the most subscribed male VTuber or Salome, the fastest VTuber to hit 1 million subscribers. 

With all this success and accolades they have opened up Nijisanji branches in India, Korea, China, Indonesia and of course the English-speaking branch Nijisanji EN. All of these different countries mean that there are a myriad of opportunities to appeal to different audiences. Bilingual VTubers like Kimino Miya amass more fans given their appeal to Japanese and English audiences.

The best way to keep up to speed with their auditions is to follow their news. They often release articles explaining the kind of characters they’re after so stay tuned to see if you fit the bill.

Phase-Connect Auditions

Phase-Connect is an English/Japanese VTuber agency based in Vancouver, Canada. They are quite a new agency having only released two generations of VTubers; one in 2021 and one in 2022. However, in this short space of time, they have produced VTubers with impressive followings. Some of their VTubers like Rinkou Ashelia have over 40,000 subscribers after being around for only one year. 

Seeing as they are the new kids on the block it comes with more opportunities as they are looking to recruit more talent. You can take a look at Phase-Connect auditions to send off your application.

VShojo Auditions

Last but not least, we have VShojo. The internet’s most popular English/Japanese VTuber agency. VTubers working with VShojo tend to do the bulk of their live streaming on Twitch and use their YouTube channels to upload clips and highlights. This is quite different from the traditional ways of doing things as VTubers usually post all of their content to YouTube.

With that being said, VShojo has managed to partner with some of the biggest VTuber names out there like Ironmouse, Veibae and Projekt Melody. Most of these VTubers made a name for themselves independently and decided to join the ranks of VShojo later in their career. So it must be worth it!

Sadly, VShojo isn’t too open about their auditions so the best way to stay in touch is through their official Twitter.

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Prerequisites For A VTuber Audition

VTuber agencies like to operate with a certain level of discretion so they tend not to reveal too much about the process. Often people don’t know what to expect so here are some of the requirements that you’ll need before you consider applying for an audition.

You’ll Need To Be Over 18

All VTubers that partner with agencies are over the age of 18. Even if you’ve got what it takes to make it as a full-time VTuber, companies won’t take you on unless you’re 18 or over. This might have something to do with the fact that they’ll need bank details eventually, in order to get you paid. So just to be on the safe side they choose to wait until you’re old enough to sign legal documents. 

Commitment To The Company

The agencies will be very clear on what they expect from you in terms of the amount of content that you can produce. Companies such as Hololive explain that you must stream a minimum of 4 times a week. The time’s that you stream are totally flexible as they understand that many VTubers have work or study commitments. 

Once you sign the contract you are obligated to deliver so it’s important that you do so. Furthermore, now that you’re representing the company you have to be careful about what you say and the information that you disclose. There have been many instances of famous VTubers being released from the contracts prematurely which we cover in our VTuber graduation post.

For now, it’s just important to understand that you will be signing up for a big responsibility.

Experience With Content Creation

While you don’t have to be a VTuber star before applying for an audition it’s still helpful to show that you have experience in the industry. The only things that they directly ask for are, content creation in the realms of gaming, music or creative streaming. Having made VTuber content before will just be an added bonus!

You Do Not Require A VTuber Avatar

Contrary to what most might believe, it’s not essential to own a VTuber avatar before you audition for an agency. This is primarily because they will create an entirely new character that they will need you to take on. This might come as a relief to creators as most people aren’t sure how to make a VTuber avatar. Hence big companies like Hololive, Nijisanji and Phase-Connect will provide you with a brand new VTuber model commission in order to start your VTubing career with them.

If you do have an existing VTuber model you won’t be penalised for it. If anything it’s a way to show your experience with the industry. Plenty of budding VTubers use software like VTuber maker in order to create a decent quality stream before their partnership.

It’s mainly places like VShojo that are happy to recruit already-established independent talent for who they are. Most companies want specific characters to fill different niches and target specific audiences.

How To Nail A VTuber Audition

So, you’ve perfected your VTuber performance skills but now it’s game time. We’re going to teach you some important things to consider in order to ace your audition. A lot of this information is collected from successful VTubers who have already partnered with different talent agencies so pay attention!

Provide Examples Of Your Talents

Everyone sending off their applications is going to have to write down the different attributes that make them a great VTuber. Common answers like “I have a good voice” and “I can sing” are all perfectly fine to state but it’s all about showing them. Firstly if your application form allows, send off an audio file of your voice. Hearing how amazing you are is bound to get you shortlisted for interviews.

Secondly, in live interviews, no one wants to hire a person who brags about their skills but doesn’t show it. So the best way to get around this is to demonstrate how good you are and let them be the judge!

Finally, if you have no prior experience with VTubing you’ll need to wow them with your entertaining personality and prove that you can play a character well. Simply telling them how motivated and hardworking you are won’t cut it. In this instance, you can provide a video of yourself talking into the camera or simply impress them during a video interview.

Consider showing them a clip from a previous in-person stream to show you’re comfortable entertaining your chat live.

Make Yourself Memorable

VTuber agencies get thousands of applicants when they open their auditions so as cliche as it sounds you’ll need to stand out from the crowd. Starting off your application or audition with a bang is essential. Now, this doesn’t mean screaming into the microphone. But it does mean keeping your answers short, snappy and entertaining. Greeting your interviewers in a fun and entertaining way to get them invested in your character might be a nice way to start things off.

Having so many applicants to get through means that they’re less likely to remember the person who rambled for ages or had a video submission that dragged on. When you have the chance to submit a video in your application, it might be an idea to send over a compilation or highlight video.

Confidence Is Key

It’s understandable if you’re playing a character who is very reserved, you might be acting coy and softly spoken. But it’s important to demonstrate that you’re in character and confident in doing so. Try to refrain from mentioning your weaknesses and explaining that you’re not good at certain things. You don’t want to come across as insecure, instead, you should make a point of being so good that your strengths don’t let your weaknesses show.

Be Yourself

Ironically, despite the fact that you will be playing a character it’s important to sell the parts of your personality that make you best suited for the job. Attempting to lie or pretend to be something that you’re not, will show when it comes to making content. After all, you will have to maintain your character for hours at a time while streaming to your audience so you want to make sure it’s a healthy and sustainable performance!

To make yourself feel a bit better about the whole process, VTuber Nanashi Mumei shared her Hololive audition experience –

What To Expect As A Partnered VTuber?

If you’ve followed the previous advice and have managed to make it as a partnered VTuber there are some things to discuss. For one, depending on the contractual obligations to your agency they may well have full creative control of your character. This means that they decide the appearance of your VTuber model, the type of content you produce and the all-around direction of your career.

Of course, you do have a say in the matter and your input will be taken on board but you have to be comfortable being told what to do. Talent agencies like VShojo are a lot more lenient in this respect, but it totally depends on the agency you wish to join.

Once you’re committed to an agency you have to cease any existing VTuber characters you have ongoing. If you plan on having a VTuber side hustle or working for two agencies at once, it will likely breach your contract and result in you losing your position. Not every company will force you to give up any external projects, but this is why it’s important to read your contract carefully. Just don’t do anything shady!

One final thing to remember is to enjoy the process. While joining an agency isn’t all fun and games, getting the opportunity to pursue VTubing as a career is very fortunate. If you have a passion for entertaining people and a genuine love of VTubing, then putting in the effort to be the best virtual version of yourself shouldn’t feel like a job.

Hopefully, this information helps you to nail those auditions and you remember us when you’re a famous VTuber!