I spent 3 years auditioning for Hololive. Here’s what I learned.
This is an itch.io mirror of my original Reddit post. Click here to read it!
Who am I, and why am I writing this?
I’m Mado - a cactus fairy VTuber. I develop games, illustrate, sing, and write. I’m also graduating. In my graduation announcement, I said I’d reveal something I’ve kept secret for years.
This post is that something.
I’ll mostly talk about my self introduction videos - since they’re the most important part of the audition. But I’ll also discuss the interview process and my written application.
I hope you find this retrospective helpful - or at the very least, an interesting read.
Why did I want to join Hololive EN?
Back when I streamed, these were my motivations:
- Strong bonds within each generation. I was (and still am) a shy person, but I loved Hololive’s generation system - where like-minded creatives were encouraged to bond with each other. There’s a reason Hololive fans keep saying “Myth 5ever.”
- Dedicated managers. As an independent VTuber, I found marketing and networking stressful, exhausting and lonely. I wanted staff who would support me and provide direction for my creative career.
- Large emphasis on music production. Like many other Hololive talents, I loved covering anime and VOCALOID songs. I was also an opera singer who had experience performing in front of large audiences. My skills allowed me to fill a musical niche that Hololive didn’t (and still doesn’t) have.
- Their interest in multitalented entertainers. As I mentioned, I had strong skills in game development, illustration and writing. Thus, I felt like I was a good fit for the company.
- Financial stability. I talked about this in my graduation video, but I struggled to find “normal” full-time work. When I debuted, Hololive appealed to me because it seemed to provide a win/win deal for talents. “Join us, and you’ll earn enough money to live comfortably and fund your own creative projects.” Nowadays, I’m not sure if I hold this opinion. But I still haven’t had much luck with the “normal” job market.
With those motivations in mind, let’s talk about the auditions themselves.
Auditions 1 + 2 (January 2021, February 2021)
My first Hololive audition was for their VSinger position. This audition required applicants to submit two music videos and a self-introduction video. Back then, Hololive EN’s auditions weren’t permanent.
Once I debuted as a VTuber, I whipped up two music videos and an introduction video. I produced everything - minus the backing track and the mixing for the second music video.
You can view them below:
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Intro video (Audition 1 + 2)
As soon as the VSinger auditions closed, Hololive EN’s Gen 2 auditions opened. To save time, I reused my VSinger audition. This is why I grouped my first two auditions together: they’re the same.
When I rewatched these videos, I understood why I failed both the VSinger and Generation 2 auditions.
- My self-introduction script was boring. I talked about my character’s backstory for 3 1/2 minutes. I should’ve discussed my skills and what made me an ideal candidate.
- My self-introduction video was boring. All I put was a floating image of my character and an edited photo background. No samples of my creative work or skills - nothing.
- My music videos were poor samples of my vocal work. I rushed my covers so that I could make the VSinger audition deadline. As a result, my vocals were croaky and off-key. I don’t think this left a good impression - especially compared to my proper covers.
Audition 3 (January 2022)
I didn’t audition again until the next year. By then, Hololive EN opened their permanent auditions to the public. I took their announcement as a sign to apply again.
For my third audition, I redid everything. On the video side of things, I animated my character’s sprite and added visual examples of my work.
You can watch my third intro video below:
On the whole, this video was better. My character felt animated, and I actually provided evidence for some of my skills. But again, I took too long to talk about my skills and what made me a good fit.
I’m also not a fan of the script I wrote for this video… but I suppose that’s because of my improved writing skills.
Audition 4 (April 2022)
If you fail Hololive’s current auditions, you’re required to take a three month gap before applying again. That’s why I sent my fourth audition in April - though I prepared for it throughout March.
For my fourth audition, I decided to scrap the original character angle. I also made my video editing more engaging.
You can watch my fourth intro video below:
This video is solid. I discussed my skills, and I held viewers’ attention with stronger editing techniques. In every respect, it’s serviceable.
If I had to guess why this video failed, it was because I wasn’t ambitious. Hololive EN receives thousands of audition videos like this one. But their current talents knew how to make their videos stand out.
Which brings me to…
Audition 5 (August 2022)
At first, I wanted to remake my fourth audition video. But my twin sister asked me:
“Why don’t you make it a music video?”
I took her advice, and ended up parodying a famous opera song: complete with a fully animated music video.
I think this intro video’s quality speaks for itself. You can watch it below:
I’m still proud of it. It’s funny, clever, and above all - ambitious.
And it was that ambition that earned me a preliminary interview with Hololive EN.
My Hololive EN Interview (September 2022)
So I got an interview. How did I prepare for it? VTubing’s a pretty young industry. If you want to join Hololive (or any other corporation), you won’t find a lot of information on the entire hiring process. Most of the info that does exist is vague, fluffy advice from accepted talents.
However, there were two resources that I found useful:
- A video by Lace about his experiences interviewing with Hololive
- A Reddit post by Elc-the-Lad that provided mock interview questions for VTuber agencies.
The former gave me an idea of what to expect from my upcoming interview. The latter helped me write flashcards, which I rehearsed until memorized.
When the day of the interview arrived, I joined a Zoom call with one anonymous staff member. The interview itself lasted about an hour.
There were some questions I expected: the type of character I wanted to play, the type of content I wanted to make, and my larger goals as a VTuber. But I also received a lot of questions that dealt with personal responsibility.
They included:
- “How will you cope with the stress of a large audience?”
- “If you don’t get along with another talent, how will you manage working with them?
- “How do you plan to navigate content restrictions as a corporate VTuber?”
Before the interview ended, I made sure to ask my own questions. For example, how stream scheduling worked, or the level of input a talent had on their assigned character. Then, the staff member told me that I’d receive my verdict within a week. I thanked them, and the call ended.
A week later, Hololive sent me an email saying that I didn’t make it to the next round of interviews. When I asked them for advice on how to improve, I heard nothing back. I expected as much, since it was a preliminary interview... but I still felt sad.
Audition 6 (December 2022)
For the next three months, I dedicated my time and energy to learning new skills: such as audio engineering and 3D animation. I wanted to show Hololive how much I could improve as an entertainer within that short period of time.
For my sixth intro video, I initially wanted to make a different parody of an opera song. However, I ended up remaking my fifth intro video. I recorded new vocals, built a 3D stage, and added new visual effects.
You can watch it below.
I love this video. But there’s a part of me that wonders if I should’ve started from scratch - because Hololive might’ve ignored it for being too similar to my fifth audition.
Audition 7 (June 2023)
At this point, I was growing tired of the audition process.
However, Hololive EN promoted their auditions again. So I decided to give the company one last shot. Since I assumed that this would be my last audition, I wanted to give it everything I had.
That’s why I made my seventh audition an interactive visual novel. I spent two weeks coding, drawing, writing, illustrating, and voice-acting for this project.
You can watch the trailer and play the game below,
I’m proud of this audition. It was the culmination of everything I had achieved as a VTuber thus far. But my gamble didn’t pay off. If I had to guess why… No one had time to play through a game.
The Written Application
Here’s where I talk about the written application.
I approached it the same way I approached my intro videos. It was a pitch to Hololive - a way for me to prove that I was a worthy investment for the company. The only difference was that I wasn’t restricted to a time limit.
To get an idea of how I pitched myself, you can read what I wrote for my final audition here.
Conclusion
I hope you found this post informative - especially if you’re planning to become a corporate VTuber. Feel free to ask me for questions or advice. I’m more than happy to talk about my audition experience with Hololive (and other agencies - I've applied to big and small ones.)
If you’re interested in my future activities as a game developer, you can find my links here. Currently, I’m most active on BlueSky.
Thanks for reading. I appreciate it.
- Mado
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