Entries Tagged as 'voiceover'

“SPEECHLESS” Voiceover Podcast to Celebrate 100 Episodes on April 18, 2024

Speechless Voiceover Podcast 100th Episode - Peter K. O'Connell VoiceoverIn almost all of broadcasting, be it radio, TV or cable, making it to the 100th show is a milestone.

The same is true for podcasting and it’s especially true for voiceover podcasting (says the blogger/podcaster who couldn’t get past 3-4 episodes back in the waaaay early days of the medium).

Seriously, I’ve heard and long forgotten a large number of VO podcasts from producers who seemingly lost interest in the medium.

So when I saw a post from my voiceover pal (and fellow Faffer) Natasha Marchewka about the upcoming 100th episode of her SPEECHLESS voiceover podcast with Kim Wilson (on April 18th), I know it promises to be a big deal.

Over 2 (maybe now 3) seasons/years, Kim and Natasha’s SPEECHLESS podcast has been a behind-the-scenes take on real life in the voice over biz! The good, the bad and the ugly.

SPEECHLESS Voiceover Podcast with Natasha Marchewka & Kim WilsonIt takes true production commitment and focus to keep a podcast (or any media program) on-air for ANY length of time. Guest aren’t always great, ideas aren’t always flowing….but if you have the determination, producers like Kim and Natasha fly over the problems and focus on the good stuff.

If you get to 100 episodes, that means the audience likes all the good stuff and wants you to keep going.

And that there (as we say in the south) is the greatest cause for celebration there is!

Voice Actor Peter K. O’Connell Releases New Character Voice Demo

Peter K OConnell Character Voice Actor

Truth be told, this new character voice demo was a long time in the making.

A loooong time…like 18 years.

You read that right.

Why so long?

I kept getting hired off the 18 year old demo.

LISTEN TO PETER K. O’CONNELL’s 2024 CHARACTER VOICE DEMO BELOW:

Then the character voice demo evolved – there were character voice demos, then just animation character voice demos, then video game character demos. Then offshoots and collections mixing all that stuff. Oy!

I wasn’t sure how I should roll with these changes. I can do voices and voice acting for all those genres.

I even worked on one of the early famous video games (with a boatload of audio files) – Bioshock. But when I saw the game, I didn’t really like the story and visuals…they creeped me out, honestly. Clearly there was a huge audience for it but that audience didn’t include me.

Plus, I realized if I played in those video game voice acting waters…I’d likely be faced with that same gut/moral conundrum more than a few times. I don’t mind ceeding artistic control on most projects…but video games could get really weird really fast for my tastes. Not judging others but it was not for me.

I decided I was more of a commercial and animation character voice person. Plus there are a ton more talented than me video game voice actors in the world.

Voice Actor Peter K. O'Connell - Buffalo Bills fanThen there was the paralyzing (for me) question of what to include in a new character voice demo. I can do and have done a ton of unique and familiar characters…I became overwhelmed.

It was a terrible but very real feeling about this inconsequential character voice demo (inconsequential when compared to the big picture of life).

I talked to some character voice producers (smart, talented folks) but I didn’t feel confident enough in my choices and the direction I wanted to go in for my demo to make it a worthwhile partnership to invest my money and their time.

Then a few weeks ago, I spent a Saturday doing a deep dive into the archieve of ALL the character stuff I have voiced. I sensed a direction and felt a great confidence to begin assembling, writing, voicing, editing and mixing.

One of the great benefits of working professionally in voiceover for over 40 years is that you become friends with very talented people who opinions you respect and who you know will lend a helpful ear and thoughtful, smart feedback.

I am so grateful for the help of my friends Bruce Miles, Steve Pogatch and most especially Rowell Gormon – who together easily total a century’s worth of professional character voice performance and production – for their insights. If you love the demo, it’s in large part because of them. If you hate, that’s on me.

I hope you love it.

And I hope there was a wonderful reason in God’s big plan that I had to wait 18 years between character voice demos. Cause I’m not sure I still be around if I have to wait ANOTHER 18 years for the next one! 🙂

Voice Actor Mara Junot Serves as Live Announcer for the 2024 Screen Actors Guild Awards on February 24

Voice Actors Mara Junot and Peter K. O'ConnellMy friend and fellow voice actor Mara Junot will be the announcer for the live broadcast on the Screen Actors Guild Award on Saturday, February 24 at 8pm ET on Netflix.

That statement may surprise you (not that I have a friend but that…well, OK maybe you are surprised I have a friend that’s a real person but…oh shut up).

Anyway, Mara is an extremely talented and versatile voice talent, that’s the whole point.

I have known Mara for many years and while I would not be so arrogant to say we are close friends (we live very far away from each other, also she is young and I am as old as death), if I were to see her next week, we would start talking like it had not been over 4 years since I last saw her.

She’s just that friendly, kind and open. She’s just Mara…I think she’s like that with everybody.

It’s a gift.

While I am (of course) extremely bitter that I did not get the live announcer gig for yet another major award show (my perfect record of “not invited to audition” remains safe) 😉 if anybody else should get the live announcer gig, it should be Mara.

I know my fellow friends in the VO industry who know Mara share my inordinate joy for her on securing this great gig. 🙂

When you see the show and hear her work, you’ll understand. She deserves all good things.

How Voice Talents Should Treat Their Voiceover Clients

Code of Conduct - Peter K. O’Connell VoiceoverI have been enjoying the promotional posts by my friend and fellow voice talent Tracy Lindley, who is celebrating her 10th year as a professional voice talent.

She is also rightly celebrated on the voiceover podcast and convention circuit for her LinkedIn presentation.

In her 10 day series “10 Lessons from 10 Years in Voiceover”, Tracy offers reflections and advice on how her voiceover business practices may help others as well.

One of her posts that caught my eye was “Treat Others the Way They Want to be Treated”. Briefly, Tracy’s sales and marketing concept here is for business owners to be aware of and adapt to the likes, wants, needs and in some cases personalities of their clients.

The reason it caught my eye was that it reminded me about something I wrote all the way back in 2008 and that is still posted to the audio’connell Voiceover Talent.

It’s the audio’connell Voice Over Talent (and O’Connell Communications, LLC) Code of Conduct.

Why a such a formal sounding document for what is essentially a one-man band business?

My thinking is simple – tell clients the kind of business relationship they are entering into while also reminding myself how to behave and how I should also expect to be treated.

Do most clients even notice it? I don’t know as it really has never been discussed. Ultimately, if a client or vendor didn’t like how they were treated, someone would be fired or not renewed.

My feeling is, for those prospects or clients who DO care about such things, my company’s long established policy is posted for the world to see.

“Treat Others the Way They Want to be Treated” and “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you” are both worthwhile business strategies, whether you been a professional voice actor for 10 years (like Tracy) or 42 years (like me).

 

Spotting a Buffalo Bills’ Fan in Raleigh, NC

Voice Actor Peter K. O'Connell - Buffalo Bills fanAs the Buffalo Bills prepare to host the Pittsburgh Steelers in a Divisional Playoff game in my old home town of Buffalo, NY (well actually, the stadium is the the suburb of Orchard Park, NY), I felt I should address something that might not get spoken of very often.

My new hometown (well going on 8 years anyway) of Raleigh, NC (well actually I’m the suburb of Cary, NC — turns out in the past two sentences, I’m not terribly good at geography) — any this new place I live in North Carolina is Buffalo, NY SOUTH!!!

Unbeknownst to me and my family when we moved here there are a ton of Western New Yorkers and Buffalonians down here.

So whether I am wearing my Bills, Sabres, Bisons or Bandits shirts (or even an old Buffalo Braves shirt), somebody always says something like “Go Bills” or “Let’s Go Buffalo”.

None the less, as you’ll see in the video…while strolling across Raleigh as a Bills fan, I remain “surprised”. 🙂

#gobills

Moxie Talent Agency Celebrates 10 Years!

Voiceover Peter K. O'Connell Moxie Talent AgencyBack in April of 2014,  I was in Kansas City and I grabbed dinner with fellow voiceover friends Dan Hurst, Andy Barnett, and Matt Wiewel at a great BBQ joint (well Kansas City is full of them).

As we chatted a lot and ate even more. the conversation turned to voiceover agents in the KC area and I was told about a new agency that had recently opened called Moxie Talent Agency.

The next day, I drove over to see the folks at Moxie Talent — well actually, because it was so new, I only remember meeting Stacey Siegert, Moxie’s owner.

We had a very nice chat about my voiceover business.

At first she was afraid I was looking to become a male on-camera model…I said “never” and she said “thank god!” (I made that last part up).

Stacey and I set up a voiceover representation agreement within a few days that is still going strong today.

It’s really not my place to say I’m proud of Stacey and her (now much bigger) team but it IS an amazing accomplishment for anyone in the performing arts or operating a supporting business for the performing arts (like a talent agency) to remain around for 10+ years. Even thought Stacey and Moxie may make it look so, longevity is NOT easy in the performing arts.

I’m grateful for Moxie Talent Agency’s support and am glad to be a part of her agency’s voiceover roster for all these years.