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more olympic logo fun

Olympic logos_60 (all trademarks and copyrights acknowledged)

OK, so I’m a nut for logos. Some people like wine, some people like tropical fish. Me, I’m a logo guy. It’s addictive, I suppose but not in a 12-step sorta way.

So when I came across a story about the about Sochi in Russia getting the 2014 Olympic Games, I went to their web site and immediately had a reaction to their logo (as I have had to other Olympic logos though I will not reference that article here lest it interfere with a poll I am about to have YOU partake in).

So above you will see logos from the upcoming Olympic games in Beijing, Vancouver, London and Sochi.

Here are your questions that you must (I’m a demanding little stinker, ain’t i?) answer in the comment section:

• Which logo do you like the most?
• Why do you like that logo so much?
• Optional question: which logo do you dislike the most?
• Optional question: why do you dislike that logo so much?

professor voiceover

buffalo_state_college_rockwellhall

I had an interesting experience last week when audio’connell Voice Over Talent’s Terri and me were invited to speak to a class of radio broadcasting students at Buffalo State College about the voice over business and commercial production.

Buff State has an impressive communications program and boasts a famous or infamous radio station in WBNY, which includes among its impressive alumni Tom Calderone who currently oversees VH1.

Terri actually set up the whole presentation because she’s finishing her degree there (way to go!) while balancing her voiceover work and her other job with the Buffalo Fire Department (and I thought MY days were busy).

Having been in broadcasting for over 30 years and teaching at Buff State for at least 25 years, the class’ professor, Tom Donahue, is a great asset for students and was a great host for we presenters. We shared some terrific radio stories.

Presenting in front of college students is always a challenge…you really have to rev them up…I think we did alright. Students were at a select disadvantage when I presented because I’m a talker AND a walker….I’ll come up to you and finish my point with emphasis right in front of you and look for your recognition….you weren’t sleeping, were you?! (They weren’t…they were all great).

While I’ve neither the patience, education nor the talent for teaching, I fully understand why it can be a satisfying profession. Tom brought some scripts to class and Terri and I would read a couple (watching the students’ eye light up…you could tell they were thinking “that sounds just like on the radio!”). Then, I’d bring them up and we’d try 2-3 takes. The difference between performances from take 1 to take 3 really caught students by surprise.

It’s the kind of surprise some students might be able to build a career on.

MEDIA RELEASE – Peter K. O’Connell Voices National Commercial for Shell Oil

audio’connell Media Release

BUFFALO, New York, September 14, 2007 – – audio’connell Voice Over Talent president and professional voice talent Peter K. O’Connell was selected by Shell Oil Company to serve as the voice talent for a commercial to be shown at Shell-branded service stations across America.

Used as a commercial within Shell’s in-house broadcast network, the spot Mr. O’Connell voiced promotes Shell V-Power gasoline, America’s best-selling premium-grade gasoline. Shell V-Power is specifically formulated to help remove gunky engine build-up left behind from low-detergent discount gasolines on critical engine parts, specifically intake valves and fuel injectors.

Mr. O’Connell recorded the Shell V-Power gasoline commercial at Pomann Sound in New York City.

audio’connell Voice Over Talent is a worldwide voice over talent service featuring professional male and female voice talents specializing in commercials, corporate narrations, voice imaging, podcasts and messaging on-hold (MOH) created for advertising agencies, media and broadcast production companies as well as both large and small businesses around the world.

The company also operates Voice Over Workshop to provide professional voice over training to novice and experienced voice talent around the world.
– 30-

NOTES TO EDITORS

Company Media Releases ON LINE:
http://www.audioconnell.com/media

Company Name Pronunciation:
au·dio·o’·con·nell (awe-de-oh-oh-kah-nel) or au·di-o’·con·nell (awe-de-oh-kah-nel)

Company Name Spelling:
Use lower case letters- audio’connell or audio’connell Voice Over Talent

Company Web:
http://www.audioconnell.com

Company Blog:
http://www.voxmarketising.com

O’Connell Voice-Over Resume:
See resume here

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birth of a podcast

voxmarketising - the audio’connell podcast logo/album art

There are many people you can blame for the fact that I will shortly unveil (or should I say unleash? Possibly burden?) my podcast. But rather than have you cast stones at them or start fires, just simply be forewarned.

It’s coming.

The only reason for the delay is the amount of voice over work I have had to do which takes away from my planning time. And for all the "free-form" spirit of a podcast, as my clients will tell you, I’m a bit of a audio production perfectionist. But perfect is a "goal" and the work won’t go away (God willing) so off I will sail into not wholly unchartered podcasting waters.

The title of the podcast is "voxmarketising – the audio’connell podcast". What the h-e-double-hockey-sticks does that mean?

It means that on any given episode you’ll hear insight from me and my colleagues and friends around the globe about the three channels of communication that interest me the most and that I have the most professional experience within: the voice over industry ("vox"), marketing ("market") and advertising ("tising"), all in no particular order. But I had to give my podcast a name; hence, voxmarketising.

The podcast will evolve as time goes on (as every broadcast or publication I’ve ever been involved with always has) but I’m hoping the focus will be less on me offering my insights on topics of the day (though there will be some of that, no doubt) and more on interviews with experts and insightful folks from whom I have learned a lot and from whom I think you can gain some great practical business knowledge too.

Comments are always welcomed and may be used on the podcast. You can start now by dialing the voxmarketising comment line at +01 716 989 6151 from any phone. You can wish me good luck, tell me to stop before I even get started or throw in your comment about a relevant story that you’ve been thinking about. Leave your name and web site or podcast address so I can promote it and link to it on the show notes (oh yes, there will be show notes).

It will be friendly, informal, very informative and fun. It will not be an infomercial. Podcast posts will appear here on the audio’connell’s voiceover blog on! so make sure you subscribe now by clicking the buttons in the upper left hand corner of the blog.

sacred ground

World Trade Center Cross

Editor’s Note: In the daily observation of life around him, the author occasionally feels the need to point out ridiculously inane behavior and general thoughtlessness. These are called “Rants” and this is one of those times.

Today on the sixth anniversary of the attacks on 9/11, according to Fox News, “Construction equipment now fills the vast city block where the World Trade Center once stood. The work under way for four new towers forced the (September 11, 2001 memorial) ceremony’s move away from the twin towers’ footprints and into a nearby park for the first time.”

There are a lot of opinions on the war on terror and a lot of political grand standing about what I believe is a no win situation brought about by a cowardly attack on America six years ago. I don’t want to sound at all like the idiot pundits and politicians we hear on TV all the time who offer stupid sound bites on the anniversary of 9/11. And personally, I am the furthest thing from political on any topic.

For what little it is worth, I knew the United States of America had to respond to the attacks on 9/11 but unlike so many pundits and politicians, I had no idea what the perfect response was…didn’t think there was one. I felt it was and continues to be a lose-lose situation. I am also grateful for the sacrifice our American troops have made and continue to make and I mourn the loss of their lives and the lives of any innocent civilians caught in the war’s crossfire…most especially the children.

But I do have one solution for one result of the attack that I will openly share with you because it seems so completely obvious, even I get it.

The land upon which the World Trade Center’s twin towers were built, and felled by the 9/11 attack, is sacred ground. Thousands of innocent American citizens died there. Their deaths begat a war which continues to kill and maim thousands more United States’ citizens within our military.

The footprint of the World Trade Center’s twin towers is not for development (the branded “Rebirth of Ground Zero in New York City”) other than to create the most amazing park memorial that any united group of artists (can there be such a thing?) can conceive. There should be no new super towers, no super structures construction to show the world “we can rebuild” thus flashing a pointless steel constructed “middle finger” to terrorists anywhere.

Building anything on that ground other than a full scale memorial is to me, if you’ll “excuse my French”, total bullshit! That just stinks of developers and politicians trying to recoup or even cash in on highly profitable construction while egregiously ignoring what I believe (and think most people would agree) to be “the right thing to do”. Obviously, enough of “the right people” (not a political term in this use) disagreed with me but they’re still not right.

Buildings can’t send nearly as strong a message as people can and do. Shame on us for not doing even the simplest thing right.

May God Bless that sacred ground anyway as well as the souls of the just* taken into heaven from our country on and because of September 11, 2001.

* “The souls of the just are in the hands of God, and no torment shall touch them.
In the eyes of the foolish they appear to be dead;
their departure was reckoned as defeat, and their going from us as disaster.
But they are at peace, for though in the sight of men they may be punished,
they have a sure hope of immortality.”

Wisdom 3:1-4

clueless, the beginning

Jennifer Nettles and Jon Bon Jovi

"For those who understand, no answer is necessary. For those who do not understand, no answer will suffice."

Upon my entrance into fatherhood in October ’05, I understood that life for me would change. Among the many changes would be my tailspin out of the cultural mainstream (to which I’d been relegated to 2nd tier status for sometime prior to my daughter’s birth anyway).

The man (me) who encyclopedic knowledge of trivial facts of the 80’s, 90’s and early "ought’s" (00) had taken him to near mythical like status at cocktail parties and social gatherings (in my dreams) now would be "out of it". I was a father now, and that is the title we are given by our children. It’s "like" a badge of honor.

This leads me to a little You Tubing I did this evening. How I came across Bon Jovi’s video for his 2005 song "Who Says You Can’t Go Home" I can’t remember but I really liked the song as soon as I heard it.

Videos, I thought to myself, they still make music videos? You see, I have neither the time nor inclination to chase down music videos because, well, I am "out of it".

If you can’t recall the song or the video (which, likely makes you a parent too) here’s the video here; I really like the way the producers cut it together.

Now if you know anything about You Tube, you know they’ve practically perfected the"if you liked this, you’ll also like this" selections which are from a similar artist or theme of the video you just watched.

It was from this row of options that I came across a so-called Director’s Cut of the video which I thought was a total spoof, or film student’s version UNTIL about the middle of the video as you’ll see here:

Then while I was recovering from the quasi logic assault of THAT video (when you’re "out of it" your senses feel more assaulted than they used to), another version of the video was offered up as a selection on You Tube.

I have no idea if this was as popular a version as Bon Jovi’s original (maybe on the country charts), featuring a singer, Jennifer Nettles from (what I assume is a country band) Sugarland but Good Lord what a PERFECT (stunningly wonderful) vocal match for Jon Bon Jovi voice….and her presence with Bon Jovi is clearly established. For all I know ("out of it") she may be a huge superstar…she likely should be. One word: wow!

Watch it here. The record company wouldn’t let me embed the clip.

So all these fascinating things are happening around me and I’m catchin up about a year or two late.

But my daughter’s more interesting anyway. And by the end of February I’ll have doubled the fun with the pending arrival of baby O’Connell #2. Just think how "out of it" (and amazingly happy to be so) I’ll be by then.

P.S. My thanks to Mitch Joel and his recent post about his introduction into writing a blog via Windows Live Writer. This was my first post writing with it (not that you would or should notice any difference) but it is a great tool.