Two words that have popped up in my on-line reading during the past twenty-four hours are motivation and inspiration. I don’t know why they showed up either…in my web reading, on my social media networks, I have just seen those words so often in the past day I feel like it’s a theme I should address presently.

Possibly I am more attuned to those words having just come off of Pat Fraley’s event on Saturday. There was great insight there, new approaches to auditioning and performing as well as critical reminders that I find so valuable. I put those tools to work right away in my Monday auditions. I was pumped (i.e. motivated and inspired) about that.

My “pumpedness” could be because I made my payment for Marice Tobias’ Commercial / Narration Weekend Workshop in October in Atlanta (in addition to training with Marice, I’m looking forward to seeing friends and fellow voice talents Bob Souer, Rowell Gorman, Kara Edwards and Caryn Clark there as well new friends I’m sure). Bob, Mary McKitrick and Bobbin Beam are just a few of the voices I respect who truly adore Marice; however Marice may quit training altogether after trying to work with me for a weekend, lesser teachers have tried and cried.

Finally, I got to thinking over the weekend about the Voice Over Workshops I hold for voice talents. From the beginning, I have been bugged by me using the words “teacher” or “coach” for what I do with other voice talents. They are great key words (mine is primarily an internet business after all) but I kept feeling they do a disservice to the work that more true and more accomplished teachers like Pat and Marice execute.

The Voice Over Workshop is very informal…the students who work with me decide a session’s agenda, I don’t. They pick a topic or topics and off we go. I offer insight, history, perspective, evaluations, critiques, direction and advice….but not a formal, structured curriculum like a true teacher would (at least in my experience). So I thought about it some more and I think I came up with a better description for what I do that also better respects what true voice over teachers do.

Best described: I am a voice over consigliere, a voice over counselor. I talk, I prod, I cajole, I direct, I motivate and I teach a little bit. The consigliere part is more about marketing, being memorable but I think the counselor is pretty spot on and feel much better about that moniker than coach or teacher…there are folks more worthy of those titles than me.

Tags: commentary, voice actors, voice over workshop, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice, voiceover meet-ups by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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In 1975, graphic designer Milton Glaser created AND donated a very simple logo for a campaign he expected would last a couple of months.

The logo is still seen everywhere and has been spun off numerous times.

It is no longer a logo, it is an iconic image.

Here’s what Milton has to say about it.

Tags: advertising, commentary, logo design, marketing, video by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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Pat Fraley\’s “Everything They Expect You To Know But Nobody Teaches” event in Buffalo, NY 2009

Well it was more like just a Saturday but the hardest working teacher in voice over was in the Nickel City this weekend as Pat Fraley presented his at Crosswater Digital Media.

It was hosted by my primary voice acting teacher, my agent and, best of all, my friend Toni Silveri who has run The Voice Actor Workshop of Western New York for many years (in addition to All Coast Talent). Toni and Pat worked together on voice over projects often when she lived in L.A.

It should be noted that one of the first things Pat spoke about Saturday was how incredibly fortunate we are here to have Toni as a teacher as “she is on par with the best voice acting teachers anywhere in the country.” I know that to be true.

The class was sold out and I wasn’t going to attend having been to a number of Pat’s courses, all of which I enjoyed immensely (as I have often noted here). Toni, however, needed some “day of” help which I was glad to provide cause these events do require some leg work (and I have fantastic legs…they are both short AND stumpy).

Voice Teacher Pat Fraley and Crosswater Audio Engineer Dan Innes

Quite unexpectedly and very graciously, Pat included in me in the class when I wasn’t tending to my primary support duties. As usual, there was a ton of good stuff with some great voice talents (and wonderful people) from across New York, Ohio and Canada. The day’s basic theme (specifically regarding the “tricks” section) was how to stand out and be different in auditions and performances. It’s not a new concept to most but then again most of established voice talents aren’t executing these tricks enough on a regular basis and the new folks are still figuring out where to stand so this is valuable insights for everybody.

My favorite takeaway from the day (and there were many) was the Series of Three Techniques in which Pat discuss the smartest (my term but it fits) way to give a variation on your performance, often request by directors as “series of three”.

Male Voice Talents Dan Nachtrab and Peter K. O\’Connell

One of my other favorite parts of the day was getting to meet up with male voice talent Dan Nachtrab who drove up from Dayton, OH to be a part of the class. Dan and I have known each other for many years via the VO-BB.com so it was a real treat to visit with him not only about voice over but about Dayton, home of the University of Dayton Flyers, the college of my youth that didn’t say “no!”

Tags: commentary, community, university of dayton, voice actors, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice, voiceover meet-ups by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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Male Voice Talent Bob Souer

Of course that’s nothing more than a humorous title because anyone who has had the pleasure of knowing Bob Souer knows he rarely shows any emotion close to ranting.

Bob is so laid back (how laid back is he?) he’s almost horizontal (ba-dum-bump, thanks folks, I’ll be here all week, please tip your waitress).

Bob’s posts are very often brief posts with informative links to other sites (he generously shares news and offers credit magnanimously which is one of the reasons he’s so beloved in the voice over industry).

Today of special note on Bob’s blog is his insight about the support we all receive within our careers.

When I write many paragraphs on this blog, you get eye strain (like on every post). But when Bob starts typing, you need to stop and read.

Tags: commentary, voice actors, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice, voiceover blog by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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Actually, it’s not a complete time suck, especially if you’re a student (real or pretend) of television, culture and media. It’s extremely informative and educational. They don’t cover this kind of in-depth stuff on those entertainment shows.

In advance of the 61st Annual Emmy Awards, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Foundation has launched a web site called Archive of American Television.

Oh my heavens the interviews: Steve Allen describes the birth of “Tonight,” Isabel Sanford talks about her path from theater to “The Jeffersons” and literally hundreds more. Also titled “Emmy TV Legends”, this web site’s interviews can be searched by people, show, profession or topic.

I find this stuff fascinating so if you’re looking for me and I’m not immediately found, that’s where I might be. Join me in the office and let’s watch some REALLY good television…on the web!

Tags: commentary, tv by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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Hi Folks!

It’s been a while at least since I put out a call to make sure I have your blog listed on my blog roll here at voxmarketising. And I seem to be in tidy up mode today (office/studio looking spiffy and all cleaned up).

Well, here’s your invite.

Please let me know your voice over blog’s web address (if I don’t have it already in the column on the right) and we’ll get ‘er posted.

You also may have changed your web address and not let me know (now would be the time to double-check).

You also may know of a blog that has bit the dust on my blog roll recently that I hadn’t heard about…ping me on that tidbit if you have it.

If you would like to link back to here or to audio’connell Voice Over Talent, well we’d see that as a great kindness but not a requirement.

That’s all, thanks.

Tags: blogroll, blogs, commentary, community, voiceover, voiceover blog by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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