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 is Blog Action Day , a day when bloggers across the internet have agreed to publish a post about one topic based on the concept:

“What would happen if every blog published posts discussing the same issue, on the same day? One issue. One day. Thousands of voices.”

We found out about this project in August.

My environmental hot button has always been litter: how incredibly easy it is to contain, how unnecessarily careless people are with their minor waste and how it’s grown into such a huge problem.

I’ll let the more environmentally educated in the world tackle the statistics on garbage collected and how best to recycle, etc. I want to focus on the simple everyday problem of daily litter and stopping people from littering.

Many people of a certain generation will remember in 1971 the Keep America Beautiful campaign’s TV spot for Earth Day where the actor known as Iron Eyes Cody came upon all the litter surrounding America, which made him cry.

That was 1971.

It’s not much different in 2007.

At least twice a week as I’m driving my car, I see one of the other drivers tossing some wrapper or cigarette or other refuse out of their car on to a street or expressway. Somehow the materials that got into their car “immediately” need to be expunged from the car…for some reason, it can’t be disposed of in their home’s garbage can or in a nearby trash receptacle at their next stop (there are trash cans at public places almost everywhere these days).

It’s not just cars though. Parks, streets, its everywhere!

I know Americans are lazier than ever, I know we’re less educated than ever and more disrespectful than ever. So all I think it takes is a quick reminder…a loud, public, always polite reminder that will attract attention from anyone within ear shot and embarrass the crap out of the litter bug.

(In an overly clear loud voice professional voice talent….but you can do it too>) “Hello, HELLO SIR!!!! I’m sure you dropped that wrapper on the sidewalk by accident so I just wanted to remind you to please, right now, pick up that wrapper and throw it in the garbage can you’re standing next to, great, thanks!”

Start politely humiliating the offenders, wherever possible. If we’re silent, litterbugs think we don’t mind. We mind and we need to let them know it.

I think one of the best ways to tackle a huge problem like protecting the earth’s environment is to start small. To a person, litter is a small thing, something that if we each just THINK about it, about what we are doing, how and where we are disposing our trash, we can make a huge impact.

I hope you’ll help by not littering and publicly (and politely) calling out anyone who does.

Tags: advertising, blog action day, blogs, commentary, commercials, internet, media, rants, technology, voice talent by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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I’ve already set up about three interviews (fourth pending) for voxmarketising – the audio’connell podcast, set to debut probably in a week or so. I’ll likely only do one interview per show and I am really excited about the interviewees who’ve said yes…more to come on that.

I’ve also got the initial format set (it can always change, this is podcasting after all) and the segments for the first show all set. My first interview is tonight (I told you we’re getting closer to p-day!)

What I need are some (future) listener comments. If you call in with your thoughts for topics I could cover on the show involving voice over (acting), marketing and/or advertising, I can promise you three (3) FREE promotional benefits for your business:

When you call the comment line at +01 716-989-6151 and leave your comment you should first:

1. Say your name…thus promoting your personal brand
2. Say your business name…what you do for a living
3. Mention your web site, blog or podcast (including the web addresses)

Then, leave your comment or idea.

Just remember you must sound brilliant when you call…no pressure (just kidding).

Just like they say on TV….call today! +01 716-989-6151

Tags: advertising, blogs, commentary, marketing, podcast, podcasting, voiceover, voxmarketising podcast by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
2 Comments »

Shall I see you in Boston during the weekend of October 26th?

Only if you’re at Podcamp Boston 2 taking place at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

Join me and maybe thousands of my podcasting and blogging brethren and sisterthren and what is sure to be a lot of learning, a lot of networking and a lot of fun.

You can read all about it here…oh yeah, and it’s free.

Tags: blogs, commentary, media, podcampboston, podcamptoronto, podcasting, technology by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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My friend and re-newed Mom (welcome baby Daphne) Stephanie Ciccarelli posted on her Vox Daily blog a fun question: “What Attracted You To Radio?” At the risk of parroting my voice over compadre David Houston who has previously done what I am about to do (and probably did it better) here is my response to the post offering you a little peek into my inner geek (oh, you KNOW you wanted to look, admit it!)

“I was in kindergarten in 1969 at Mount St. Joseph Academy (well, it was called the Medaille School then but it changed and…aw you don’t care).

Sister Donna Marie took the class on a field trip to a radio station – WEBR. Now up until that point, I was under the distinct impression that the music coming out of the radio came from a building where all these musicians stood around waiting their turn to play their songs live on the radio.

Imagine my surprise.

We stood in the control room and watched the broadcast live and I was mesmerized. Knobs and lights and oooo what’s that? A microphone! I want me one of those!

Wait, it gets geekier.

Some kids like to draw space ships or cowboys.I drew pictures of radio and TV studios.100’s of them. Microphones, cameras, technicians. Paging Dr. Freud!

Um, it gets geekier.

I’m in 2nd or 3rd grade and I come across an audio production catalog which has….microphones! Oh I thought that was the coolest thing. Lots of em to broadcast my voice. I finally got a used one and I thought it was super cool. It didn’t work, it wasn’t hooked up to anything but I had me a microphone.

Fast forward early high school where it occurred to me after everyone said I had a nice voice (my Dad had won public speaking awards in high school and my mom wanted to work in Television before women were really permitted to do such things…do you think the broadcasting bug I have was genetic?) I started reading copy from magazines like they were radio scripts. And I gave them pretty good reads. The quizzically look my Mother gave me one day when she heard this was priceless (“what are you doing?”) But I was too far gone.

College time rolls around and I am looking for a broadcasting program. I thought I would head right to one of the best broadcasting programs in the east, Syracuse University, until they said “no” (who wants to be an “Orangeman” anyway…what the hell is an “Orangeman”). The University of Dayton I liked for many reasons not the least of which was their 50,000 FM commercial (non of this public radio stuff) station broadcasting to three states with a professional GM, PD and sales staff….and all student air staff.

WVUD-FM was the equivalent of Geek Bingo!

What an amazing introduction into broadcasting and my future in radio and voice over. Sadly, the University sold the station and now one of the big radio chains owns it, WLQT (an old competitor, Kim Faris, a staple at Z-93 for years now does mornings on Lite 99.9…very nice lady).

But what an introduction and what a ride.”

Tags: announcers, audio production, blogs, commentary, media, radio, tv, university of dayton, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice, WVUD by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
4 Comments »

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.

Tags: blogs, commentary, internet, marketing, peter o'connell, podcasting, voiceover by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
9 Comments »

"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.

Tags: blogs, commentary, media, radio, silliness, tv by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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