I really like media and I really like voiceover and I really like audio production and I really like video and film.

But the part I like about all those things the most is the behind the scenes part of it. Most of the time nobody sees you ‘doing the making’.

Hence my on-going love affair with voice acting and deep attraction to radio.

This would also help explain why I have never been a fan of me doing on-camera work. I don’t want to do on-camera acting because I’m not a big fan of me on-camera.

Now I will make silly videos for my YouTube channel (which all the 7 people in remote jungles will ever see) but nothing like proper acting, or spokesperson stuff.

Voice actors should be heard and not seen. And I love that.

Voice actor Peter K. O’Connell from audio’connell Voiceover Talent, July 2024

Which brings me to social media and these stupid profile pictures we have to post of ourselves. To me, they feel like a lot of work.

In the profile pic I want to look like my normal fun self but also respectable. Nice but not formal. Me but not me.

Relaxed and improvised but completely planned, posed and well lit with 7 filters.

In other words, BS. I’m ridiculous! 🙂

Anyway, the other day a picture got took of me (yes I am aware of the bad grammar, intentional for humor) that I thought looked OK except for the background.

Darn!

Then I found a free background remover. Magic!

Now what? I needed a background for the photo. What to do, what to do??

I decided to plow through the likely hundreds (at this point) of background images I have on this computer and I found some great video color bars.

Oooh fun (I thought), I can use them! It will convey my bright, fun personality (ha!) and subtly reference video and television production (for which I often provide my voiceover services). All that will also be slightly creativity (which, when it comes to me and anything visual, “slightly” is the best I can ever hope for).

Reading that now, I am unsure whether that all shows thoughtful creativity on my part or my narcissistic self-absorption on a level previously not seen.

Am I over thinking my profile pics?

They *do* represent my brand to my business audience…but that brand is basically me, who does NOT want to be in the forefront. Oy!

Back to my photo idea — turns out just slapping color bars behind my head just ended up looking like a vertical rainbow (and not a very impressive one at that).

So I thought, maybe a collage of color bars? Ok, it needs something else

At this point in the creation process, I was starting to take *me* out of the design process and look at this design as sort of 3rd party omniscient. Made me feel less self-conscious.

Ok, (methinks to meself) what about including the word “voiceover” to make it look a little modern, a tad artsy and make it clear to the viewer who this idiot in the Bills cap thinks he is?

Alrighty then, that works.

Thus it was born…a new head shot.

One morning soon, I will wake up and feel this picture is ill-conceived (which was my polite synonym for stupid). Maybe this blog post is too. But I can’t think I’m the only VO who feels this way.

Anyway, for the moment, I don’t hate this new profile pic and it solves the Social Media profile picture issue.

For the moment. 🙂

Tags: commentary, marketing, social media by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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The following is an opinionated media observation, not a political statement, endorsement or position.

Media here, not politics; got it?

Here we go…

I fully understand the awful challenges of operating a newspaper today and how so many newspapers have gone under because of those obstacles.

I respect that the talented people working at newspapers and even owning newspapers are also frustrated by the operational constraints forced upon them by plunging readership and ad revenues.

However, the fact remains that a newspaper’s primary goal is to report the news of the day, without bias.

I’ll make that goal even shorter: report the news.

On the early evening of Saturday, July 13, former United States President (and current Republican nominee for President) Donald Trump was shot by an attempted assassin in Pennsylvania. Trump was hit by a bullet but has recovered from the wound.

It is a big story in America when anyone tries to assassinate a presidential candidate (or worse, succeeds)…but this candidate was also a former President. As far as news stories go…you really don’t get much bigger.

And for a Sunday newspaper edition – often a newspaper’s biggest circulation day- there will be a LOT of people who will be searching for the in-depth reporting that is the key point of difference a newspaper offers the media consuming public.

There was a time in the newspaper industry when publishers would have stopped the presses and redesigned the front page (even deliver the papers late) to make sure they got the FULL story into the hands of readers.

A political assassination attempt (regardless of political party) IS front page news…unless you are The Buffalo News in Buffalo, New York.

Not unlike some other newspapers in America, The Buffalo News seems to pre-set its Sunday edition front page section – well in advance of publication – to…save money, I suppose. If there is a breaking news story, I guess they could run it in an inner section?

As you can see from the graphic on this blog, The Buffalo News – the newspaper of my hometown – did not redesign the front page to carry the assassination story. They missed the story completely on their front page. There was not a story ANYWHERE in The Buffalo News Sunday, July 14th edition (that I saw) about the attempted murder of President Trump on July 13th.

An attempted presidential assassination omitted from the front page of a U.S. newspaper. Wow.

While all of what I have written here is opinion – what I am about to say is especially opinion, as I have no facts to back this up, save for having some personal knowledge about media professionals taking pride in their jobs: somebody or many somebodies on the Editorial side working Saturday at The Buffalo News very likely screamed their fool heads off to get that story in print for Sunday’s run. I have faith they tried but were foiled one way or another, probably by accountants.

And no, I don’t think this story’s omission was for any kind of political reason or bias. This was financial, all the way…in my opinion.

BTW, some years ago while I was inside The Buffalo News offices in downtown Buffalo, I saw the company proudly hung history making front pages of their newspaper on their walls – including, as I recall, the death of President John F. Kennedy by an assassin’s bullet.

There will not be a page hung on the wall for July 14, 2024.

If there hasn’t been already, there will be excuses proffered and reasons given by the newspaper as to why The Buffalo News omitted the story. They are just excuses and are, in fact, inexcusable if your primary purpose is to report the news.

The exclusion would be tragic if it wasn’t so pathetic. Or worse, maybe I am one of only a few who noticed or even cared.

Irresponsible omissions of professional journalism like this allow newspapers to prove their own irrelevance. Certainly The Buffalo News has done that here.

If the Buffalo Bills are more front page worthy in July, the day after some tried to kill a U.S. President, just reformat the News to a sports tabloid and call it a day. What about Digital? Local newspapers have already lost that space to more talented digital news services. For the most part, it seems local newspapers can’t win there. For the most part, local newspapers are not winning there.

While all of what I have written here is opinion – what I am about to say is especially opinion, as I have no facts to back this up, save for having some personal knowledge about media professionals taking pride in their jobs: somebody or many somebodies on the Editorial side working Saturday at The Buffalo News very likely screamed their fool heads off to get that story in print for Sunday’s run. I have faith they tried but were foiled one way or another, probably by accountants.

It’s over for newspapers and those involved in their publication.

It’s truly sad, heartbreaking, to witness the newspaper industry’s slow suicide.

Tags: commentary, newspapers by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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There is no way for me to justify my 6,000 tweet – which I am sure is just as meaningless as the 1st tweet was 17 years ago. And yet when I was updating my profile today — there it was: 6,000 posts.

I can’t say that anything I’ve offered on the platform was terribly worthwhile and (aside from catching a few breaking news stories) I’ve not read that much that was interesting (but it helped pass the time).

What this…I don’t what you call 6,000 tweets…a signpost? A waste of time and effort?

What this “thing” did remind me of was when I first really focused on Twitter.

My recollection was I was at Podcamp Toronto in 2007 – social media was kinda just coming into it’s own and Twitter was barely a year old. But there were a couple of thought leaders who I heard in the hallways of the Podcamp chatting about Twitter.

I think within a month I had set up my account — having NO idea what I was supposed to say or do with it (much like the rest of the world then AND now.

And I think it can only be my 17 year longevity on Twitter or X that explains how I have over 3,800 followers. At one point I had 4,000 followers but I must have said something that pissed some-200 -bodies off and that 3,800 count is where my follower count has been for a while.

If you are a follower, thanks. If you want to be a follower, thanks. If you don’t want to follow me, thanks.

There is a Science to social media and I was more of an English and History guy myself.

Let’s try not to take ourselves too seriously out that. Thanks.

Tags: commentary, social media, social networking, twitter, X by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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You know how we all know stuff that other folks do not seem to know or are at least unaware of at that moment?

And yes…we’ve each been that person that didn’t know or was unaware (I know I have).

So anyway – I‘m just going to throw this out there for small or micro-business owners that might need this reminder – cause we gotta help each other out.

For most print marketing purposes (yes, I know there are exceptions) – print on BOTH sides of a sheet of paper.

What made me post this was (and I think over the decades I’ve posted this message before) AGAIN TODAY got an unsolicited flyer in my mailbox from a window cleaning service (printed on nice paper, attractively typeset, etc.) that was only printed on one side.

I believe that was a wasted marketing and branding opportunity (also I threw the flyer out because this kind of forced, unwelcomed marketing  – jammed in my mailbox – I find annoying as h-e-double hockey sticks).

But now back to the more valuable, overall marketing lesson.

Flyers, business cards, mailer inserts, postcards (that one should be VERY obvious)—point is whatever the printed piece — use the space you are given on the sheet of paper to get your message and branding across to your audience.

This does NOT mean you have to fill the entire document (front and back) with every darn thing. No, no, white space is still your graphic friend.

But you can use both sides judiciously, creatively and memorably to get your brand, message and call to action across to your audience.

If you’re going to shoot your shot…don’t leave any ammo unused.

Hope that helps.

Tags: commentary, marketing, voiceover advice by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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What a nice compliment for me to be invited to an interview with VoyageRaleigh about my voiceover business!

VoyageRaleigh is part of a group of publications around the country whose mission is to build a platform that fosters collaboration and support for small businesses, independent artists and entrepreneurs, local institutions and those that make each city interesting.

The interesting part for me was that they listed my interview under the section of “Rising Star” – some 40+ years into my voiceover journey!!! I’ve decided it’s better than being listed under the category of “Falling Star”.

At any rate, thank you VERY much to the VoyageRaleigh team for spending time with me.

Tags: commentary, marketing by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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WHEN SOMEONE YOU NEVER MET emails you today and says that something you wrote in 1980 at the age of 15 is still making an impact in the life of his family right now, what do you say?

Well this weekend it happened to me and I am still not sure what to say…I started with thank you (and that feels woefully inadequate).

Let me tell you what happened.

In 1980, when I was a sophomore in high school, our English teacher had us write an essay on a topic that mattered to us…it was basically a creative writing exercise.

I wrote an article basically saying don’t always follow the pack, don’t be afraid to *not* conform sometimes and the cool kids really don’t know anything more than anyone else.

In essence. – ‘Don’t bother to try and keep up with the Joneses’.

My teacher liked it and asked me to submit it to our local newspaper, the Buffalo News. They published articles written by local high schoolers every month. For my efforts, I got a gift certificate from a local record store.

I’d long ago forgotten all of this.

What my younger self didn’t take into account was just how big that newspaper readership was…or that many people I never met would read my story.

Fast forward to this weekend when I got an email from a gentleman named Eric, whom I have never met or communicated with previous to this weekend.

In his email, he introduced himself and included a photo of my actual article, cut out from the Buffalo News by his Mother in 1980. His Mom gave my essay to him because she thought my high school words would resonate with him. It did.

He held on to the article all this time and has it posted in his house for his own children to read (that’s a picture of the article from his house).

Wow. This humbled me so greatly I was speechless.

But the greatest message for me, besides his compliment of keeping my article, was this: we just don’t know how what we say or write can help or hurt people who we’ve never met.

Conceptually we all understand this, but Eric’s email made it real in a way I could not know until I felt it.

I will share now that I will work to make my words more positive (in person, in emails and online) because when people experience what I say…it can have a bigger impact than I might have first considered. I will work (cause I’m not perfect) to lead with positivity in what I say, whenever possible.

Bring others up.

Tags: commentary, newspapers by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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