I missed the very first FaffCon.

My magnificent third child was coming into the world and Mrs. audio’connell somehow felt it was more important that I not spend a weekend in Portland, OR lest my dear boy make an early entrance while I was three time zones away. My suggestion that she just hold her legs together during the trip was not accepted with grace. Need I reiterate, it was only a suggestion?!

Oh, that was also the time I found out I’m a bleeder.

So I remember that whole weekend thinking ‘I wonder what they’re doing now at FaffCon? I wonder who’s speaking? I wonder what they’re talking about?’ I was bummed even though I didn’t yet have (or fully understand) the FaffCon experience.

I made a promise to myself I would make it to the next FaffCon. After attending FaffCon 2 in Atlanta, I promised (save for something of immense importance) I would not miss another Faff-event.

As I sit here going through notes and business cards and memories, I am thinking of some of the posts of those who couldn’t go…who wanted to go but for all the right reasons (whatever they were) didn’t go. And as I began to type of my profound joy from everything and everyone at the FaffCamp event, I stopped. I really did.

I am profoundly grateful not only to everyone I spent time with, learned from and especially worked with on FaffCamp…but those feelings and opinions extend to each and everyone of the past FaffCon attendees as well. I wanted EACH of them to be at FaffCamp for their own professional and personal development but also for my own selfish reasons of wanting to be around and learn from greatness.

Yet, remembering my feelings about missing the 1st FaffCon, I don’t want to boast about the many things I took away from the event lest it make my fellow Faffers who attended in spirit feel badly, feel jealous or feel sad. That is NOT the spirit of FaffCon.

Each of you in abstentia need to know, as a matter of record, you were missed. That is not stuff and nonsense…I speak sincerely and from the heart.

Though nor do I (by way of this post) want to take away the euphoria of the other FaffCampians who ARE posting their joy and pictures and thanks….they can and they should because it’s all for the right reasons. They want to share their joy and I am enjoying it.

There are over 100 people to thank and I tried to tell them all yesterday (especially the sponsors). If we spoke, if I shook your hand, if you watched me present —if you shared any of your time with me at the event, thank you.

I thank our foundress Amy, my brother from another mother Dan, the ever- supportive and lead improviser Natalie and our dearest angel Lauren for leading this event to its very successful liftoff, execution and completion. “Tireless dedication” is an over used phrase in most descriptions…except this one.

And so I’ll end it there. If I name anyone else, I’ll stupidly forget someone unforgettable.

Call me if you want to hear my FaffCamp experience one-on one…I’ll gladly share my phenomenal experience.

Because, really, for those of you who understand a Faff-event, no description is really necessary and for those who haven’t, no description will suffice.

I hope…I mean really hope, I see you all in San Antonio. Thanks for being my friends.

Tags: Faff Camp, faffcamp, faffcon, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice, voiceover meet-ups by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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I’m not sure if it’s true for every FaffCamper or FaffConite but for me, when I see a Faff-event coming up in my calendar, it becomes a goal…a kind of joyous finish line for some of my marketing plans (you know, a marketing plan…it’s that written document that you need to…oh never mind).

As you know from past blog posts, I had a plan to redesign my business cards. I’d decided that FaffCamp would be the perfect deadline to have these cards ready…not really for the Campers, many of whom I’ve known forever, but for the Monday AFTER FaffCamp, so I’d be ready with the renewed marketing vigor that FaffCamp will imbue within me. The response of the recipients of these cards will be the true test of their efficacy…but I gots me a plan for that!

Branding-wise, I wanted to put a greater emphasis on the “Friendly, Neighborhood Voice-Over Talent” positioning that I created. audio’connell Voice Over Talent is still very much around but this freshening of my personal brand felt accurate from a variety of marketing perspectives; among peers and clients, the branding is getting positive reviews.

So I toyed around with some graphical ideas for the positioning and hit upon a look that I believed conveyed the feel of what I was trying to communicate while still staying true to the family branding equity that audio’connell has established for all these years. I’d focus more on audio’connell’s secondary logo mark (the “a.o.” as I call it) versus the full microphone logo to tie in with the positioning statement and new word mark.

Now in the world of business cards, I have a reputation to uphold (can you see how puffed out my chest is getting –no, it’s not some kind of allergic reaction)…after all, I get calls from clients and friends asking me for help with THEIR business card designs, so mine had better be pretty unique.

I liked the word mark design because it was minimalist (unlike my personality) but on a business card, that same quality that I prefer might just kinda sit there. While wondering (like, for months) what I was going to do to make this card stand out, I got my answer while recording at a studio in Toronto.

I committed a robbery in broad daylight AND in another country, no less.

Right there in the studio’s card holder on the reception desk: thick, heavy plastic card stock for a business card. Full color, two sided. Oh yeah.

The message via these cards to the creative community that I serve (agencies, production houses) is subtle, tactile and memorable. And it tells my story.

We talk about look and feel when we talk about design – I think (and maybe egotistically) these cards have a creative, professional and friendly look to them but their feel is substantial, durable and dependable. It’s a lot to ask from a card – but I believe it gets my branding and personal message across well.

Communication though is NOT in the transmission, it’s in the reception. You are welcome to give you pro or con opinion here on the new cards…but just know that I’ve got a lot of these new cards so if you hate them, you’re going to have to hate them for a while. ☺

Tags: advertising, branding, commentary, faffcamp, faffcon, logo design, marketing, voice talent, voiceover by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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With 30 days left until FaffCamp 2013 comes to Charlotte, NC, the anticipation is building…and if you haven’t made your hotel reservations….or submitted your registration….you better step lively!!!

Anyway, Amy came up with a very fun idea for the t-shirt that is given out at every FaffCon (and now for each FaffCamp): a t-shirt design contest.

I am not a designer and my work above proves that very well. But it’s fun and I think there’s some kind of prize for the winning design. On facebook, there’s a collection of the design entries.

You do NOT have to be attending FaffCamp to submit a design. So share some of your best ideas, let’s see what gets picked!

Tags: commentary, Faff Camp, faffcamp, faffcon by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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It’s already time for Daylight Savings Time so we all know that May 3rd and the start of FaffCamp will be here before you know it (55 days from now).

As with FaffCon, FaffCamp needs the support of sponsors to continue to make the event viable (successful events do not live by registration fees alone :)).

BUT (great news coming….) because of FaffCamp’s unique format…THERE ARE STILL REGISTRATION SPOTS OPEN!!! However, while attendance will be greater than FaffCon, FaffCamp’s attendance is NOT unlimited. Now is the time to register!

Our Faff Events have been extremely fortunate to benefit from the support of some amazing sponsors (thank you to you all) who love the events and know that they are cost-effectively getting their marketing messages out to business owners and decision makers within the voice-over community who are continually investing in their businesses.

There are some very unique and affordable sponsorship opportunities only available at (our larger audience…more eyeballs…more opportunities) FaffCamp. If you’d like information on the sponsorship opportunities, please email me here or call me at 716-572-1800.

Either myself or the great Natalie Stanfield Thomas will get you the information you need and begin the process.

Finally, if you are a FaffCon or FaffCamp supporter, I would be greatly appreciative if you would SHARE THIS BLOG POST on all your social networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc) so that all of your followers will be made aware of this cool FaffCamp opportunity.

Thanks for all your help. See you in Charlotte!

Tags: commentary, Faff Camp, faffcamp, faffcon, voiceover meet-ups by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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I am registered for FaffCamp which will be taking place in Charlotte, NC, May 3-5.

I know a lot of you have wanted to attend FaffCon and for any number of reasons (being that it sells out in hours) could not.

FaffCamp will be much bigger than FaffCon…much! I can guarantee this because FaffCamp doesn’t have FaffCon’s attendance limit. You WILL be able to get in.

And you’ll want to get in because many of FaffCon’s favorite presenters will be presenting at FaffCamp. Yes, I will be leading an Improv session – new and improved with Natalie Stanfield Thomas.

I KNOW this because (also unique to FaffCamp) the weekend’s agenda will be laid out in advance of the event. So folks like Bob Souer, Doug Turkel, Cliff Zellman, Tom Dheere and Sean Caldwell will be presenting their extremely well received voice-over content. Right there, you’ve got probably 100 collective years of professional, money-making voice-over experience covering key voice-over topics like performance, marketing, rates, managing a VO business and more. And those are only SOME of the presenters.

The OTHER cool thing about FaffCamp is that on Friday – there will be an Expo and a voice-over industry panel. A slew of informative presentations offered by voice-over related sponsors will be given -giving you the opportunity to listen, ask questions about and maybe even try out some of the voice-over related products and services you’ve only read about.

And I haven’t even mentioned the networking you’ll do with you’re voice over peers.

So come on along, get yourself registered for what will likely be one of the most impactful voice-over weekends of your life. I’ll see you at FaffCamp.

NOTE: The fee for FaffCamp is $375 per person until midnight April 19. The fee goes up to $475 for late registration after April 19 (space permitting).

Tags: commentary, Faff Camp, faffcamp, faffcon by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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