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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
Comments Off on i am a registered faffcampian! (that means i’m going to faffcamp)

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You’ve seen me post about FaffCon which is a professional development event for about 100 working, professional voice-over talents who register for the now yearly event. Not everyone gets to go FaffCon because of its limited attendance and its attendant criteria. That made some folks both sad and frustrated…and that was not ever supposed to be an outcome of FaffCon.

So Amy Snivley conceived an event, different from FaffCon, but still allowing its focus of helping voice talents learn from and network with each other.

The gestational period is over – the new baby is born and her name is Faff Camp.

Now some of you are just going to click on the Faff Camp link to register. I understand that feeling completely and feel free to read all the detailed Faff Camp information in the web site link. Just understand that Faff Camp registration for the May 3-5, 2013 event is not open yet. But relax, there is NOT a 100 person limit to Faff Camp. And when I know about registration opening, I’ll spread the word. But there is a Faff Camp Facebook page (isn’t there a Facebook page for every darn thing?) where you can stay up to date on Faff Camp news.

So what IS Faff Camp?

Faff Camp is a peer-to-peer professional development conference for working voiceover pros (not just voice talents, voice actors, and narrators, but ALL PROS who do work related to voice overs). It’s participant driven and highly interactive, just like its sister event FaffCon. But unlike FaffCon, most of the Faff Camp agenda is set in advance, which makes it possible for Faff Camp to welcome a larger group.

Plus Faff Camp incorporating some exciting new elements like Topic Tables, Birds of a Feather sessions, Adopt-a-Question, and Lightning Talks.

Also new to Faff Camp is a Table-Top Trade Show. Friday only, you’ll get to see cool gear up close, get answers from providers one-on-one, and see live demos of solutions in action. There will be content woven throughout the day on the expo floor.

Friday evening, a panel of top pros answer the question What Does it Really Take to Make it in Voice Over Right Now?

If you’ve always wanted to come to FaffCon, but haven’t been able to get in, Faff Camp is for you. If you’re a Frequent Faffer, come get your Faff fix to tide you over until FaffCon 6 (October 4-6, 2013 in San Antonio, Texas)! And since we’re not limited to 100 this time, we can make this the biggest Faffer reunion ever–everyone in one place at one time!

Tags: Faff Camp, faffcon, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice, voiceover meet-ups by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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The Friday after FaffCon, I find myself saying “A week ago at this time….”, alot.

Oh, I have thought of MANY ways I could say thank you to everyone at FaffCon for the amazing boost I received from being in their presence.

Each idea, though, seemed to miss the mark in one way or another.

This one might too by inadvertently omitting someone (but I can fix that in post, if they or someone tells me).

The following are the people who made FaffCon 5 special for me and I thank them (underlined, bolded, italicized and exclamation marked):

Liz Aiello
Mars Hill, North Carolina

Rosi Amador
Cambridge, MA

Brian Amador
Cambridge, MA

Roger Baker
Asheville, NC

Bobbin Beam
San Diego, CA

Diane Bean
Cumberland, MD

lori berman
boston, MA

Peter Bishop
Bellport, NY

Amie Breedlove
Charleston, WV

Kelly Brennan
Lititz, PA

Don Brookshire
Cary, NC

Tanya Buchanan
Toronto, ON

Susan Burk
New York, NY

Sean Caldwell
Tarpon Springs, FL

mike carta
knoxville, tn

Tom Cassidy
Montverde, FL

Colleen Colin
santa clarita, ca

Courtney Colin
santa clarita, ca

Mike Coon
Portage, MI

Matt Cowlrick
Victoria, British Columbia

Steve Cunningham
Los Angeles, CA

Terry Daniel
St Louis Park, MN – Minnesota

Chuck Davis
North Stonington, CT

Liz de Nesnera
Pompton Lakes, NJ

Tom Dheere
Parsippany, NJ

Dustin Ebaugh
Las Vegas, NV

Wayne Edwards
Ashville, PA

Moe Egan
Manchester, NH

Vance Elderkin
Chapel Hill, NC

Robin Eller
Los Angeles, CA

melissa eXelberth
Nutley, NJ

Fred Filbrich
Rochester, NY

Jeanne Fishman
New York, NY

Lori Furth
Manhattan Beach, CA

Scott Gentle
New York, NY

Johnny George
Fishers, IN

Nancy German
New sharon, ME

Anthony Gettig
Portage, Michigan

Lee Gordon
West Hartford, CT

Rowell Gorman
Raleigh, NC

Van Gunter
Homewood, Al

Roxanne Hernandez Coyne
Los Angeles, CA

Darryl Hogan
Toronto, ON

Xavier Huix
Ocoee, FL

Dan Hurst
Lees Summit, Missouri

Debbie Irwin
New York, New York

Bruce Jacobson
Roanoke, Virginia

Mara Junot
New York, NY

Jeffrey Kafer
Monroe, Washington

Randye Kaye
Trumbull, CT

Glad Klassen
Niagara Falls, Ontario

Kelly Klemolin
Kimberly, WI

bri knickerbocker
glendale, ca

Jodi Krangle
Newmarket, Ontario

Dan Lenard
East Amherst, NY

Kristin Lennox
Indianapolis, IN

Dale Leopold
Manakin Sabot, VA

Mo Lotman
Somerville, MA

diane maggipinto
salt lake city, ut

Fran McClellan
Genesee, PA

Martha Mellinger
Radnor, Pa

Bob Merkel
Brookfield, WI

Chris Mezzolesta
Hampstead, NC

Deb Munini
Ocoee, FL

Rich Owen
Bakersfield, CA

Tera Parks
Ocoee, FL

Jay Patrick
Fletcher, NC

Jamee T. Perkins
Wilkesboro, NC

Carolyn Peterson
Salisbury, North Carolina

Jennifer Price
Birmingham , Alabama

Talmadge Ragan
Charlotte, NC

Jerry Reed
Whitesboro, NY

Randy Reeves
WOODSTOCK, GA

Lisa Rice
Thaxton, Virginia

Leesha Saunders
Hyattsville, MD

Joey Schaljo
New York, NY

Monk Schane-Lydon
Canaan, NY

Rob Sciglimpaglia
Norwalk, Ct

Kevin Silva
Raleigh, North Carolina

Jody Silvers
Charlotte, NC

Elaine Singer
Toronto, ON

Catherine Smith
Charlotte, NC

Bob Souer
Venetia, PA

Debra Stamp
Wake Forest, NC

Patrick Sweeney
Toronto, Ontario

Amy Taylor
Litchfield, CT

Bob Taylor
Derby, NY

Lori Taylor
Gainesville, FL

Christian Taylor
Wheaton, IL

Connie Terwilliger
San Diego, CA

Tom Test
Chicago, IL

Trish The Dish
Budd Lake, New Jersey

Pam Tierney
Chicago, Illinois

Gene Tognacci
Houston, TX

Doug Turkel
Miami Shores, Florida

Jeffrey Umberger
Atlanta, Georgia

Katherin Vasilopoulos
Brossard, Quebec

Leslie Wadsworth
Fallbrook, CA

Janet Walton
Fletcher, NC

George Washington III
Charlotte, NC

David White
Mill Creek, WA

Cliff Zellman
Dallas, Texas

Wendy Zier
Raleigh, NC

FaffCon 5 Staff:

Ashley Barton
North Hollywood, CA

Dan Friedman
Asheville, NC

CC Heim
College Station, TX

Lauren McCullough
Asheville, NC

Amy Snively
Los Angeles, CA

Natalie Stanfield Thomas
Corning, NY

Devon Stewart
North Hollywood, CA

Cinda Souer
Venetia, PA

Eric Souer
Venetia, PA

Karen Souer
Gastonia, NC

Tags: faffcon by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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I am quite literally stunned to realize that in two weeks I will be in Charlotte, NC with 100 fellow voice-over professionals attending FaffCon 5.

Five?!

Except for the first FaffCon, which I couldn’t attend without upsetting the then pregnant Mrs. audio’connell, I have attended every FaffCon (in Atlanta, Georgia, Hershey, Pennsylvania, Ventura Beach, California and now Charlotte, NC). The people I’ve met and the things I have learned have allowed me to grow my business and advance my way of thinking about voice over. I want to focus on that last part for a second.

The voice-over business is a very solitary business with most folks working in their home studios with occasional breaks to actually talk to clients on the phone (vs. only e-mailing each other, which happens too often for my liking) or the blessed trips to a local studio where somebody else does the work and you can focus on your performance (such bliss!)

But in that kind of insular environment, we as professional voice talents sometimes found ourselves with few peers through which we could share our business, performance or technological ideas. On a lot of our business stuff we were all making it up as we went along.

With the advent of chat rooms or in my case bulletin boards (like the infamous and invaluable VO-BB) new networks of professional voice talents were formed, initial emails were exchanged and in my case, meetings were scheduled between voice-over talents who could share, learn and develop all phases of their businesses together.

The natural evolution from these types of groups was a convention, which was first put together by my friend and fellow voice talent Frank Frederick…it was called VOICE and it took place in a hotel in Las Vegas I think in 2005, maybe 2006. The first (and only) VOICE I attended was in 2010. It was a nice networking event but I didn’t feel my professional education was significantly enhanced by it. I felt a lot of what was taught (with some exceptions) was very rudimentary (and I was one of the presenters so take that into account).

But I remember seeing my friend Amy Snively at that conference as well. This particular time we were on the trade show floor by a microphone display. She shared with me her disappointment about the content of the show as well. I can’t say I knew what she was thinking at the time but sometime after that on the VO-BB a discussion was held about a different kind of conference.

In that thread, FaffCon was born. Now we are five.

Monday night I had dinner in Toronto with voice talent Jodi Krangle, a FaffCon veteran. Thursday night I had dinner with Kelly Klemolin in Green Bay, who will be attending her first FaffCon in Charlotte.

They will be roommates during FaffCon 5. Knowing both Kelly and Jodi as long as I have, I am certain their professional connection will last a long time and their likely friendship even longer.

And they have two people to thank – D.B. Cooper and her idea for the VO-BB, giving us voice talents a safe place to gather and share ideas; and Amy Snively, who’s idea for FaffCon shared on the VO-BB has built an event unlike any in our industry.

For five, I think “we” are a pretty amazing kid.

Tags: commentary, faffcon, voice over training, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice, voiceover meet-ups by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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Less than 30 days remain before FaffCon 5 in Charlotte, NC.

This year, I have been working with my friends Natalie Stanfield Thomas and Pam Tierney on selling sponsorships for FaffCon 5. They have been great to work with and I am very lucky to be on their team.

Last year when I worked on selling sponsorships for FaffCon 4 I was amazed how many voice-over talents bought sponsorships. This year, even more voice talents are sponsoring FaffCon 5– quite selflessly too because they don’t have much to sell to their peers, they just know that an event like FaffCon does not happen without financial support. Thanks to each of you.

We have many corporate sponsors too and we are SO grateful for them (thank you all).

If you are a voice-over talent or corporation who wants to support FaffCon 5 or get your message in front of business owners and leaders in the VO industry, please email me via my super-secret, double agent with a decoder ring code name- sponsorship at sign faffcon dot com.

There truly is NOT much time left, with art deadlines etc., looming. You can also reach me at 716-572-1800.

Thanks!

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