By Peter K. O’Connell

Being a live announcer / Voice of God is like being on a roller coaster — not riding the coaster, DRIVING it.

Some of the hills are smooth, but many of those dips are butt-clenching and can take your breath away.

And live announcers need to control their breathing no matter what happens.

What I have learned in my nearly 45 years of live announcing, hosting and emceeing events is that I don’t have the luxury of getting rattled when things go off script.

“Oh, do things go off script?”

Oh heck yes.

I call it “The Tale of Two Scripts.”

The first script is the text, audio cues, graphic cues, stage position, lighting…everything. It’s the script that you rehearse with and the script you start the show with.

But likely something will change…be it timing, a long-winded guest or someone who is not where they are supposed to be when they are supposed to be there…the show runner or director starts to change things up.

For the live announcer — sometimes called the Voice of God or VOG — (and for everyone else on the production team), this is where the SECOND script kicks in…full of large Xs (noting parts of the script that are now out), lines scribbled through with someone’s typed name replaced by someone’s handwritten name (often misspelled because…live), as well as any number of other marks and adjustments that take place in the middle of the show.

But different from the organized chaos that is backstage at many shows, for the live announcer, it can NEVER, it MUST never sound chaotic. The audience cannot notice any issues from the announcer’s mic.

This is one of the reasons I’ve always enjoyed live work. You prepare like crazy precisely because you know the event probably isn’t going to happen exactly the way everybody prepared for it.

That’s where my experience comes in, both as a radio broadcaster (very live to many STATES at a time) and as a live announcer and host. Besides rehearsing, one of the only practical ways a VOG like me can get really good at the on-mic pivot is to have actually announced A LOT of events.

I can very often calmly adjust because it’s just another day at the office. At least I SOUND calm.

For a live announcer that’s just getting started…well, they will likely learn the very hard way – as we all have.

I just hope it’s NOT with YOUR script at YOUR live event.

About Peter K. O’Connell
Peter K. O’Connell is an award-winning voice actor, broadcaster, live announcer and emcee who has been working behind microphones since 1982. He provides live Voice of God announcing and emcee services for corporate events, conferences, awards programs and other live productions nationwide.

Tags: announcers, broadcasting, live announcing by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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Voiceover Talent and Live Announcer Peter K. O’Connell at the 2026 Run The Peak 10K & 5K Race in Apex, NC. Photographed by Natasha Gilliam of TLG Film Group. Connect: linkedin.com/in/tlgfilmgroup/

A microphone, a finish line and a Saturday morning that reminded me exactly why I do what I do.

Last week when I did the live announcing for the Apex (NC) Chamber of Commerce’s Run The Peak 10K & 5K race, it was fun on many levels, including a few I had not thought about.

I’ve been doing Live Announcing and Emceeing (like at the Run) for decades.

It’s always a great gig, as is the Voice of God (VOG) work as well. Whether it’s a race, a corporate event, an awards ceremony or a conference, live event hosting and emceeing is one of my favorite things to do as a voiceover professional.

But I had not done anything local in a while, so I forgot how many friends I would likely see at the race.

Peak City Drone, Apex, NC

In addition to the many new folks I met, like the team at Peak City Drone who captured awesome drone footage of the race, I also caught up with some relatively old friends.

VMA Studios, Fuquay-Varina, NC

Out of the crowd came Aaron Lurie from VMA Studios in Fuquay-Varina, whose photography is more like artistic storytelling. It’s just so sharp, and he has the most infectious, happy attitude. https://vmastudios.com/

Both Peak City Drone and VMA were kind enough to share some of their footage and photos with me so I could cut together a quick one-minute video of my performance as a Live Announcer and Emcee at Run The Peak.

TLG Film Group, Raleigh, NC

Also out of nowhere I heard someone call “Peter! Hi Peter!” and it was Natasha Gilliam from TLG Film Group! We had a lovely visit and she took some pictures of me that look great and that I am free to use, so you’ll be seeing them on social media. She has real talent because I don’t look like my weirdo self in the shots. That takes artistry!

I was so lucky to reconnect with current friends and make new ones. It made getting up at o-dark-thirty on a Saturday morning completely worth it!

HERE’S THE VIDEO WITH VIDEO FROM PEAK CITY DRONE AND PHOTOGRAPHY FROM VMA STUDIOS:

Tags: commentary, emcee, live announcing, VOG, voice of God, voiceover by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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WATCH A SAMPLE OF PETER’S LIVE EVENT EMCEE WORK:

At the 5th Annual Run the Peak, the Apex Chamber of Commerce needed an emcee who could handle everything – sponsors, crowd, energy, timing. I was asked to take on that role, and when the day was done, the feedback from the client and sponsors was universally positive. Glad I could deliver. That’s exactly what my years of experience offer all my live announcing clients.

What Run the Peak Is

Run the Peak is a 10K and 5K road race produced by the Apex, NC Chamber of Commerce and presented by WakeMed. Now in its 5th year, it’s become a real fixture in the local running community – this year drawing over 650 registered runners. My job was to make sure the day reflected the trust the community has placed in this event.

What an Emcee Actually Does

The emcee isn’t just a warm body with a microphone filling dead air. At a well-run event, the emcee is the connective tissue – holding all the moving pieces together and making it feel seamless to everyone in attendance.

At Run the Peak, that meant a few things done well:

Sponsor acknowledgment done right. Recognizing sponsors in a way that feels genuine (not like a commercial break stapled onto the program) is a real skill. It’s about understanding the sponsor’s connection to the event and communicating that to the crowd in a way that actually lands. Happy sponsors come back. That matters to event producers.

Keeping the crowd engaged. Over 750 runners means a similarly large crowd of family and friends there for the long haul. Keeping that audience informed, connected, and energized is an ongoing job from the moment the event opens until they shut the power down

Making it all feel effortless. The best emcee work is the stuff the audience never consciously notices. If everything flows naturally and transitions are smooth, people just experience a great event. They don’t stop to think about why. That’s the goal.

Why Experience Matters

I’ve announced and emceed events across the country – corporate conferences, charity galas, awards shows, and community events of all sizes. That experience is what you draw on when something unexpected happens, when the energy shifts, when you need to find the right words on the fly.

When a client tells you the feedback was universally positive – that the sponsors were happy and the crowd was engaged – that’s the professional equivalent of a standing ovation.

Run the Peak was a great day in a great community. I’m glad the Apex Chamber of Commerce brought me in, and I’m already looking forward to seeing what year six looks like.

Tags: emcee, live announcing by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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Here’s what I expected from Tuesday’s Apex Chamber networking event: coffee, handshakes, maybe a new lead.

Here’s what I did NOT expect: to become a corporate race sponsor rubbing shoulders with companies that have actual marketing budgets.

I had been to more than a few networking events at the Apex Chamber of Commerce, so this week’s morning gathering wasn’t going to be out of the ordinary as far as I was concerned. It was going to be held at the new Foxtail Coffee in Apex, NC – it’d been there some months but it was new to me.

Anyway, it was a very nice early morning crowd as I was walking around, mingling with familiar and new faces — talking about their businesses, chatting a bit about audio’connell. Then, kinda outta nowhere I was at a table with Amy Riley who is the Volunteer Relationship Coordinator for the Apex Chamber of Commerce.

Live Announcer and Emcee Peter K. O’Connell networking at the Apex Chamber of Commerce AM Networking in February just before getting roped into becoming the Entertainment Sponsor for Run The Peak on March 7th

If you haven’t met her, she’s just all the good things – smart, happy, interested, conversational, with everybody. We just got to talking about the various things she was doing with the Apex Chamber and how she’s now in charge of the Run The Peak 5K & 10K race on March 7th.

This upcoming 5th Annual running of this race is her first time overseeing it and she went on to talk about some of the things was involved in the planning and in that list – blamo!- here it came: “Oh, hey, we need an announcer for the race.”

“Oh s—!”, said the voice inside my head.

Yes, I do live announcing, yes I do live emceeing but I DIDN’T wake up and expect *this* on my early morning networking plate.

A few minutes later, I became not only the Emcee Host / Announcer of the Apex Chamber of Commerce’s 5th Annual Run The Peak 5K & 10K race, I became the race’s Entertainment Sponsor. Yup, that’s me up there sponsoring with Dell Technologies, Fidelity Bank, Wake Med Hospital and a bunch of other significantly laaaarrrrger businesses than mine.

So at Zero Dark Thirty on Saturday, March 7 (WHY do runners need to get up so early??!!!) I will be on the mic at the Run The Peak, beginning at Apex Town Hall on Hunter Street. Hope to see you there…please say hi!

Tags: emcee, live announcing, marketing by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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APEX, NORTH CAROLINA – February 13, 2026 – – audio’connell Voiceover Talent and the Apex Chamber of Commerce have announced today an agreement whereby Peter K. O’Connell, Your Friendly Neighborhood Voiceover Talent, becomes Entertainment Sponsor of the 5th Annual Run The Peak 5K/10K on March 7, 2026.

While admittedly not quite on the current scale of 3,500 athletes from 93 countries competing for 195 gold, silver, and bronze medals, dozens of determined runners will nonetheless battle for personal bests against the splendid backdrop of downtown Apex, NC, a great experience based on community wellness, personal determination, and mutual support.

“With this Entertainment Sponsorship, I have decided to be part of a project that embraces one of the greatest towns in my adopted home state,” affirmed Peter K. O’Connell, award-winning voice actor and live announcer originally from Buffalo, NY. “I am proud to put my voice—honed at everything from black-tie galas to corporate events, in service of an event of this magnitude. We can do it, all together and in Apex, NC, and I will be there with a microphone to prove it.”

O’Connell joins an impressive roster of sponsors including WakeMed Apex Healthplex (Presenting Sponsor), Dell Technologies, Fidelity Bank, and other distinguished supporters committed to making Run The Peak a world-class event, complete with what many consider the most important part: really good post-race snacks.

O’Connell will provide motivational announcements during the race, ensure runners know which turn to take, and remind participants that “you’ve got this!” even when they clearly don’t. An unmissable opportunity to reconnect a voice that has made advertising history with a local community event and the values found in O’Connell’s DNA: passion, excellence, and an inappropriate number of dad jokes.

About Peter K. O’Connell

For over 40 years, Peter K. O’Connell has been a trusted voice across national campaigns (Duracell, L.L.Bean, Disney, Ford), corporate narrations, and live events. His voice has been a key ingredient in some of America’s most memorable advertising. Today his live announcing expertise is proudly placed at the service of Run The Peak 2026, even if that excellence is just making it to the finish line without walking. For more information, visit audioconnell.com.

About Apex Chamber of Commerce

The Apex Chamber of Commerce is a voluntary, non-profit association made up of business people, professionals, churches, civic groups, and individuals working together to improve the quality of life and economic vitality of the Apex area. It is financed solely by its members. It is not dependent on tax dollars, and it is not an arm of any level of government.

The Apex Chamber of Commerce is governed by a 15-member Board of Directors elected by the membership, who in turn hires an executive director to execute the programs and policies adopted by the Board.

The Apex Chamber of Commerce office is located in the historic Apex Union Depot, which was built in 1914 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Apex Chamber of Commerce has been serving the businesses and citizens of Apex, North Carolina for more than 4 decades. The Chamber provides helpful maps, business referrals through our Online Member Directory, and maintains a calendar of events.

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NOTES FOR EDITORS

CONTACT:

Peter K. O’Connell Your Friendly, Neighborhood Voiceover Talent

audio’connell Voiceover Talent

P.O. Box 5493 | Raleigh, NC 27512-5493

PH. +01 716-572-1800 & +01 919-283-1516

EM. peter@audioconnell.com

W. audioconnell.com

SOURCE-CONNECT: @audioconnell

COMPANY MEDIA CENTER:

http://www.audioconnell.com/media

PETER K. O’CONNELL VO CREDITS:

VO Credits Link

COMPANY NAME SPELLING:

Use lower case letters- audio’connell or audio’connell Voiceover Talent

COMPANY NAME PRONUNCIATION:

au·di-o’·con·nell (awe-de-oh-kah-nel)

Tags: live announcing, media releases by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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There are many great things about WoVOCon The Voiceover Unconference coming up October 17-19, 2025 in New Orleans.

The energy, the education, the networking and the friendship are the first great things that come to mind. Plus I am very honored to be asked back to serve as Emcee in New Orleans.

Unfortunately, this job also means I have to do some promotional work — which I don’t mind at all, except they ask me sometimes to do videos.

As you well know, I have a face for radio.

But they asked…and I am a loyal volunteer glad to help as the leadership sees fit. Plus the video is less than a minute long. Feel free to close your eyes and just listen.

Most importantly, I hope you join us!!

 
VIDEO TRANSCRIPTION

Peter K. O’Connell speaking:
Hey, how are you? I may be a little early on this out of studio message, but I wanted to let you know October 17th through the 19th, I will be out of Raleigh, North Carolina, and in New Orleans, Louisiana enjoying WoVOCon The Voiceover Unconference, October 17th through the 19th. I hope you’ll join us. WoVOCon is unlike any other kind of voiceover conference you’ll ever attend. That’s why they call it an unconference. a unique format, a great group of people, and very, very impactful for your voiceover business. Performance, marketing, technology, we cover it all, and we cover it with experts. Nobody’s selling anything. They’re just there to help your business. WoVOCon The Voiceover Unconference in New Orleans, October 17th through the 19th. I hope you join us.

Tags: emcee, live announcing, WOVOCON by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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