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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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
Comments Off on How Do You Not Know This: Print on BOTH SIDES

Voiceover talents are (or should be) always either marketing their services or planning their next marketing effort.

It’s simply part of being a professional voice actor and running a business.

It’s the same for me (or any business really) – trying to come up with inventive and pleasant ways of letting my audience know I’m out here and I am open to work on their voiceover project.

The trick is not to be a pest about it.

My most recent voice marketing project was a textbook case of “marketing as a reminder”.

This is my second year of producing a generic, self designed, free, printed football schedule (8 1/2” x 11”) for my favorite team. I then share it with a targeted portion of my database – who all likely share that fandom with me.

Aside from my logo and contact info – the majority of the calendar is just that — public information about the team schedule that my contacts can save or print out or toss. It’s just what I consider a nice way to say “hi” and promote our beloved team with a tool I’ve seen real estate agents use for years.

I say the following with 100% honesty – I had no expectation that this schedule was anything more than a “friendly wave” to my database.

About a day or two later, I get an email from a long time media buddy who received the schedule, noting that he was working on a project that would need a narrator for and my little schedule reminded him to call me.

He just needed a reminder.

Our reminders don’t have to be fancy or expensive or even a thing – I guess a phone call is a thing but the conversation is not something they can put on their shelf or tack to a bulletin board (but phone calls ARE great, subtle auditions for voice talents).

Maybe the point is to see your marketing efforts – regardless of your budget – as friendly, non-pesky reminders about your voice acting services.

A way to say “hi, when you’re ready, I’m here.”

You may find that they are, indeed, ready.

Hope this helps.

Tags: marketing, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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When you have worked with a vendor in the past who did bad work, but fixed it and tried to make it right, it’s fair that you give them a second chance (especially if you got a free credit on the 2nd job because of the screw ups on the 1st job).

In that second chance, when you speak directly to customer service BEFORE the project begins, tell them about past problems and ask customer service to spot check the project to avoid problem (they say they will) AND YET the vendor screws up the project anyway…because there WAS NO QUALITY CONTROL as promised…that vendor loses credibility as well as the business.

That’s what Moo.com did (erased all credibility with me) on my latest, professionally designed and submitted business card printing job.

Moo was warned about the past printing problems I had with them BEFORE printing started, ignored those detailed yellow flags I gently laid at their feet and went ahead and thoughtlessly botched the 2nd project of 2024 — just like they did the 1st project in 2023.

If you look at the graphic above, the bad business cards on the left side look like the printer jets went in one direction and the card stock in another and card cutter was have none of either.

The cards are the right show the work after the correction (and quality control check….finally) were delivered many days later.

So let this be a warning to ANY small or micro-business owner that Moo.com doesn’t really have a quality control check on small print orders. The embarrassed customer service rep from Moo even said I would likely be better served going to a small local printer on a project like this…except if you look at Moo’s marketing, they think my size business is a good prospect.

In short….

• Moo’s customer service people are great, helpful and attentive
• The actual cards I have had printed (after multiple corrections on both orders) turned out fine
• Moo’s production and quality control team is (in my experience) crap

First I warned Moo to please check my project through to the end.

Now I am warning you of the unnecessary headaches I went through working with Moo on two projects about 1 year apart.

I hope you hear better than Moo.

Tags: marketing, voiceover advice by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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I love me a good headline but no, I didn’t get a facelift.

My voiceover logo got a facelift.

So I designed my new logo back in December on my Mac using Powerpoint.

I will now allow all the logo designers reading this to scream and throw their computers.

I get it.

What’s important to remember is that I wasn’t originally trying to design a new logo in December….I was only playing around and it just sorta happened. Kinda like how babies are made (or so I’m told).

Anyway, everybody seems to either like the new logo or not hate the new logo and life goes on.

Being technologically inept in the graphics part of my life (PowerPoint, for goodness sake, even I’m a little ashamed), I needed some adjustments made to the logo and I had to call in the calvary (i.e. Ann Hackett from aHa Designs).

I am her least favorite client because I am very specific about how I want things done AND I change my mind alot. She charges me triple her going rate but I still come back for more! Might be like 3 decades working together…I’ve lost count.

I sent her all and I mean ALL the darn specs/files I had on my logo (including the fonts) so she could recreate it with the changes I needed.

But her Mac and my Mac or my PowerPoint and her WhizBang graphics software don’t always play nice.

The outcome was she came up with my logo design kinda close but then made some minor changes and created a tweaked 2nd version that I really liked. So that was the facelift of Peter K. O’Connell, Your Friendly, Neighborhood Voiceover Talent.

I’m sure I’ll tweak it more as time goes on but I am very happy with this outcome on the revised logo.

Hope you like it too.

Tags: logo design, marketing, voice talent, voiceover by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
Comments Off on Voice Actor Peter K. O’Connell Gets A Facelift

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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