There are savvier people than I (amazing, huh?! 🙂 ) who spend megabytes and hours defining and debating social media and web 2.0 while the rest of the world yawns and says “I need to make business contacts to make money to pay my mortgage and maybe go out to dinner.”

I’m professionally drawn to those select few in these web communities who both talk AND walk the walk of social media and online communities. These people help other professionals (like me) build my business financially with their insight and experience, they help me learn about fast changing trends within what I believe will prove to be a major shift in the way business is conducted locally, nationally and internationally, as well as provide introductions to people who can help me and (equally as important) who I can help as well.

But to benefit from what is certainly for me an imperfect learning experience (which may be a polysyllabic synonym for “life”) I know that I have to actively participate and do so with an open mind. These communities are filled with folks mostly younger and waaay smarter than me and we meet having vastly different life experiences…finding common ground is part of the fun. For the old schoolers out there, the process I’m speaking about is nothing more than a virtual networking system or event that, if one is fortunate, morphs into a real life networking event.

All this pre-ambling is a way of giving you insight into why I write a great deal in this blog about social media and applicable internet trends/tools and why I attended the Toronto Geek Dinner on Wednesday evening. I’ll start by answering your top three questions (see, I’m getting so much smarter that I know you’re questions before you’ve asked them!)

What is a Geek Dinner?These dinners area random get-together of professionals from the worlds of Marketing, Communications, Advertising, Public Relations, Blogging and Podcasting. The Geek Dinner is where their worlds collide…in a very professional way, of course.

How does one get invited to a Geek Dinner? Basically, someone takes the lead and puts it together then puts out the word. Mitch Joel, he of the Twist Image blog out of beautiful Montreal, posted a notice on his blog and within days it was sold out. So if you keep the lines of communications open with influence-ers like Mitch, you hear about good stuff.

What is the value of a Geek Dinner? It’s like any good networking event, especially if you come to the event not trying to sell yourself like maybe a used car salesman would. Everyone at the event shares common interests while also bringing a diversity accumulation of practical, useful knowledge from their work. My voice over, marketing, advertising, broadcasting, blogging and podcasting experience allowed me to serve as a resource in some cases. Its not pushy, it’s welcoming. People getting to know people.

And of course, as I’ve noted previously, you do not need to bend my arm to go to Toronto…I always feel jazzed going up there and even coming back. I love that city.

Who did I get to know at the Toronto Geek Dinner? Some great people!

I caught up with Bill Sweetman of Sweetmantra.com, an internet marketing blog. He and I first met at Podcamp Toronto.

Dining with me were Eli Singer of Cundari SFP, he runs a social media site; Eden Spodek sat next to me, she of Bargainista fame, a web site for people who love to shop (there’s a huge audience). I also met the self-proclaimed “Smartest Man in the World” (says so right on his business card); his name is Saul Colt and he was a very cool guy.

Next to our table was a bunch of people from webfeat, a very cool online marketing company with a very impression Fortune 500 client list; the people I spoke to the most from there were Stephen Giles and Ellie Rosen. Both very interesting folks and fun to have dinner with. The “podcastic” Donna Pappacosta was there and if you’re thinking of putting a podcast together and you need to know EVERYTHING you need to know, visit Trafcom News…Donna’s a great lady. I also finally got to meet Bill Nygren of Boom Sonic Branding. They do some amazing production there.

My thanks to Mitch and everybody who had a hand in putting together the Geek Dinner. It was terrific!

Tags: blogs, commentary, internet, marketing, media, peter o'connell, podcasting, radio, technology, tv, voiceover, voiceover advice by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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I’ve always felt two of the toughest jobs in all of broadcasting were that of a news reporter/anchor and a play-by-play announcer/sportscaster.

While anchors and reports have their slow news days when they can phone it in, they always have to be prepared to report credible, accurately and succinctly on a breaking story as it happens. As soon as they “say it” the audience hears it. That’s pressure!

Play-by-play announcers are like news reporters on speed. They have to follow the action right in front of everyone and be immediately insightful in their analysis before the next play begins. And fans are never shy about their opinions.

One of the finest examples I ever witnessed of a news anchor/sports reporter was during the 1989 World Series and the earthquake that took place there. Al Michaels, who spent three years in San Francisco as an announcer for the San Francisco Giants, was nominated for an Emmy Award for news broadcasting after giving an eyewitness account of the aftermath of the earthquake at Candlestick Park. I think he should have won.

But as a pure sportscaster, someone who turned play-by-play into an art form, I don’t know if I like anybody as much as Vin Scully. I think he’s been the voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers since baseball was created and he’s awesome at it.

This week, the Dodger’s play their arch rivals the San Francisco Giants…note worthy because it may be the location where Barry Bonds ties and or breaks Hank Aaron’s all time home run record.

The controversy regarding Bonds aside, for the purposes of this blog, Scully’s opportunity to possibly call the swing that ties or breaks the record is uniquely important because it was Scully who broadcast the homerun call when Aaron broke the record 33 years ago.

Kudos to the New York Times’ reporter Lee Jenkins for this timely and interesting article about Vin Scully

Tags: blogs, commentary, narrations, radio, tv, voiceover by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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I was doing some internet searches (and of course by now I’ve forgotten what I was searching for) but I saw a link to David Letterman’s web site. I’ve been a huge Letterman fan since I first saw him on Late Night With David Letterman. I remember the very first skit with him in it that hooked me. It was David Letterman teaching Jerry Garcia how to play “Proud Mary” on the guitar (sorry, I couldn’t find a clip).

So I rarely pass up a chance to visit Dave’s site since I don’t have the stamina to stay up late anymore. Well in a clip that I think may be airing tonight because I hadn’t seen any news on it earlier today, Drew Carey announces that he is to be the new host of The Price Is Right, replacing Bob Barker who’d been hosting the show since 1776 (“Ben Franklin! Come on Down!”)

This clip is great for a number of reasons in my opinion. The story seems very real and when the band strikes up TPIR theme song, Drew seems honestly thrilled and I share that happiness with him (although I won’t be enjoying his likely enormous paycheck).

I don’t know who I thought should be the host. OK, I really didn’t care except for one nominee I’d heard of (thank goodness THAT didn’t happen). But now I’m very happy for Drew Carey. Cleveland rocks!

Tags: commentary, media, tv, voice actors by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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A great product or service alone does not ensure a financial windfall. There’s this little issue of selling.

Notice I didn’t say marketing…I mean selling, where the rubber meets the road.

Apple’s iPhone now appears to have achieved sales success. My theory has usually been when you sell out and also get a bunch of press about what doesn’t work on the product (cause people love to tear about a success, it makes them feel better about their lack of success) then you’ve probably developed a winner.

While the technology was pretty terrific, I think much credit goes to Steve Jobs’ masterful iPhone presentation at Mac World in early 2007 that enthralled the audience and the web (oh, yes, the presentation has been viewed a few thousand times).

If you are in sales and make presentations to clients, you should watch the whole Jobs iPhone presentation here.

Then you should review communications coach Carmine Gallo’s review of the Jobs’ speech in Business Week to learn how you can apply the principles of the Jobs’ i-Phone presentation to your presentations

Tags: advertising, commentary, commercials, marketing, media, technology, tv by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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Character voice acting is becoming very competitive if for no other reason than sheer quantity- if character voice actors had to each be processed through Ellis Island like many of our immigrating forefathers did years ago, the lines to get through the character voice acting doors would seem longer than ever before (“Give me your tired, your hungry, your poor…” that would be your average voice actor).

And as challenging as it now is for a voice actor to be heard over the other voices competing for a role, the challenge for casting directors must be even worse. There is no way a voice over casting director cannot become numb at some point to the hundreds of demos they get…and likely they are missing out on some great talent too.

So in my opinion it becomes even more important to find out what voice over directors are looking for (and listening for) when working with a voice actor. Nancy Cartwright (she of Bart Simpson fame) has conducted a variety of interviews for Animation World Magazine and in late June she published an interview she conducted with voice over director Ginny McSwain.

Pay special attention to Ginny’s criteria for animation voice over. Great stuff there.

Tags: character voices, commentary, tv, voice actors, voice casting, voiceover, voiceover advice by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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I do love the tv show Family Guy.

The first time I heard Stewie’s voice in a Fox Network promo, I laughed out loud and usually the promos aren’t THAT funny.

It was a treat for me to come across this footage of the “Family Guy” voice actors working on a show. I hope you enjoy it too.

Tags: advertising, character voices, commentary, media, tv, voice actors, voice casting, voiceover by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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