I have been involved in broadcasting in one form or another pretty much my whole adult life.

For the four years I worked in radio, I knew many broadcast engineers and I knew some of the perils of their job – not all of it is dangerous but some of it is. One of them was seriously electrocuted by a TV transmission line (he survived and continues to work in broadcast engineering).

But I think I tried to block out of my mind the work done by those few souls who work on broadcast towers. I believe these folks are not always broadcast engineers and in fact the people you are about to see I believe are not broadcast engineers but folks who I would call tower jockeys – people who maintain and repair broadcast towers.

It is insanely dangerous work.

In this video, you will watch two men climb over 1700′ up a single ladder and then free climb to change the beacon on a broadcast tower…that light at the VERY tip top of the tower that lets pilots know there’s a big stick in there way.

IF YOU ARE AFRAID OF HEIGHTS…you seriously may not be able to watch this whole video. If you are not afraid of heights, you may be after watching this video.

My thanks to my friend and great broadcaster/voice talent Chuck Lakefield for the link off his Facebook page.

What you think of this video?

Tags: commentary, radio, technology, tv, video by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
4 Comments »

Kenneth Sansom, who played the voice of Rabbit in the Winnie the Pooh series, recently stopped by ABC4 in Salt Lake City for an interview on Good Things Utah.

Tags: animation, video, voice actors, voice casting, voice talent, voiceover by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
Comments Off on meet the voice of rabbit from winnie the pooh

To be clear, I am not the first person to create a YouTube video for my voice over demo.

In fact, as usual, many have gone before me and probably done it better.

But while I am not first to the party (you know, where there’s that kinda awkward standing around trying to create small talk waiting for somebody…anybody else to arrive next) I certainly will not be last to the party.

So I hope you enjoy my stab at voiceover marketing sprinkled with a dash of humor.

Tags: announcers, branding, commentary, marketing, video, voice actors, voice talent, voiceover, youtube by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
2 Comments »

Can I write a snappy blog headline or what?!

Sorry this won’t be a salacious as you may have been expecting but it’s still pretty cool because another airline has redone its logo (including repainting their planes). And what Virgin Atlantic created really looks a thousand times better, I think. Thanks to Brand New for the tip.

What do you think?

By the way, ever see a plane get painted? It’s kinda cool.

Virgin Atlantic plane livery time-lapse movie from johnson banks on Vimeo.

Tags: advertising, branding, logo design, marketing, video by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
Comments Off on a new virgin

Announcer Joel Crager

Word from Roy Yokelson of Antland Productions that network announcer Joel Crager had passed away Thursday. He is a voice you knew well, primarily for his work on ABC.

A great interview with Joel from 2006 can be found here.

This video contains Joel’s intro for the ABC Monday Night Movie – I remember it well. Keep a good thought for Joel’s family today.

Tags: ABC Television Network, requiescat in pace, video by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
Comments Off on requiescat in pace announcer joel crager

If some group or organization wants to bring attention to a cause or event, the easiest way to do that is by celebrity endorsement.

If the famous person is well liked, chances of the group or organization’s “ask” being answered (donation, signature, whatever) are probably better.

Celebrities like to do this because many of them are big-hearted and like to help.

The challenge is so many celebrities are supporting so many causes, the message can fade pretty quickly.

To wit (don’t I sound ejukated) the Gulf Coast Oil Disaster – I’m sure there have been telethons and maybe a concert and I’ve been outta that loop (that’s the fade part I spoke about). Doesn’t mean I don’t care, it just means that their message (the event organizer’s message) didn’t resonate with me or get my attention. Theirs is a hard job.

But today I saw a YouTube video freezeframe (that still image that marks where a video screen is located) with Sandra Bullock holding up her index finger. That visual caught my eye and I watched. And I listened. And I thought you might want to too.

Theirs is a hard job – getting the message to everyone – but not an impossible job.

Tags: commentary, marketing, public service announcement, social media, video, youtube by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
Comments Off on the value of celebrity voices