Pat Fraley\’s “Everything They Expect You To Know But Nobody Teaches” event in Buffalo, NY 2009

Well it was more like just a Saturday but the hardest working teacher in voice over was in the Nickel City this weekend as Pat Fraley presented his at Crosswater Digital Media.

It was hosted by my primary voice acting teacher, my agent and, best of all, my friend Toni Silveri who has run The Voice Actor Workshop of Western New York for many years (in addition to All Coast Talent). Toni and Pat worked together on voice over projects often when she lived in L.A.

It should be noted that one of the first things Pat spoke about Saturday was how incredibly fortunate we are here to have Toni as a teacher as “she is on par with the best voice acting teachers anywhere in the country.” I know that to be true.

The class was sold out and I wasn’t going to attend having been to a number of Pat’s courses, all of which I enjoyed immensely (as I have often noted here). Toni, however, needed some “day of” help which I was glad to provide cause these events do require some leg work (and I have fantastic legs…they are both short AND stumpy).

Voice Teacher Pat Fraley and Crosswater Audio Engineer Dan Innes

Quite unexpectedly and very graciously, Pat included in me in the class when I wasn’t tending to my primary support duties. As usual, there was a ton of good stuff with some great voice talents (and wonderful people) from across New York, Ohio and Canada. The day’s basic theme (specifically regarding the “tricks” section) was how to stand out and be different in auditions and performances. It’s not a new concept to most but then again most of established voice talents aren’t executing these tricks enough on a regular basis and the new folks are still figuring out where to stand so this is valuable insights for everybody.

My favorite takeaway from the day (and there were many) was the Series of Three Techniques in which Pat discuss the smartest (my term but it fits) way to give a variation on your performance, often request by directors as “series of three”.

Male Voice Talents Dan Nachtrab and Peter K. O\’Connell

One of my other favorite parts of the day was getting to meet up with male voice talent Dan Nachtrab who drove up from Dayton, OH to be a part of the class. Dan and I have known each other for many years via the VO-BB.com so it was a real treat to visit with him not only about voice over but about Dayton, home of the University of Dayton Flyers, the college of my youth that didn’t say “no!”

Tags: commentary, community, university of dayton, voice actors, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice, voiceover meet-ups by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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Professional voice talents Peter O'Connell & Kelly Klemolin

Tuesday I was in Packerland, WI, also know as Titletown (most outsiders know it as Green Bay) for a quick in/out meeting. So I pinged that fact and saw a note back on Facebook from female voice talent Kelly Klemolin who I hadn’t met before and who lives only 30 minutes away near Appleton, WI.

We were able to set up a lunch at the Titletown Brewing Co., and I got to hear all about her voice over career and her business. Super nice lady and very talented. Kelly was very generous to share her time and great stories with me.

Kelly then introduced me to Carl Romey who is basically THE voice of Green Bay (pipes so deep, seismologists in Green Bay have to call him occasionally to see if he’s recording or there’s actually an earth quake). His studio was very nearby our lunch place. Great set up and a very kind man indeed.

None of this planned and all of it because of my social media status updates. That’s just one type of opportunity that social media offers business people who know how to use it.

Tags: commentary, facebook, peter o'connell, social networking, voice actors, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice, voiceover meet-ups by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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While the voice over trip to New York City was a bust a few weeks ago because of weather (what are ya gonna do?) the non-voice over trip to Miami had some wonderful voice over highlights.

I had brief hopes Sunday of connecting with voice talent Mike Elmore (winner of the Unofficial Jimmy Fallon Announcer Faux-ditions) while in Miami. Mike caught my arrival update in Miami off of Facebook. Alas he had familial commitments that precluded that connection and I fully understand; hopefully next time.

Caryn Clark and Kara Edwards were also going to try and come over from the Tampa side of the state but that didn’t work out either and would have been a crazy drive just to see me.

Male Voice Talent Doug Turkel - Unnouncer

Monday night I was able to grab dinner with the Unnouncer, Doug Turkel. I really feel sorry for waiters who wait on the two of us when we’re at dinner cause it’s hard for them to take our order. We’ve got so much to talk about between voice over, social media, new equipment, family and other stuff, the wait staff can’t get a word in edge wise. Doug is such a great friend and peer, I always feel fortunate to spend time learning from him.

And, he said making his segue, one of the things I learned from Doug at our dinner was that he had done as he said he was going to last time we visited. He started up a Voice Over Master Mind Group in Miami.

What’s that you ask?

Well, a brief and incomplete answer is it’s a concentrated networking, education and quasi-support group for voice talent. The idea came to Doug from his brother (the same brother who helped Doug coin the Unnouncer moniker) who formed a very successful Master Mind Group for his connections (though his group his less industry based and more C-Level in its focus.

The monthly Voice Over Master Mind Group that Doug formed allows participating voice talents to talk about all aspects of their business. For example, each person starts out by talking about a recent success and a recent challenge or miss they experienced in their business – this offers a great way to share in the wins and help give ideas and insights into how misses might be avoided next time….all in a totally professionally supportive way.

The group then focuses on a topic they had agreed upon at the last meeting; this way they can look up some helpful information on the voice over related topic to share at the meeting to keep the discussion moving and credible. Tuesday’s topic was the always, thrilling, exciting and dicey topic of voice talent rates. It was truly insightful to have an honest roundtable about rates, how to deal with clients on rates, how to have some spine when dealing with them on rates and how people make use (or don’t make use) of pay-to-play sites.

The other great thing about this meeting is that each person speaks about something they want to accomplish in their careers by the next meeting and the group holds them accountable…that is huge! When we are accountable, we execute and the members of the Miami Voice Over Master Mind Group each gets’er done!

The icing on this already delicious cake (oh, and yes there actually WAS cake at the meeting, as if you thought it couldn’t get any better) was that I got to meet some talented and truly nice people – peers in the voice over profession.

Female Voice Talent Mindy Baer

In addition to the aforementioned Unnouncer, also in attendance was Miami morning radio legend and now full time voice over talent Mindy Baer

Female Voice Talents and On-Camera Talents Mary Chamberlain and Jackie Bales

Jackie Bales a former news anchor and now a lovely on-camera spokesperson and voice talent; the equally beautiful on-camera talent and voice actor Mary Chamberlain

Male Voice Talent Doug Turkel and Female Voice Talent Lisa Lupari

The Voice Babe – Lisa Lupari-what a terrific branding moniker that is! That brand name says it all!

Male Voice Talent Zurek

The fast rising voice star Zurek – he of Voiceover Universe, new SBV client, video seminar pal of Joe Cipriano, promo voice for BET and the voice of a new national spot for Sports Illustrated.

It was a real treat to be invited in on this group’s very special meeting and I think it’s a terrific idea for other voice talents in other markets to create something similar to build their network, their educational resources and possibly save their sanity by getting out of the sound booth once and a while.

Tags: announcers, commentary, facebook, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice, voiceover meet-ups by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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Boston Voice Talent Meet-Up Front row (l-r) Chris Fadala, Moe Egan, DB Cooper; Back row Diane Maggipinto (and son Lio), Peter O'Connell and Lee Gordon

Good Lord, what a week!

Starting off last Friday (June 26, 2009) I zoomed up to Boston for a heavy duty bit of marketing work at a client’s major trade show. So between that, client entertainment and trying to maneuver around all the celebrity corpses that sadly seemed to be falling everywhere, I didn’t have so much time to focus on V.O.

Sometimes you gots to follow da money!

But Saturday night I did get out to visit with voiceover friends in Boston who were so generous with their time when they came out for a Boston voice over meet up.

I am so energized by these meet ups (all SUCH talented people) and the conversations were so great that I didn’t want the night to end. Yet I knew my client responsibilities held a long day ahead on Sunday so I bid adieu.

My thanks to my fine and talented friends who shared their time and talent with me on Saturday. I am forever grateful to be in this business with them.

Tags: commentary, voice actors, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover meet-ups by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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OK, so going back to the week before Memorial Day when the blog pooped out, I was planning on posting this the same night as I attended my first MCA-I meeting. Yes I am on the International Board of Directors and I had never been to an actual chapter meeting as I am the sole member in Buffalo, NY.

No, Connie Terwilliger, I will not be forming a chapter in Buffalo as I have quite enough to do already with my own businesses and two small children.

So I went to the Central Carolina MCA-I meeting and had a blast. Tom Morse and his leadership team really have their act together and it was a very fun meeting screening some short films that members had recently produced.

Even better on the voice over side of things, at the meeting were Wade Holloway and Jamee T. Perkins (pictured with me above) & Deb Stamp who lives in Raleigh, NC now but made her home and started her broadcasting career in Western New York.

Thanks everybody for a terrific evening.

Tags: commentary, mca-i, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover meet-ups by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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A quick trip to Milwaukee on Friday for some biz that went successfully.

On the way to the airport, I had a bit of extra time that provided a nice cushion before my plane left so I GPS’d (on the great i-phone) the office of my voice over agent in Milwaukee, Lori Lins of (not surprisingly) Lori Lins Limited Talent Management. We partnered in 2007 but I had never met her and only communicated via email. As the stars seemed to align on this trip, I stopped by unannounced just to say hi.

Had they said they were busy or otherwise occupied, I would have been cool with that as mine was a bit of a drive-by. But Lori came right out to greet me and we chatted for a good 15 minutes about my career, her agency and the VO business in general.

Naturally, I forgot my camera in the car (stupid!) so I didn’t get a picture with Lori but the quick shot in the blog spot through the passenger window of my rental car (again, courtesy i-phone) at least proves I was there.

My thanks to Lori and her staff for being so gracious. And Lori, Nancy Wolfson says hi via Twitter.

Tags: audio'connell voice over talent, commentary, travel, twitter, voiceover, voiceover meet-ups by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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