LISTEN TO PETER K. O’CONNELL’S VOICE OF GOD – LIVE ANNOUNCER DEMO BELOW:

To be clear right at the outset, I like my voice just fine but I am in no way comparing its power to the Almighty.

What those in the voiceover, broadcast and event planning worlds might know (but you, gentle reader, may not) is that the term “Voice of God” merely refers to the (usually) off-stage announcing voice you often hear at:

• Award shows and gala banquets
• National sales and marketing meetings
• Charity fundraisers and auctions
• New product introduction events
• Live game shows

…and a myriad of other events where the announcer (me!) helps guide the event flow (I refer to it as Chauffeuring the show from behind the mic). The announcer adds either some necessary excitement or sensitivity to the proceedings. Usually these Voice of God announcing jobs are live and in-person but they also can be pre-recorded and inserted into the production as needed by the event producers.

I have done Voice of God Live Announcing jobs both live and pre-recorded for many years.

But I have been a little remiss in getting my Voice of God announcer demos out there…it is my hope to have rectified my omission with the production of my latest Voice of God Live Announcing demo.

For decades, Peter K. O’Connell has served as a professional live event / “voice of god” announcer, emcee / live host for a myriad of events.

You know that I also do Live Hosting and Emceeing for events (just like the ones listed above) especially if you’ve been to my webpages for Voice of God announcing and live event work (those webpages are audioconnell.com / peterkoconnell.com).

Most recently, I flew to Chicago a few weeks ago to serve as Emcee and Live Host for the WoVOCon Voiceover Unconference (similar to the FaffCon Voiceover Unconference from some years ago). I doing those type of hosting gigs for many years as well and still enjoy them.

Watch / Listen to Peter’s Voice of God – Live Announce Demo Below…..

Tags: announcers, live announcing, voice of God // Comments Off on Voice of God Live Announcer Demo by Peter K. O’Connell

According to the internet, in 1947 a person named H.C. Gipson was the first person to connect the word voice and over in writing to create the word voiceover.

So this Gipson person helped foster a humorous debate in my industry ever since.

Why?

Because if you look at the term in industry documents, books, on-line or even in logos, you’re likely to see variations of the word…so which is right?

• Is the word voice over (two words next to each other)?

• Is it hyphenated (as in voice-over)?

• Or is the correct spelling just the two words smooshed together: voiceover?

Logic would dictate we go back to our friend Gipson and how he (or she) wrote it…except

• The internet didn’t distinguish how the word was written by Gipson (so we lack a bit of clarity there)
• Aside from saying a person named Gipson wrote the word for the first time, an internet search about H.C. Gipson didn’t show any other information about this person (so that adds a lack of credibility there)

So the internet scores an “F” there.

Well there is always the dictionary!

The terms voiceover and voice over have distinctive meanings:

• Voice over is a noun referring to hiring talent for an audio project
• Whereas voiceover can function as an adverb or refer to the final product, like a movie’s narration

Well that settles it…except it doesn’t because when it comes to search engine optimization, you are STILL going to see all 3 spelling versions.

Over the decades, based on various “rules” of the day (bah!), I have written my company name as:

• audio’connell Voice Over Talent
• audio’connell Voice-Over Talent
• audio’connell Voiceover Talent

(The hard and fast “rule” here is that the “a” is always lower case. That’s a rule you can believe in! 😀 )

What’s the solution?

First, we don’t need a solution per se because nobody else but me thinks about this stuff.

Second, if you’re a voice talent with a web site, use all three and let Google figure it out.

Hope that helps but I’m pretty sure it doesn’t.

And it doesn’t matter. 😉

Tags: audio'connell voice over talent, commentary, silliness, voiceover // Comments Off on Explaining Voiceover In A Word

The multi-state devastation left over from Hurricane Helene (which hit my state on September 27th) shattered countless lives.

Swannanoa residents walk through devastating flood damage from the Swannanoa River in western North Carolina on Sunday.
PHOTO CREDIT: Travis Long / The News & Observer / TNS via Getty Images

Some of the hardest hit communities include those on the western side of North Carolina, in and around Asheville, where rains and the resulting massive floods left many neighborhoods (and lives) in complete ruin.

While national, state and local agencies and volunteers are working to bring aid to those in need, this recovery will require a lot of time and even more money.

There will be no quick fixes or magic wands to solve the devastation.

To help make people aware of the problem and encourage donations for the recovery effort from Hurricane Helene, I’ve produced an audio public service announcement that is available for broadcast use, web use and podcast use to spread the word of where donations are accepted.

FREE PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA FOLLOWING HURRICANE HELENE

(Please note, in this time audio pirating, no portion of the audio from this PSA may not be use for any other purpose than the purpose stated above). LINK HERE.

There are many worthwhile organizations that are accepting donations to aid the Hurricane recovery efforts. For the purposes of this free recording, I chose the following:

• The North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund – helping Hurricane ravaged communities recover from catastrophic damage – donate at nc.gov/donate
• Catholic Charities USA, where 100% of Hurricane gifts collected will go to support recovery efforts. Visit CatholicCharitiesUSA.org
• The American Red Cross, which is accepting Hurricane Helene donations at redcross.org/donate

If you are don’t work in broadcast or don’t produce a podcast, but know people who do, please feel free to share this post and this PSA with them.

Thanks.

This audio public service announcement (PSA) to support regional and national fundraising efforts for Western North Carolina – as a result of Hurricane Helene – is available for FREE all broadcast (Radio/TV/Cable), Podcasters and Webcasters who support this effort. No other use of this audio is permitted.

Tags: audio'connell voice over talent, commentary, podcast, podcasting, public service announcement, radio, tv // Comments Off on Free Audio Public Service Announcement – Western North Carolina Recovers from Hurricane Helene

If you watched TV or listened to the radio in the 70’s / 80’s /90’s anywhere in America, I’m sorry to tell you that a famous person you know has died…but you won’t know you knew her until you HEAR her.

Her name was Florence Warner and she was a jingle singer and voice actress in Atlanta. To be clear, I didn’t know I knew her either until she passed this week…and then I heard her.

Florence was the beautiful voice behind some really big brands, with pretty big jingles that played across America (brands like Burger King, Sprite & Hoover as 3 quick examples).

But maybe her most famous work was VERY local in maybe over 100 broadcast markets.

Her voice was EVERYWHERE!

Florence was the singer on the “Hello News” jingles – which won’t mean much unless I rename them for ALL the cities they played in.

If I titled them “Hello Pittsburgh”, “Hello Atlanta”, “Hello Quad Cities” or scores of other cities, you might remember.

Florence was the singer on the “Hello News: jingles – which won’t mean much unless I rename them for all the cities they played in.

If I titled them “Hello Pittsburgh”, “Hello Atlanta”, “Hello Quad Cities” or scores of other cities, you might remember.

But if you LISTEN to the video below and one of your NBC, CBS or ABC affiliates bought the campaign (which so many did) you’ll 100% remember her work.

Requiescat in Pace, Florence. No doubt the Heavenly Choir of Angels will find a spot for you.

Tags: advertising, branding, commercials, jingles // Comments Off on Requiescat in Pace Florence Warner

Just a few voice actors and audio professionals who will be at the WOVOCON Voiceover Unconference 2024 – L-R Top Row: Peter K. O’Connell, George Washington III, Jodi Krangle; Bottom Row: Liz de Nesnera, George Whittam & Natalie Stanfield

For the coming days and weeks, you’ll likely see these faces and other faces within your social media feeds.

They are the faces of the WOVOCON Voiceover Unconference 2024, taking place in Chicago on October 18-20th.

To create awareness of the unconference (which can be attended by WoVO members and vetted non-members, we’ve created the “I’ll Be There” campaign. It features just some of the attendees of the conference who are posting on their social media.

We’ve also crafted a very short video featuring just a few of the faces from the WOVOCON Voiceover Unconference 2024 “I’ll Be There” campaign.

Most all of the posts (on Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter & Facebook) should have the hashtag #wovocon2024 – so you can search to see all the great faces (who also have great voices). They will be sharing their voiceover knowledge this October.

For more information on the WOVOCON Voiceover Unconference, click HERE.

Tags: social media, WOVOCON // Comments Off on WOVOCON Voiceover Unconference “I’ll Be There”

This is how my blog’s “about” me page looked from 2007 until today. Notice the original audio’connell logo

Like most small business owners who own a website (micro business owners is a better description for me) I really try to keep my website AND blog updated with fresh content. Search engines like fresh content.

But last night while poking around my blog, I found a very ignored blog page…the “about” page on my blog, voxmarketising.

Last time I touched that page was December 2007.

Today is September 7, 2024.

That’s 17 years since I wrote the page. I still had a podcast at that time (I got bored with it –and then the industry blew up…figures 🙂 )

If I was a completely responsible business owner, I should have been mad at myself for being 17 years worth of forgetful about this page. Instead. I found it funny and fun (which I believe only makes me a “responsible business owner”, sans “completely”.)

17 years ago, my wife and I had two small children…they are small no more and there are three children…plus a dog now. I had dark hair, not the grey I carry now.

And some 40 years + into my voiceover career, I look at worldly things like a voiceover career a little less intensely than I probably did in my younger days. Still not perfect but 17 years later, hopefully a little better in all the important ways.

To give you a sense of the times, that graphic came from a website where you could make yourself look like a character from “The Simpsons”. It was very cool in its day.

It’s funny to read what how I wrote about myself at that time (something I still HATE to do because it feels egotistical and icky – but I just pretend I am writing about a “product” and not a person). I think I was trying to be creative.

It also brings back memories…for example, I had forgotten I had done concert spots for Crosby, Stills and Nash. There are some people reading this who have no idea who those three people are. Oy.

But you cannot go back…in music, in careers or in “about me” pages.

So I will update the page and move on, pleased with how far I have come and what I still have to accomplish.

That goes for you too.

Tags: blogs, voxmarketising podcast // Comments Off on Updating a web page not touched since 2007