The one that started it all, Podcamp Boston, will celebrate its fifth anniversary this Saturday and Sunday, September 25 & 26, 2010 at the Microsoft N.E.R.D. Center (yes, you read that right).

That’s the good news. The bad news is it looks to be sold out and there is a wait list for tickets. So I guess blog posts like these for their event don’t seem so necessary anymore.

Well, good luck to all involved anyway.

Tags: blogs, branding, community, facebook, google, internet, linkedin, marketing, podcampboston, podcasting, social media, social networking, technology, twitter, yahoo, youtube // Comments Off on podcamp boston september 25-26, 2010

Father and son voice actors Donald and Kiefer Sutherland

People ask me alot about how I succeed in my search engine optimization, why I seem to be alot of places on the web and “how do you do that?”

It involves pixie dust and eye of newt, to be sure 😉 but I think a better example would be a recent experience I had that describes it pretty well.

I subscribe to Google Alerts with a bunch of key words – I want to know what those words uncover on the web for me.

One of those terms is voice over talent (because I is one, ya know).

Reading a day’s post headlines in the Google Alerts, I was directed to the blog for the very popular advertising agency, Wieden+Kennedy New York who evidently have the Delta Airlines account. Following its merger with Northwest Airlines, Delta is now the nation’s (or world’s or galaxy’s) biggest airline.

Anyway, the agency has a blog (oooo, is that social media at work? hint) and they did a post about their recent TV spots for Delta. These spots feature the voice over genius of Donald Sutherland.

Damn those Sutherland boys (Donald and Kiefer), I just KNOW that every spot they were picked for, I was the client’s SECOND choice for voice talent. I just know it! You’d think those boys could say no once and a while! 😉

Anyway so I watch the spots and they are magnificent. They are well shot (in black and white no less), well edited, superbly written and the voiceover is as I said genius. You can see them at the end here. I say that not only as a marketing, advertising and voice over professional but also as a frequently flyer and not always on Delta.

So bringing this back to the lesson:

* With a free subscription to Google Alerts to find information that is customized for my likes

* I found a blog post to a major advertising agency’s blog (maybe they could be my client some day – why not?)

* Who produced some amazing TV spots that fill my creative mind with more ideas

* Which also included a wonderful voice over performance that I can also learn from

* And without even any of the parties knowing it (Delta Airlines, Wieden+Kennedy, Donald Sutherland and Kiefer Sutherland) I am telling you (and showing you) about their work which now makes it viral.

* If you share this story with even one more person it makes it more viral

And all of it is social.

Any questions?

Tags: advertising, blogs, branding, commentary, commercials, google, marketing, social media, travel, video, voice actors, voice casting, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice // 5 Comments »

I hope you’ll join us.

And please share this with other WNY professional voice talents who you think would enjoy attending.

Tags: announcers, community, voice actors, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover meet-ups // 5 Comments »

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 // 4 Comments »

BUFFALO, New York, September 15, 2010 – – With Buffalo Bills Linebacker and fan favorite Paul Posluszny doling out “advice” to inquiring fans in a series of humorous radio spots, Time Warner Cable secured voice actor Peter K. O’Connell as the campaign’s announcer. The radio commercials, scheduled to air across New York State, promote Time Warner Cable’s video, high-speed data and voice services.

LISTEN TO A SAMPLE HERE
[audio:http://www.audioconnell.com/clientuploads/mp3/Media_Release_Audio_Samples/100915_TWC_Paws_Sample.mp3]

Time Warner Cable, Official Communications Provider of the Buffalo Bills, is the second-largest cable operator in the U.S., serving more than 14 million customers who subscribe to one or more of its video, high-speed data and voice services.

The Buffalo Bills are one of the most storied franchises in the National Football League (NFL). The Bills have won two American Football League (AFL) Championships (1964 – 1965) and won an NFL record four straight AFC Championships (1990 – 1993) that included four trips to the Super Bowl.

Drafted by the Bills in the second round of the 2007 draft, Buffalo Bills Linebacker Paul Posluszny was voted team captain in 2009, tied for second among NFL linebackers with three interceptions in 2009 and has led the Bills in defensive tackles in each of the past two seasons.

A professional voice talent since 1982, some of Peter K. O’Connell’s professional voiceover credits include productions for the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), Shell Oil, Starz Cable Channel, New Jersey Alliance and New Jersey Tourism, J. Walter Thompson Advertising (JWT), 2K Games, Cleveland Browns, Tops Friendly Markets, Island Press Publishers, Harlequin Enterprises, First Choice Power, Pathmark Supermarkets, Crosby Stills & Nash, Fashion Outlet Mall, Junior Chamber International, Peek N’ Peak Resort and Spa, Devaweb and The Advertising Club of Buffalo.

audio’connell Voice Over Talent is a worldwide, English language-based voice talent business. The company provides voice talent for commercials, animation, corporate narrations, documentaries, broadcast voice imaging, audio books, podcasts and messaging on-hold (MOH). Founded in 1982, industries served by the audio’connell include advertising agencies, media and broadcast production companies as well as both large and small businesses around the world. Sister company International Voice Talents provides similar services, using professional foreign language male and female voice actors.

Mr. O’Connell also owns Voice Over Workshop, which provides professional voice over training to novice and experienced voice talent world-wide.

audio’connell Voice Over Talent, International Voice Talents and Voice Over Workshop are all a part of O’Connell Communications, LLC.
– 30 –

NOTES TO EDITORS

Company Media Releases ON LINE:
http://www.audioconnell.com/media

Company Name Pronunciation:
au·dio·o’·con·nell (awe-de-oh-oh-kah-nel) or au·di-o’·con·nell (awe-de-oh-kah-nel)

Company Name Spelling:
Use lower case letters- audio’connell or audio’connell Voice-Over Talent

Company Web:
http://www.audioconnell.com

Company Blog:
http://www.voxmarketising.com

O’Connell Voice-Over Resume:
See resume here

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Tags: media releases // Comments Off on MEDIA RELEASE – Time Warner Cable Drafts O’Connell for Buffalo Bills-Themed Spots

Boston Voice Talent Meet-Up Front row (l-r) Chrissy Fadala, Moe Egan, DB Cooper; Back row Diane Maggipinto (and son Lio), Peter O'Connell and Lee Gordon

When I heard about this last night, I couldn’t quite bring myself to write about the passing of this wonderful soul.

I knew Chrissy later in her life, first from the VO-BB and then thankfully she joined us for this dinner you see in the summer of 2009. How great for me that she would turn out to join us on this special night. I hope I said thank you enough to her for coming out.

If you aren’t a member of the VO-BB, you’ll need to sign up to read my talented friend Mandy Nelson’s kind and loving story of visiting Chrissy in the hospital with Chrissy daughter Delana and how peaceful it all seemed for everyone.

It was a great crutch for the many broken hearts that got to spend time “with our Chrissy”.

Tags: requiescat in pace, voice actors, voice casting, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover meet-ups // Comments Off on requiescat in pace chrissy fadala