Voice-Over Guy Peter K. O’Connell would never consider himself worldly but many may say that about his voice and his voice-over career.
Based in Buffalo, NY, Peter’s voice has been around the world and back including stops in countries like India, South Korea and Canada. He is still best known for his commercial and narration work right here in the good ol’ USA and he tells us a little bit more about himself in this week’s Meet The Voice-Over Guys.
VOICE-OVER IS A PRETTY UNIQUE CAREER CHOICE – HOW DID YOU GET STARTED, PETER?
If I were to jokingly pin the blame on anyone for my broadcast and voice-over careers it would be my parents – to whom I owe everything anyway. My Mother really wanted to work in broadcasting and specifically television but it was at a time when women really didn’t do much television work. My Father won the New York State Oratory Competition when he was in high school. So genetically, one of their children was bound to get into broadcasting in some way!
Then, the broadcasting lamp was lit for me personally when I was in kindergarten and Sister Donna Marie took our class on a field trip to WEBR-AM. And that kind of ignited the flame.
Years later when I was looking at colleges, I knew I wanted to be in radio (I didn’t care much about being on television. All the colleges I looked at had professional radio stations. But the one that got my attention was WVUD-FM at the University of Dayton which was run by radio professionals (GM, PD, Sales Managers) but put students on air in regular daily shifts, So if you were on air, you worked, say Monday-Friday from 9:00 a.m. to noon like a disc-jockey at any other radio station in the country. That was pretty unique as most college stations let students do a weekly show, which seemed minor league to me. WVUD was definetly the majors for a college student who wanted to work in radio.
So I picked UD as my school and was able to get on-air there in my freshman year. I don’t recall anybody else in my class getting on air there that quickly so I think I had the bug. A fellow student (who was already working at the station) by the name of John Luttrell helped me get that VUD gig and we are still friends today.
From my on-air shift, I really got good at commercial production so I got promoted to that area and that’s where my voice-over career really blossomed.
WHEN YOU WERE YOUNGER, WERE THERE ANY VOICE-OVER TALENTS WHO INFLUENCED YOU OR WHO YOU ADMIRED? WHY/HOW?
I knew of guys like Gary Owens and Don Pardo but the voice I wanted to emulate (and never really could) was Ernie Anderson (who I found out later had an Ohio connection having worked at WHK-AM and WJW-TV). Ernie became popular working as the announcer for The Carol Burnett Show and then Fred Silverman made him the voice of ABC Television (he was “The Love Boat” voice). He was easily television’s most recognizable voice then and for many people even now.
Working in radio in the 80’s, as I was, Ernie was the imaging voice of a ton of stations like Z-100 in New York and Y-100. I was on a trip to southern Florida with my parents and I remember getting up early each morning on that trip with my radio and trying to tune in Y-100 to hear Ernie’s top of the hour ID mixed with the Z-100 logo package: “W. H. Y. I! Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and the Palm Beaches! WWWHHHHYYYY OOONNNEEE HUUUNDRED!” It was perfection.
And to this day….I don’t sound anything like him! 🙂
WITH WHICH BRANDS WOULD PEOPLE MOST ASSOCIATE YOUR VOICE?
I’ve been doing voice-over since 1982 so the number of brands and the various media around the globe my voice has been heard during that time is crazy.
For example, nobody in America will know that I was one of the commercial voices of Bacardi Rum…in India. I didn’t even ever consider whether rum was a popular drink in India. Across Canada, I was part of a successful, funny Kraft Foods advertising campaign for Kraft Dinner (which in the States we just call Kraft Cheese and Macaroni). Also in Canada I was part of a more serious, business centric video series for Deloitte. In the States, I still get people who recognize me as the voice of SunSetter Awnings and some work I did for PBS.
So I guess the “people” and “brands” you refer to will depend on which people and where they live!
WHERE WAS/IS THE MOST UNIQUE PLACE SOMEONE WOULD HEAR YOUR VOICE?
Well I suppose if there was a radio on in a bathroom – that would be a unique place to hear my voice. Although I don’t know if I would want to become “the voice of your bathroom”…unless there was a huge check associated with it, then we could talk.
I’ve done some pre-recorded introductions of professional speakers, so you could be at a presentation and my voice would come up. I’ve done spots at sporting events that have played on Jumbotrons, stadium screens. I’m also a popular choice as a live announcer, so you could hear my voice over the speakers at your next awards event.
IF YOU HAD TO PICK YOUR FAVORITE KIND OF VOICE-OVER PROJECT, WHAT WOULD THAT BE?
My favorite would either be commercials or narrations. Then my favorites would be radio and TV imaging and live announcing. Those to me are the most fun projects. But let’s be honest, the only bad jobs in VO are the ones that don’t pay and I don’t do those. :
WHAT BOOK THAT YOU’VE READ REALLY HELPED SHAPE YOUR LIFE, EITHER PERSONALLY OR PROFESSIONALLY? HOW?
This is tough because two or three pretty different books come to mind, each of which has help shape me in different ways. It also may give you too much insight into how all over the place my mind is at sometimes. But here goes.
John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath gave me tremendous insight and compassion for people who are simply trying to improve their lives through extraordinarily difficult circumstances. That’s pretty good historic perspective told in a very well written book.
Harvey McKay’s How To Swim With The Sharks offers great, simple suggestions about how to handle the every day situations of running a business. I read this book for the first time decades ago and the lessons are still applicable.
Then from a sales perspective, Jeffrey Gitomer’s The Sales Bible is simple, straightforward sales advice that can be applied to almost any business, including voice-over.