What’s New? w/ PETER K. O’CONNELL is part of a series in which MVO: The Voice-Over Guys’ checks-in with one of our male voiceover talents to learn more about a recent media project he has voiced. Here’s what Peter shared with us.
1. You mentioned a really cool voiceover project in your recent MVO: The Voiceover Guys update. Can you talk about who the project was for and where it was heard or seen?
My voice was cast as part of a national radio spot recently for L.L.Bean, a leading retailer of quality outdoor gear and apparel that is headquartered in Freeport, Maine. The radio ad was part of the retailer’s “Be An Outsider” ad campaign, encouraging consumers to appreciate being outside and my character (and others in the spot) are portrayed enjoying the great outdoors.
2. What made the media production’s content interesting from your perspective?
I’ve been a voice talent since 1982 but I may be able to count on two hands and a couple of toes the number of times I have voiced commercials or narrations for brands that I actually use. Well, I’ve been wearing L.L.Bean clothing since maybe the late 70’s or early 80’s. I love their stuff and now I’m part of one of their commercials. That’s fun!
3. As the voice talent in the media project, were there any technical or performance challenges during this voiceover recording session?
When this spot came up, I was in Denver, Colorado….very far away from my Cary, NC voiceover studio (Cary is just outside of Raleigh, for those of you mapping at home). So I had to find a Denver recording studio to record in. Not being from the area, I called a voice talent agency in Denver, Go Voices. While I am not on their voice roster, the agent who runs Go Voices, Carol Rathe, knows me and was super kind enough to recommend a great studio.
So geographically speaking, the Raleigh, NC voiceover talent who had to record a national U.S. radio spot for the Freeport, ME retailer used a wonderful Denver CO recording studio, Rocky Mountain Recorders.
Phew, that was quite a trip!
4. Is there anything else you would like us to know about this voiceover project?
Yes. No matter where I am in the world at any particular time, I will always get the recording done professionally and on time….no matter the time zone.
ABOUT MALE VOICE TALENT PETER K. O’CONNELL
Not many people find their life’s calling when they are only 5 years old.
Well, I did.
It was 1969 and I was in kindergarten.
Our saintly teacher, Sister Donna Marie, took our class on a tour of a radio station, WEBR-AM in my hometown of Buffalo, NY. I was mostly oblivious to the goings on around me at the time but when I walked into that radio station control room…everything changed.
Everything.
I don’t know if a light bulb went off for me or if my 5-year-old hand inadvertently touched a transmitter wire in WEBR’s studio (pictured), but I knew instantly from that point forward my life would always include a microphone.
And it has.
Only later did I learn my Father was a New York State Oratory Champion in high school (seriously, he was an amazing public speaker) and my Mother had long wanted to work in broadcasting (at a time when women didn’t really do that).
In other words, I was genetically predisposed to having some kind of media career.
In high school, I secured the first-ever radio station internship. My college in Dayton, Ohio owned WVUD-FM, a professionally managed 50,000-watt radio station, where I was on-air in my freshman year, leaving in my senior year with the #1 rated show on Saturday nights.
Serving also as Production Manager there, I honed my talent voicing commercials, promos and doing live event announcing. Clients loved working with me and would seek me out for their projects.
I’ve been getting return (and many new) voiceover clients ever since. They enjoy working with me at my state of the art voiceover studio in Raleigh, NC., the area where I now make my home with my wife and children.
General Electric, Kraft Foods, IBM and Duracell Batteries are just a few of the many internationally known brands I’ve been very fortunate to voice for — as well as hundreds of great regional and local brands too.
It continues to be a fun career.
When you use audio in your marketing, I’m the voiceover guy to contact.