Visit Jim’s full Profile: www.bluewavevoiceover.com/voices/jim-o’connor
Email: jim@jimoconnorvoice.com
Phone: 707-980-9439
Personal Voiceover Website: jimoconnorvoice.com
Types of Voiceover Projects: Jim regularly works in Commercial, Narration, Politicals, Documentary Videos, characters, audio books, audio tours, E-learning, medical narration, and more.
Meet Jim O’Connor, Jim’s voice has been described as Natural, Down-To-Earth, Sincere Honest, Mature, Caring and Confident. When working with Jim, you will get someone who is highly motivated, reliable, and easy to work with. Someone who eagerly takes directions, but is also a self-starter who isn’t afraid to make strong choices. His experience in medicine and education, both as a professor and educational leader, brings a unique background to the Voice Over profession that will serve you well.
Dr. Jim O’Connor has a remarkable history as both a medical professional, and Dean and Professor of higher education. His wide range of life experiences include stage acting and professional commercials. His textured voice serves clients for commercials, including political commercials, professional narration including medical narration, E-Learning, audio books, and memorable characters.
Tell us a little about your broadcast-quality home studio. Where is it? What kind of equipment do you have? What do you like about it?
My broadcast-quality home studio is located in my residence in the vibrant San Francisco Bay area. Equipped with top-notch gear, it boasts an SE Electronics X1 S microphone, a Sennheiser MKE 600, and a Scarlet2i2G3 2×2 Scarlett interface. What sets it apart is the custom-built home audio booth crafted by Jim Edgar, ensuring optimal sound quality for every recording session. In terms of software, I rely on Twisted Wave and Audacity for editing, and Source Connect for seamless collaboration with clients and colleagues. This setup not only delivers professional-grade recordings but also offers the flexibility and convenience of working from home.
What’s one thing that most people don’t know about you?
Well, there are so many things people don’t know about me.
I’ve had the chance to call Ohio, Alaska, Colorado, North Carolina, Iowa, and different parts of California home at various points. Being one of the first physician assistants in the U.S. was quite the adventure — I’ve been right in the mix of countless surgeries, from fixing hearts to replacing joints and even delicate neurosurgery. I’ve also been to burning Man, and sang on stage in a Broadway production. Teaching has been another chapter in my story; I’ve shared my knowledge at four different universities. And then there’s my sideline gig as a sports psychologist—I’ve worked with a Big Ten football team and even helped a swim team snag a national championship.
Oh, and traveling? Let’s just say I’ve got a bit of a wanderlust. I’ve circled through all 50 states more than once and checked off 46 countries from my list. Each place has its own story to tell, and I’m all ears for them.
How did you get into voiceover work?
I’ve always had an interest in radio broadcasting. About 7 years ago, a friend of mine told me she was taking voice over classes. I was intrigued, and at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, I signed up for my first voice over class.
Do you remember what your first voiceover spot was?
Believe it or not, it was an audiobook from a book that a friend of mine published. Beyond that, my first gig was job I landed on a pay-to-play reciting a prayer!
Do you remember the first political voiceover spot that you did?
Yes, it was fairly recent. It was a TV spot for a local country supervisor
What has been your favorite voiceover project to date – political or otherwise?
I played the character “Jimmy Bear” for a Tonies Toys spot.
Why do you think voiceover will be an important part of political advertising in the 2020 election?
Most definitely! Our country is in peril, and it is important to get the word out about the direction our country is heading if the Republikans gain more power, or, for that matter, even continue with the power they have. Everyone has seen the devastation this ultra-rightwing Supreme Court has done to women’s rights and reproductive health. I consider Donald Trump to be the biggest criminal in US history, and his followers represent cult-like behavior never before seen in this country.
What issues would you like to see at the center of the Democratic platform for this year’s election? Definitely Trump’s criminality! As well, abortion, climate change, women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and how important it will be to appoint Supreme court justices who are progressives.
What is your biggest voiceover pet peeve?
Three things: One, that people think this is easy. It’s not. It is a very competitive field and takes a lot of focus and effort. Secondly, the unreasonable short turn around time required for some auditions (like an hour!). Lastly, you don’t get much feedback about the quality of your auditions.
If you could tell political voiceover clients one thing that would help you do your job better, or help them get what they want faster – what would that one thing be?
Read the scripts out loud before sending them out. Some words when juxtaposed just don’t sound right or make sense. Provide specific information about what your expectations are for the reads.
What advice do you have to aspiring voiceover talents that want to work in the political arena?
Work with expert coaches and make a good demo. Don’t get discouraged.
What hobbies do you have outside of your voiceover work?
Swimming, traveling, scuba diving, musical theatre, professional and college sports, reading, cooking, and playing poker, to name a few.
What’s one thing that most people don’t know about you?
As a collective of voiceover artists who look and sound like America today, 
Unfortunately, fatal violence and legal discrimination against TGNC people are also at an all-time high as increased visibility and progress is often followed by a conservative backlash, particularly against those most vulnerable in the community. And of course this leads to heartbreaking health impacts. According to 
Transgender: An umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or expression is different from cultural expectations based on the sex they were assigned at birth. Being transgender does not imply any specific sexual orientation. Therefore, transgender people may identify as straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, etc.
Just like gender identity, there are more than the two sets of pronouns that often come to mind: she/her/hers and he/him/his. People also use they/them/theirs and the singular “they” has been common in English for decades. Other sets of pronouns include e/em/eirs, ze/hir/hirs, ve/ver/vers, and more! Some people use multiple pronouns like they/she or they/he.
Does a person’s pronouns tell you their gender identity? Nope! Pronouns don’t equal gender identity. Folks who use the same pronouns might all identify differently in terms of gender. Folks who all share the same gender identity may all use different pronouns. And remember, no person “is a they.” They use them/them/their pronouns.
All of this can often come with the big bad fear of messing up. But guess what? We all mess up! And we’re all going to mess up because we’re human. What’s important is staying teachable and accountable.
Allegra Verlezza – Queer, Genderfluid & Non-Binary Voiceover
In terms of equipment, I have a Rode NT1 mic, Solid State Logic SSL2 audio interface, and a computer monitor hooked up to my Macbook Air that sits right outside of my booth. I found these nifty mobile, adjustable desks that are meant for close-quarters living in a college dorm (not unlike living in NYC) and I converted two of them into mobile booth desks. All of my tech, including my iPad for reading scripts, either sits on these desks or are clamped to the sides so none of my equipment has to be fixed to one spot. Most of the time I stand so I can access my full range of wacky and dramatic movement but if I have a longer session, I can easily pop a stool into the booth since all my equipment is mobile.
SO. This beautiful moment of self-actualization along with still loving acting and being miserable at my first job out of college made me think, “well, why can’t I try voice acting and being in cartoons?” I started researching classes and then the real catalyst was a colleague of mine who saw me LIGHT UP with curiosity and joy when she mentioned that her sister worked full-time in animation. That colleague connected me to her sister who connected me to someone else in the industry (are you following?), who generously took the time to have coffee with me and answer alllll my questions about getting into voice acting and children’s media. I walked out of that midtown coffee shop, whipped out my phone, and signed up for my first voiceover class.