Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brendan O’Connor. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Brendan with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I think I get my work ethic from my mum, who got it from her dad. It’s just always been something on her side of the family to work hard so you can play hard. And that success and self-worth can come from really pouring yourself into something; whether that be sports, your hourly gig, or a special project. I’m lucky that my day-to-day job feels like a hobby too, in the sense that I can mostly follow my heart and chip away at projects as I see fit through the week.
I wasn’t that great of a student, and I didn’t really ever throw myself into something until post-high school, when I was hired to work on parade puppets for a local summer festival. I think I got hooked that first summer on really diving into making a vision a reality and seeing how people responded on a large scale to the fruits of my (and my friends) hard work.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My main gig is Editor in Chief of Bungalower Media, a hyper-local newsroom based in Orlando, that focuses on the historic downtown “bungalow neighborhoods.” Through that platform I’ve found myself with a weekly radio show on Real Radio 104.1 FM, an iHeart Radio affiliate, I have regular hosting spots on local television networks, I have a monthly food column with “Orlando Magazine,” and I even hosted my own food show on Hearst Media’s Very Local channel called “Restaurants on the Radar.”
I’ve been lucky to make a name and a living by just being me, which is simultaneously exhausting and super rewarding.
At the moment, I’m working on a new television show called “On the Job” with Very Local again, I released my first book, “100 Things To Do In Orlando Before You Die,” more podcasting in between radio shows, a dinner party series for Bungalower Media’s Bungalower Buddy membership program, and I’m dipping my toe into travel writing for my friends at “Orlando Magazine.”
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I think my overall affability has opened the most doors for me in my life. I’m easy to get along with and my sense of humor leaves an impression. People like having me on their project teams, because I’m smart and creative, but I think I always get asked back because I’m fun to be with.
I’m a bit of an everyman too, and love to dabble in a lot of things. So I have a pretty wide-ranging familiarity with a lot of topics. That’s helped me with my writing and reporting jobs through the years, but it also comes to play when on the radio and television because I have a pool of things to pull from on short notice.
I also never stop. I’m always consuming news headlines and stories and pop culture. I’m genuinely curious about people and their stories and about things happening in my community. If you’re working in journalism and you want to be able to stop at 5 p.m. and go home, this isn’t the gig for you. Not if you want to be good at it.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
I’ve had a lot of people in my life to help me build me up to who I am today. It’s an ongoing process of trying to be an empty cup and receive as much as I can from the people I’m lucky enough to call friends and mentors. An editor I worked with at Orlando Weekly over a decade ago was one of the first people to tell me I had a voice that people would want to hear and the first person who I actually believed when I heard it. He was a little force of nature. A local comedian and gadabout, Doug Bowser, taught me some things about being in on the joke and working a crowd when I could convince him to let me co-host drag bingo with him – full disclosure, we were sponsoring some of his bingo nights so he couldn’t really say no, but I sponged up as much as I could when I was around him.
Contact Info:
- Website: brendanoconnor.me
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bkeepz/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanboconnor/
