Rory O’Shea got the bug for writing and performing at a young age. When he was thirteen he wrote a piece about a day in the life of a twenty-dollar bill called ‘I Was Born In A Mint’. The witty 5-minute speech led him from his grade eight classroom to local, regional and provincial stages to perform for organizations like the Lions, the Optimists and the Royal Canadian Legion, winning top honours along the way and placing second in the provincial public speaking finals. An auspicious start to what would become a life-long passion for creativity and speaking for a living.
It was at one of those early competitions that an adjudicator, Canadian actor Syd Brown, suggested Rory get a talent agent. Representation was subsequently secured and by the time Rory was 15 years of age he had made his television commercial debut with another Canadian actor. Funnyman, John Candy. His principal role in the Heinz Ketchup commercial would be the first of numerous TV spots that Rory would act in through his teenage years.
By the time he was twenty-one Rory’s love and interest in the radio airwaves landed him in broadcasting. In January, 1984, he started paying his dues doing the overnight shift at CKAR/CKQT, located in Oshawa, Ontario, a 30-minute motorcycle ride from his Toronto home. However, when snow was on the highway Rory travelled to his gig by bus or train. Fourteen months later he would need a plane to reach his next job with a move cross-country to Calgary, Alberta to join the ranks at the new Top 40 station, Calgary’s All Hit Radio, AM106.
Within three years another move was afoot, in 1988, with a trajectory that took him from the AM side of the dial to FM. From Hits to Rock. From average pay to (slightly) better pay. From swing shift to afternoon drive. From Calgary to Red Deer. And from Rory O’Shea to “Rockin’ Ror” on Central Alberta’s Home of Rock & Roll, Z99..
Four years later, 1992, the circle became complete as he returned home to Toronto to work for a station he remembered signing on air in 1977, and one he always dreamed of working for: Rock Radio Q107. He was hired to host the popular ‘Psychedelic Sunday’ program from noon-6 each week and garnered a following as one of the station’s many popular personalities.
After more than five years at “The Mighty Q” – eventually filling in on the morning show and landing the coveted Afternoon Drive time slot – Rory would cut his long hair, shift mediums and get back in front of the camera again.
In 1998 Canada’s Weather Network had moved HQ operations from Montreal to Toronto and was searching for new talent to fill their national line-up of on-camera presenters. Rory jumped at the opportunity to audition. He landed the job, took a meteorological course and became news anchor and green-screen presenter for viewers across Canada.
While wearing a suit and tie for a national television audience – and still doing radio gigs on the side at several Toronto area radio stations – Rory had been ramping up to start his own business specializing in voice acting and narration.
Voiceover was something he had done for years as part of his broadcasting requirements – recording commercials, promos and special programs in both radio and television. He has also narrated many documentaries for National Geographic, PBS, Discovery, The History Channel and more, while also continuing to act in film and TV roles.
While Rory left The Weather Network after five years, in 2003, to focus on his expanding business, he has been the network’s branding voice since 2009.
He had established imedge communications inc in 1999 to supply, via the internet, professional voice-over recordings for media outlets and corporate clients. He built a professional recording studio and wore many hats: project manager, marketer, audio engineer, bookkeeper and principal talent. Rory utilized his acting experience from his early days along with the voice-over skill set honed in radio and television to evolve into a voice talent with a wide range of styles and textures – from character voices for animation, gaming and toys – to a niche he found he enjoyed and excelled at: medical, pharmaceutical and scientific narration projects.
The quality, reliability and speed provided, along with competitive rates, has made Rory and imedge a popular choice for voiceover & narration production needs. Word-of-mouth referrals have paved the way to a stellar reputation for his voice-over narration & branding services – being called upon by small businesses and major corporations alike to help market a broad range of products and services.
imedge communications is a highly-respected supplier of quality audio presentations specializing in medical, pharmaceutical, technical, legal and scientific fields. From long-form narration to 30-second radio and television commercials – creating effective voice overs that produce results.
As well, services include comprehensive translation, proofreading and ethnic narration with a global professional talent base for localization projects.
Rory O’Shea has come a long way since his early days as a twenty-dollar bill. Your custom auditions won’t even cost that. They’re FREE!
See if he’s a good fit for your project and contact him today
