Considered an expert on the Texas film scene, O'Connell wrote columns about the Texas film industry that appeared in the Austin American-Statesman from 2000 to 2004 (titled "On Location"), in the Dallas Morning News from 2005 to 2011 (as "Shot in Texas") and in The Austin Chronicle from 2004 to 2009 (as "Film News.")
O'Connell, a recognized expert on the Texas film industry, penned columns about it for several newspapers. These columns appeared in the Austin American-Statesman from 2000 to 2004 under the title "On Location," the Dallas Morning News from 2005 to 2011 as "Shot in Texas," and The Austin Chronicle from 2004 to 2009 as "Film News."