Hard to believe that 7 years ago, I stood before a roomful of voice-actors, hosting the first-ever VOICE conference at the Palace Station Resort in Las Vegas. Friends would later remember it as the smokiest VO conference they ever attended.
But that event introduced a whole new paradigm for voice-actors, the start of something big. It was the one and only time I met Don LaFontaine. Pat Fraley came, so did Bob Bergen. V123 was the big sponsor.
Luckily, founders and producers James Alburger and Penny Abshire didn’t get scared off by that experience. They went on to host VOICE2008 the next year, then another in 2010, and the most recent one in 2012. The event grew from a “conference” to a “convention”… and VOICE proved there was a market for formal voiceover gatherings. Just look at all the iterations of that theme we now have available every year!
Now, the Voice Over International Creative Experience is poised to break new ground again. VOICE2014 will be held near Disneyland at the Anaheim Hilton August 27 – 30. Once again, VOICE emphasizes Technology, Education, and Community. The schedule of sessions, panels, and events is impressive. The reputations of the scores of coaches and presenters is impeccable.
The event website has all the details, but as luck would have it, I was able to grab James and Penny for a quick interview yesterday. They’ve always got a few surprises and new twists ‘n’ turns up their sleeve, and this interview gets to the point.
Click below to play the interview.
Thanks, James and Penny!..and watch for yours truly at two panels on Saturday at 10am, then again at 11am.
CourVO
