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VOICE ARTS® AWARDS Elegant Voice Arts® Awards Gala Announces And Celebrates All Winners - And Voice Over! November 8, 2017  Story and Photos by John Florian VoiceOverXtra Backdropped by a glistening night-time Central Park, where just hours earlier tens of thousands of runners spurred their passion and determination to the finish line at the New York City Marathon, the stage of the 4th Annual Voice Arts® Awards Gala at Lincoln Center Sunday night (November 5) lit the finish line for another breed of marathoners - voice actors whose accomplishments were honored as among the best in the business. Presented by SOVAS, the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences, this year's competition and Gala continued the tradition of raising awareness of the voice over career (did you catch the Times Square digital billboard?) and of praising outstanding performances with elegance and glamour - from the Red Carpet reception to entertaining presentations and an After Party at the trendy Ascent Lounge.  SOVAS Chairman and CEO Rudy Gaskins and board member Joan Baker (both pictured) welcomed all to the celebration.Large screen video of the entire program floated in the New York skyline above the stage at the Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall.  Live announcer / voice talent Mike Kopp introduced the entertaining awards presenters - including Nancy Cartwright (voice of Bart Simpson), Broadway stars Deborah Cox and Tony Chiroldes, Les Trent - Senior Correspondent for Inside Edition (and Rudy Gaskins lookalike), plus VO pros Joe Cipriano, Dave Fennoy (pictured), Scot Parkin, Pat Fraley, Bob Bergen, Robin Miles, Barbara Rosenblat, Sylvia Villagran, Debbe Hirata, Rachel Naylor - two dozen in all.And the names of all category nominees were shown onscreen and announced in pre-recordings by Lisa Flanagan and Frank Rodriguez (Spanish language). Ironically for their profession, award recipients were sometimes tongue-tied, yet always appreciative of the SOVAS recognition - and also for career support from the voice over community. "Thank you, Joan and Rudy, for being unstoppable!" shouted award-winner Vicky Tessio (Outstanding Animation Demo Reel, Best Spanish Voiceover). And two-time award-winner Lisa Flanagan beamed: "To all of you who hold each other up, thank you!" (Audiobook Narration - Mystery, Best Voiceover, and Children's Pre-School Best Voiceover).  The presenters themselves had fun: witness Pat Fraley bringing down the house with non-stop character improv, before he and Joan Baker announced Rodd Houston as recipient of the Outstanding Body Of Work, Voiceover award.'POWER OF GIVING VOICE' ... The Voice Arts Awards also praise individuals who speak to concerns of our era - to those who are "gifted with the power of giving voice to people's desires to reach many others," as Gaskins describes it.  For this ... Introduced by voice actor/coach Bob Bergen, performer and activist Lily Tomlin received the annual Voice Arts® Icon Award.  And actor/voice actor David Keith (pictured left) introduced documentary filmmaker/producer Ken Burns (pictured above) who received the annual Muhammad Ali Voice of Humanity Honor.
On the previous day, at the SOVAS That's Voiceover! career event, Nancy Cartwright (pictured) - Emmy-winning voice actor, producer and philanthropist - was honored with the 2017 Backstage Vanguard Award for Arts and Humanities. Scores of jurors had earlier narrowed the competition's entries to several nominees in each category, and winners were announced at the Gala to whoops and hollers from the audience. Congratulations to all winners of the 4th Annual Voice Arts® Awards ... Outstanding National Commercial - TV or Web, Best Voiceover Voice Actors: Andy Barnett, Michael Schwalbe - Title: Wendy's Double Stack 4 for $4 - Howler Monkeys Outstanding Promo Campaign - TV or Web, Best Voiceover Voice Actor: Jeff Wilburn - Title: NBA on TNT Outstanding National Commercial Campaign - TV or Web, Best Voiceover Voice Actors: Lori Alan, Brandon Paul Eells - Title: Valspar Outstanding Video Game Character, Best Voiceover Voice Actor: Brandon Paul Eells - Title: Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series - Drax the Destroyer Outstanding TV Animation, Best Voiceover Voice Actor: Christian Lanz - Title: "Chancellor Esteban" Elena of Avalo Outstanding Promo Demo Reel, Best Voiceover Voice Actor: Mike Brang Outstanding Animation/Gaming Demo Reel, Best Voiceover Voice Actor: Marc Graue Outstanding Narration - TV, Digital or Film, Best Voiceover Voice Actor: Robert Clotworthy - Title: Ancient Aliens Outstanding Local Commercial - TV or Web, Best Voiceover Voice Actor: Mukti Garceau - Title: Cirque du Soleil "La Nouba" Outstanding Local TV Promo, Best Voiceover Voice Actor: Diriki Mack - Title: KHOU11 NEWS  Outstanding Radio Commercial, Best Voiceover
Voice Actors: J. Michael Collins, Jas Patrick - Title: Proper Cloth (pictured, l-r, A.J. McKay - sound engineer, Jas Patrick, J. Michael Collins) Outstanding Radio Promo, Best Voiceover Voice Actor: Diriki Mack - Title: KHOU11 News/Drug Test Outstanding Movie Trailer, Best Voiceover Voice Actor: Jeff Wilburn - Title: Moonlight Outstanding Motion Picture Animation, Best Voiceover Voice Actor: Owen Wilson - Title: Cars 3 Outstanding Consumer Sales Video, Best Voiceover Voice Actor: Julia Knippen - Title: NRG Community Solar Outstanding E-Learning, Best Voiceover Voice Actor: Maria Pendolino - Title: How To Use A Female Condom Outstanding Commercial Demo Reel, Best Voiceover Voice Actor: Jules Hartley Outstanding Narration Demo Reel, Best Voiceover Voice Actor: Marisha Tapera Outstanding Podcasts Voice Actors: Chuck Duran, Stacey J Aswad - Title: VO Buzz Weekly  Outstanding Body of Work, Voiceover
Voice Actor: Rodd Houston (pictured) Outstanding Spoken Word or Storytelling - Best Performance Voice Actor: Satauna Howery - Title: Wild Animal Sanctuary - You Felt Free Outstanding Storytelling - Best Performance Voice Actors: Ed Asner, John Wesley Shipp, David Gregory, Maddy Burns, Phil Carroll, Bill Burrows - Title: Powder Burns: An Original Western Audio Drama Episode 6: Psalms for a Broken Man Outstanding Promo Demo Reel - Spanish Voiceover Voice Actor: Salvador Camero Outstanding Animation Demo Reel, Best Spanish Voiceover Voice Actor: Vicky Tessio Outstanding Commercial or Promo Demo Reel, Best Spanish Voiceover (tie) Voice Actor: Gabriel Saint-Genez Voice Actor: Adriana Serna Outstanding Theatrical Movie Trailer - Best Spanish Voiceover Voice Actor: Fabián Toro - Title: Discovery Theatre HD Outstanding Narration Demo Reel, Best Spanish Voiceover Voice Actor: Nicky Mondellini Outstanding TV or Radio Commercial - Best Spanish Voiceover Voice Actor: Christian Lanz - Title: Toyota "Santa" TV Commercial Outstanding TV Promos - Best Spanish Voiceover Voice Actor: Diego Osorio - Title: FOX Deportes - NASCAR "We don't Play" Outstanding Spoken Word or Storytelling - Best Spanish Performance Voice Actor: Jonathan Ramirez - Title: Gatorade - Counter Attack Audiobook Narration - Biography, Best Voiceover Voice Actor: Nicholas Guy Smith - Title: Notes on Blindness: A Journey Through the Dark Audiobook Narration - Science Fiction, Best Voiceover Voice Actor: John Malone - Title: Dredging Up Memories Audiobook Narration - Mystery, Best Voiceover Voice Actor: Lisa Flanagan - Title: The Unseen World Audiobook Narration - Author Performance, Best Voiceover Voice Actor: Neil deGrasse Tyson - Title: Astrophysics for People in a Hurry  Audiobook Narration - Crime & Thriller, Best Voiceover
Voice Actor: Scott Brick (pictured) - Title: Dead City, Book 1 Audiobook Narration - Business or Education, Best Voiceover Voice Actor: Drew Birdseye - Title: Idea to Execution: How to Optimize, Automate, and Outsource Everything in Your Business Audiobook Narration - Children's Pre-School (Infant to 12), Best Voiceover Voice Actor: Lisa Flanagan - Title: WALL-E Audiobook Narration - Teens, Best Voiceover Voice Actor: Adam Verner - Title: York: The Shadow Cipher Audiobook Narration - Classics, Best Voiceover Voice Actor: Sneha Mathan - Title: The God of Small Things Audiobook Narration - Fiction, Best Voiceover Voice Actor: Scott Brick - Title: The Last Tribe Audiobook Narration - Fantasy, Best Voiceover Voice Actor: Simon Vance - Title: The Wolf of the North, Book 1 Audiobook Narration - History, Best Voiceover Voice Actor: Malcolm Hillgartner - Title: Dunkirk: The Complete Story of the First Step in the Defeat of Hitler Audiobook Narration - Humor, Best Voiceover Voice Actor: Joe Barrett - Title: A Really Big Lunch Audiobook Narration - Inspirational/Faith-Based Fiction, Best Voiceover Voice Actor: Brian Blessed - Title: The Cat of Bubastes Audiobook Narration - Non-Fiction, Best Voiceover Voice Actor: January LaVoy - Title: Bette & Joan: The Divine Feud Audiobook Narration - Metaphysical, Best Voiceover Voice Actor: Will Damron - Title: Satan's Harvest Audiobook Narration - Self Help, Health & Fitness Best Voiceover Voice Actor: Zak George - Title: Zak George's Dog Training Revolution Audiobook Narration - Romance, Best Voiceover Voice Actors: Andi Arndt, Zachary Webber - Title: Take Me Back  Audiobook Narration - Short Story Anthology, Best Voiceover
Voice Actor: R.C. Bray (pictured) - Title: Diary of an Asscan: The Martian, Prequel Voice Actor: Scott Brick Title: Empty Nest (Dead City Short) Outstanding Casting - Audiobook Casting Director: Philip Glassborow - Title: The Cat of Bubastes Audio Engineering Audio Engineer: Todd Busteed and Phil Horne - Title: In the Reign of Terror Outstanding Production - Audiobook Producer: Bill Heid - Title: In the Reign of Terror  Radio Imaging - Demo Reel - Best Voiceover
Voice Actor: Bob Glavin (pictured) Radio Imaging - Demo Reel - Best Production Producer: J. Michael Collins - Title: Bob Glavin Radio Imaging Demo Outstanding Casting Casting Director: Kevin Reher, C.S.A., and Natalie Lyon, C.S.A. - Title: Cars 3 For more about the Voice Arts® Awards, please visit www.SOVAS.org. ------------------------------------------------
 ABOUT JOHN John Florian is the founder/publisher of VoiceOverXtra,
the voice over industry's award-winning online news, education and
resource center, offering thousands of resource links, how-to articles, webinar training and
more. A former magazine editorial director/publisher, John is also a
voice talent who merged those two career passions to create VoiceOverXtra in 2007.
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Comments (1)
Cynthia
11/8/2017 at 10:44 PM
Great article, it would only be better if there were samples of their award-winning mp3's to listen to.
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