 Voice actor J. Michael Collins congratulates Brenda Robinson, winner of the THE SOVAS Academic Scholarship. Collins was this year's presenter and benefactor of the scholarship. 2015 VOICE ARTS® AWARDS Celebrities, Winners And All Voice Actors 'Rise Together' At Voice Arts® Awards Gala November 18, 2015 Story and Photos by Martha Kahn VoiceOverXtra  The Pacific Design Center in Hollywood was filled with glitz, glamour
and voice over’s finest Sunday night as the Red Carpet to the 2015 Voice Arts® Awards Gala unrolled to
celebrities like William Shatner, John Amos and his son KC, Bruce
Vilanch and
Malcolm-Jamal Warner. But all of these celebrities, who have "voiced" themselves, had one thing in common to say about our love, our passion, our industry: This stuff takes work and doesn’t usually happen overnight.The prevailing theme throughout the evening was a tremendous respect for the hard work, the time, effort and study that goes into being a Voice Actor. Hard work was also evident in the professionalism of this second annual Voice Arts® Awards competition and Gala - created and presented by the Society of Voice Arts & Sciences (SOVAS). REVVING UP VOICE POWER Welcoming a crowd of hundreds, Gala emcee Michael Winslow entertained with more voices than we could keep up with. Accompanied by the beautiful Skye and Liisi LaFontaine, daughters of the late Don LaFontaine as the Awards chaperones, the first awards were presented. Editor in Chief of Motor Trend Magazine Ed Loh spoke of the power of the human voice and automobiles - how the "voice” is now a "driving force” in the automobile industry (pun intended), and he announced that in 2016 the Awards will introduce an Automotive category.  With award presenters like Bruce Vilanch, Chuck Duran and
Stacey J. Aswad, Joe Cipriano, Robert Garson, John and KC Amos, Joan Baker (pictured), Marc
Graue,
Suzanne Marques, Pat Fraley, E.G. Daily, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Scott Brick,
and
Lori Alan, we were entertained to the nth degree, watching with both
witticisms
and respect fly back between them.
Dave Fennoy and Sylvia Villagran were the event's live announcers. But alas, it was all about the awards and the oodles of winners! (See full list below, plus a link to all nominees.) HONORING AN ICON  A highlight of the evening was presentation of the 2015 Voice Arts Icon Award to William Shatner - Captain Kirk himself - AKA TJ Hooker and Denny Crane.
Presented by the Awards' producers - the ever charming and beautiful voice talent/coach/author Joan Baker and SOVAS CEO Rudy Gaskins - Shatner graciously received the award, noting his tremendous respect for the art of Voice Over. He also shared some frustrations working with directors - even poking fun at the now infamous Internet video of his session with a challenging director. Malcolm-Jamal Warner - our young Theo from The Cosby Show - both a presenter and later an Award winner for Training Daze, said, "I always wanted to be a voice actor and then I learned, this #$%^ is not easy!” Beau Weaver reminded us, when accepting the award for Outstanding Body of Work, that a successful career is about constantly striving to be ever better, studying with a string of voice over’s top coaches throughout the years, and continuing to hone your craft - never sitting back on laurels. 'WE ALL RISE TOGETHER'  And for me, Debbe Hirata (pictured with award-winner John Grove) encapsulated the theme while accepting her
award for Outstanding Local TV Commercial (Chumash Casino Resort), quoting their motto: "We all rise
together.” This is how we do it: together. As Forbes Magazine recently noted, If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. We in the voice over industry are one big family, rising together. When one of us wins, we all win. Executive Producers Joan Baker and Rudy Gaskins of SOVAS did it again! I came out of these awards so proud to be a member of this group of actors – so inspired by some of the best in the biz, knowing that we are all one. AND A SCHOLARSHIP ... The Gala also featured the presentation of the SOVAS Academic Scholarship by its benefactor, voice actor J. Michael Collins, to Brenda Robinson (see photo at top of article). The scholarship recipient is chosen by the SOVAS Board of Directors based on the voice actor's "potential for success, passion for the craft, and financial need," Gaskins explains. This year's recipient received four one-on-one coaching sessions with Joan Baker; Pat Fraley's series of five online course studies to advance skills in the VO genre of his or her choice; and one Sennheiser Professional Studio head set. 2015 VOICE ARTS® AWARD WINNERS Outstanding Audio Engineering – Audiobook In Freedom’s Cause Audio Engineer: Rob Jorgensen Additional Writers: Aaron Fullan, Nick Huizenga, Bill Heid, Nick Heid Assistant Producer: Aaron Fullan, Nick Heid Consulting Producer: Nick Huizenga Executive Producer: Bill Heid London Casting Director: Philip Glassborow Music Composer: John Campbell Package Designer: Steve Tyrrell/Tyrrell Creative Project Manager: Mark Drury Recording Engineer and Voice Track Editor: Mark Drury Sound Designer/Foley Artist: Rob Jorgensen The Cast: A Full Cast, Skandar Keynes, Brian Blessed, Billy Boyd, James Cosmo, Joanne Froggatt Writer/Director/Producer: John Fornof Audiobook Narration – Biography, Best Voiceover In Search of Sir Thomas Browne By Hugh Aldersey-Williams and read by Simon Vance HighBridge Audio Audiobook Narration – Science Fiction, Best Voiceover Acceptance By Jeff VanderMeer and read by Bronson Pinchot, Carolyn McCormick and Xe Sands Blackstone Audio Audiobook Narration – Mystery, Best Voiceover Dry Bones By Craig Johnson and read by George Guidall Recorded Books Audiobook Narration – Author Performance, Best Voiceover O, What a Luxury: Verses Lyrical, Vulgar, Pathetic & Profound By Garrison Keillor and read by Garrison Keillor HighBridge Audio Audiobook Narration – Crime & Thriller, Best Voiceover Huntress Moon: The Huntress Series, Book 1 By Alexandra Sokoloff and read by R.C. Bray Audiobook Narration – Children’s Pre-School (Infant to 12), Best Voiceover Big Hero 6 by Disney Press Read by MacLeod Andrews Blackstone Audio Audiobook Narration – Teens, Best Voiceover The Moon Dwellers: Dwellers Saga, Book 1 By David Estes and read by Julia Whelan and Will Damron Editor: Bob Evoniuk Executive Producer: Greg Lawrence, James Tonn Proofer: Emily Derr Podium Publishing Audiobook Narration – Classics, Best Voiceover Little Big Man By Thomas Berger and read by Scott Sowers Director: Rachel Pick Producer: Claudia Howard Recorded Books Audiobook Narration – History, Best Voiceover In Freedom’s Cause By G. A. Henty Additional Writers: Aaron Fullan, Nick Huizenga, Bill Heid, Nick Heid Assistant Producer: Aaron Fullan, Nick Heid Consulting Producer: Nick Huizenga Executive Producer: Bill Heid London Casting Director: Philip Glassborow Music Composer: John Campbell Package Designer: Steve Tyrrell/Tyrrell Creative Project Manager: Mark Drury Recording Engineer and Voice Track Editor: Mark Drury Sound Designer/Foley Artist: Rob Jorgensen The Cast: A Full Cast, Skandar Keynes, Brian Blessed, Billy Boyd, James Cosmo, Joanne Froggatt Writer/Director/Producer: John Fornof Sound Designer/Foley Artist: Todd Busteed, GAP Digital The Cast: A Full Cast, Brian Blessed, Kelsey Lansdowne, Kirk Cameron, Chris Anthony, Sean Astin Writer: Robert Liparulo Audiobook Narration – Inspirational/Faith-Based Fiction, Best Voiceover In Freedom’s Cause Writer/Director/Producer: John Fornof Additional Writers: Aaron Fullan, Nick Huizenga, Bill Heid, Nick Heid Assistant Producer: Aaron Fullan, Nick Heid Consulting Producer: Nick Huizenga Executive Producer: Bill Heid London Casting Director: Philip Glassborow Music Composer: John Campbell Package Designer: Steve Tyrrell/Tyrrell Creative Project Manager: Mark Drury Recording Engineer and Voice Track Editor: Mark Drury Sound Designer/Foley Artist: Rob Jorgensen The Cast: A Full Cast, Skandar Keynes, Brian Blessed, Billy Boyd, James Cosmo, Joanne Froggatt Audiobook Narration – Non-Fiction, Best Voiceover How to Bake Pi: An Edible Exploration of the Mathematics of Mathematics By Eugenia Cheng and read by Tavia Gilbert HighBridge Audio Audiobook Narration – Metaphysical, Best Voiceover Human Plus: Post-Human Series, Book 4 By David Simpson and read by Ray Chase Executive Producers: James Tonn and Greg Lawrence Producer and Editor: Greg Lawrence Proofer: Travis Chaney Podium Publishing Audiobook Narration – Self Help, Best Voiceover The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up By Marie Kondo and read by Emily Woo Zeller Sound Editing: Diane Kozlowski, Melanie Bodin Audiobook Narration – Romance, Best Voiceover The Tempting of Thomas Carrick By Stephanie Laurens and read by Matthew Brenher Blackstone Audio Audiobook Narration – Short Story Anthology, Best Voiceover Leaving the Sea By Ben Marcus and read by Andrew Garman, Andy Paris, Brian Hutchinson and George Guidall Recorded Books Audiobook Narration – Fiction, Best Voiceover Written in My Own Heart’s Blood By Diana Gabaldon and read by Davina Porter Recorded Books Audiobook Narration – Fantasy, Best Voiceover Euphoria by Lily King Read by Simon Vance and Xe Sands Blackstone Audio Audiobook Narration – Business or Education, Best Voiceover StorySelling By JW Dicks and Nick Nanton Read by: Ray Porter Editor: Jonathan Yen Executive Producer: James Tonn and Greg Lawrence Producer: Greg Lawrence Proofer: Travis Chaney Podium Publishing ------------------------------ Spanish Outstanding Commercial Demo Reel, Best Spanish Voiceover Roberto Sanchez, Voice Actor Outstanding TV Commercial, Best Spanish Voiceover Hyundai Puerto Rico Fabian Toro, Voice Actor Account executive: Iralis Jiménez Sojitz de Puerto Rico Corporation: Pablo Martínez Outstanding Spoken Word or Storytelling – Best Spanish Performance Poema: Renunciamiento/Poem: renunciation Fabián Toro, Voice Actor Composer: Brian Crain Production Director: Oswaldo Laverde Sound Engineer: Claudio Durán Rey ------------------------------------ Outstanding Spoken Word or Storytelling – Best Performance Training Daze Malcolm-Jamal Warner Outstanding National TV Commercial, Best Voiceover Wendy’s – Fancy – ish Robert Garson, Voice Actor Agent: Access Talent Producer: Kaplan Thayler Client: Wendy’s Outstanding TV Program Narration – Documentary, Best Voiceover ESPN Draft Academy 2015 Diriki Mack Coordinating Producer: Jose Morales Producers : Luis Aldea and Kristen Lappas Outstanding Local TV Commercial, Best Voiceover Chumash Casino Resort Debbe Hirata, Voice Actor Agent: Nate Tico Animation Supervisor: Szymon Weglarski, Jonathan Dorfman Art Director: Karl Wolf Client: Jason Lavan Composer: Erik Appelwick for Egg-Music Copywriter: Eric Luoma Creative Director – Music: John Hermanson Creative Director/Strategist: Bruce Tait Director: Lutz Vogel, Zoe Wishart Executive Producer: Judy Brink, Andrew Linsk Executive Producer – Music: Eric Fawcett Producer: Alexander Linsk Project Manager: Heidi Anderson Voice Over Actor: Debbe Hirata Voice Over Casting/Coaching: Nancy Wolfson Voice Over Recording Engineer: Dave Howe Outstanding Local TV Promo, Best Voiceover KOVR Sacramento Sad Weather Lab #1 Beau Weaver, Voice Actor Ready Detroit: Your Guide to Being Prepared CBS Detroit WWJ-TV Producer: Paul Pytlowany Outstanding Radio Commercial, Best Voiceover Las Vegas Chris Fries Outstanding Movie Trailer, Best Voiceover Nightcrawler John Armstrong Outstanding National TV Promo, Best Voiceover Dateline NBC Mystery Man Lisa Flanagan Writer/Producer: Miranda Patterson Outstanding Consumer Sales Video, Best Voiceover Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Mike Carlucci, Voice Actor  Outstanding Body of Work, Voiceover
Beau Weaver (pictured)
Discovery Networks Fabian Toro Creative Director: Andrew Heckel Creative Director Discovery US Hispanic: Luis Duarte International Creative Director: Danilo Alvarez Manager U.S. Hispanic Integration: Rekha Patricio Outstanding Video Game Character, Best Voiceover Tahm Kench – The River King-League of Legends Pat Duke, Voice Actor Outstanding Narration – TV or Film, Best Voiceover Jane the Virgin Narrated by Anthony Mendez Director: Brad Silberling Executive Producer/Writer: Jennie Snyder Urman Producer: Gina Lamar Writer: Paul Sciarrotta Outstanding TV Animation, Best Voiceover Chumash Casino Resort Animation Debbe Hirata, Voice Actor Agent: Nate Tico Animation Supervisor: Szymon Weglarski and Jonathan Dorfman Art Director: Karl Wolf Composer: Erik Appelwick for Egg Music Copywriter: Eric Luoma Creative Director – Music: John Hermanson Creative Director/Strategist: Bruce Tait Director: Zoe Wishart and Lutz Vogel Executive Producer: Andrew Linsk and Judy Brink Executive Producer – Music: Eric Fawcett Producer: Alexander Unick Project Manager: Heidi Anderson Senior Brand Manager – Chumash Casino Resort: Jason Lavan Voice Over Actor: Debbie Hirata Voice Over Casting/Coaching: Nancy Wolfson Voice Over Recording Engineer: Dave Howe Outstanding Casting – Audiobook In Freedom’s Cause Philip Glassborow Additional Writers: Aaron Fullan, Nick Huizenga, Bill Heid and Nick Heid Assistant Producer: Aaron Fullan and Nick Heid Consulting Producer: Nick Huizenga Executive Producer: Bill Heid London Casting Director: Philip Glassborow Music Composer: John Campbell Package Designer: Steve Tyrrell/Tyrrell Creative Project Manager: Mark Drury Recording Engineer and Voice Track Editor: Mark Drury Sound Designer/Foley Artist: Rob Jorgensen T he Cast: A Full Cast, Skandar Keynes, Brian Blessed, Billy Boyd, James Cosmo and Joanne Froggatt Writer/Director/Producer: John Fornof Outstanding Copywriting Nightcrawler Jack Teed, Daphne Peponides and Shawn Ferjanec Outstanding Commercial Demo Reel, Best Voiceover Mike Brang Copy Writer: Stacey J Aswad Producer: Chuck Duran  Outstanding Narration Demo Reel, Best Voiceover Pat Duke (pictured right, with pal and coach Pat Fraley) Outstanding Production – Audiobook In Freedom’s Cause Bill Heid Additional Writers: Aaron Fullan, Nick Huizenga, Bill Heid, Nick Heid Assistant Producer: Aaron Fullan, Nick Heid Consulting Producer: Nick Huizenga Executive Producer: Bill Heid London Casting Director: Philip Glassborow Music Composer: John Campbell Package Designer: Steve Tyrrell/Tyrrell Creative Project Manager: Mark Drury Recording Engineer and Voice Track Editor: Mark Drury Sound Designer/Foley Artist: Rob Jorgensen The Cast: A Full Cast, Skandar Keynes, Brian Blessed, Billy Boyd, James Cosmo, Joanne Froggatt Writer/Director/Producer: John Fornof  Outstanding Voiceover Podcast
VO Buzz Weekly Chuck Duran and Stacey J. Aswad (pictured) Editor: Jeff Castelluccio Editor, Cameras and Graphics: Eric Fashingbauer, Jory Federighi Guest: Andrea Romano Talent Coordinator: Denise Chamberlain Outstanding Promo Demo Reel, Best Voiceover John Grove Producer/Director: Chuck Duran  Outstanding Animation Demo Reel, Best Voiceover Dave Fennoy (pictured) See all 2015 Voice Arts® Awards nominees! For more about the Voice Arts® Awards, please visit www.SOVAS.org. ------------------------------------------------------  ABOUT MARTHA Martha Kahn is a voice actor based in Southern California who is also well known in the voice over industry for her participation in numerous groups and activities, and also as the Marketing and Sales Director for VoiceOverXtra. Email: martha@VoiceOverXtra.com and martha@MarthaKahn.com |
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