SacAnime 2014 Announces Guests

SacAnime welcomes MARK SHEPPARD (Supernatural, Doctor Who, Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, Leverage) along with voice actors Rodger Bumpass, J. Michael Tatum, Noah Watts, Roger Craig Smith, Johnny Yong Bosch, Sam Riegel, Yuri Lowenthal, Tara Platt, Christine Cabanos, and Cristina Vee and musical groups Eyeshine and The Slants.

SACANIME is being held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday August – 29th – 31st, 2014 at the Sacramento Convention Center and Sheraton Grand Hotel. For more information, check out our website at: www.sacanime.com

MARK SHEPPARD

Mark Sheppard was born in London, England and began his film career in Jim Sheridan’s “In The Name Of The Father” playing Guildford Four member ‘Paddy Armstrong’ alongside Daniel Day-Lewis. An accomplished musician, he has recorded and played drums for The T.V. Personalities, Nikki Sudden, Robyn Hitchcock, The Barracudas, Light A Big Fire, School Of Fish and They Eat Their Own, among others. On stage, he has won several theatre awards, including The 1992 Drama Critic’s Circle Outstanding Achievement Award for his performance in “A Cock & Bull Story”. He may be best known for his television work, as Romo Lampkin in “Battlestar Galactica”, Badger in Joss Whedon’s “Firefly”, Ivan Erwich in Day 5 of “24”, plus roles on “The X-Files”, “CSI”, “Star Trek: Voyager” and a host of other characters in film and television. Sheppard currently plays ‘Jim Sterling’ opposite Timothy Hutton on TNT’s “Leverage”, the Director of The Ring Organization in NBC’s “Chuck”, the Demon ‘Crowley’ in “Supernatural” for the CW, mysterious operative ‘Mr. Valda’ in SyFy’s “Warehouse 13″, and now Canton Everett Delaware III in the sixth season of the BBC’s “Doctor Who”. He has lent his voice to various video games and commercials as well, from “The Conduit” to “Dragon Age: Origins” and Bear Grylls’ “Man vs. Wild”.

RODGER BUMPASS

Emmy-nominated for the voice of Squidward on SpongeBob Squarepants, Rodger has been in acting for 38 years, and he’s going to keep on ’til he gets it right. In addition to Squidward, he was the voice of Professor Membrane in ‘Invader Zim’, Dr. Light in ‘Teen Titans’, Hanover Fyst in the cult favorite ‘Heavy Metal’. He has also provided various voices in many Disney and Pixar featured animated movies like ‘A Bug’s Life’, ‘Monsters Inc.’, ‘Cars’, ‘Finding Nemo’, ‘Treasure Planet’, ‘Emperor’s New Groove’, and more recently, ‘Monsters University’.  He began his career with the National Lampoon Magazine, touring the USA and falling down in the stare a lot (on purpose). He likes kitty cats and long walks on the beach, where falling doesn’t hurt as much. If you pass him in the hallway, just say “Do the voice, please,” and he will gladly comply… for the nominal price of $2.37. Cash only. He does take IOUs if they involve a kiss from a pretty girl.

J MICHAEL TATUM

Discovered by Funimation warhorse and visionary ADR director Christopher Bevins, who cast him as Rikichi in 2005’s Samurai 7, Tatum’s inexplicable luck has held long enough to see his flag hoisted on a slew of dream roles, most notably Kyoya Otori in the hit English language dub of Ouran High School Host Club, suave, demonic Sebastian Michaelis in Black Butler and the equal parts maniacal/vulnerable Okarin Rintarou from Steins;Gate. Other characters the man still can’t believe he’s had the crazy good fortune to play include: Doumeki in XXXHolic, Jiro Mochizuki in Black Blood Brothers, Isaac Dian in Baccano!, Both God Eneru and Dalton in the new dub of One Piece, Komui Lee in D-Gray Man, Dororo in Sgt. Frog, the titular loveable savage of Heroic Age, Ryosuke Takahashi in Initial D, Lawrence Kraft in Spice and Wolf, Zarbon in Dragon Ball Z Kai, Scar in Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, and Sir Hammerlock in the videogame juggernaut Borderlands 2. His vocal “stylings,” much to the chagrin of drama teachers everywhere, he’s sure, have also been featured in Romeo X Juliet, Speed Grapher, Trinity Blood, Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple, Black Cat, Nabari no Ou, Ghost Hunt, School Rumble, The Tower of Druaga, Aquarion, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles, Shuffle, Shigurui, Glass Fleet, Mushishi, Soul Eater, along with feature-length films such as Vexille, Summer Wars, and Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker, among many others. And as if being involved with so many awesome shows wasn’t enough, in late 2007 the fluky so-and-so tempted fate by officially branching out into ADR directing and adaptive scriptwriting for Funimation as well. His ADR directing credits to date include Aquarion, Jyu-oh-Sei, Romeo X Juliet, Big Windup, Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne and Shikabane Hime (Corpse Princess), while his writing credits include substantial work on Ouran High School Host Club, Heroic Age, Initial D, Blassreiter, Ga Rei: Zero, Hero Tales, Legend of the Legendary Heroes, Fractale, Deadman Wonderland, Steins;Gate and Dragon Ball Z Kai. In early 2010 he teamed up with Terri Doty and Stephen Hoff to launch That Anime Show, a web-based chat show centered on colorful, often diabolically unhinged interviews with friends and colleagues within the dubbing industry, all episodes of which can be downloaded for free at www.thatanimeshow.com Ever the workaholic, Tatum is currently burning the midnight oil on a number of exciting projects due for release later this year. And before you ask, the “J” stands for… Well, it stands for whatever you’d like it to.

NOAH WATTS

When Noah Watts was 9 years old, his uncle gave him a Crow name. He said, “I am going to name you, Bulaagawish, Old Bull.” His uncle put his hand on Noah’s shoulder and continued. “That’s the name Chief Plenty Coups gave your grandfather. The name refers to the buffalo bull that leads the herd. That name has good things associated with it.” A member of the Crow tribe and descendent of the Blackfeet nation, Noah Watts grew up in Bozeman, Montana, but each summer Noah goes home to the Crow reservation to camp at Crow fair with his extended family. Excelling in baseball, basketball, golf, tennis, and skateboarding as a boy, Noah also learned to ride horses, fly fish, and snowboard living in the Rockies. As part of his connection to his Native culture, Noah has been a traditional Crow war dancer since he was 6 years old, occasionally competing in contests but more often dancing for pleasure at pow pows. He is also an accomplished guitarist. Noah has been acting on stage since fifth grade when he played the Scarecrow in a school production of Oz. In high school Noah began developing and refining his acting skills in a variety of roles that culminated in the part of John Proctor in The Crucible. Noah also worked on his acting craft in the forum of high school speech and debate contests, putting the capstone on his high school acting career by representing Montana at the National Forensic League National Tournament. His performance of the dramatic monologue “Gas” by Jose Rivera in front of 1,500 people earned him fourth place in the national tournament. High school dramatics was a catalyst for Noah’s acting career. As a high school senior, Noah acted in two independent feature films. First, Noah was cast in The Slaughter Rule, playing Waylon Walks Along, a teenage Blackfeet youth. Just a few months later he landed a second role as Herbie Yellow Lodge in the feature film Skins directed by Chris Eyre. Portraying the son of an alcoholic father (Graham Greene), Noah had the third lead part and shared scenes with Native actors Greene and Eric Schweig. It was then Noah began to dream of a career in film. Noah graduated from high school and won a scholarship to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles. After one semester at AADA, Noah was offered a part in a new Chris Eyre film entitled Skinwalkers, playing a teenage gang leader and suspected murderer, a role far different from the shy, devoted son he played in Skins. The following summer in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, he performed the lead in the Southwest Repertory Company’s production of The Indolent Boys written by N. Scott Momaday. Other projects included an appearance on Literary Stages on KCRW in Los Angeles, reading a piece by W. P. Kinsella. And in the Spring of 2005 Noah was cast in an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, entitled Kino and Teresa. He played the fierce villain Eladio (Tybalt in the original play). Beginning with a role in the series, Sons of Anarchy, in 2009, Noah turned to television. Subsequently he acted in episodes of Native Century (2010), The Glades (2010), Big Love (2010), CSI Miami (2011), and Ringer (2012). Most recently Noah was cast as the main protagonist, Connor Kenway, in the Assassin’s Creed Three video game set during the time period of the American Revolution. Noah provides voice and motion capture for half-Mohawk and half-British, Kenway. When Crows bestow a name, they also bestow a wish, a prayer for the name’s recipient. Noah’s uncle wished for Noah to lead a life of distinction that would be a credit to the Crow people. Noah has a name to live up to and a destiny to follow. Noah is currently living in Los Angeles and working towards fulfilling his dream.

ROGER CRAIG SMITH

Fan favorite animation & video game voice actor Roger Craig Smith is known as the current voice behind Chris Redfield in the Resident Evil series (Resident Evil 5, 6, Marvel vs Capcom 3), as Ezio Auditore da Firenze in the Assassin’s Creed games, as the current English voice of Sega mascot Sonic The Hedgehog (also in Wreck-It Ralph), as the current voice of Captain America in Ultimate Spider-Man and Avengers Assemble, as the voice of Thomas from the Regular Show TV series, and The Pulverizer in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012 TV Series). Roger also supplied the voice of Deidara in “Naruto: Shippuden”, Temujin in “Naruto: The Legend of the Stone of Gelel.” Roger’s Naruto series characters include the creepy Raiga Kurosuke, smooth-talker Idate Morino, Dan, and many others. In the video game “Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution 2,” Roger voiced both Bando and Towa. In the anime series “Code Geass,” he voices the uptight Gilbert G.P. Guilford. Roger played the role of Prince Phillip, in the Disney DVD “Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams. He voiced Curtis Miller in the animated movie “Resident Evil: Degeneration.” Other gaming credits include Apsel in “Too Human,” Runt in “Chicken Little: Ace in Action,” and Harrison Pike in “Medal of Honor: Vanguard.” He’s voiced characters in “Mad World,” “Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots,” “CSI:NY The Game,” Duke in “GI Joe: Rise of Cobra” “Afro Samurai: The Game,” “Fracture,” “Turning Point: Fall of Liberty,” and Digimon World Data Squad.” He narrated Say Yes to the Dress” on TLC and “Yard Crashers” on the DIY Network. Roger Craig Smith voiced Wings Around the Globe air-racing champion “Ripslinger” in Disney’s “Planes”. October 25 saw the release of one of the most anticipated games of 2013, the follow up to Batman: Arkham City, which features Roger Craig Smith as the voice of the Caped Crusader himself… BATMAN!

JOHNNY YONG BOSCH

Johnny got his start as Adam Park, the Black Ranger in the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers-a role that he played for three-and-a-half seasons on TV, two motion pictures and two special guest appearances in subsequent seasons. Johnny is also well-known for voice acting work in numerous anime titles, including Vash the Stampede in Trigun, Kaneda in Akira, Renton in Eureka Seven, Claus in Last Exile, Sakaki in Witch Hunter Robin, Kiba in Wolf’s Rain, Itsuki in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Ichigo Kurosaki in Bleach, Lelouch Lamperouge in Code Geass, Izaya in Durarara, and Yukio in Blue Exorcist. Johnny’s voice can also be heard in numerous video games, including Nero in Devil May Cry 4 and voiceover work in titles like .hack//G.U., Persona 4, Disgaea 3, Tales of Symphonia,  Eternal Sonata, Transformers: War for Cybertron, and Star Wars: The Old Republic. Johnny will be appearing at SacAnime Summer 2013 for a free concert Friday and Saturday nights with his band Eyeshine! This four piece “edge rock” band, formed in West Hills, California, features Johnny and bandmates Maurice, Polo and Ginny!

SAM RIEGEL

SAM RIEGEL is a voice actor, director and writer who has voiced hundreds of popular cartoons, video games and anime series. Notable roles include Donatello in the 2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series, Shiro Emiya in Fate/Stay Night, Viral in Gurren Lagann, Teddie in Persona 4: The Animation, Mephisto in Blue Exorcist, Array in Lagrange, Kiyotsugu in Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan and his current role as Riven in Nickelodeon’s Winx Club. Video game characters include Peter Parker/Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man, Starscream in Transformers: War for Cybertron & Fall of Cybertron, Steve Burnside in Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles, and everyone’s favorite attorney, Phoenix Wright in the upcoming Phoenix Wright 5. Between acting gigs, Sam has written scripts for Naruto, Bleach, Tiger & Bunny, and video games like ModNation Racers. He’s also voice directed major game releases, among them Fallout: New Vegas (in which he also played several voices). Currently, Sam serves as the voice director for Disney’s Sofia The First cartoon series, which recently ranked as the #1 preschool debut in cable television history.These days you can catch Sam co-hosting a drunken podcast with Liam O’Brien called “All Work No Play” and providing many voices to Geek & Sundry’s “Fetch Quest” web series. Follow Sam on twitter at @samriegel.

YURI LOWENTHAL

Born with a D20 in one hand and a six-gun in the other, Yuri Lowenthal is a writer, actor and producer. He has had recurring roles on Gilmore Girls and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles as well as lead roles in video games Dragon Age, Prince of Persia, Fallout and many more. Best known for his voice acting work in such roles as Sasuke (Naruto), Superman (Legion of Superheroes), Jinno/Kuma (Afro Samurai), Lagoon Boy (Young Justice) and Ben Tennyson (Ben 10: Alien Force/Utimate Alien/Omniverse) as well as popular VG titles including the Persona series, .//hack series, Saints Row series and lots of anime. He has appeared in one incarnation or another in possibly every CoD title since Big Red One. He also co-authored Voice-Over Voice Actor: What It’s Like Behind the Mic with Tara Platt which is available through Bug Bot Press.Yuri is currently in post-production on his production company’s second feature film, the mockumentary Con Artists. And his irreverent award-winning web comedy Shelf Life, about 4 action figures on a young boy’s shelf, is now in its fourth season.

TARA PLATT

Actress, author, producer and business woman, Tara’s traveled the globe as a speaker, attending conventions, and has also performed internationally in film, TV, animation and theatre. Some of her on-screen credits include TV: Revenge, Parenthood, Castle, The Gilmore Girls, and Hawaii Five-0; FILM: The Call; A Girl, A Guy, A Space Helmet (she’s so proud of this indie award-winner); Time & Tide; I’m Through With White Girls. She also co-produced and starred in the award-winning feature film Tumbling After, mockumentary Con Artists and irreverent web-comedy Shelf Life (now in its 4th season) with Yuri Lowenthal and their production company Monkey Kingdom Productions. In the world of voice work she’s worked on numerous video games, animation titles and more, including: (Wonder Woman – DC VS MK), (Dream Girl – Legion of Superheroes), (Temari – Naruto), (Jennifer Nocturne – Ben 10), (Agnes – Tiger & Bunny)(Eastern European Player – Saints Row: The Third), (Marida Cruz – Gundam Unicorn) (Ellie Martinez – Resistance: Burning Skies).

CHRISTINE CABANOS

When it comes to animation and video games, Christine is a fan at heart. Her passion for the culture led her to pursue her voice-acting career. Her breakout role came as Azusa Nakano of “K-On!”. Christine has since earned roles including Haruka in “Oblivion Island”, Filia in “Skullgirls”, Nepgear in the “Hyperdimension Neptunia” series, Keina Sawaya in “Atelier Meruru”, roles in video games such as “Time and Eternity”, “Ragnarok Online 2″, the Princess in “Redline”, the titular character of Squid Girl in “Squid Girl”, Minawa Ando in “Mahoromatic OVA : I’m Home”, Sarah in “Rozen Maiden Overture”, Michi Kondo in “Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-ne”, Ruka Asato in “Accel World”, Madoka Kaname in “Puella Magi Madoka Magica”, Shiemi Moriyama in “Blue Exorcist”, Silica in “Sword Art Online” and Reina and Mew in “Pokemon Origins”.

CRISTINA VEE

Cristina Vee is a voice actress from Los Angeles, CA. Since getting her first large anime roles in 2007, Cristina has voiced over 100 characters in both animation and video games. Anime fans know her Mio Akiyama in K-ON!, Alisa Bosconovitch in Tekken Blood Vengeance, Homura Akemi in Madoka Magica, Louise in The Familiar of Zero, and Morgiana in Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, to name a few.On the video game scene she is popular for her voice work as Noel Vermillion and the Murakumo Units in the Blazblue series, Compa in the Neptunia series, Lian Shi in Dynasty Warriors, Cerebella in Skullgirls, and Riven the Exile in League of Legends. Beyond voice acting she has a large YouTube following for her singing. She provides vocals to songs in Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why’d You Steal Our Garbage!? and Shantae: Half Genie Hero. She currently casts and directs Skullgirls and is recognizable to eSports fans for hosting IGN’s IPL 4 and 5.

EYESHINE

Formed in 2004 by frontman Johnny Yong Bosch and Maurice Salmin, Eyeshine is an Edge Rock band hailing from Los Angeles, CA. Their third album, “My Paper Kingdom” features their award winning song “Alone,” whose honest and simple lyrics made a connection to a steadily growing fan base in 2009. They continued to Self Produce albums making their latest edgier album “Revolution Airwaves” and acoustic album “Like Yesterday,” 10 albums on their Discography. Eyeshine won the worldwide Ford sponsored competition “Gimme The Gig II” in May 2012. They recorded and filmed a single with the Legendary Don Was (7 time Grammy Award winning Producer – Rolling Stones, Elton John, John Mayer, etc) and Krish Sharma (Producer/Engineer – Hilary Duff, Jesse McCarney, etc) out of the “Ford Focus Studio.” Which is a recording studio built into a Ford Focus by “Mad” Mike (Pimp My Ride). The one-hour special special aired on west coast television (KTLA, KTVU, and KICU). Please check out their concert and bring a friend or two-hundred. If you end up not liking them, feel free to throw Money, Peanut M&Ms, and Haribo Gummy Bears at them. Or you can shower them with Vitamin Water, Red Bull and sugar-free Red Bull.

THE SLANTS

Portland’s The Slants are the first and only all-Asian American dance rock band in the world. They offer up catchy dance beats, strong hooks, and a bombastic live show that is “not to be missed” (The Westword). The Willamette Week says “While the band may well be best experienced live, Slants releases always promise a few blistering, note-perfect singles.” The music is the perfect combination of 80’s driven synth pop with hard-hitting indie, floor-filling beats which fans affectionately dub as “Chinatown Dance Rock.” They’ve been featured on NPR’s “All Things Considered,” IFC TV, Huffington Post, MTV, and over 1500 radio stations, tv shows, magazines, and websites worldwide. 17 international tours, including appearances in 46 of 50 U.S states, have led to headlining showcases at major festivals such as SXSW, MusicfestNW, San Diego Comic-Con, Dragon Con. The band has also tour/provided support for The Decemberists, Mindless Self Indulgence, Girl Talk, Apl.De.Ap (of Black Eyed Peas), Blindpilot and Shonen Knife. In 2011, The Slants worked with the Department of Defense for a series of shows at U.S and NATO bases in Eastern Europe, dubbed “Operation Gratitude.” Two of their recent music videos feature martial arts choreography by Sammo Hung (The Matrix, Ip Man, & Enter the Dragon) and international stars Daniel Wu and Shu Qi. Whether rocking music halls, anime conventions, maximum-security prisons, colleges, or army bases, it’s clear that The Slants’ infectious brand of “so damn good” music will leave you wanting more (MRU Magazine)

CA – Nightcrawler #1 Signing

Artist Todd Nauck brings the X-Men’s most beloved mutant, Nightcrawler, back to monthly comics and he’s debuting issue 1 at Phat Collectibles’ Anaheim Mega Store on Wednesday April 9th from 6-8pm! Be first in line to get yours signed! Todd is taking limited commissions on that day on a first come basis.

RSVP on Facebook!

Phat Collectibles
1201 S. Euclid Street, Anaheim, CA 92804

CA – Talkin’ Toons LIVE

Voice actor Rob Paulsen welcomes Jess Harnell and Kevin Michael Richardson to Talkin’ Toons LIVE on Tuesday March 4, 2014 at 8:00 PM at the Hollywood Improv!

Get tickets at the link!

Press Release:

The world-famous Hollywood Improv is proud to invite you to join Emmy and Annie award winner Rob Paulsen as he talks about his experiences in voice acting!

About Rob Paulsen:
Born in Detroit, Rob Paulsen spent his childhood in Livonia and Rochester, attending Junior and Senior high school in Grand Blanc, Michigan. Rob loved cartoons like most kids but aspired to be a professional hockey player. “Fortunately, thanks to some big, strong, kid from Winnipeg who drilled me so hard my ears are still ringing, I learned around age 18 I had neither the talent nor the temperament to make a living playing hockey. So, I turned to my other passions: singing and acting.”

The goal of bringing absolute believability to a fictional character, live-action or animated, is what every actor strives for. Those who are committed to their career and who combine experience, passion and skill are likely to succeed.

Those gifted with exceptional talent who focus on maximizing their potential by finding their own niche, quickly break away from the pack. After years of honing their craft and consistently delivering memorable performances in which the character impacts an indelible image on the viewer, the public and the industry take notice, singling out the best.

“I’m getting paid to do what I got in trouble for in the 7th grade,” jests Rob, who won a Daytime Emmy in 1999 as “Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program” for Pinky and The Brain (Warner Bros.) Though nominated twice previously, the victory was especially sweet due to some formidable competition – fellow nominees Louie Anderson, Ernest Borgnine, Dennis Franz and Jeffery Tambor. In addition to his Emmy, Rob won back-to-back Annie Awards in 1997 and 1998. “I absolutely love what I do and thank my lucky stars for twenty-five years of full-time employment in this business,” he says.

“It’s a treat to portray a complex character,” Rob explains about Pinky, a goof-ball mouse with funny teeth, a head filled with clouds and an inane imagination that is punctuated with a staccato laugh. “Besides … where else could I find a job where emotional outbursts and odd exclamations like ‘Egad!,’ ‘Narf!,’ ‘Poit!,’ ‘Splonk!,’ and ‘Zort!’ are allowed and in fact, encouraged?” With over 2,000 half-hours of animation to his credit, Rob’s versatility shines in his starring roles as the voices of Yakko, Pinky and Dr. Scratch ‘n’ Sniff in the Peabody and two-time Emmy award-winning series “Animaniacs.”

Some of Rob’s other well-known animated characters include Raphael of the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” Arthur in “The Tick,” the title role in “The Mask” (for a WHOLE lot less dough than Mr. Carrey, thank you), the title role in “Mighty Max,” Carl Wheezer in “Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius,” Jack Fenton in “Danny Phantom,” Bobble in the “Tinkerbell” series of DVDs and hopefully more to come.

Paulsen’s extensive credits include on-camera roles in numerous motion pictures including Body Double, Stewardess School, Eyes of Fire, The Perfect Match, and Warlocked. His television acting credits include guest-starring roles on MacGyver and St. Elsewhere. Additionally, he is one of the most sought-after voice actors in the commercial arena, performing in over 1000 commercial spots.

As passionate about “paying it forward” as he is about his lucrative career, Rob supports various charitable organizations, particularly those benefiting children and military veterans. Rob’s volunteer work with GOALmodels has been particularly rewarding. GOALmodels, a high school program in Reseda, California, is designed to inspire 9th graders to set goals and overcome obstacles in life. Blending his life experiences with passion for his work, his presentations are informative, entertaining and inspiring. In his leisure time, Rob enjoys golf, riding his motorcycle and occasionally lacing up his skates for another chance to relive his past glory on the rink. He spends the majority of his free time with his wife, Parrish, and their two Yorkshire terriers, Pooshie and Tala.

Hollywood Improv
8162 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90048

Planet Comicon 2014 Releases Initial Schedule

Planet Comicon 2014 has released the initial schedule for panel events. This schedule focuses on event featuring media guests, including performers from Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Wars, Firefly, and more.

We will be updating the schedule with additional panels and events as soon as details are confirmed.

Highlights of the schedule include:

FRIDAY, MARCH 14th:

• Margot Kidder (3:00 PM)
• Michael Dorn and Marina Sirtis (4:00 PM)

SATURDAY, MARCH 15th:

• Wil Wheaton (11:00 AM)
• Jewel Staite (Noon)
• Brent Spiner and LeVar Burton (1:00 PM)
• Sylvester McCoy (2:00 PM)
• John Ratzenberger (3:00 PM)
• Zoie Palmer (4:00 PM)
• Kids’ Costume Contest (2:00 PM)
• Adults’ Costume Contest (5:00 PM)

SUNDAY MARCH 16th:

• Femi Taylor (11:00 AM)
• David Yost (Noon)
• Eddie McClintock (Noon)
• Lee Majors (1:00)
• TREKtacular Star Trek Cast Reunion (4:30) – NOTE: this is a separately ticketed event. This event is close to being sold out. Find out more about tickets here.

Planet Comicon is Kansas City’s largest comic book and pop culture convention. Now in its thirteenth year! The convention will be held at the Kansas City Convention Center on March 14-16th. Please visit their website for the full guestlist, ticket information, and more!

CA – Talkin’ Toons LIVE

Voice actor Rob Paulsen welcomes Steve Blum (The Legend of Korra, Cowboy Bebop) and Troy Baker (Batman: Arkham Origins, The Last of Us) to Talkin’ Toons LIVE on Tuesday February 18, 2014 at 8:00 PM at the Hollywood Improv!

Get tickets at the link!

Press Release:

The world-famous Hollywood Improv is proud to invite you to join Emmy and Annie award winner Rob Paulsen as he talks about his experiences in voice acting!

About Rob Paulsen:
Born in Detroit, Rob Paulsen spent his childhood in Livonia and Rochester, attending Junior and Senior high school in Grand Blanc, Michigan. Rob loved cartoons like most kids but aspired to be a professional hockey player. “Fortunately, thanks to some big, strong, kid from Winnipeg who drilled me so hard my ears are still ringing, I learned around age 18 I had neither the talent nor the temperament to make a living playing hockey. So, I turned to my other passions: singing and acting.”

The goal of bringing absolute believability to a fictional character, live-action or animated, is what every actor strives for. Those who are committed to their career and who combine experience, passion and skill are likely to succeed.

Those gifted with exceptional talent who focus on maximizing their potential by finding their own niche, quickly break away from the pack. After years of honing their craft and consistently delivering memorable performances in which the character impacts an indelible image on the viewer, the public and the industry take notice, singling out the best.

“I’m getting paid to do what I got in trouble for in the 7th grade,” jests Rob, who won a Daytime Emmy in 1999 as “Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program” for Pinky and The Brain (Warner Bros.) Though nominated twice previously, the victory was especially sweet due to some formidable competition – fellow nominees Louie Anderson, Ernest Borgnine, Dennis Franz and Jeffery Tambor. In addition to his Emmy, Rob won back-to-back Annie Awards in 1997 and 1998. “I absolutely love what I do and thank my lucky stars for twenty-five years of full-time employment in this business,” he says.

“It’s a treat to portray a complex character,” Rob explains about Pinky, a goof-ball mouse with funny teeth, a head filled with clouds and an inane imagination that is punctuated with a staccato laugh. “Besides … where else could I find a job where emotional outbursts and odd exclamations like ‘Egad!,’ ‘Narf!,’ ‘Poit!,’ ‘Splonk!,’ and ‘Zort!’ are allowed and in fact, encouraged?” With over 2,000 half-hours of animation to his credit, Rob’s versatility shines in his starring roles as the voices of Yakko, Pinky and Dr. Scratch ‘n’ Sniff in the Peabody and two-time Emmy award-winning series “Animaniacs.”

Some of Rob’s other well-known animated characters include Raphael of the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” Arthur in “The Tick,” the title role in “The Mask” (for a WHOLE lot less dough than Mr. Carrey, thank you), the title role in “Mighty Max,” Carl Wheezer in “Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius,” Jack Fenton in “Danny Phantom,” Bobble in the “Tinkerbell” series of DVDs and hopefully more to come.

Paulsen’s extensive credits include on-camera roles in numerous motion pictures including Body Double, Stewardess School, Eyes of Fire, The Perfect Match, and Warlocked. His television acting credits include guest-starring roles on MacGyver and St. Elsewhere. Additionally, he is one of the most sought-after voice actors in the commercial arena, performing in over 1000 commercial spots.

As passionate about “paying it forward” as he is about his lucrative career, Rob supports various charitable organizations, particularly those benefiting children and military veterans. Rob’s volunteer work with GOALmodels has been particularly rewarding. GOALmodels, a high school program in Reseda, California, is designed to inspire 9th graders to set goals and overcome obstacles in life. Blending his life experiences with passion for his work, his presentations are informative, entertaining and inspiring. In his leisure time, Rob enjoys golf, riding his motorcycle and occasionally lacing up his skates for another chance to relive his past glory on the rink. He spends the majority of his free time with his wife, Parrish, and their two Yorkshire terriers, Pooshie and Tala.

Hollywood Improv
8162 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90048

CA – Rain of the Ghosts Signing

Greg Weisman (Gargoyles, Young Justice, Spectacular Spider-Man) signs his new book at Vroman’s Bookstore on Tuesday February 18, 2014 at 7:00 pm!

About Rain of the Ghosts:
Growing up in the tropical paradise of the Ghost Keys, a (fictional) chain of islands near the Bermuda Triangle, should be paradise, but for twelve-year-old Rain Cacique, it feels more like a life sentence that dooms her to a future of bending over backwards for ungrateful tourists. Her beloved grandfather, ‘Bastian, is the bright spot in her world, so when he passes away, Rain immediately attributes her newfound ability to see dead people (including the spirit of her grandfather as a young fighter pilot) to grief. Eventually, however, ‘Bastian is able to convince her that he is really there, that she needs to help him put other spirits to rest.  Together, they discover a hidden world of mystery and adventure.

About the Author:
GREG WEISMAN is an American comic book and animation writer and producer, best known as the creator of Gargoyles and as the Supervising Producer of The Spectacular Spider-Man. Weisman just completed work as writer and producer on the Young Justice animated series. The television series he’s produced have been nominated for a number of Emmy Awards. Currently he is working the new Star Wars cartoon REBELS.

RSVP on Facebook!

Vroman’s Bookstore
695 E. Colorado Blvd Pasadena, CA 91101

SF – Sanjay and Craig Panel

Chris Hardwick (Craig), Maulik Pancholy (Sanjay), Matt Jones (Hector), John DiMaggio (Penny Pepper), Nolan North (Huggle Bunny) and more appear on Saturday, February 8th, 2014 at 11:00 am at Kanbar Hall at the JCCSF!

Press Release:

SF Sketchfest brings the Nickelodeon animated series “Sanjay and Craig” home to the city where it was created. For the first time ever, the rad-awesome stars of the show will perform an episode in front of an audience, accompanied by clips from the series. Following the performance will be a Q&A with the cast and creators, and the world premiere of a brand new “Sanjay and Craig” episode. All children, doom babies, chicken wing eaters and talking snakes welcome!

Scheduled to appear: Chris Hardwick (Craig), Maulik Pancholy (Sanjay), Matt Jones (Hector), John DiMaggio (Penny Pepper), Nolan North (Huggle Bunny) and more.

PERFORMANCE INFO:

BUY TICKETS ($20)

Due to a change in his shooting schedule, Tony Hale will not be appearing as previously announced.

Co-presented by the Cartoon Art Museum & JCCSF

Jewish Community Center of San Francisco
3200 California Street, San Francisco, CA 94118

SF – Talkin Toons LIVE

Join Emmy and Annie award winner Rob Paulsen and his special guests James Urbaniak (“The Venture Bros.”), Phil LaMarr (“Futurama”), and IGN’s Gregg Miller as he talks about his experiences in voice acting! The event is resented as part of SF Sketchfest on Sunday, January 26th, 2014 at 4:00pm at The Eureka Theatre.

Buy tickets ($20) at the link!

Eureka Theatre
215 Jackson St, San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 788-7469

CA – Three Raphaels Talkin’ Toons

Voice actor Rob Paulsen welcomes Sean Astin and Nolan North to Talkin’ Toons LIVE on Tuesday November 12, 2013 at 8:00 PM! All of them have played the voice of Raphael in different iterations of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

Get tickets at the link!

Press Release:

The world-famous Hollywood Improv is proud to invite you to join Emmy and Annie award winner Rob Paulsen as he talks about his experiences in voice acting!

Sean Astin is an American film actor, director, voice artist, and producer best known for his film roles as Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Mikey Walsh in The Goonies, and the title character of Rudy. In television, he appeared as Lynn McGill in the fifth season of 24[1] and currently voices Raphael in the 2012 Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV series and Oso in the Disney Junior show Special Agent Oso.

Nolan North is an American actor and voice actor born in New Haven, Connecticut. He has been described as “the nearest thing the games industry has to a bona fide leading man.” He is most well known for his voice work as Nathan Drake from the Uncharted series; Desmond Miles from the Assassin’s Creed video game series; The Penguin in Batman: Arkham City and Batman: Arkham Origins; Deadpool in Hulk Vs, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds/Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Deadpool, Marvel Heroes, and Lego Marvel Super Heroes; Cyrille Le Paradox and El Jefe from Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time; Dr Edward Richtofen in the Zombies mode in the Call of Duty games World at War, Black Ops and Black Ops II; Corrupt Cores and Defective Turrets in Portal 2; Superboy and Superman in Young Justice; Cpt. Martin Walker in Spec Ops: The Line; and most recently David in the critically acclaimed game The Last of Us. He also played Raphael in the feature film TMNT.

About Rob Paulsen:
Born in Detroit, Rob Paulsen spent his childhood in Livonia and Rochester, attending Junior and Senior high school in Grand Blanc, Michigan. Rob loved cartoons like most kids but aspired to be a professional hockey player. “Fortunately, thanks to some big, strong, kid from Winnipeg who drilled me so hard my ears are still ringing, I learned around age 18 I had neither the talent nor the temperament to make a living playing hockey. So, I turned to my other passions: singing and acting.”

The goal of bringing absolute believability to a fictional character, live-action or animated, is what every actor strives for. Those who are committed to their career and who combine experience, passion and skill are likely to succeed.

Those gifted with exceptional talent who focus on maximizing their potential by finding their own niche, quickly break away from the pack. After years of honing their craft and consistently delivering memorable performances in which the character impacts an indelible image on the viewer, the public and the industry take notice, singling out the best.
“I’m getting paid to do what I got in trouble for in the 7th grade,” jests Rob, who won a Daytime Emmy in 1999 as “Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program” for Pinky and The Brain (Warner Bros.) Though nominated twice previously, the victory was especially sweet due to some formidable competition – fellow nominees Louie Anderson, Ernest Borgnine, Dennis Franz and Jeffery Tambor. In addition to his Emmy, Rob won back-to-back Annie Awards in 1997 and 1998. “I absolutely love what I do and thank my lucky stars for twenty-five years of full-time employment in this business,” he says.

“It’s a treat to portray a complex character,” Rob explains about Pinky, a goof-ball mouse with funny teeth, a head filled with clouds and an inane imagination that is punctuated with a staccato laugh. “Besides … where else could I find a job where emotional outbursts and odd exclamations like ‘Egad!,’ ‘Narf!,’ ‘Poit!,’ ‘Splonk!,’ and ‘Zort!’ are allowed and in fact, encouraged?” With over 2,000 half-hours of animation to his credit, Rob’s versatility shines in his starring roles as the voices of Yakko, Pinky and Dr. Scratch ‘n’ Sniff in the Peabody and two-time Emmy award-winning series “Animaniacs.”

Some of Rob’s other well-known animated characters include Raphael of the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” Arthur in “The Tick,” the title role in “The Mask” (for a WHOLE lot less dough than Mr. Carrey, thank you), the title role in “Mighty Max,” Carl Wheezer in “Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius,” Jack Fenton in “Danny Phantom,” Bobble in the “Tinkerbell” series of DVDs and hopefully more to come.

Paulsen’s extensive credits include on-camera roles in numerous motion pictures including Body Double, Stewardess School, Eyes of Fire, The Perfect Match, and Warlocked. His television acting credits include guest-starring roles on MacGyver and St. Elsewhere. Additionally, he is one of the most sought-after voice actors in the commercial arena, performing in over 1000 commercial spots.

As passionate about “paying it forward” as he is about his lucrative career, Rob supports various charitable organizations, particularly those benefiting children and military veterans. Rob’s volunteer work with GOALmodels has been particularly rewarding. GOALmodels, a high school program in Reseda, California, is designed to inspire 9th graders to set goals and overcome obstacles in life. Blending his life experiences with passion for his work, his presentations are informative, entertaining and inspiring. In his leisure time, Rob enjoys golf, riding his motorcycle and occasionally lacing up his skates for another chance to relive his past glory on the rink. He spends the majority of his free time with his wife, Parrish, and their two Yorkshire terriers, Pooshie and Tala.

Hollywood Improv
8162 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90048

Drawing the Line at LBCC 2013

Are you an aspiring artist and/or student interested in pursuing a career in TV animation production? Curious to know some of the inner workings of some of your favorite animated TV shows? Then look no further than ” Drawing The Line: Breaking into TV Animation.”

This highly informative panel will feature discussions, tips and information on breaking into the industry as told by artists and directors from some of today’s hottest animated TV shows.

The panel features Emmy Award-winning Character Designer Phil Bourassa (FlashPoint: Paradox/Young Justice), Storyboard Artist Chris Copeland (Marvel’s Avengers: Assemble), Director/storyboard artist Jay Oliva ( FlashPoint: Paradox/Dark Knight Returns Parts 1 and 2/ Man of Steel) Creative Producer/Director LeSean Thomas (Black Dynamite: The Animated Series/The Boondocks) Director Alan Wan ( Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Producer Tim Yoon (The Legend of Korra Books 1 and 2), moderated by Will Feng (Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, Thundercats).

A staggering collection of talent you will not want to miss. The panel will be held at Long Beach Comic Con on Saturday November 23rd at 5:00pm in Room 104A!

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