Press Release for Otakon

July 25, 2008

Six more voice actor guests for Otakon 2008

Baltimore, USA (25 July 2008)

Taliesin Jaffe
Voice Actor/ADR Director
A native Californian, Taliesin Jaffe took advantage of his proximity to the entertainment industry at an early age, and has been involved with several major productions to date. A veritable Renaissance man of anime production, chances are he's worked in some capacity on the English-language version of your favorite FUNimation title.

Although he's usually behind-the-scenes directing or writing, he's also loaned his voice to many supporting roles in series such as Hellsing, Hellsing Ultimate, Neon Genesis Evangelion, R.O.D. The TV Series, and Paranoia Agent, among others. He's currently working with FUNimation on Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad, and with New Generation Pictures on Hellsing Ultimate and R.O.D. The TV.

Mr. Jaffe appears courtesy of FUNimation.

Laura Bailey
Voice Actor
http://www.lizardbee.com/
Her versatile and expressive voice has made her a huge success, and we're pleased to welcome actress Laura Bailey to Otakon for the first time! With several leading roles to her credit, Ms. Bailey is one of the most recognizable voices in the industry at the moment.

If you haven't heard her as "Chi Chi" in Dragonball or "Shin" in Shin Chan, then you've probably heard her performance as "Lust" in Fullmetal Alchemist or "Tohru Honda" in Fruits Basket also be heard in Hellsing, Lupin the 3rd, Case Closed, Code Geass, Naruto, Negima, and many, many other titles. As if that wasn't enough, she has also loaned her vocal talent to several video games, most notably the role of "Rayne" in Bloodrayne 1 and 2.

Ms. Bailey appears courtesy of FUNimation.

Tara Platt
Voice Actor
http://www.taraplatt.com
Tara Platt has had several roles in many popular anime series, including "Caster" in Fate/Stay Night, "Barasuishou" in Rozen Maiden Traumend, as well as "Temari" in Naruto. She has also played in Boys Be, DearS, Marmalade Boy, Zoids, Mar, Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus, and the Halo 2 ilovebees viral marketing campaign. Along with husband Yuri Lowenthal, she co-founded Monkey Kingdom Productions, an independent film company.

Ms. Platt appears courtesy of Bandai USA.

Yuri Lowenthal
Voice Actor
http://www.yurilowenthal.com/
Yuri Lowenthal, in addition to his wildly popular work as "Sasuke" in Naruto, has quite an illustrious voice acting career. He's performed as "Keigo Asano" in Bleach, "Pip Bernadotte" in Hellsing Ultimate, "Simon" in Tengen Toppen Gurren Lagann, and "Sena Kobayakawa" in Eyeshield 21. You can also hear him in, among others, Prince of Tennis, Saiyuki Reload and Saiyuki Gunlock, Kyou Kara Maoh!, Code Geass: Lelouche of the Rebellion, and Afro Samurai.

Yuri is also the voice of "Superman" in Legion of Superheroes, and "Ben" in Ben 10: Alien Force. Along with his wife, Tara Platt, he co-founded Monkey Kingdom Productions, an independent film company.

Mr. Lowenthal appears courtesy of Bandai USA.

Tony Oliver
It's likely that Tony Oliver was working on anime before you were born. His resumé spans many diverse and well-loved roles and series from the past several years - and we're pleased to be able to welcome him to his first Otakon!

From the title role in Lupin the 3rd: The Movie – The Secret of Mamo to Robotech's "Rick Hunter" to "Sorata Arisugawa" in the X TV series, Mr. Oliver's career includes a part in just about every genre - including sentai (he was the voice of "Saba," the White Ranger's talking saber in Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers)! In addition to those, however, Mr. Oliver can be heard in Last Exile, Rurouni Kenshin, Bleach, Lucky Star, Eyeshield 21, Wolf's Rain and Mahoromatic, among others.

Mr. Oliver appears courtesy of BangZoom Entertainment.

Mela Lee
A lovely rising star in the world of anime voice acting, Mela Lee will be making her Otakon debut this year. Her most notable role to date is in the series Saint Tail; she voices Meimi Haneoka, who by day is a typical schoolgirl but by night is the magical eponymous thief!

Other roles include "Rin Tohsaka" in Fate/Stay Night, "Shinku" in Rozen Maiden, "Rena Ryugu" in When They Cry and "Natalie" in Scrapped Princess. Ms. Lee's considerable vocal talents can also be heard in Last Exile, Witch Hunter Robin, Fafner, and Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3.

Ms. Lee appears courtesy of BangZoom Entertainment.

ABOUT OTAKON AND OTAKORP, INC.: Now entering its fifteenth year, Otakon is an annual celebration of Japanese and East Asian popular culture, and also one of the largest gatherings of fans in the United States. Otakon celebrates popular culture as a gateway to deeper understanding of Asian culture, and has grown along with the enthusiasm for anime, manga, video games, and music from the Far East. Since 1999, Otakon has been held in Baltimore, Maryland; currently, Otakon is one of Baltimore's few large, city-wide events, drawing over 22,000 individual members for three days each year (for a paid attendance of over 60,000 "turnstile" attendees). Otakon is a membership-based convention sponsored by Otakorp, Inc., a Pennsylvania-based, 501(c)3 educational non-profit whose mission is to promote the appreciation of Asian culture, primarily through its media and entertainment. Otakorp, Inc. is directed by an all-volunteer, unpaid staff – we are run by fans, for fans.

For more information about Otakorp, Inc., see http://www.otakon.com/otakorp/index.asp
For more information and the latest news on Otakon 2008, see http://www.otakon.com/

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