The SAG-AFTRA Chicago Local Conservatory Presents: Demystifying the World of Animation and Video Game Voice Over

SAG-AFTRA Chicago Local Conservatory presents:
"Demystifying the World of Animation and Video Game Voice Over"

Along with countless negatives, the pandemic brought one shining positive to Chicago's voice actors - more animation and video game auditions! These auditions and subsequent jobs can be full of wide ranging acting challenges. From crisp organic dialogue to crazy characters and event grunts and gory deaths - these scripts bring it all. How can a voice actor best prepare for these types of opportunities? Join us in October as LA-based animation and video game Voice Actors/Directors - and SAG-AFTRA members—help guide you to bringing your A game. The final stretch of our evening will include a discussion with the directors and some of Chicago's A-list voice actors about the realities of working these jobs and contracts, and what to be on the lookout for in our current labor climate.

If interested in the opportunity to submit a read for playback and critique, please register for the event and submit your interest to Jess Jones via (Jess.Jones@sagaftra.org) - deadline is October 13th @ 12noon. Those selected will be notified by Monday October 16th. MP3s for submission and playback will be due by Thursday October 19.

 

PRESENTER BIOS:

Sarah Elmaleh - Sarah Elmaleh is an actor and voice director with a passion for collaborative creation, and serves as SAG-AFTRA Chair of the Interactive Negotiating Committee. Best known for roles in AAA games like Hi-Fi Rush, Halo Infinite and Gears 5, and for indies like Afterparty, Pyre and Gone Home, her directing credits likewise span production scope from Goodbye Volcano High to Fortnite. Led by her desire to foster stronger inter-disciplinary collaboration within games, she has spent years organizing, advising, and educating in the games industry and academic programs.

Deb Doetzer is a proud member of the performer unions SAG-AFTRA and AEA. Deb is represented exclusively by Stewart Talent in Chicago and New York, and has an extensive list of voice-over credits to her name: most recently she was Gwendolyn Clawthorne on season two of the Disney animated series “The Owl House.” She can also be heard on the interactive games Red Faction (PA Announcer), Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus (Divinity), Watch Dogs (various) and Injustice: Gods Among Us as the Narrator. She is adjunct faculty at both Columbia College and the Theater School at Depaul University, an instructor at Acting Studio Chicago and helped originate the voiceover courses at The Second City Training Center.

(Additional Presenters, forthcoming / as announced)

Panel Participants include:

Brad Grusnick has a B.S. in Theatre from Northwestern University. He is a graduate of The Second City Conservatory in Chicago and UCB Los Angeles. A 20-year VO veteran, he has voiced characters for several video games, including Diablo IV, Back4Blood, Elder Scrolls Online, Metro: Exodus, Days Gone, Bioshock: Infinite, God of War: Ascension, Elder Scrolls: V Skyrim, Asura’s Wrath, and more. He was "Mayor Moose" and "Lou Behr" in the Amazon Pilot, Bear in Underwear, "Mumkey" and "Spiderlamb" in WB Animation's Bunnicula, and is "Magnus Finke" and "Gill" in Dreamworks Dragons Rescue Riders.

Tim Dadabo is a multifaceted voice actor, who in addition to work in commercial, promo, and television narration has worked on some of the biggest titles in Video games like:  Halo, TMNT,Watch Dogs, MLB, Dragon Age, Dragon Dogma, Disney Guilty Party, Stubs The Zombie,  Leisure Suit Larry, and  Red Faction.  His animated credits include Kung Fu Panda, Doc McStuffins, Disney Spidey and His Amazing Friends. Looney Toons and  American Dad.

RSVP: Reservations are required. Please complete the form below to RSVP; you must be logged in to RSVP. 

This event is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing (paid thru April 30, 2023). No guests are allowed. Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome.

ADA requests may be included on your RSVP form below. Please note that ADA requests must be received 48 business hours before the start of the event.