The Origin of the VoiceOver International Creative Experience

The VoiceOver International Creative Experience (VOICE) began as an idea in the mind of Penny Abshire around 2002. Her idea was to bring the fragmented world of voiceover talent together in an effort to build a community of like-minded creative performers. In November, 2006, Penny and James  were introduced to Frank Frederick (the 3rd founder of the first VOICE convention) and over the next five months the original VOICE 2007 was put together with the intention of creating a never-to-be-repeated, one-time-only event. In March, 2007 135 voice actors from nine countries traveled to Las Vegas to attend the first-ever conference dedicated to raising the standards of voiceover through a combination of education, technology and community. The response to VOICE 2007 was, to say the least, overwhelming, so during the ensuing year and a half, James and Penny built on the experience of VOICE 2007 and developed what has become a highly anticipated major voiceover event and the world’s only international voiceover convention -  VOICE.
 

In August, 2008, and again in June, 2010, hundreds of  voiceover professionals, aspiring voice actors, equipment manufacturers, and support service providers attended the second and third VOICE conventions at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Century City, CA (near Beverly Hills). It was clear that talented performers at all levels of experience wanted to meet their peers and be part of something that takes their work well beyond the confinements of their home studios. Attendees traveled from nearly a dozen countries to attend, and many of the biggest names in the world of voiceover participated in various programs or attended the convention’s kick-off networking event, the Red Carpet Reception.

Because the information taught at VOICE is applicable for all types of actors and performing artists, we anticipate a much larger attendance at VOICE 2012. With the economy as it is today, it’s more important than ever to be armed with accurate and actionable information and skills - and this is exactly what you’ll get when you attend VOICE.

And for VOICE 2012 we’ve got a new location! One of the top requests from VOICE attendees has been more free time for networking and more opportunities for things to do near the convention hotel. With our new program schedule and by locating VOICE 2012 at the Disneyland Hotel and Resort, we’ve got you covered! And... for VOICE 2012 we’ve scheduled the convention to follow the International ProMax convention, held in Los Angeles. If you’re attending Promax in Los Angeles, you can easily attend both events without having to make an extra trip - but you will have to change hotels.

We look forward to seeing you at VOICE in June 2012.

The VOICE Producing Team