This year, we will feature the return of COO! This band of traveling entertainers will be putting on some of the most interesting and out there events we have on our schedule!
+2 Comedy is a unique comedy trio unlike anything currently in the stand-up comedy world. This original form of stand-up comedy is created solely for nerds. Their comedy is on such topics as Star Wars, video games, comic books, anime, D&D and the like. Having performed Armageddicon in 2010, and The Revoluticon, they are making their triumphant return to Ohio to make you laugh and stuff.
You can see +2 at:
Patrick Drazen has written Anime Explosion: The What? Why? And Wow! Of Japanese Animation, which has become a standard work of anime scholarship; Stone Bridge Press is scheduled to release an expanded second edition. His second book, A Gathering of Spirits: Japan's Ghost Story Tradition, is available through iUniverse.com in paper and as an e-book. He's also written extensively on Japanese animation for Animation magazine, Time Out New York, and other publications. He's lectured on anime at conventions ranging from Anime Central in Chicago, to Schoolgirls and Mobile Suits in Minneapolis, to Yaoi Con in San Francisco. In 2006 he was invited to be Master of Ceremonies at the Smithsonian Institution's Anime Marathon, part of the District of Columbia's Cherry Blossom Festival.
You can see Patrick at:
Charles Dunbar is graduate of Hunter College, CUNY, where he received a BA in Religion and Anthropology and an MA in Cultural Anthropology. His thesis, Pilgrimage, Pageantry and Fan Communities was published in 2011 and focused on anime convention participation, including spending habits, cosplay, demographics, communal behaviour and convention culture. He has traveled the world, digging up ancient Roman towns, studying literature, teaching at-risk children, scouting musical acts, hosting radio shows, and even selling comics! Like much of AP's staff, he is an avid fan of King of the Hill.
Charles will be sharing some of his research with us, making use of his unique combination of vast anime knowledge, deep cultural knowledge of Japanese lore, and the critical analysis skills necessary to make the two work together without just grasping at straws!
You can see Charles at:
Lance Heiskell
Lance Heiskell is a Professional Nerd.
Director of Corporate Strategy at FUNimation Entertainment. Yes. Strategery is a real job title. Lance has been working at FUNimaiton for the past 10 years - back when people were scratching their heads because FUNimation decided to release Fruits Basket back in 2002. Anime pays his mortgage. How's them apples? He has a fun job and keeps him smart. Marketing for a fandom is all about audience respect, customer engagement and just being personable when showcasing the things you love in professional and social environments.
Personal Stats:
Brad Swaile
Vancouver-born and raised, Brad began acting in elementary school and, once in high school, had his first audition for an animated series. This first voice acting gig took the form of a pony named "Ace" in My Little Pony Tales and soon afterwards, he landed his first anime role as "Mousse" in Ranma 1/2. Some of his more notable characters include Amuro, Quatre, Dearka and Auel (on their respective Gundam series'), Gohan (from Dragon Ball Z), Kicker (Transformers: Energon) and Lan (Megaman: NT Warrior). As well as voicing the role of "Nightcrawler" in X-men Evolution, Brad has worked on several anime series' including Inu-Yasha, Hikaru No Go, Hamtaro, Maison Ikkoku, Infinite Ryvius, Tokyo Underground, Soul Taker, Project Arms, Boys Over Flowers, Kimba the White Lion, Shakugan No Shana, Dokkoida, Saber Marionette J, Video Girl Ai, Arjuna, Zoids and Dragon Drive. Along with voice acting, Brad continues to work professionally as a Graphic Designer/Illustrator and, when not at the hockey rink or on the baseball field, enjoys playing drums and guitar (often while doodling in his sketchbook).
More recently, Brad can be heard as "Light" in Death Note (and the live-action Death Note films), "Rock" in Black Lagoon, "Ryuki" in The Story of Saiunkoku and "Setsuna F. Seiei " in his most recent mecha project, Gundam 00. His latest video game appearance rears its giant, creepy head as the deranged mascot "Slappy" in Capcom's Dead Rising 2.
J Michael Tatum
Nurtured on anime classics from the tender age of Star Blazers, et al, this reclusive fanboy-turned-voice actor/writer/ADR director/flake extraordinaire spent more years than he cares to remember in what might charitably be described as freefall before landing, mostly by accident, smack dab on the industry of his dreams. To this day, some believe the small crater made by the impact remains the source of his power.
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 and suave, demonic Sebastian Michaelis in Black Butler. Other characters the man still can't believe he's had the crazy good fortune to play include: Zarbon in Dragon Ball Z Kai, and Scar in Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
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 and Dragon Ball Z Kai.
Taliesin Jaffe
Taliesin began his career as a Hollywood child actor appearing in films such as Mr. Mom, 2010 and Explorers, and television shows such as She's the Sheriff, Amazing Stories and The Facts of Life.
After a brief adventure living in Japan, Taliesin became a leading pioneer in ADR directing and script adapting for numerous anime and video games. Additionally Taliesin has been deeply involved with the production of shows such as Hellsing, ROD the TV, NieA_7, BECK, Hellgirl, Romeo X Juliet, 3×3 Eyes, The End of Evangelion, Texhnolyze, Haibane Renmei, and Monster.
He has lent his voice to many popular games including the Street Fighter IV series, Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes, Street Fighter X Tekken and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Along with directing and writing Taliesin is at heart and actor and has appeared in numerous anime. Some of his most notable characters are Blanka and Adon (Street Fighter IV), Darion Mograine, Admiral Ripsnarl and the Devourer of Souls (World of Warcraft), Edge (Final Fantasy IV), The Flash (Mortal Kombat vs. DC), Takeya (DearS), Joe (Speed Grapher), Junkers (Monster), Hatomura (Paranoia Agent), Mori Koji (I My Me! Strawberry Eggs), Hanasho (Girls Bravo), Kenkichi (Kamichu!), Kannei (Ikki Tousen), and Rufus (Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria), Preta Ghoul (Black Cat), Bucci (GunXSword), Koshinae (I's), Aaron (Gundam UC), and Inui (Texhnolyze) to name just a few.
Taliesin has won numerous awards for his efforts, and can soon be seen in the upcoming film The Viral Man and the web series Batgirl: Spoiled, and has more episodes of Hellsing Ultimate coming very soon!
The Protomen
For those uneducated, uninitiated masses who know not of the legend, few bands match epic lyrics with glorious music like The Protomen. Of the bands that do, none have the stage presence that these banditos of justice bring with them. Of all the stages The Protomen conquer in the year, none put up a greater fight than ours. If you like great music, great entertainment, and a great crowd, this is your show. We'll be sure to have a first aid station in the back set up to treat cuts and bruises from the mosh pit, and melted faces from the guitars.
The Protomen perform a rock opera inspired by the events of the hit game Mega Man (known in
Japan as Rockman.) Their legend is told through the eyes of Dr. Light, the brooding father who sent his robotic son out to
fight to save mankind from the evil and tyrannical Dr. Wiley. After the death of his first son, Protoman, Light became a
broken man and constructed a second son, Rockman. Unable to reconcile his past, Light shelters his new son, terrified of losing
what he has left.
Unwilling to watch the city burn safe in his father's arms, Rockman takes up his brother's M-Buster and explodes into battle.
Web site: TheProtomen.com
The Asterplace
The Asterplace is a Japanese punk rock band the we have been lucky enough to cross paths with! They put on a great show, are energetic as hell, almost speak English, and party like true heroes! They will be opening for The Protomen this year with their spirited bilingual songs of art, beauty, humanity, and occasionally the Ramones.
Web site: Asterplace.net
