Otakon Welcomes Back J. Michael Tatum
Baltimore, MD (July 16, 2012) – Otakon welcomes back Voice Actor, Script Writer, and ADR Director J. Michael Tatum.
Nurtured on anime classics from the tender age of Star Blazers, et al, this reclusive fanboyturned-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: 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, and Scar in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. 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, Mushi-Shi, Soul Eater, along with feature-length films such as Vexille and Summer Wars, among many others.
And as if being involved with so many awesome shows wasn't enough, in late 2007 the fluky soand-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.
In early 2010 he teamed up with Terri Doty and Stephen Hoff to launch That Anime Show, a webbased 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: http://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.
Otakon 2012 will be held July 27 – 29 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland.
ABOUT OTAKON AND OTAKORP, INC.: Now entering its nineteenth 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 31,000 people for three days each year (for a paid attendance of over 85,000 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 www.otakon.com/otakorp/index.asp
For more information and the latest news on Otakon 2012, see www.otakon.com/
