Voice Actor/Director J. Michael Tatum To Return for Third Otakon Appearance

Baltimore, MD (April 21, 2015) – Prolific voice actor, writer and ADR Director J. Michael Tatum will return to Otakon for the third time, appearing at the 2015 convention. Some of his best-known work includes his voice acting on "Ouran High School Host Club," "Black Butler" and "Steins;Gate." He will also voice Rei in the upcoming Funimation dub of "Free! Eternal Summer."

Discovered by Funimation ADR Director Christopher Bevins, who cast him as Rikichi in 2005's "Samurai 7," Tatum has since been featured as Kyoya Otori in the hit English language dub of "Ouran High School Host Club"; as suave, demonic Sebastian Michaelis in "Black Butler"; and as the equal parts maniacal/vulnerable Okarin Rintarō from "Steins;Gate." Other characters he's inhabited 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"; Scar in "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood"; and Sir Hammerlock in the videogame juggernaut "Borderlands 2." In addition, he did vocal work for "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," "Summer Wars," and "Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker," among many others.

In late 2007, he branched out into ADR directing and adaptive scriptwriting for Funimation. 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,""Deadman Wonderland," "Steins;Gate" and "Dragon Ball Z Kai."

In early 2010 he teamed up with Terri Doty and Stephen Hoff to launch "That Anime Show," a web-based chat show.

Otakon 2015 will be held July 24-26 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, MD. Otakon 2015 is celebrating fairy tales, folk stories, myths, and legends. Keep your eyes out for content, artwork, and guests with connections to our theme.

ABOUT OTAKON AND OTAKORP, INC.: Now entering its twenty-second 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 34,000 people for three days each year (for a paid attendance of over 100,000 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 2015, see http://www.otakon.com/