Category: Super Creatives series

RICHARD EPCAR has voiced over 300 characters and is well known to Animation, Game and Anime fans starting with the original ‘ROBOTECH’ series in which he played  ‘BEN DIXON’, ‘LUNK’, ‘GREL’, and now ‘CAPT. VINCE GRANT’ in ‘ROBOTECH: THE SHADOW CHRONICLES’ , which he also directed.

He is the voice of ‘BATOU’ in all things ‘GHOST IN THE SHELL’ including ‘Ghost in the Shell 2-Innocence’, which he also adapted and directed into English.

Some games you’ve heard him on: ‘TRANSFORMERS: WAR FOR CYBERTRON’, ‘MODNATION RACERS’, all ‘KINGDOM HEARTS’ games (except the first one) as ‘ANSEM / XEHANORT’, ‘MORTAL KOMBAT vs. D.C. UNIVERSE’ as ‘The JOKER’ and ‘RAIDEN’, ‘TOUR OF DUTY 7’, ‘DEAD SPACE II’, ‘SPEC OPS’, ‘BASARA’, ‘STAR WARS-EMPIRE AT WAR’, STAR WARS: OLD REPUBLIC’, a new DC game in which he plays ‘GREEN ARROW’, ‘STAR CRAFT II’ as ‘DARK TEMPLAR’, ‘DEAD OR ALIVE 3-D’, ‘RED FACTION GUERILLA’, ‘COMMAND & CONQUER’, ‘XENOSAGA I, II and III as ‘ZIGGARAT 8’, ‘ACE COMBAT 6’, ‘GUILTY GEARS’, ‘.HACK I, II, III’, ‘BLUE DRAGON’, ‘NARUTO’, ‘SPACE SIEGE’, ‘SUPREME COMMANDER’, ‘PARAWORLD’, BLACKHAWK DOWN’, ‘SAMURAI WARRIORS’, ‘DYNASTY WARRIORS’, ‘WARCRAFT III’, and ‘WORLD OF WARCRAFT III’, ‘STREET FIGHTERS’, ‘DANTE’S INFERNO’,‘STAR OCEAN I, II, III’ to name a few.

Most recently he can be heard on a brand new series from Nickelodeon, ‘AIRBENDER: THE LEGEND OF KORRA’, ‘BLEACH’ as ‘KOGA’ and ‘ZANGETSU’, ‘NARUTO’, ‘GUNDAM UNICORN’ as ‘DAGUZA’, ‘BUSO RENKIN’, ‘HUNTIK’ as ‘GRIER’, ‘GHOST SLAYER AYASHI’, ‘BLUE ELEPHANT’, ‘BLAZE OF GLORY’, ‘BOBOBO-BOBOBOBO, ‘MR. NOISY’ on ‘THE MR. MEN SHOW’ and he is currently the voice of  INSPECTOR LUNGE on ‘MONSTER’.

Shows he’s directed are ‘LUPIN the THIRD’, doing the voice of ‘JIGEN’, ‘NOEIN’, doing ‘KOOYRAMA’ and the first season of  ‘DIGIMON’, doing ‘ETEMON’, ‘MYOTISMON’, ‘APEMON’ and now ‘MERUKIMON’ on ‘DIGIMON DATA SQUAD’.  An original animated movie with an all star cast ‘THE REEF’ in which he played ‘MOE’.  The series ‘FIGHTING SPIRIT’, doing the voice of ‘KAMOGAWA’, ‘PATLABOR III’, ‘THE SECRET OF MAMO’, ‘ ZENTRIX’, ‘TOY WARRIOR’, and ‘POWER RANGERS’ doing many monster voices to name a few.  He also wrote for ‘TRANSFORMERS’ and did the voice of  ‘ARMORHIDE’.

He was named FAVORITE ACTOR by DVD VisionJapan. Some games he’s directed: ‘STAR OCEAN I & II’, ‘BLUE DRAGON’, ‘VANDAL HEARTS’, ‘SHADOW HEARTS II’, ‘ LUPIN the THIRD’, ‘FIGHTING SPIRIT & VICTORIOUS BOXERS’ in which he played ‘KAMAGAWA’ in both, ‘VEGAS’, ‘SMACKDOWN vs. RAW’, ‘JACKASS the GAME’, ‘DEAD-HEAD FRED’,  he co-directed ‘UNREAL TOURNAMENT III’, and co-castthe mo-cap for ‘QUANUM OF SOLACE’.

1. You wear so many hats in the creative industries, which one gives you the most satisfaction, and why?

Well acting is my first love and I do really love it. But I also really love directing. The difference is when you act you create your character and have some control over that-but when you direct-you have control over the entire project. And I have to say I do like being in charge. Of course with being in charge comes great responsibility. I really enjoy being creative and I think all of this-acting, writing and directing come from the same place in me.

2. What current or upcoming projects are you excited about?

I’m Skywarp in the new Transformer game-War for Cybertron. I really love being part of that franchise. I’m also working on a new animated series for Nickelodeon-it’s the sequel to Avatar and I’m very happy to be part of it. I really enjoy working with Andrea Romona. I’ve been very fortunate to be part of some really great games recently. Some I can’t mention unfortunately because of non-disclosure clauses.

3. What’s your key to time management?

I wish I had a great answer for this. I’m basically a lazy work-a-holic. I work constantly because if I didn’t I’d turn into a giant slug. So I keep moving. Fortunately I love what I do. The best thing I do-I guess- is try to schedule everything so it fits-not always successful-and I try to get up early and take care of the things I need to do. I’m usually in the studio part of the day-so the scheduling thing can be very challenging.

4. You attend many different conventions each year – do you have a favourite?

I have to say that most of the cons I’ve gone to have been wonderful. I loved going to Australia, and I hope I can return sometime soon. Ialso love Mechacon in New Orleans. First of all it’s in New Orleans and Jon and Peter who run it are the best. They really run a great con and take great care of us when ever we’re there. My friend Manny who runs a lot of cons really takes care of us too. We will miss Anime South because they really spoiled us. Generally it’s a joy to go to these conventions and be appreciated by the fans who know our work. It’s great to meet them and share stories. By the way when I say ‘we’ I’m talking about my wife Ellyn Stern-who generally goes with me on these cons-she has done a bunch of voice and directing work in her own right.

Leah Gibson grew up performing on stage dancing, singing, and in musical theatre productions.  With a background in psychology at the University of Victoria, she turned her ambitions to a career in film and television acting four years ago.  Since then, she has been featured in such films as Warner Brothers’ Watchmen, Summit Entertainment’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, and in the SyFy network’s Caprica. Leah loves her work, loves her family, and loves her yoga– all of which she rarely goes a day without.

1. Could you tell us what attracts you to acting?

I love what I do so much and get so excited about the blossoming opportunities to do more of it that sometimes I have to pinch myself.  Is this really where I find myself? How did I become so lucky? I have an appreciative fascination with the human condition, and a curiosity for ‘that which makes us all the same’.  Specifically, understanding the evolutionary basis for human behavior.  I was drawn to study psychology in university because I was intrigued by these questions.  I aspire to understand the characters I play with a similar clarity—the difference is that in acting, I am able to embody the answer—a very exciting experience.  I also love the elements of story-telling and mythology that movie-making, at the best of times, is heavily influenced by.

2. What has been your most significant acting experience to date- the one that’s left you changed?

I aspire to experience change with every character I play.  Just as in real life, the practice of communicating with an open heart enables us to holistically connect with others, and be moved and affected by them.  I find the same is very much true with my work.  Meryl Streep has said that she gives no less respect to the life of every character she plays than she does to her very own.  I try to keep this mantra close to my heart at all times.  I find the more intellectual understanding I am able to offer my characters, the more the heightened experiences I have of connecting to their real beliefs and realizations, and the more I am changed, as Leah, because of it.  It’s an amazing thing to experience personal growth from learning through another life– I have had a number of such heightened experiences on set, and now it is something I aspire to within my work as often as possible.

3. Can you tell us about some of your current or upcoming projects?

Absolutely!  I have recently returned home from the Toronto International Film Festival, for the promotion of a beautiful independent film I was a part of, called A NIGHT FOR DYING TIGERS, written and directed by Terry Miles.  It’s the dramatic perspective of a highly dysfunctional family, and I am honored to have been able to work so intimately with such an incredible cast.  Among the stars are Jennifer Beals, Gil Bellows, and Kathleen Robertson.

Another beautiful Canadian indie that will be released in early 2011 is INDIE JONESING, written and directed by Stefan Wrenshall. It is a  black comedy about the counter-balance of fate and personal responsibility, losing your way and finding it again… I play the romantic lead, opposite an amazing Canadian actor named Tygh Runyan.

Also being released in 2011 is Twentieth Century Fox’s CAESAR, RISE OF THE APES—a prequel to PLANET OF THE APES, directed by Rupert Wyatt.  I star opposite the charming and wonderful Tom Felton.

And I am currently filming another Canadian indie feature called CAMERA SHY— I play a romantic lead in this black comedy, centred  around a highly ambitious and largely immoral politician who learns a great lesson from karma.

4. What is the current state of the Canadian film industry?

It’s difficult for me to say, really.  The state of any industry is largely declared from a comparative perspective- I haven’t been a part of this industry long enough to know what it looked like prior to the last 3 years—and the last 3 years have treated me well enough ;)  I do find people are eager to make a judgement on the pace, the frequency, the amount, the quality- of Canada’s film industry… But I choose to perceive the industry much like the real estate market—there will be ups and downs and ebbs and flows, but at the end of the day, there will always be home-sellers and home-buyers; film-makers and audience members.  Particularly with the prevalence of independent film-makers.  Films will always be made in Canada.  And I am proud to be a part of movie-making magic on Canadian soil.

5. What charities do you support?

I am a huge advocate for the use of artistic expression in public school systems.  I will never forget how important it was for my own personal development.  I passionately believe in artistic expression as a founding component in positive personal and interpersonal awareness, with potentially preventative forces that counter disordered self-belief systems and social disconnect—both of which can lead to self-destructive habits like substance abuse and addiction.  If more elements of the Waldorf education system were integrated into public schooling systems, the universe would reverberate with gratitude for the increase in collective compassion wide-spread across the globe.  I very much look forward to working with community outreach programs, particularly those that target under-privileged families.  Song and dance are more than entertainment for an audience- they are forms of celebration and healing self-expression.

Leah Gibson Official Website

Felicity Blake is a documentary filmmaker and transmedia creator. After graduating from UNSW with a bachelor’s degree in film, she spent several years working in talent management and feature film development before transitioning into documentary production. Felicity likes a challenge, so she has consulted for the Libyan tourism industry, shot the 30th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution demonstrations in Tehran, AD’d “The Burning Season” in a blazing jungle, and filmed in the world’s biggest UNHCR refugee camp during a cholera outbreak. To date, she has worked on a variety of TV programs and cinema documentaries, with experience in 3D, multiplatform delivery, animation, and new media. Felicity has provided stringer footage of Iran to ABC News, been an expert interviewee on “The 7:30 Report”, and is on the organising team of Supanova (Australia’s premier pop culture expo), where, over the years, she has hosted dozens of famous spacecraft pilots, aliens, hobbits, robots, and vampires… and one Wookiee.

1. What were some of the most valuable lessons you learned at film school?

That filmmakers require a combination of vocational disciplines and technical skills (understanding and implementing procedures, equipment and software), as well as contextual knowledge (an appreciation of the medium’s history and canon both liberates us from repeating the past and inspires us to create new work), and untamable creative courage and individuality.

2. Tell us about some of the your current and recent projects?

GUILDENSTERN: One must think of the future.

ROSENCRANTZ: It’s the normal thing.

GUILDENSTERN: To have one. One is, after all, having it all the time. Now … and now … and now…

ROSENCRANTZ:  It could go on for ever. Well, not for ever, I suppose. (Pause.) Do you ever think of yourself as actually dead, lying in a box with a lid on it?

GUILDENSTERN: No.

Upcoming projects (that I can talk about):

‘The Sound of Sunshine’, a documentary about synesthesia hosted by Police Academy’s “man of a thousand sound effects”, Michael Winslow.

The Periodic Table of Awesome, a new web-TV series made BY geeks, FOR geeks, bringing you the best of geek from week to week.

3. Given unlimited funds, what project would you embark on?

My international documentary series (in development) which involves children, music and peace.

4. Tell about the ‘at home’ Felicity Blake?

My natural habitat is listening to Miles Davis’ “Kind of Blue” whilst on a plane en route between somewhere obscure and uncomfortable where the people are renowned for their hostility but usually end up giving me presents, and a divey old-man/locals bar on New York’s Upper West Side where they play jazz on Sundays and I have my own coffee cup.

5. What would you liked to have achieved in ten years?

See question 3. Also, by that time I would like my Somalian refugee friend Abdikadir (‘Like’ his page on Facebook!) and his family to have been able to come to live somewhere safe like Australia. I hope to feel that I’ve lived by humanitarian and conscientiously mindful principles and encouraged others to do the same.