The Middle Tennessee Anime Convention (MTAC), Tennessee’s largest anime convention, kicks off its 17th year this April with a weekend-long extravaganza. MTAC is a celebration of Japanese animation and culture, including costumes, music, gaming, and so much more. This year’s event is entitled “MTAC Haiku” to highlight Japanese culture and to tie together their 17th year with the classic Japanese 17-syllable poetry genre. MTAC began in 1999 and operates entirely on a volunteer basis.
MTAC Haiku features a spectacular mix of celebrity guests, artists, industry professionals, feature events, professional speaakers, fan discussion panels, workshops, Q&A sessions, vendors, contests and more. Notable guests for the event include Keith Silverstein (“Overwatch,” “Hunter x Hunter,” “One Piece: Gold”); Josh Grelle (“Yuri!!! on Ice,” “Attack on Titan,” “The Devil is a Part-Timer”); Cassandra Lee Morris (“Sword Art Online,” “Madoka Magica,” “Xenoblade Chronicles X”); Mike McFarland (“Dragon Ball Z,” “Attack on Titan,” “Fullmetal Alchemist”); Marianne Miller (“Madoka Magica,” “Sword Art Online,” “Fate/Zero”); Martin “LittleKuriboh” Billany (creator of “Yu Gi Oh: The Abridged Series”); Mango Sirene (cosplayer, YouTube vlogger, and Twitch streamer); and Lotus Juice (Japanese anime and game musician, including the “Persona” franchise).
MTAC has crafted a unique brand of programming for the entire weekend, including the convention’s signature events: Cosplay Contest, Lip Sync Contest, Otaku Ball, Lolita Tea Party, AMV Contest, Risque Cosplay, Electronic Dance Party, 24-Hour Table-Top and Video Gaming, and dozens of hours of unique presentations throughout the weekend. MTAC also hosts several vendors, artists, and crafters for a wide variety of shopping.
MTAC Haiku takes place April 14-16, 2017 at the Sheraton Music City and Embassy Suites Nashville Airport hotels in Nashville. Pre-registration for the full weekend is discounted online up until a week before the convention. Walk-in registration will be $60 for all three days. More information can be found at: mtac.net
Meet Keith Silverstein – Noted African American Anime Voice Actor
Keith Silverstein is a veteran voice actor with an impressive and diverse list of credits. He’s the voice of Torbjorn in the smash hit game Overwatch, Hisoka on Toonami’s Hunter x Hunter, Hawkmoth on the fan favorite Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, Speedwagon in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and baddie Gild Tesoro in One Piece : Gold. He can also be heard as Vector the Crocodile in the Sonic The Hedgehog franchise. Resident Evil fans know him as HUNK. Street Fighter fans will recognize him as Gouken. To fans of Viz’s new Sailor Moon he’s the maniacal Professor Tomoe.
Not enough for you? Here are a few other titles under his VO belt: Persona 5, Skip Beat, Batman: Arkham Knight, Glitter Force, Bleach, K Missing Kings, Magi, Tiger & Bunny, Persona Q, Skyrim, World of Warcraft, Soul Calibur, Doraemon, Skylanders, Naruto, AJIN, Call of Duty Black Ops III, Sword Art Online, Gundam Iron-Blooded Orphans, Durarara!!x2, and Disney’s Stitch! Other notable credits include: Lupin the Third in Lupin the Third: Jigen’s Gravestone, Kirby O’Neil in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Char Aznable in Gundam The Origin.
Keith Silverstein has also ventured into radio work, which includes doing the voices of FBI agent Peter Bourland and Santo in Focus on the Family’s long-running Christian radio drama Adventures in Odyssey, George in I’ll Be Home For Christmas, Carl in Sunday Chronicles, as well as multiple radio spots.
He has also provided the voices for dozens of video games including League of Legends, AION, Resident Evil, Sonic Free Riders, Sonic Colors, Bleach: The 3rd Phantom, Tales of Graces and Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation. He has dubbed Char Aznable in Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin, Mr. S in Doraemon, Kenji Tsukino in Sailor Moon and also voices Doctor Kirby O’Neil, April O’Neil’s dad in Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He voiced the recurring villains Ulric, Brute, and Rascal in Glitter Force, which was released on Netflix. He also voiced the main villain Hawk Moth in the CGI animated show Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir which aired on Nickelodeon.
For more info on Keith Silverstein visit his website at www.keithsilverstein.com , or check out Keith Silverstein Voice Artist on Facebook and @SilverTalkie on Twitter.
