The First-ever Summer Voice Convention Made Accessible to Everyone Online

In celebration of Voice Acting Day and the 42nd birthday of Pocholo The VoiceMaster Gonzales, Summer VoicesCON 2021 was virtually conducted on May 7, 2021, with the theme “The New Generation of Online Voice Artistry, Seizing Opportunities and Creating History."

People from every corner of the world attended the event as it was held online for free as a gift to everyone from the birthday celebrant. According to the Program Manager of VoicesCon, Carren Deguilla, it is a prelude to the upcoming VoicesCON 2021 where international speakers are invited to share their insights and give inspirational talks on October 25, 2021.

Hosted by Pau Castillo and Bryan Perez, the half-day online voice convention featured speakers who were Pocholo’s past students from the Certified Voice Artist Program (CVAP). 

The first speaker was Reymar Peña who shared his take on how to be a professional dubber. Reymar is an aspirant voice artist who is now one of the dubbing directors of CreatiVoices Productions, TagaDubb,  Ramyer TV, his channel,  doing video games and anime.

The next speaker was Kathleen Kaye Sone a.k.a Voiceover Flowers, one of the leading voice artists today with clients including BPI, Jollibee, Unionbank, PAL Express, ZALORA, Mini Cooper, Lady’s Choice, Minute Burger, Viber, Pond’s, and Pampers. Kathleen shared her journey to being one of the top voice artists in the Philippines. “It all starts with a decision, it’s the moment you decide that you will become a voice-over artist is where the journey starts and the magic happens.”

Dannes “Kuyapas” Serrano came next with his highly engaging motivational talk about the “special sauce” in life. “That special sauce is the story and not just any story, it should be your own story.” According to him, it has 3 basic rules to be achieved:  accept that stories are powerful and accept your current story, build on that story and change, and lastly is create your changed story.

Next on the lineup was a surprise guest, Jessie Cruzat, also known as Papa Daks. He shared his gratefulness for all the things he learned from the VoiceMaster as one of the new breeds of online voice artists. He also shared a bit of his journey as the industry shifted from online platforms.

The limitless Voice, Basil Festil, followed to give his informative presentation about tips in Voice Artistry and the Art of Voice Overs. Basil is a graduate of CVAP Batch 2, with now local and international clients.

Next to share her insights is Jazmine Estorninos, also called Jaz my Voice, another graduate of Pocholo who is now a professional host and a print/digital ad model. She talked about how one can use his voice as an influencer like her. “It’s really important to stay true to your voice and to use your power, use your influence to create positive social change aside from helping your brands achieve their goals.”

Another powerful woman who spoke at the event is Janeane Santos, a trained singer, and musical theater actor, and an alumna of the Certified Voice Artist Program Batch 2. She gave a presentation about voice-overs for AVP where she discussed what voice artists should do when their recording for AVPS.

Joshua Simeon a.k.a. The Voice Scout, a certified voice artist from batch 1 came next with his inspiring talk about his journey in the industry. He also shared tips on being a great voice artist based on his experiences. He ended his presentation with an impactful quote “I did it myself, for sure, you can do it too.”

The next speaker was Kate Devera, a professional host and has experienced engaging with local and multinational companies like Huawei Philippines, Globe, Oppo Philippines, Chevrolet, Ayala Malls, Unilab, and more. She gave a podcast-like talk on tips and habits in effective hosting. 

Third to the last speaker is Lyn Gonzales. Lyn is the official voice caster of CreatiVoices Productions. When it comes to voice auditions, she holds the “keys to the city” by determining who gets put forward for voice-over work and who doesn’t. Lyn talks about this in the event; she explained the important components of voice audition and kinds of voice-over projects. She also shared tips before accepting projects. 

Nikie Esmero came next with her presentation about CVAP. Nikie, as the Program Director of the Voice Acting Academy of the Philippines wherein CVAP is a part of, describes what really is CVAP and why it is considered as the stepping stone of the leading voice artists in the Philippines. She ended her discussion with the definition of CVAP as SPARK. “Be the spark that you needed where you are in the dark.”

Last but definitely not the last to speak at the event is Jeff Perey, the head Secretariat and Assistant Program Director of CVAP. Jeff shared how he came to be who he is now which he used as an inspiration to the audience to use their voice as someone needs to hear their voice. “Let your voice be heard and this is the now.”

To end the Summer VoicesCON 2021, The VoiceMaster, the man behind all the voices who shared their stories and spoke in the event, announced some exciting news such as the return of Speechworx and the upcoming VoicesCON 2021. He also did a soft-launching of his book, the Voice Acting 101, and announced that everyone who attended will be given a free online copy of the book. “We create a culture of sharing, giving, loving and caring, and with CVAP hindi ka nag-iisa at hindi ka maiiwan.”