FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEDIA CONTACT: MJ RACADIO social.dragonpr@gmail.com
FILAM CREATIVE PRESENTS 11TH FILIPINO HOLLYWOOD ACTORS PANEL: VOICE ACTORS, JUNE 8, 2024
(Los Angeles, CA) FilAm Creative (FAC) presents the following entertainment panel: FilAm Creative presents the 11th Filipino Hollywood Actors Panel & Networking Event on Saturday, June 8, 2024 from 2:00pm – 5:00pm at Playbox Studio in Los Angeles featuring five headlining voice panelists: RATANA (Wave, the first Filipino superhero in “Marvel Super War,” Yae Niko in “Genshin Impact,” Andromeda Kepler, Veena Kalra, Christine Quince in “Starfield,” Leonie in “Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes”), EARL BAYLON (Jonah Maiava in the “Tomb Raider” reboot video games trilogy and the upcoming animated Netflix series, “Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft,” Manaaki Almonte in “Starfield,” Thorgill, Harald in “Vinland Saga”), JENNIFER AQUINO (Chelsea in “Rugrats: All Grown Up!,” Odyssey Award for voicing 13 characters for “El Deafo” graphic novel by CeCeBell, Audie Awards Finalist for “Generation Wonder,” Audiofile Earphones Awards for narrating “My Life: Growing Up Asian in America” by CAPE, and performing in the horror book “A History of Fear” by Luke Dumas), CHRISTINE MARIE CABANOS (Arizal in Rooster Teeth’s “Recorded by Arizal,” Sailor Saturn in “Sailor Moon,” Madoka Kaname in “Madoka Magica”) and GEOFF BISENTE (voice director/audio engineer for “Street Fighter VI,” “Star Trek Online,” “Marvel Super War,” “Chainsaw Man, “My Hero Academia,” “Trigun: Stampede”). Jeff Francisco (“Plane,” “The Lincoln Lawyer”) returns as moderator.
ABOUT THE PANELISTS
RATANA – After years of honing her skills as a corporate brand marketing professional, Ratana decided to follow her passion and become an actor. Ratana can be heard as Wave in “Marvel’s Super War,” as Andromeda Kepler in “Starfield,” as Yae Miko in “Genshin Impact,” and as Leonie in “Fire Emblem: Three Houses.” She is also featured in “Diablo IV,” “Fallout 76,” the animated series “Trese,” and many other projects.
EARL BAYLON – Currently the Artistic Director of Room To Improv, an Asian American improv troupe serving the Los Angeles community… and beyond, you can hear him in several popular video games and animation projects including the recent “Tomb Raider” video game trilogy, “Tekken: Bloodline,” “Lookism,” “Vinland Saga,” “Starfield,” “Rise of the Ronin,” “Trese,” and the upcoming animated Netflix series, “Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft.” In his “free time,” Earl yells at plastic polyhedrals and panics while doing finger-DDR to subdue the Terminid scourge and spread Managed Democracy throughout the galaxy.
JENNIFER AQUINO – An actor and award-winning voice actor based in Los Angeles with 20+ years working in film, television, theatre, and voiceover, fun fact: she’s one of the doctors who killed McDreamy on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy.” As a voice actor, she voiced the red-head girl Chelsea in “Rugrats’ All Grown Up,” as well as various characters in Disney’s “Super Agent Oso.” For the last 3 years, Jennifer found her love in performing audiobooks, where she gets to play ALL the characters. She loves giving voice to young adults and reading journeys of empowered women in romantic comedies, fantasy/sci-fi, and mystery/thrillers. So far, she has performed 75 titles with 19 publishers, including Penguin Random House, Hachette, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Audible Studios, among others. She also directs audiobooks, with Hachette, Macmillan, Brilliance Publishing, and Penguin Random House. She recently won The Odyssey Award for voicing 13 characters in the middle-grade graphic novel ‘El Deafo’ by CeCeBell, and was an Audie Awards Finalist (known as the Oscars of the audiobook industry) for performing in a YA superhero anthology ‘Generation Wonder.’ She’s also won AudioFile Earphones Awards for narrating ‘My Life: Growing Up Asian in America’ by CAPE – Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment, and for performing in the horror book ‘The History of Fear’ by Luke Dumas. Jennifer is honored to have voiced titles written by Filipino authors Robin Alvarez, Tracy Badua, Tessa Barbosa, Elle Cruz, Melissa de la Cruz, Tanya Guerrero, Riss M. Neilson, and Randy Ribay, bringing their words to life!
CHRISTINE MARIE CABANOS – A Filipino-American voice-over actress based out of Los Angeles, California. Working in voice-over since 2011, she is most known for her roles in animation and video games. Christine can be heard as Arizal in “Recorded by Arizal,” Sailor Saturn in “Sailor Moon,” Madoka Kaname in “Madoka Magica,” and The Poplins in “Super Mario Bros. Wonder,” just to name a few. GEOFF BISENTE – A first-generation American of Sāmoan and Filipino descent, Geoff earned degrees in Music Education and Audio Engineering before joining the Entertainment Industry. Joining Central Command in 2011 as an intern, Geoff was able to stay on staff and worked his way up to Head of Engineering and Studio Manager. Outside of Music and voice-over, Geoff also works and participates in the fitness industry and is an aspiring chef. Mainly training as a Strongman, he’s also been taught by professional Bodybuilders, Powerlifters, and Olympic Weightlifters.
ABOUT THE MODERATOR
JEFF FRANCISCO – Jeff Francisco is a native of the Philippines, born in Manila, and relocated to Daly City / San Francisco when he was 11 years old. He attended college at San Francisco State University and graduated from the Academy of Art where he studied Advertising. Simultaneously he studied Acting in various acting schools in San Francisco, where he quickly started booking numerous roles in theater productions. Also a hip-hop dancer, he snagged a role in the second installment of the hit franchise, “The Matrix”, as a dancer and fell in love with film and TV, which led him to make the move to Los Angeles where he quickly started working in television. As an actor, he is best known for his role as Alvin Aquino opposite Neve Campbell, Jaime McShane, and Reggie Lee in the wildly popular Netflix Series “The Lincoln Lawyer” based on the best-selling books by Michael Connolly. He also made an appearance in the Gerard Butler and Mike Colter suspenseful action thriller “Plane” by Lionsgate. His past credits include “Numb3rs” on CBS and “Make it or Break It” on ABC Family. He served as the Director of Live Events with FilAm Creative where he co-produced a creative panel with the creators and cast of Fox’s “The Cleaning Lady.” When he is not in front of the camera or working for the community, he also enjoys working behind the scenes as a Producer, Art Director, 2nd AD, and Production Coordinator. He also has years of experience as a graphic designer and as a photo editor.
ABOUT THE FOUNDER EDWIN A. SANTOS – Born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Los Angeles, California, Edwin graduated with honors from California State University, Northridge. With 30+ years of professional work experience for various media companies such as E! Entertainment, he is best known for producing the award-winning 2006 film, “Mad Cowgirl.” He was the host & producer for the Artists, Creatives & Business Podcast for the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Hollywood. And as an actor in “Girl Lost: A Hollywood Story,” “The Monsters Without,” “The Last Exorcist” and “Blue Dream” opposite Dominque Swain. Noticing the lack of Filipino representation in film and television in the U.S., Edwin founded the Filipino Hollywood Actors Panel based on his 1998 concept, ‘Filipino Hollywood Actors Panel for Actors.’ It is a panel discussion and networking event featuring special industry guest panelists who represent the craft and business of acting across the board while shining a spotlight on North American Filipino actors in Hollywood today. Panelists discuss their explorations of the process and profession of acting; their reflections on personal experiences and artistic influences that informed and shaped their careers; their discussions of past and current projects and share valuable insights into the craft and the industry. Audience Q&A and networking follow.
ABOUT FILAM CREATIVE FilAm Creative (FAC), a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation, is the premier Filipino American creative organization promoting a more culturally integrated and diverse entertainment industry. By providing educational and community-oriented programming and resources, FAC aims to encourage and create leaders who share its vision. Based in Los Angeles, this community organization is dedicated to the advancement and empowerment of Filipino-Americans in media and entertainment. FAC’s goal is to unify all who support its mission by inviting them to build with FAC. By educating their community, FAC hopes to evolve their artistic voice, hone their skills, and ultimately advance their careers. Take space, make space – FAC programs are curated for collaboration to occur organically and the things FAC creates together are promoted, amplified, and undeniable. FAC is fueled by the hearts of equals who work towards building a more inclusive future in the arts industries. While FilAm Creative (FAC) is Filipino-based, membership is not limited to Filipinos; FAC welcomes anyone who believes in its mission and supports what FAC does. Among FAC’s major events are the FilAm Creative Film Festival, Filipino Hollywood Actors Panel, Speed Networking, Music Showcases, FAC’s HaloHalo Headshots, Kuwento: Writers Panel, film festival sponsorships, college panels & workshops, food tours, and any events that bring together the Filipino artistic and creative community. FAC has also worked with such community stalwarts as Birns & Sawyer, FilAm Arts, Tuesday Night Project, SIPA, Tribal Cafe, and Park’s Finest. Numerous college organizations such as UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Irvine, Loyola Marymount University, California State University Fullerton, and Occidental College. Entertainment media companies such as Lionsgate, NBCUniversal, CBS, ABS-CBN, Kumu LA, and One Down Media. #####
FilAm Creative presents the 11th Filipino Hollywood Actors Panel & Networking: Voice Actors Date: Saturday, June 8, 2024 Time: 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm | Press from 1:00 pm to 1:45 pm / Panel: 2:00 pm to 5 pm
Sponsored by the National Association of Voice Actors (NAVA), a social impact non-profit that advocates and promotes the advancement of the voice acting industry through action, education, inclusion, and benefits. For more information: https://navavoices.org
About Blogtalk with MJ Racadio
MJ Racadio is a Hollywood-based Filipino celebrity blogger, podcast DJ, and recording artist. He publishes the Most Influential Filipino-Americans (MIFA), an annual list of people who do good in their community while championing their heritage. He established BlogTalk with MJ Racadio in 2014, America’s first Fil-Am Hollywood Entertainment Podcasting Show.
Blogtalk with MJ Racadio 