TFS Instructor Julia Paton to Moderate Toronto Black Film Festival Panel
In This Article
Toronto Black Film Festival organizers recently tapped veteran Toronto Film School instructor Julia Paton to moderate a ‘how-to’ panel discussion about voice-over acting during their upcoming 10th anniversary festivities.
Presented as part of the festival’s popular discussion series, The Black Market, Voice Over Talent – How To? will be streamed on the TBFF Facebook page on Sunday, Feb. 20 at 1 p.m. (EST).
The panel of professional voice-over actors contributing to the discussion include long-time Soul Train Awards announcer, Kesha Monk; Apple News narrator, Andrew Lander; and George Washington III, one of the voices of the National Museum of African-American History and Culture.
During the more than hourlong, pre-taped conversation, Paton guided the featured panelists in a discussion about what it takes to become a voice-over actor; how one breaks into the business; what skills are important to have; and how to foster more Black artists in the field.
“The panelists offered up some truly amazing perspectives and they were very generous with sharing their time, their ideas and their life experiences,” Paton said of the panel, which covered topics from microphone technique and demo reels, to securing an agent and booking jobs.
“I was pretty gratified at the end of the panel to find that everything the panelists talked about, I’ve been teaching to my students at TFS,” added Paton, a founding member of the TFS faculty, who co-created the curriculum for Voice Acting 4 and 6, among others.
“Even though I’m a voice over actor and camera actor and theatre actor myself, I spend a lot of time teaching, so it’s really important to know that the courses I teach are current – and they are.”
The Paton-moderated Voice-Over Talent – How To? panel is just one of several the Toronto Black Film Festival will be featuring during this year’s lineup of free Black Market events – an industry series where both locally and internationally renowned industry professionals, experts, thought leaders, and visionaries will share an exciting blend of cutting-edge thinking and real-world experience on today’s most critical filmmaking issues.
Presented by Canadian Heritage, Bell Fund, Telefilm Canada, and Toronto Arts Council, other 2022 Black Market events will be streamed on the Toronto Black Film Festival’s Facebook Page as follows:
- Hair and Makeup Equity in the Film & Television Industry – Feb. 19 at 11 a.m. (EST)
- Representation | Does it Make a Difference – Feb. 19 at 1:30 p.m. (EST)
- Are We There Yet? – Feb. 19 at 3:30 p.m. (EST)
- The Imposter in the Room – Feb. 20 at 9:30 a.m. (EST)
- Music in Film – Feb. 20 at 11 a.m. (EST)
- The Filmmaker’s Handbook – Feb. 20 at 3 p.m. (EST)
- Landing the Role – Feb. 20 at 5 p.m. (EST)
- What has Changed Since the BLM Movement? – Feb. 21 at 4 p.m. (EST)
- Black Wealth Matters – Feb. 21 at 9 p.m. (EST)
This year’s Toronto Black Film Festival, which runs from Feb. 16 – 21, will celebrate its milestone 10th anniversary with a record 200 films from 30 countries – including 18 world premieres, 28 international premieres, 60 Canadian premieres, 18 Ontario premieres and 25 Toronto premieres.
Lauded as Canada’s largest celebration of Black History Month, the festival annually attracts hundreds of thousands of festival-goers with its bold and diverse programming that allows members of all cultural communities to better understand one another.
“It’s been an honour and a privilege to spotlight Black artists and Black stories in Toronto for the last 10 years. Torontonians have shown tremendous support towards our cause at this pivotal moment in our history,” Fabienne Colas, President and Founder of the Black Film Festivals in Montreal, Toronto, Halifax, Ottawa, Calgary, and Vancouver, said in a statement.
“Thanks to the support of thousands of festival-goers and the creativity of the artists, the Toronto Black Film Festival has made big strides creating awareness about the industry’s severe lack of diversity. With the support of our loyal partners, we will continue to leverage the power of the arts for even more social and economic impact.”
This year’s lineup consists of remarkable feature and documentary films highlight important topics, such as women’s issues, politics, social injustice, discrimination, mental health, arts, sports, and accomplishment, among others.
TBFF 2022’s must-see feature films include: Alice, Jim Button and the Wild 13, Queen of Glory, The White Line and Vuta N’Kuvute.
Unmissable TBFF 2022 documentaries include: Gemmel & Tim, Zinder, The Ants and the Grasshopper, Target: St. Louis Vol. 1, Feisty Fighter – The Marnesba Tackett Story, She Dreams at Sunrise, and Being Black in Canada.
All-Access Passes to the 2022 Toronto Black Film Festival are available for $99 here. Individual tickets are also available for purchase here.
For full programming and events, go to www.TorontoBlackFilm.com
About the Voice Over Talent – How To? Panelists:
Kesha Monk has been wowing people with her voice for over 25 years. Her professional career began as a radio personality in Raleigh, North Carolina, and took her to many cities across the country, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston. She was also the co-host of a syndicated countdown show with American Idol’s Randy Jackson, which ran for five years and aired in 50 US cities and internationally in Japan and Kenya.
After 20 years in radio, her career path shifted after a devastating cancer diagnosis. During a chemotherapy break, Kesha decided to enter a contest, whose award was a hefty voiceover contract. Her audition got her in the door of a reputable talent agency and catapulted her into the world of voiceover.
Since then, Kesha’s cancer has returned multiple times – however, her experience has only made her stronger. Her ability to connect with content has made her a voice talent to be reckoned with. She has recorded projects for global brands such as McDonald’s, DreamWorks, Busch Gardens, SeaWorld, Coca-Cola, Dunkin’ Donuts and more. She has narrated a children’s audiobook and recently entered her third season as the continuity voice for POV, a weekly documentary series that airs on PBS. She is also the live announcer for the Soul Train Awards on BET, the most prominent television network targeting African American audiences.
Andrew Lander is an award-winning, African American voice actor with a not-quite-Urban but distinctly Black(ish) sound. Andrew has worked with AFSCME in support of their progressive politics at their 2020 International Convention. His voice resonates with Millennials and Gen Z, representing the indie gaming company 11 bit studios during their 2020 virtual trade show livestream.
Andrew can most often be heard as the engaging and down-to-earth voice of reason for explainers and internal corporate presentations. He’s like the cool, young professor you wish you had in undergrad, or the fun dad who let you stay up past your bedtime. You can hear Andrew on your iPhone narrating stories for Apple News. You can also hear him on the national TV spot for Ocrevus, a prescription medicine used to treat adults with MS.
George is a full-time political voice actor with 17-years of experience in the business of helping clients communicate their stories. After spending 20+ years in IT industry, George has been the voice of ROOT Sports Northwest, McDonald’s, Spotify, and Mountain Dew ICE. George also spent 12 years as a baritone with Opera Carolina. His proudest voiceover moment was becoming one of the voices of the National Museum of African-American History and Culture.
George’s voiceover work extends to radio and television commercials, e-learning, corporate narration, and telephony, providing solutions for clients all over the US and around the world.
Julia is an actress, director, and teacher. She was a series regular on CBC’s comedy P.R., Conan O’Brien’s sitcom pilot Beat Cops for FOX and NBC, as well as guesting on the Global TV’s Da Kink In My Hair. She has also acted in a range of Hollywood feature films alongside Cate Blanchett in Pushing Tin, Jamie Foxx in Booty Call, and William H. Macy and Laura Dern in Focus.
Julia has worked twice with Emmy-award winning director Allan Arkush, in FOX’s Prince Charming, and in Elvis Meets Nixon for Showtime. She also worked with Robert Loggia in the Joe Torre Story for Showtime, and was the female lead in The Edge. Her selected TV series credits include Due South, Once A Thief and Doc. She has performed in numerous TV and radio commercials, as well as lending her voice to audiobooks, cartoon pilots and toys.
Julia is a versatile voice, theatre and camera director. Her voice directing credits include over 20 English and French webcasts for one of Canada’s top five banks, an interactive documentary for Fort York and the City of Toronto, as well as numerous podcasts for Seneca College’s Aviation Program and e-learning modules for Human Resources. Julia was the voice director at Toronto Film School for over 40 live radio plays and podcasts, as well as directing the casting and recording sessions for over 20 video game pilots. She has also directed commercials and a cartoon pilot.
Julia’s selected theatre directing credits include a traditional Commedia dell’Arte Fringe production of The Servant of Two Masters at Toronto’s Factory Theatre, as well as productions of The Road To Mecca and Dial M For Murder.
Julia was the first female faculty member for both Toronto Film School and Seneca College’s Acting programs, and was a founding faculty member with TFS as it launched in October 2010.
She created Toronto Film School’s curriculum for Camera Acting 2 and Performance History 1 and 2, and co-created the curriculum for Voice Acting 4 and 6.
She is a member of ACTRA and CAEA. Julia has a Bachelor of Arts, Honours Degree from Queen’s University with a major in Drama, where she twice won the Award for Musical Theatre performance.
