My Weekend at the Washington State Gaming Expo

I have to say that I absolutely LOVE attending Expos and Comicons. I haven’t been doing them that long. My first was the Washington SummerCon almost two years ago. Thanks to my dear pal, Jen Taylor (who, as most of you will know, plays Cortana in the game) , I had been taken on by a talent agency called Celebworx that arranges for personal appearances. I was only in attendance for one day—Father’s Day, as it happens—but I got to spend it with Jen and Steve Downes (our Master Chief) and the day went by in a flash. The three of us signed autographs on posters and memorabilia (signing helmets was an interesting challenge), did a panel discussion together where we laughed ourselves silly and, best of all, got to talk to dozens and dozens of HALO fans. By the end of the day, I was both exhilarated and exhausted! But I knew one thing: I couldn’t wait for the next one.

As it happens, I did wait. It was over a year before the next appearance at a Gaming Expo in Phoenix. This time, I appeared with HALO creator Marty O’Donnell and MoCap Master Chief Bruce Thomas. The event was three days and, again, we had a great time that was only slightly impacted by the fact that the temperature outside the convention center was over 115 degrees the whole time we were in town! The next two I did solo, in Cleveland and in New York—a bit lonely to be honest, although I met some great folks from the Pokemon game. It was after the last of those that I heard that plans were afoot for something special—the next appearance would be at the Washington State Gaming Expo and would feature all five of us. Together. For the first time!

Now, as it happens, this event was taking place at the State fairgrounds in Puyallup, a small town close to our sister city in the South, Tacoma. While it would have been possible to drive back and forth from my house, the round trip would have been 100 miles each day. Not a very attractive prospect after 7 or 8 hours spent mostly on my feet. Happily, our hosts decided to put us up at a very comfortable Marriot Hotel in downtown Tacoma, about 20 minutes from the show.

Each day we were ferried back and forth in a van and it was during those trips that we had a bit of an opportunity to meet some of the other talented voice actors who were appearing as well. Celebworx handles an amazing roster of talent and this weekend’s attendees included folks from such games as Super Mario Brothers, God of War and Red Dead Redemption. Pretty good company, wouldn’t you agree?

We would arrive before the fans were allowed in to the exhibition hall, giving us time to get set up and ready for our guests. Once the doors opened, the fun began. Fans would find us at our individual tables, pay for an autograph or a selfie or a voice recording which we would provide and then chat for a bit. These personal interactions are what I love best. It’s a chance for the fans we meet to tell us what our work has meant to them. They talked about how long they’ve played HALO, who introduced them to the game (fathers, mothers, siblings, friends), tell us which game is their favorite and ask us which one is ours. I met so many wonderful people—old and young and from every background one could imagine. There was a lot of laughter and an occasional tear. But every one of them had this in common: they couldn’t have been nicer or more appreciative.

See, here’s the thing. As I told these folks, I didn’t even know we HAD fans until we’d been doing the games for several years. I would get a call to go in to a studio and record my lines and when I was done I would thank the writer and engineer I’d worked with, drive away and move on to whatever my next job was. I had no idea that the fans were having a very different experience. That they were immersing themselves in the lore and the gameplay of the Halo universe. That they were spending hours and hours at it and having a very personal response to the experience. Nor did I realize the extent to which we would become a part of their lives. I can’t tell you how often I hear the words “You were the voice of my childhood.” Gratifying and humbling, I have to say.

In the evenings at the end of each day, we would head back to the hotel for supper and while some of my friends took the opportunity to hang out I was in bed pretty quickly. I was tired and wanted to be at my best for the folks I’d be meeting the next day.

Then, unbelievably, it was Sunday, our last day. And then, it was over. By the time 3 PM rolled around—we were scheduled to go to 5—, most of the fans had gone, leaving only the vendors and talent and a few die-hard fans in the hall. We were still waiting to see if anyone else would show up when the crew began pulling up tape from the floor and taking down exhibits! It might have been a bit sad but we had had such a great time I could only feel grateful.

I am particularly thankful for the help and support we got from Alex and Ashley from Celebworx who were there whenever we needed help. And a special shoutout to Jadon, my personal assistant who handled all the orders while I had nothing more to do than enjoy the fans and kept me company whether was a lull. I’d have been lost without his help.

So, that was this weekend. The next convention I know I’ll be doing is in early November. I’ll be in Columbus, Ohio with Jen and Steve. I can’t wait to see how that turns out.

But that will be a story for another time.