March 13, 2009

Otakon 2009 welcomes Mary Elizabeth McGlynn

Staple of Animation, Gaming to Appear at Otakon

Baltimore, MD (March 13, 2009) – The multi-talented Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, renowned for her work in almost every aspect of the domestic Japanese animation and the gaming industries, will be a guest at Otakon 2009. Over the course of her eleven-year career, McGlynn has been a voice actress, script writer, singer and voice director.

As an actress, her most famous role is that of Major Motoko Kusanagi in the Ghost In The Shell movies, Innocence and Solid State Society, as well as the television series Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex. For her portrayal of the title character in Stand Alone Complex she won the American Anime Award for Best Actress.

Some of her other popular roles include Cornelia in Code Geass, Kurenai in Naruto, Julia in Cowboy Bebop, Helba and Bordeaux from the .hack series, Lady Jagura from Wolf's Rain and Caroline from the original Vampire Hunter D film.

As a voice director, McGlynn has directed all three Naruto movies, as well as the Naruto series, for which she received the 2008 SPJA Award for Best Director. Among her many other directing credits are the Cowboy Bebop series and the movies Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door, Wolf's Rain, and the Appleseed film. She also served as a co-writer for the American adaptation of Metropolis.

For the gaming industry, McGlynn has had the honor of singing to the music of composer Akira Yamaoka for the movie Silent Hill as well as many of the Silent Hill games, including: 3, 4, 5, Origins, and Homecoming. She also has directed the voice work for Ace Combat Zero and 6, Soul Calibur Legends, Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, Devil May Cry 3 and 4, Spyhunter, the Naruto: Clash of Ninja and Ultimate Ninja series, as well being second director for the Kung Fu Panda game.

Currently, viewers can catch McGlynn's work as a voice director in a wide variety of titles and industries. She is currently directing the Naruto: Shippuden series. She's done the voice direction for Capcom's Resident Evil: Degeneration film and the soon-to- be released Resident Evil 5. Mary Elizabeth directed Samuel L. Jackson, Ron Perlman, and the rest of the original cast in the recently-released Afro Samurai game. She is also currently directing the original animated series Gormiti.

Otakon 2009 will be held August 17-19 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland. Please see the Web site for details.

ABOUT OTAKON AND OTAKORP, INC.: Now entering its sixteenth year, Otakon is an annual celebration of Japanese and East Asian popular culture, and also one of the largest gatherings of fans in the United States. Otakon celebrates popular culture as a gateway to deeper understanding of Asian culture, and has grown along with the enthusiasm for anime, manga, video games, and music from the Far East. Since 1999, Otakon has been held in Baltimore, Maryland; currently, Otakon is one of Baltimore's few large, city-wide events, drawing over 25,000 individual members for three days each year (for a paid attendance of over 70,000 "turnstile" attendees). Otakon is a membership-based convention sponsored by Otakorp, Inc., a Pennsylvania-based, 501(c)3 educational non-profit whose mission is to promote the appreciation of Asian culture, primarily through its media and entertainment. Otakorp, Inc. is directed by an all-volunteer, unpaid staff – we are run by fans, for fans.

For more information about Otakorp, Inc., see http://www.otakon.com/otakorp/index.asp
For more information and the latest news on Otakon 2009, see http://www.otakon.com/

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