Anime North 2010 - Greg Ayres Press Conference

The press conference started off with Greg briefly discussing Trinity Blood and Ghost Stories. He said that Trinity Blood was a fun show. Although lots of actors resent playing "weak" male characters, he enjoyed it because it's very different from his own personality. Ghost Stories is one of his favourites. The creators couldn't sell the show to anyone and it didn't do well in Japan either. although it's a teen show, it was given a children's time slot in Japan. When it was dubbed by ADV, they were basically told they could do whatever they wanted with it. Surprisingly, the dub beat Fullmetal Alchemist for dub of the year when it was released.

Participating in commentaries is one of Greg's favourite things to do. He had the most fun working on the commentary for Kodocha. Originally, it was supposed to include additional actors but it ended up only being Greg and one other colleague. They had been advised to try to work in questions that they tend to get asked at cons, but the other actor kept using short answers or simply answering with a yes or no. This had humorous results. Greg said that he wished he could have participated in the commentary for Saiyuki: Requiem, but unfortunately scheduling conflicted.

When it comes to new versions of known series, Greg finds that these are easier acting wise and that the real challenge is in marketing and sales. He feels that stories don't always need to be retold and that cliff-hanger endings can be okay.

When it comes to Macross and Robotech, Greg says that he has great respect for Carl Macek. He recalled how Macek had said something along the lines of "they always slaughter the first." Since Macek was a pioneer in anime dubbing, he was not surprised to have encountered significant criticism.

Greg said that the Macross redub was the first time an English dub had a common actress with the Japanese version. Mari Iijima, who played Lynn Minmay was the actress. Greg played Loli Dosel, who he described as one of three stooges. Greg said it was an honour to be part of a dub of Macross.

If he could have a ventriloquist dummy of any of the characters he's played, Greg would choose Leo from Ghost Stories.

When it comes to Ouran High School Host Club, Greg only auditioned for the role of Kaoru Hitachiin. Playing that particular twin was the only role he wanted to play, after having it recommended by a friend. The delivery of lines was determined by whichever actor got to the studio first that day. Depending on how the first actor read the line (either Greg or Todd Haberkorn), the other actor would have to read the line in a way that mimics the inflection. The actual syncing was handled by the ADR director, Caitlin Glass (whom Greg said is a huge fan of Ouran). Greg said that if the syncing sounds good, Caitlin deserves the credit.

When it comes to illegal downloads and fansubs, Greg feels that they are crippling the industry and actively tries to encourage people to obtain legitimate releases. At work, they are trying to find ways to get anime here (to Canada and the US) faster. He also pointed out that, as fans, we can make or break the anime industry.

Greg has noticed a decline in voice acting work in the last two years. He has been very fortunate to continue working steadily during that time.

He says that as a fan, he had never expected to be able to help with the decision making at a company licensing anime but now he appreciates the opportunity and wants to see the community keep going. As a fan, he says that sometimes it's difficult to be a guest at conventions now. As a guest, he sees things that most fans don't see, so it can be a bit jarring.

In addition to voice acting work, Greg says that he does some design work, consulting, and he has been a professional DJ for 28 years. In fact, he will be DJing in Canada very soon! Greg really enjoys DJing because it is energetic and it brings joy to others. We will look out for an announcement about the event where Greg will be DJing in the future, for any of our readers who may be interested.

Stay tuned for more Anime North convention coverage! There's still more to come!