February 4, 2011
News for Tekkoshocon 2011:
Steve Blum and Reni Mimura announced for Tekkoshocon
PITTSBURGH, PA - February 4, 2011 - Pittsburgh's Japanese pop culture convention, Tekkoshocon, is proud to announce the addition of voice acting legend Steve Blum and idol singer Reni Mimura as Guests of Honor for this year's convention to be held March 31-April 3.
Steve Blum has lent his voice to some of anime's most pivotal characters, including Spike Spiegel in Cowboy Bebop and Roger Smith in The Big-O. Fans may also recall his roles as J.P. Shibayama in Digimon Frontier, Mugen in Samurai Champloo, and both Orochimaru and Zabuza in Naruto. Steve also provides voices for video game characters, most notably Vincent Valentine in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children as well as the Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus video game. He currently provides the voice for Durarara!!'s Kyohei Kadota and has written for Naruto and Digimon in addition to his hundreds of voice acting credits. His website, http://www.steveblumvoices.com, highlights his many roles and current activities.
Idol singer Reni Mimura was born and raised in Japan. She released her first Japanese CD in 2006 and relocated to New York City in 2008. Since moving to America, Reni has released a CD (Sakura) and photo book (Maid in NY). She performs her moe, Akihabara style songs and dances regularly at maid cafe events and anime conventions throughout the country. Her impact in the US has led to special attention back home, with Japanese broadcaster NHK recording two documentaries on her career and its impact in 2010. Her music, profile, blog, and more can be found at http://www.renireni.com.
Steve and Reni join Richard Epcar, voice of hundreds of roles including Zangetsu in Bleach and Xehanort in Kingdom Hearts, Ellyn Stern, voice of Noein in the anime Noein, comic artist Tommy Yune, Harmony Gold Operations Coordinator Kevin McKeever, hip hop recording artist Mega Ran, and Japanese bands lix and RAMPANT on the Tekkoshocon IX guest roster. Preregistration for Tekkoshocon IX is open through March 11, 2011, with details available at tekkoshocon.com.
ABOUT TEKKOSHOCON INC.:
Founded in 2002, Tekkoshocon, Inc. is devoted to the enrichment and enlightenment of the Japanese animation and pop culture fan community. Now planning their ninth annual TEKKOSHOCON convention to be held March 31 - April 3 at the Wyndham Grand Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh, Tekkoshocon Inc. is prepared to bring top-class guests, musical acts, events, panels, game tournaments, costume competitions, and other exciting attractions for the enjoyment and benefit of Pittsburgh's anime scene.
