Village Gamer

Transgaming Inc. has launched a brand new web site for its game development studio. Transgaming Studio features information about its launched titles, In The Mix Featuring Armin van Buuren, G-G-Goal, and the recently released PuzzleQuest: Challenge of the WarLords for iOS. Also featured is news about its latest game in development, Garage Inc. for the Mac, PC, iPhone and GameTreeTV. Garage Inc., a time management game set in 1928 Chicago, is based on an original IP by Global Fun and is being produced through a partnership with Breakthrough Entertainment. Players will guide recent Italian immigrant, Angelo Marito, as he tries to manage and grow a car garage. Game play features include the ability to diagnose and fix cars, hire workers, and try to steer clear of the ever-present mob while pursuing the American dream.

Capcom has announced that the Dead Rising 2 Ninja Theme Pack is now available on Xbox Live, Games for Windows Live and the PlayStation Network. With the new ninja pack, Chuck gains a “stealth mode” that allows him to evade zombies by making it harder for them to detect Chuck’s presence. Sword-type weapons (broadswords, katanas, etc.) have their attack power increased and will allow Chuck to perform new special attacks. Stackable items and throwing items such as nails, plates, gems, etc. will also do more damage and Chuck’s throwing speed is increased. The Dead Rising 2 Ninja Theme Pack is available for 160 Microsoft points, or $1.99 on the PlayStation Network.

AudioKinetic’s Wwise 2010.1.2 platform has been nominated for a Game Developer magazine 2010 Front Line Award in the Audio Category. Also named as nominees in this category are FMOD Designer 4.32 (Firelight Technologies), Miles Sound System 8 (RAD Game Tools), ProRemote 2.0.1 (Far Out Labs) and ProTools 8.0.4 (Avid Technology). Read the rest of this entry »

For the past thirty years, audiences around the world have followed Indiana Jones on his quests for treasure, adventure, fortune and glory. And now, Indiana Jones and the Adventure of Archaeology, a redefined modern exhibition experience, is coming to a museum near you. This innovative exhibition, made possible by Lucasfilm Ltd., presented by the National Geographic Society and produced by Montreal’s X3 Productions, will feature fascinating artifacts from the National Geographic Society and the Penn Museum, along with an extensive collection of Indiana Jones film materials from the Lucasfilm Archives. This first-of-its kind touring exhibition will be presented in twelve world-class institutions in Canada, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. The world premiere run will be held at the Montreal Science Centre, starting April 28, 2011.

Kyra Bowling, Exhibits Manager at Lucasfilm Ltd., is pleased to see that “Dr. Jones has found his way to the museum and accompanies visitors on their very own adventure into the science of field archaeology.” Bowling adds, “The Indiana Jones films have entertained generations of audiences and this exhibition provides a wonderful way to merge that on-screen excitement with the science of archaeology to help inspire learning in a fun, dynamic way.”

Indiana Jones and the Adventure of Archaeology not only features a vast and exclusive collection of Indy props, models, concept art and set designs, it also presents a wealth of historical and cultural facts. The internationally renowned University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, otherwise known as the Penn Museum, is providing genuine archaeological artifacts and educational material. The National Geographic Society, the exhibition’s global presenting partner, also shares artifacts, photos, videos and content from its impressive and historic archive. Read the rest of this entry »

Netflix, Inc. has announced that Netflix members in Canada can now instantly watch thousands of movies and TV episodes streamed from Netflix to the TV via Xbox 360. There is no additional monthly fee for Netflix members who are also Xbox LIVE Gold members.

“Xbox 360 is a significant addition to a growing number of consumer electronic devices that are capable of streaming from Netflix in Canada,” said Greg Peters, vice president of product development for Netflix. “Netflix members in the United States enjoy instantly watching movies streamed from Netflix on Xbox LIVE and we think that our Canadian members will equally enjoy this enriched experience and the convenience and value that it offers.”

Starting today, Xbox LIVE members will be able to sign up instantly online for a free trial of Netflix, connect to the Internet on their Xbox 360 and simply click on Netflix in the Video Marketplace on the Xbox 360 Dashboard and follow the easy steps to start streaming thousands of movies and TV shows. In addition, Xbox LIVE subscribers will be able to access the Netflix movie and TV library through Windows Phone 7.

“Canadian Xbox LIVE members asked for more entertainment content and features and now Netflix provides an exciting new way for our members to get the entertainment they love wherever and whenever they want,” said Glenn Purkis, Xbox LIVE product manager, Microsoft Canada. “We are thrilled to offer Netflix to Xbox LIVE Gold members in Canada, and we are confident the service will provide our members with tremendous entertainment value.”

Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana Studio and YTV are pleased to announce the return of the classic children’s book character in the new CGI animated series Babar and the Adventures of Badou, featuring the voice of Gordon Pinsent and premiering in YTV’s Playtime block on Monday, November 22 at 11 a.m. ET/PT.

“Corus and Nelvana have a long history with the Babar brand and we are delighted to continue our relationship with this world-famous elephant, to once again bring this popular literary character to life on television with new storylines, a new generation of characters and with CGI technology for today’s audiences,” said Ted Ellis, VP, Kids/Family Programming, Corus Entertainment.

Produced by Nelvana Studio and TeamTO, in association with The Clifford Ross Company, Babar and the Adventures of Badou is based on the bestselling children’s book collection and follows eight-year-old Badou and his famous grandfather King Babar. Badou has an appetite for adventure and a tendency to get caught in some tricky situations along with his colourful friends Chiku the monkey, Zawadi the zebra, Jake the scruffy little fox and Munroe the deviant and brave porcupine. Navigating the ups and downs of growing up in Celesteville’s royal palace, Badou never forgets that his grandfather King Babar will always be there to offer guidance and support.

In episode one, Babar and the Adventures of Badou: Kite Flight/Zoomerblimps, premiering on Monday, November 22 at 11 a.m. ET/PT (r) Friday, November 26 at 11 a.m. ET/PT, Chiku volunteers Munroe for a kite flying contest against the Crocs. She promises to build him the best kite ever but keeps getting distracted by newer, better design ideas. Badou tries to help her focus so Chiku can deliver on her promise. Then, the kids are competing for their Zoomerblimp Junior Pilot wings. Badou and Rhudi are the favourites but when Dilash sabotages both their ships the two have to team up – and learn a little about sportsmanship – in order to compete.

Beginning on Wednesday, November 10, viewers can visit YTV.com to immerse themselves in Badou’s adventures online with 10 new customizable web games, nine exclusive web animations, visits to four neighbourhoods in Celesteville, as well as clips of the show. The online fun doesn’t stop there as fans can also access 23 different colouring pages and printable stickers, and download their very own customized adventure storybook.

YTV will be participating in Toronto’s 106th annual Santa Claus Parade – the longest running children’s parade in the world. Fans won’t want to miss the Babar and the Adventures of Badou float on Sunday, November 21 at 12:30 p.m. ET. YTV will air a repeat broadcast of the parade on Sunday, December 5 at 12 p.m. ET/PT.

Consulting-Portal, a leading IT Service Management (ITSM) process design and implementation company, is announcing the launch of an online social media community for Service Management practitioners.

This free online community provides a forum for ITSM practitioners to interact, share, collaborate and to expand their knowledge of IT Service Management processes and frameworks such as ITIL®, COBIT®, and ISO20000®. It also allows for members to connect at a personal level through private messaging, public posting and the ability to “friend” other members.

“The goal of the community was to create an online dialogue covering all aspects of IT Service Management. We are passionate about the practice of Service Management and we hope that this community will allow others to share our passion…we believe that social media and ITSM is a natural fit,” says David Mainville – CEO and co-founder of Consulting-Portal.

The community contains a number of resources including a blog, articles, podcasts, webinars and a variety of user forums on topics such as ITIL® training, ITSM Governance, Service Management tools, Process Design techniques, Configuration Management & the CMDB and much more.

Mood Media Corporation has expanded its casual games portfolio through agreement with iWin. Shoppers at popular retailers across the country can now sample a casual game such as Jewel Quest before they purchase it via an interactive display.

Lorne Abony, CEO and Chairman of Mood Media Corporation says, “we continue to expand our product range through partnerships with leading producers and distributors of popular PC based casual games. Mood Media has a large retail footprint and is dedicated to ensuring good media entertainment products are available for shoppers to enjoy”.

CEO at iWin, CJ Wolf comments, “seeing Jewel Quest for sale on the shelves at leading non-traditional retail chains is an exciting new move for iWin. We are happy to work with Mood Media to ensure popular games reach our target audience of females aged 35-50”.

Toronto’s Stealth.Com Inc. (Stealth Computer) has released a new ultra small PC designed specifically for in-vehicle/mobile/embedded applications. Stealth’s model LPC-100M is a rugged small form PC that operates from 10-26 VDC power input making it ideal for DC powered applications typically found in vehicles and remote applications.

According to Stealth CEO, Ed Boutilier; “One of the unique attributes the LPC-100M mobile computer possesses is a user selectable smart power control interface. Start-up and shut-down times are user definable allowing for safe application launching along with a controlled shutdown period. This is absolutely critical in preventing data corruption when power sources are interrupted in mobile and field environments.”

Housed in a rugged aluminum enclosure this powerful & versatile machine measures out at only 4.0″ x 6.1″ x 1.45″ (102mm x 155mm x 37mm) or about the size of a paperback novel. The machine weighs in at a mere 1.2lbs or 0.54kg.

Stealth’s ultra small mobile PC utilizes the Intel® Core™ 2 Duo mobile processor technology and outperforms other computers many times its size. The LPC-100M is available with a standard Intel Dual Core Celeron T3100 (1.9GHz) or optional Intel Core 2 Duo processor P8400 (2.26Ghz). The machine employs the Intel Mobile GM45 Express Chipset featuring Intel’s graphic media accelerator with advanced 3D graphics performance.

The LPC-100M mini PC features a multitude of I/O connectivity built directly into its impressively small design such as; Gigabit LAN, 4-USB, 2-Serial, 1-DVI-I, 1-DVI-D Video, Audio In/Out, 2-PS/2 ports and 1-external express card slot. The rear locking DC power connector ensures power is securely in place. The LPC-100M supports up to 8GB of DDR3 memory and has a built-in 2.5″ mobile hard drive with up to 500GB’s of storage space for archived data. For applications that require extra high shock, vibration and wide temperature ranges an optional SSD (Solid State Hard Drive) is available. Systems are compatible with Microsoft Windows 7/XP, Linux etc and can be custom configured to meet the exact needs of the OEM or end user. The LPC-100M is currently shipping with base pricing starting at $1095.00 USD.

Stealth’s LittlePC products serve a demanding market where powerful solutions are being deployed in space-challenged applications around the world. Embedded Control, Digital Signs, Kiosks, Mobile Navigation, Thin-Clients, POS & Human/Machine Interface are just a few of the applications that are ideal for Stealth’s industry trusted products.

Congratulations to Bioware, EA Sports and Ubisoft Montreal for a triumphant run in the 28th Annual Golden Joystick Awards:

Action Game of the Year sponsored by Nuts – Assassin’s Creed II
RPG of the Year in association with GamesRadar – Mass Effect 2
Ultimate Game of the Year in association with GamesMaster – Mass Effect 2
Sports Game Of The Year in association with Mousebreaker – FIFA 10

Two Canadians have been named to the IGF Nuovo Award jury for the 2011 competition. Clint Hocking, formerly of Ubisoft Montreal now settled in at LucasArts, and independent developer Justin Smith, creator of 2010 Nuovo finalist Enviro-Bear 2000. The Nuovo Award is dedicated to honoring abstract, shortform, and unconventional game development which advances the medium and the way we think about games. Now in its third year, the Nuovo Award allows more esoteric ‘art games’ from among the almost 400 IGF entries to compete on their own terms alongside longer-form indie titles, and has been newly expanded to include eight finalists.

Media Awareness Network (MNet) has released e-Parenting Tutorial: Keeping Up With Your Kids’ Online Activities, an online resource to help parents better understand and become actively involved in their children’s online lives.

Made possible through financial contributions from Inukshuk Learning Plan Fund and Bell, this engaging interactive tool helps parents increase their awareness of the ways that children and teens are using the Internet for learning, entertainment and socializing, and the issues they may be encountering along the way. Through the exploration of five key themes – homework, cyberbullying, marketing, online relationships and excessive use – parents can develop the knowledge and skills they need to help their children navigate the Internet safely, wisely and responsibly.

“Parents often feel unprepared when it comes to helping their children manage their online lives,” said Jane Tallim, Co-Executive Director of MNet. “e-Parenting Tutorial is designed to instill the confidence they need to help their kids become thoughtful cybercitizens.”

This practical resource takes a light-hearted approach while tackling serious issues, with downloadable tip sheets and links to further resources to help parents out. The key message throughout is that parents need to talk with their kids about their online explorations and work together to develop ground rules that everyone can live with.

e-Parenting Tutorial is available for free on Media Awareness Network’s Web site. It is also available on Be Web Aware, an Internet safety Web site for parents developed by MNet in partnership with Bell. The e-Parenting Tutorial development and promotion partners are the Alberta School Councils’ Association, The Alberta Library and the Canadian Home and School Federation.

webcom is coming to Toronto next month, bringing decision makers together for a collaborative conference focused on empowering professionals from across industries to integrate digital communications into business planning. webcom-Toronto follows in the footsteps of internationally recognized webcom-Montreal, which is approaching its ninth edition. webcom-Toronto features a keynote address delivered by Don Tapscott, international best-selling author and chairman of nGenera Insight, focused on content from his new book Macrowikinomics: Rebooting Business and the World. He will examine how the evolution of new technologies, combined with the recent crises that have swept across industries have brought the world to a turning point.

webcom-Toronto will take place on November 3rd at the Chestnut Convention Centre. The conference opens at 8:00a.m. and runs until 6:00p.m., with the public welcome to visit free of charge after 3:00p.m.

The people at Project Education Technologies ask, “Have you ever worked on a group project from hell?” They claim many of us have been there at some point and asked if there was a better way to do things. This was their motivation in launching their new site, EntertheGroup.com.

Winnipeg-based EntertheGroup.com provides students and teachers with project management tools such as the ability to create their own group pages, event calendars, task management, project outlines, polls, checklists, file sharing and more. There are also important social networking features like blogging, instant messaging, a Q & A forum and Twitter feed.

The site enable teachers to create virtual classrooms which enable them to interact with students online, share handouts, post events (like exams) to a shared calendar, conduct polls and much more.

“Students typically complain about their group projects. Their biggest problems are free riders and group members who try to take over the group. Also, getting everyone organized and on the same page is problematic,” says Sal Pellettieri, CEO of Project Education Technologies, creator of the website.

“I built this site so that students could learn project management techniques and integrate them into the classroom. I think that many students are overwhelmed by their work and I think that the tools and advice the site offers will help a lot,” says Mr. Pellettieri.

An important feature of the site is that it’s free. Users simply have to register and they will gain access to all of the tools and the library of articles at no charge.

“I wanted students to be able to make use of this site and it’s unlikely they could pay for this service, so I made it free,” says Mr. Pellettieri.

Ubisoft® has announced that Assassin’s Creed® Brotherhood for the Xbox 360®  and the PlayStation®3 has gone “gold” and will be available at retailers in North America on November 16, 2010.

The critically acclaimed single-player experience of Assassin’s Creed is back and better than ever as Ezio returns for an epic struggle against the powerful Templar Order. Offering more single-player gameplay than Assassin’s Creed II, players now play as a legendary Master Assassin, and journey into Italy’s greatest city, Rome, center of power, greed and corruption to strike at the heart of the enemy.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iKMPruWVTc]

For the first time in the franchise’s history, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood offers never-before-seen multiplayer, awarded “Best Multiplayer Game,” by the prestigious Game Critics organization, at e3 2010. Players will have the opportunity to experience things from the Templar’s perspective when they step into the shoes of an elite Abstergo agent, hand-picked to undergo training in order to better fight the Assassins. Players can choose from a wide range of unique characters, each with their own signature weapons and assassination techniques, and match their skills against other players from all over the world in different game modes. The multiplayer suite coupled with an extensive single-player campaign makes Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood not only the best Assassin’s experience to date, but the best value as well.

“Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood is the largest and most ambitious title we have ever created,” said Sebastien Puel, executive producer at Ubisoft Montreal. “Not only will players get a fully robust and upgraded single-player game that is larger than Assassin’s Creed II, but an award winning multiplayer component as well. Brotherhood is the biggest Assassin’s experience we have ever created.”

Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood is a worldwide production effort led by the Ubisoft Montreal Studio in collaboration with Ubisoft studios in Singapore, Bucharest, Québec City and Annecy. Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood is rated “M” for Mature by the ESRB and will be available at the manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $59.99.

Today is a big day for the Entertainment Software Association of Canada, with the launch of a new Canadian game industry sizzle video and the release of its annual guidebook to the entertainment software industry, ESAC 2010 Essential Facts (PDF). In this report, readers can find updated stats on the average age of the Canadian gamer, frequency of play, gender breakdown, preferred platforms and ways to play. The report also provides data on how online play, social games and mobile games are changing the gaming landscape. This annual publication also features relevant data about ESRB ratings awareness, family gaming and top selling games. Finally, Essential Facts gives an overview of the Canadian entertainment software industry with data on jobs, growth rate and annual contributions to the Canadian economy.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3mrEkuzifo]

The 2010 Essential Facts reveals that 39% of gamers (defined as someone who has played video games in the past 4 weeks) are spending more time playing games accessible through social networking websites.

Also of note is the fact that 7% of gamers use a mobile device (such as a cell phone or smart phone) most often to play video games – almost twice as many as in 2009 (4%). Gamers are also connecting their games with others through the Internet with 76% reporting online play.

“Social games are a growing part of the Canadian gamer’s repertoire – especially for women and teen girls – but they are only one of the many types of games that Canadians enjoy,” says Danielle Parr, Executive Director of ESAC. “While we’re seeing a shift in how Canadians are playing games particularly towards online games, console and computer games remain the principal way to play,” she adds.

Social games are mostly free, widely available and accessible through social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. These games – including popular ones like Farmville, Mafia Wars and Cafe World – are quick to load, take only a few minutes to play and grow virally as users invite their contacts to join in. Research found that 35% of adult women and 37% of teen girls play social games. 26% of girls (6-12yo) play social games, with 38% report spending more time playing these types of games.

The research was collected through a comprehensive Internet survey using NPD Group’s Online Consumer Panel. Data was obtained from over 3,500 Canadians across the country identified as having played a video game at least once in the past 4 weeks. The margin of error associated with the total sample is +/- 1.6%, 19 times out of 20.

Getting gouged by wireless companies has become something of a feared tradition, based on the flood of mobile phone bill horror stories coming to light in new wireless carrier Mobilicity’s FMyBill contest.

Thousands of online voters have been flocking to Facebook.com/Mobilicity to rate the stories, which paint a less-than-flattering picture of the extra fees and unexpected charges found all too often on Canadian mobile phone bills.

Every FMyBill story puts a human face on consumers’ ever-growing dissatisfaction with wireless bills. According to Canada’s Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services, Canadian grievances with wireless companies grew by over 15 per cent in the last year. Of the almost 4,000 complaints it received, 44 per cent involved billing errors.

South of the border, the Federal Communications Commission recently proposed rules requiring carriers to alert customers before they reach monthly usage limits and incur extra roaming charges. The agency has said it has received many complaints about mobile phone bills, including one that totaled over $68,000.

The FMyBill stories range from the sublime to the subversive and the comical to the combative:

Alicia G. writes: “My husband and I went to the US in July for vacation. I nagged him everyday to be sure to purchase the ‘roaming package’. He purchased the package for an extra $75 and my mind was put at ease…temporarily! The following month we received a bill for $1300! Now I suffer from Post traumatic stress, and have an attack every time the Rogers bill arrives.”

Faiqa K. writes: “I went over my allowable text limit and ended up being charged what I would say was about two week’s worth of groceries. I was soooo not happy about that and had to live off Mac and Cheese for a while. FMB!”

Oscar S. writes: “Okay, so I’m a victim of not seeing that small tiny piece of text that you can only see with microscopes that usually happens in cartoons, in the summer, I was using MSN all the time, during my summer job, and I sent over 2000 IMs, and Fido didn’t put this on my bill for 2 months, and in the third month, my bill was over $300! FMB big time.” Read the rest of this entry »

Vancouver’s Aftercad is pleased to announce that the very first game of Blizzard’s World of Warcraft has been played on the new Google TV, using the GameString Adrenalin service.

“Using GameString Adrenalin, you can now play high quality game titles using the new Google TV.” said Chris Boothroyd, CEO of Aftercad. “The Google TV is pretty cool and we thought it could also serve as a great game console for people who would want to play games they already have on the big screen right along side all of the other great content available on the Google TV. Now you can have it all!”

Aftercad has recently expanded its 3D web publishing efforts to include GameString for game developers and Renderjam v2 for CAD and GIS 3D broadcasting and remote access. As cloud computing continues its assimilation of other verticals, developers are looking to cash in on the new cloud gaming methods being touted by the current crop of cloud gaming services. The technology used by Aftercad GameString is different than other cloud gaming efforts and delivers the ability to leverage the full power of Flash or HTML5 on the client’s computer or mobile device. This improves game performance and offers Game Publishers more options when designing and deploying games for the web.

“World of Warcraft is a popular game here with the staff at Aftercad so we felt it was appropriate that it should be the first 3D game played on the Google TV.” said Boothroyd. “It works really well and you can watch the YouTube Video here.”

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxRvAyeyJZA]

“Our GameString technology represents the next generation in cloud gaming as it doesn’t rely on downloads, plugins, java or obscure codecs to work. The proof is in the fact it works with the Google TV right out of the box while other cloud gaming services will have to write an app to run it on. For Game Publishers looking to leverage the cloud to spice up the production values for Flash based social games, it is clear our approach is the way of the future and the way to go.”

3vis would like to invite you to a presentation about The Foundry, a leading innovator of visual effects and image processing technologies that boost productivity in motion picture and video post-production. The Foundry’s technology touches most Hollywood blockbusters that reach our screens, as well as numerous television and commercial productions. Discover all the ways the latest suite of software opens up new opportunities in film production and television. See the latest technology from NUKE, MARI and the new STORM digital production hub.

Pre-registration is required, and the first 50 arrivals get a free gift. There will be three free-to-attend sessions held across the country:

November 3: Toronto – The Fieldhouse at The Berkeley Church
November 4: Montreal – Centre des Sciences – Le Hall Panoramique
November 23: Vancouver – Caprice Night Club

Turn on your camera or pull out your sketchpad – ICBC is calling on artistic youth to help spread road safety messages to their peers and, in return, they’ll be eligible to win some cool prizes. It’s clear that safer roads are a priority in B.C. with new laws introduced this year to ban handheld electronic devices while driving and tougher impaired driving laws and excessive speeding penalties.

“Car crashes remain the number one preventable cause of death for youth in B.C and that’s why we’re looking to youth to help create advertisements that will reach their peers and express the importance of making smart driving decisions,” said ICBC’s Nicolas Jimenez, director of road safety.

ICBC has launched two contests: the 180 Film Contest, for 19 to 25 year olds and the Your Ad Here contest, for high school students in grades 8 to 11. The contests ask these groups to create either a short film or a print ad on one of three road safety topics: impaired driving, speeding or distracted driving.

For the 180 Film Contest, the winners of the top three films in each safety category will receive prizes amounting to about $35,000 worth of filmmaking equipment and software. By visiting 180filmcontest.com, you can vote for your favourite entry and the most popular film will receive a people’s choice award. The contest closes December 31, 2010.

High school students with a passion for art are also being called on to get inspired and create a print ad for the Your Ad Here contest. The top winner in each region of B.C. (Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, North Central and Southern Interior) will win an Apple Macbook and their ad will be displayed on next year’s high school agendas in their region. Visit icbc.com/youradhere to vote for your favourite ad. The fan favourite will win an Apple iPod touch and the school with the most participation will win an Adobe Creative Suite CS5 software package. The contest closes on January 14, 2011.

Earlier this week Voices.com rolled out Local Voices, a new service offering voice over talent an opportunity to market themselves directly to potential clients within their own city.

Local Voices utilizes Google Maps, Bing Local, and Yahoo Local Search, employing local map listings, Internet yellow pages (IYPs) and local franchise advertising. Voice talent who sign up for the service are able to expand their online visibility and drive qualified contacts to their profiles so that they can work with local producers in addition to the online casting calls that the site already delivers on a daily basis.

Local Voices helps streamline the casting needs for producers wanting to work with local talent, saving them time and money in audition costs. Local Voices eliminates the need for ‘cattle-calls’, allowing businesses, producers, casting directors, and agencies to do the preliminary research online, pinpointing the voice over talent that they would like to work with in a local recording studio.

“Local Voices brings our online presence offline, expanding Voices.com’s reach and enabling people to find talent through local searches on Google, Yahoo!, Bing and other prominent engines.” said David Ciccarelli, Voices.com co-founder/CEO.

This service is available to members of the Voices.com website who are at the Platinum or Premium level. To be included in the Local Voices service, members log in to their accounts, fill out the Local Voices form, and follow the simple directions.