2023 Industry Guests
paul mccusker
Paul McCusker is a writer and dramatist, best known for his work on the long-running children’s audio program Adventures in Odyssey and award-winning Radio Theatre productions for the Augustine Institute and Focus on The Family.
His audio drama work includes Brother Francis: The Barefoot Saint of Assisi (winner of the 2018 Audie Award for Best Audio Drama), The Trials of Saint Patrick, Ode to Saint Cecilia and The Legends of Robin Hood for the Augustine Institute. For Focus On The Family Radio Theatre, Paul dramatized and directed the Peabody Award-winning Dietrich Bonhoeffer: The Cost of Freedom, all seven stories in The Chronicles of Narnia, along with The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis At War, A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist, and the original productions of The Father Gilbert Mysteries (audio and novels), and The Luke Reports: Eyewitness Accounts of the Life of Jesus. Most these dramas have won multiple Audie Awards.
His published works include The Adventures of Nick & Sam first-reader series, The Virtue Chronicles series for 10-13 year olds, The Imagination Station book series, the Passages series, tie-in novels to Adventures in Odyssey, adult mysteries and thrillers, including Into The Catacombs, Last Things, biographies, plays, and musicals.
He is currently Senior Director of Creative Content for the Augustine Institute in Denver.
PHIL LOLLAR
Phil Lollar has created, written, produced and performed in dozens of audio/video series, including: The Little Angels, Adventures in Odyssey, Jungle Jam and Friends, Iliad House, Little Dogs on the Prairie, Marvy and the RazzleFlabbinz, 3, 2, 1 Penguins, Paws & Tails, The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss, Elmo Aardvark, Outer Space Detective, Kid’s Corner, The Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi Show, The Mr. Men Show, Olivia, Tom and Jerry, and Space Racers. Two of those series have been credited with re-inventing the art of radio drama: the hit comedy Jungle Jam and Friends and Focus on the Family’s dramatic series Adventures in Odyssey (winner of the Golden Mike Award), now in its 33nd year on the air, and named the National Religious Broadcasters Radio Program of the Year for 2020. Phil co-created AIO, has written more than 225 episodes and directed more than 325 for the program.
John Fornof
When John was a kid, he clutched his Panasonic RQ-309S cassette tape recorder close to his heart, and with his dad’s encouragement, started creating his own “radio adventures”. His dream was to grow up to write and produce radio dramas. Was this a God thing, or a John thing? Here’s the thing: No one was doing radio dramas anymore. Fast forward to November 1987: Adventures in Odyssey was born. Fast forward ten years later: John got an offer to write for them, working alongside the Legends of audio drama production: Phil Lollar, Paul McCusker, Dave Arnold, and Mark Drury. He directed such talented actors as Katie Leigh, Will Ryan, Jess Harnell, and John Rhys-Davies. Since then, John has worked as a writer, director, and producer on 15 audio drama franchises in all. He helped launch 7 shows, including Lamplighter Theatre, The Last Chance Detectives, and The Extraordinary Adventures of G.A. Henty. He’s written 199 episodes.
TIMOTHY GREGORY
Timothy Gregory (Director, Playwright, Voice Talent, Actor) is the founding artistic director of Provision Theater where he has directed over 25 full length productions, having written 9 of them. He has also directed at Chicago Shakespeare Theater; Ford’s Theatre Washington (D.C.); Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre, and Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera. Tim has taught Acting/Theater at the university level for DePaul University, Roosevelt University, Wheaton College and Moody Bible Institute. Tim’s acting credits include numerous roles at Provision Theater, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Steppenwolf Theatre, Cleveland Playhouse, Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre, Apple Tree Theatre, Drury Lane Oakbrook Theatre, Next Theatre Company, Alliance Theatre in Atlanta and Ford’s Theatre in Washington. His television credits include “Cupid” on ABC, “DeClassified” on WGN, and “Family Practice” on Lifetime. He also served as the host of HGTV’s “New Spaces”. Tim is the program director and announcer of the Christian radio drama, Unshackled. Tim has also narrated over a hundred audio books and has been nominated for an Audie Award.
TODD BUSTEED
The power of a well told story should never be underestimated. A veteran of audio drama, radio, audio books, and voice acting, Todd has a long-standing passion for great storytelling. The foundational principle of GAP Digital, the production company he runs, is that “we work for the story.” He been blessed to be able to help tell a great many stories over the years.
Another passion is huddling with like minded creatives. Sharing ideas, telling accounts of life in the production trenches, creating opportunities, and reconnecting, benefits the entire storytelling community. Todd is looking forward to returning to SonicCon for that reason.
KERA O’BRYON
Kera is an Emmy-nominated actress, singer, vocal coach and voice artist. In the on-camera world, Kera does film, television, and commercials. She has performed in over 40 musical theatre productions, and she most recently had the lead role in Mamma Mia!, Kera sings with various jazz groups, as well as doing jingles and other studio productions. She’s been in the voice-over industry for over 25 years as a voice actor, doing commercials, film, ADR, IVR, Audio dramas, etc. More recently, she has voiced for Abide, Adventum, Jonathan Park, Skyship Dreamer, etc, which have a global reach. Kera is excited to bring her experience and expertise to Sonic-Con 2023!
jared depasquale
For over twenty five years Jared has composed the musical scores for some of Western culture’s most celebrated stories and iconic characters in the audio drama genre including Les Miserables, The Secret Garden, Little Women, The Hiding Place, The Legends of Robin Hood, The Trials of Saint Patrick, and the newly released Victory of Joan of Arc. The recipient of numerous awards and critical acclaim, his work is widely recognized for its ability to musically capture complex characters amidst stories that are rich in texture and meaning.
Early in his career, Jared apprenticed under Emmy and ASCAP Award winning composer Joseph LoDuca. With LoDuca, Jared learned the business of composing for A-list projects including the globally syndicated television shows Xena: The Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journey. Immediately following his apprenticeship, Jared was recognized by Music from the Movies as one of the three most promising and interesting talents among film composers today.
DePasquale is the only person, regardless of award category, to have won three consecutive Seneca Awards (2017-2019), and then a fourth in 2021 for Freedom: William Bradford and the American Pilgrims.
Sue Zizza
Sue is a transmedia storyteller, is a producer, director, writer, sound designer, and owner of SueMedia Productions, a full-service audio production company. Sue has produced award-winning audio fiction for the web, public radio, and audiobooks for more than 3 decades. Her work has been featured at the 2022 Tribeca Festival as well as honored over the years by The Audies (9 nominations, two wins), The Gabriel’s, The International Festival of New York, The National Federation of Community Broadcasters, and the Communicator Awards. In 2021 she was named The Corwin Award winner for lifetime achievement in producing audio fiction. Sue’s sound clients have included: Cleo TV, PBS, Audible, Blackstone, McMillan Publishers, and USA Networks -Sci-FiChannel. From 1996 – 2008, Sue served as the Executive Director of the National Audio Theatre Festivals (NATF) with whom, in 2013, she co-founded the HEAR Now Festival. When not producing and directing, Sue specializes in and manual SFX (Foley) effects for audio productions, film, television and the stage. Sue also teaches audio arts and sound production at New York University’s Kanbar Institute for Film and Television at the Tisch School of the Arts.
David Shinn
David is co-owner of Radio Waves Studios. When David is not busy recording, mixing, and mastering a variety of audio projects for all media including audiobooks, podcasts, reality television series, film, VR, AR, and 360 film, he is busy building and installing audio studios and recording booths for corporate clients and individual artists.
David is also known as a foley (SFX) artist for live and studio productions. He both builds props and performs.
David’s work has been recognized by the Emmys (multiple nominations and a win for the PBS documentary, "The Real Bedford Falls: It’s a Wonderful Life" during the pandemic), the Audies (9 nominations, 2 wins), The Communicator Awards, Earphone Awards, The International Radio Festival, and numerous other awards.
During the pandemic, when many studios were shuttered, David, who had already been experimenting with blended remote and in-studio recording, was able to continue working for his clients, while producing new works. This allowed him to create productions with as few as one and also more than 20 cast members. Among his recent credits that feature remote cast recordings are:
Episode 1 of ‘Day by Day,’ was featured in the 2022 Tribeca Festival’s Audio Storytelling programming featuring 10 actors and full sound design.
‘Presence, the Play,’ a 9.5 hour audiobook featuring 20 actors, which won the 2022 Gold Communicator Award of Excellence for Editing and was nominated for Best Sound by NY Festivals.
‘Mason and Milo: A Journey Through the Stars,’ featuring a 9 year-old actor.
In 2020 David oversaw the interconnection of artists from home and commercial studios around the world to create ensemble performance events for the HEAR Now Festival’s 15,000 virtual attendees; the Audio Engineering Society, and Audio Publishers Association Conference.
J.D. SUTTER from AUDIO THEATRE CENTRAL
J.D. Sutter is the host and producer of the Audio Theatre Central podcast and editor of the blog. A lifelong fan of audio drama and an industry critic for over a dozen years, he has guest lectured and spoken on the subject at numerous events. J.D. is also a voiceover artist, podcast consultant, and chair of the ATC Seneca Awards, the annual awards for the family-friendly audio drama industry.
