VO Atlanta 2026 kicks off in two days, and if you have been in the voice over industry for any length of time, you already know what that means. The world’s largest and longest-running voice over conference is about to take over the Hilton Atlanta hotel, and this year promises to be the biggest one yet. For me, the event is personal — not just because VO Atlanta is a world-class event, but because it happens right here in my city.
What VO Atlanta Means to Me
I have been attending VO Atlanta since 2014. That first year, I walked through those hotel doors as a wide-eyed attendee, ticket in hand, badge proudly displayed, soaking in everything the conference had to offer. The sessions were sharp. The networking was electric. The sense of being surrounded by people who truly understood this industry was something I had never quite experienced anywhere else at that scale.
Over time, my relationship with the conference evolved. After building a friendship with founder Gerald Griffith, I joined the media team, where I had the privilege of interviewing not just attendees but some of the presenters themselves. For anyone who follows my YouTube channel, you know that interviewing voice over talent is something I genuinely love doing. Getting to do that inside the walls of VO Atlanta, with some of the sharpest minds in the business walking by, was an experience I will always be grateful for.
This year looks a little different. I am not coming as part of the media team. I am coming as a friend of the conference — someone who has watched it grow year after year and wants to be in the halls when history gets made again. And trust me, history is getting made.
The Largest Voiceover Conference By Numbers
VO Atlanta 2026 is breaking its own record with over a thousand attendees expected to walk through those doors. Add to that more than a hundred expert speakers, seventy small group sessions, and a hundred and thirty panels and breakout sessions, and you start to understand why voice over professionals from across the country — and around the world — make this conference a priority every single year.
These are not vanity numbers. They reflect the growth of an industry that more people are taking seriously, and an event that has consistently delivered real, actionable value to everyone who attends. Whether you are just starting out or you have been in the booth for decades, there is something at VO Atlanta designed specifically for where you are right now.
Rob Paulsen Takes the Keynote Stage
If the size of the conference was not enough to get your attention, the keynote speaker certainly will. This year, VO Atlanta 2026 welcomes the legendary Rob Paulsen to the main stage. If that name does not immediately ring a bell, I promise the characters will. Rob Paulsen has voiced some of the most iconic animated characters in television history, and my personal favorite — Pinky from Pinky and the Brain — is just one entry on a resume that most voice actors could only dream of building.
Hearing someone of Rob Paulsen’s caliber speak about the craft is the kind of thing you do not take for granted. His career spans generations of animation, and the perspective he brings to the voice over conference Atlanta stage is both inspiring and instructive. This is not a celebrity appearance for the sake of having a big name. This is a working voice actor with over four decades of lessons to share.
Familiar Faces and Fresh Energy
Beyond the keynote, several speakers I have had the pleasure of knowing over the years are returning to VO Atlanta 2026. Among them is former keynote speaker Deborah Wilson, whose presence at the conference always draws a crowd.
A huge part of what keeps VO Atlanta firing on all cylinders year after year is the work of J. Michael Collins and his wife Anna. The two of them have done an incredible job of maintaining the energy and momentum that makes this conference unlike anything else in the industry. J. Michael’s influence as a voice actor is well established, and that reputation has helped attract fresh speakers, business coaches, working actors, and new talent who might not have found their way to the conference otherwise. He and Anna’s business acumen behind the scenes has shaped VO Atlanta into something that keeps getting stronger. On a personal note, J. Michael is also an award-winning demo producer — and he produced my commercial demo, which I am incredibly proud of.
Watching familiar faces return while new attendees experience the conference for the first time is one of the things that makes this event feel alive. I plan to connect with as many speakers and attendees as I can. Some of those conversations will likely end up on my YouTube channel. Others will stay between me and the people I have the good fortune of sharing a hallway with. Either way, I am showing up with open ears and a full appreciation for what this conference has built over the years.
VO Atlanta Is Two Days Away
If you are attending VO Atlanta 2026, I hope to see you there. If you are not, follow along on my channel and right here on the blog — because this week, there will be plenty worth talking about.
