#MPTS2025

There has been lots in the voiceover community to share, so we'll start with the happy news first! Senior Voice Agent Lexi Myers spent a wonderful two days at #MPTS2025 at Olympia last week. The event was packed with industry professionals and offered a fantastic opportunity for networking and connection. Some highlights from the event included a deep-dive workshop on the legal landscape surrounding AI, as well as an in-depth seminar from our friends at Molinare on the audio for 1000 Blows. It was also a pleasure to catch up with a few familiar faces, including our fabulous voiceover artist Margaret Ashley!

Margaret Ashley - Claraty Voices

Margaret is a multi award-winning and nominated British voice actor, recognised for her exceptional talent by the VOX Awards, One Voice Awards, SOVAS Voice Arts® Awards, and the International Independent Film Awards, where she has earned both Platinum and Diamond accolades. A native Geordie, Margaret delivers the accent with authenticity, and is also highly skilled Margaret is a multi award-winning and nominated British voice actor, recognised for her exceptional talent by the VOX Awards, One Voice Awards, SOVAS Voice Arts® Awards, and the International Independent Film Awards, where she has earned both Platinum and Diamond accolades. A native Geordie, Margaret delivers the accent with authenticity, and is also highly skilled in RP, Scouse, Yorkshire, Welsh, London, and Transatlantic accents. Her voiceover credits span TV and radio commercials, audio dramas (Doctor Who, Blake’s 7, The Grey Rooms, HUMANE), video games (Fallout: London, Disco Elysium – The Final Cut, Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, A Plague Tale – Requiem), and dubbing for Netflix (KLEO). With an extensive background in theatre and television (Coronation Street, The Bill, London’s Burning, Crimewatch, and more), Margaret brings a wealth of performance experience to every role. She also hosts the Voice Acting Unplugged podcast, recorded from her professional home studio. Studio Specs: Neumann TLM103 mic, Focusrite Scarlett Solo interface, Studio One DAW, Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro headphones. Remote options: Cleanfeed (preferred), Session Link, Source-Nexus, or your platform of choice. A trusted, versatile voice with a broadcast-quality setup—Margaret delivers excellence with every performance.

Claraty Voices - London based voice over agency

Sir Elton John

"Thievery on the Highest Scale" - Sir Elton John

Sir Elton sat down with Laura Kuenssberg for BBC News along with UK Music Chief Executive Tom Kiehl about the failure of the British government to protect musicians and other creatives in the face of AI.

Sir Elton discussed the support he'd expected from Prime Minister Keir Starmer, but noted that the protections he felt had been promised have not been delivered upon. He explained that the tension between AI and creatives can easily be solved with a simple two-pronged approach: approval and transparency. But, Sir Elton, explained that AI companies not only have failed to ask for permissions, they have been far from transparent. That leaves small creators, musicians, and songwriters who do not have the resources to investigate and pursue abuse of their work in a very tough position.

Sir Elton said, "AI can do wonderful things, but when it comes to music and creativity, let's draw a line here, please."

Darth Vader Causes Legal Trouble

Meanwhile, Artificial Intelligence continues to cause legal battles over in the States. SAG-AFTRA has just filed an Unfair Labor Practices charge with the NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) against Llama Productions, the company that produces Fortnite. The charge claims that the voice of James Earl Jones was used to create the voice of the Darth Vader without giving the union notice or allowing them to engage in any negotiations around the AI-powered voice creation.

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SAG-AFTRA Statement on Fortnite’s Use of A.I. Darth Vader Voice and ULP Filing

SAG-AFTRA

SAG-AFTRA members are not currently prohibited from working on Fortnite despite the ongoing Interactive Media Agreement strike due to a term in the union’s contract which allows performers to work during a strike on specific projects that were in production prior to the commencement of the strike. However, despite a statement from Epic Games, which owns Llama Productions, that the estate of James Earl Jones was consulted about the use of Mr. Jones's iconic voice, SAG-AFTRA defends its right of its members and their estates to bargain for the terms and conditions under which AI-powered voice work is generated.