To send off Black History Month (and as a reminder to learn and celebrate Black History all year round), I wanted to put together a post in tribute to several Black artists who worked on Amanda the Adventurer!
Blair Greene-Osako's incredible performance brought Amanda to life, and was the whole reason I first fell in love with this game years ago. You can hear about her voice acting journey and her experience playing Amanda in this interview with Toastymarshmellow (fun fact: her passion for the craft was reignited after seeing a panel with Anairis Quiñones, whose name you might recognize from I Don't Want To Be A Magical Girl!!!).
Anyone who knows these games can attest to her talent (both in voice acting and singing!!!), and it's always wonderful when you can tell a character's actor is also their biggest fan! Suffice it to say, Amanda the Adventurer wouldn't be the same without her.
Blair Greene-Osako Voice Actress & Singer
Greene-Osako is also involved with several other indie projects, one of which being AuTUMNTROSS, a short film by Pidgin Place which serves as a love-letter to the civil and workers rights movements of midcentury America. In a video introducing her character, Ivory, Greene-Osako spoke about her family's own history:
I do come from a family that was very big on the Civil Rights Movement, especially my late Great Uncle Donald Hogan. He was the first Black photographer for the New York Times, and he took a lot of photos during the Civil Rights Movement.
I feel really connected to my family, being part of this project, and I know you guys are really going to enjoy it, especially during these times, you know. Don't give up, fight for what you believe in, and the more people that fight together, the stronger we'll all become.
🌟 art director of ATA 1-3 | voice of Chickenscratch
Reece Themen has been part of ATA since the very beginning, and his awesome style and art direction gave the game its iconic identity! Not only did he DESIGN AMANDA HERSELF, he also designed her Entity (a.k.a. the Colton Anomaly) and conjured up the name of MANGLEDmaw!!!!
For a glimpse behind the scenes at the more technical side of things he's done on ATA (such as modelling, rigging, and animation), you can watch this Dreadful Dev Diary. And if you're a fan of Hollow Knight, Star Wars, Studio Ghibli, or just cool character designs of all kinds, check out his Instagram!!! You can also find his art and socials on his Artstation!
In addition to art and game development, Themen plays trombone in a protest band called Marching Disorder. Included below is their single "Your Silence," as well as the message and links which accompany it on their Bandcamp.
In Gaza, the void of our silence and inaction bleeds out into an inferno, where Canadian companies rake in profits selling bullets and military equipment to Israel's biggest defence contractors, directly fueling genocide.
We have a stark choice. Do we compel our leaders to act now, impose sanctions and a real two-way arms embargo on Israel, and unblock the pathways for refugees from Gaza to arrive here safely? Or do we sink back into collective, comfortable, murderous silence?
None of this suffering is inevitable or unavoidable. It can end, and we can help bring that about. Our liberation and life are bound up together, the same planet under the same sky from here to Palestine, and no authority can force us back into silence if we make enough trouble, together.
The Sameer Project | Arms Embargo Now
🌟 actress of Caroline in ATA 2
Kalima Young created such a memorable performance as Caroline in ATA 2's Occult Research Meeting tapes that I had to seek out the rest of the work that she's done!! Dr. Young specializes in film, activism, and media studies to uplift and educate about marginalized identities and experiences—namely the intersections of Blackness, queerness, and womanhood. To my knowledge, all her works are linked on her website, and I also recommend checking out her Vimeo!
Academic. Artist. Activist.
As a professor, she's spoken on numerous panels which are available to watch online!!!!!!!!! Here you can watch one specifically about the history of Black actors in horror film, a legacy she herself is a part of by virtue of her role in ATA and other horror projects she's acted in!
It never ceases to amaze me just how this game brought together so many talented and creative people, and getting to explore their works beyond ATA has been such an awesome experience!!! In addition to the works I've highlighted here, I highly recommend you seek out these artists' portfolios for yourself. I'm still in the process of doing so, and I look forward to keeping you updated on old projects I think you should check out, as well as new projects on the horizon!
I want to conclude this post with a project of Dr. Young's I experienced this past month. Living Proof is a documentary that chronicles an acting workshop she ran over a decade ago, which acted as a safe space for Black queer youth to build community and express themselves. The workshop culminated in the creation of a play, which you can watch here! I wanted to highlight a quote of hers from the reunion video they made 8 years later:
I would love to live in a town and in a country that actually respected the lives of young people. And when I watch [Living Proof], I see what could possibly be, and it gives me hope. But it also makes me realize, and also continue to pay attention to the fact that we've got a long road ahead of us. "It gets better" doesn't do the trick; it doesn't get better for everybody. And we as adults... especially queer adults—we all have a responsibility to look behind us and lift up.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Black History Month! As always, remember to celebrate Black History as it’s being made every day, and fight together towards a beautiful future!!! 💖💚💙
