As a proud founding board member of CAVA (the Canadian Association of VoiceActors) I’m proud to share news of our launch this past week. Created to protect and sustain a robust future for the voice over industry in Canada, our official launch was announced publicly at the NAVA Gala in Los Angeles, December 4, 2024. Organizing this not-for-profit had been going on for more than six months. CAVA’s board members include myself as Treasurer, Tanya Buchanan as President, Kim Hudon and Emma Harte-O’Neill as co-Vice Presidents, Casey James as Secretary and Bev Standing as Director. Up until the launch were busy creating our mission and guidelines, building our website, creating content and logos, and setting up a membership platform. We also met with representatives of both NAVA (USA) and ACTRA, and now – we’re officially here.
What is CAVA?
CAVA protects Canadian voice over in a number of ways. To advocate for its artists, to educate and support them. CAVA, the Canadian Association of Voice Actors (Association canadienne des artistes en voix hors champ) was inspired by the American version of a similar association, NAVA (National Association of Voice Actors) which was pioneered by Tim Friedlander and Carin Gilfry. Australia’s similar organization is AAVA, led by President Simon Kennedy, and OVU in Latam (Latin America), headed up by Daniel Soler. There is nothing official yet announced for the UK, but rumours abound.
Traditionally, actor unions (i.e. SAG/AFTRA, ACTRA, MEEA, UDA in Québec, etc.) have concerned themselves with protecting voice actor rights (including fair rates). In fact, a primary sticking point of the SAG/AFTRA strike of 2023 was negotiations regarding the use of AI in the entertainment industry. But advancements in AI technology are outpacing the speed of protections. Voice is particularly vulnerable to cloning and unrestricted use.
Enter new independent organizations with similar goals of protecting voice actors’ rights. But in a “union agnostic” manner. In fact part of the CAVA mission is to seek protections “on behalf of the industry as a whole, regardless of gender, race, sexuality, disability, union status or professional representation.” Namely, the rapid advancements in AI voice technology and the greater vulnerability of AI voice generation and image manipulation, among others.
My Friend, Bev
My colleague and friend, Bev Standing is an Ontario-based voice actor who discovered a nasty surprise. Her voice had been used – without her knowledge or consent – as the original AI text to speech voice for TikTok, at the time a new and wildly popular social media platform. Years earlier, Bev had recorded ten hours of audio for a client in Ireland. She was told the usage was for a translation app from Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese to English. ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok obtained those files and used them. TikTokers loved Bev’s AI-manipulated voice and used it everywhere for all kinds of videos – without her consent or further compensation paid to her. Bev learned that even US-based ad agencies used the new TikTok AI voice (her voice) in some advertisements, reaching millions of users across the globe. Bev was not paid any additional compensation for this use.
Our online voiceover community support swarmed around Bev. A Go Fund Me campaign was created to help offset expenses related to her court costs. Since her battle was settled out of court, Bev decided to donate monies raised to the Brad Venable Foundation. In turn, the funds helped launch NAVA.
In prelaunch meetings, CAVA board members sent an invitation to Bev to join us. She accepted and became a Director.
CAVA Protects Canadian Voice Over
In the USA, NAVA has met with over 17 senate and representatives’ offices on Capitol Hill to advocate for protection of the actual voices of all Americans. They’ve also worked hard in the state of California with their efforts directly impacting related legislation. In Canada, ACTRA has been at the forefront of pushing for legislative change toward similar goals. One of CAVA’s intentions is to join ACTRA in their efforts to protect the sustainability of the Canadian voiceover industry. Currently Canadian do not own the rights to the use of their own voices. We aim to change that.
As a Canadian non-profit organization, our mission is to educate, support, and advocate for the sustainability and advancement of Canada’s voiceover industry through action, inclusion, and benefits. CAVA board members have met with the National President of ACTRA and the National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator for ACTRA. Happily, we have found alignment on many goals and each organization looks forward to supporting the efforts of the other.
Get Membership, Join the Movement
CAVA protects Canadian voice over. Nurturing and supporting the health and vitality of our industry is a worthwhile endeavor. To that end, join us by becoming a member of CAVA. We offer numerous benefits, including education (free monthly classes), support, discounts, advice on handling contracts, and lots more to come!