Jarrod Butts

I knew I was certifiable from the age of eight. My epiphany began from the moment I started imitating Barney Rubble. Before long I added Bugs Bunny, Speedy Gonzalez, Marge Simpson and a slew of animated characters I don't have the pride to mention. I'm so ashamed of myself. You see, this is what I got for consuming too much detritus from television. Speaking of which, I've done work for clients such as Nestle, Coca-Cola, Pennzoil, Glaxo SmithKline in my native Trinidad. As mentioned before, I've recorded scores of ads for radio, and yes, television. Wow! Well, I received formal training from the Trinidad Theatre Workshop. That's where, you could say, I honed my craft; made it sound better. It helped me tremendously when I became a News Editor for a radio station in Trinidad. I was able to read and produce the news. I even had a stint as a newspaper columnist. At the moment, I'm a copywriter for McCann Erickson, where I've used both my writing and voicing skills to great effect, I might add, when it came to selling concepts and advertisements. I'm a complete nut. Well, maybe that's not true. But I am a firm believer in experimenting with voices. The reason is that you can invent an array of voices that neither you nor anyone else was aware of before. One must have a unbridled passion for this profession. To me, it's more than just a job. It's a creative outlet where I feel truly alive. As I said earlier, my stints in acting, advertising and journalism have helped tremendously in terms of sounding better. And, naturally, one must practice, practice, practice. Almost to a maniacal level, when you think about it.