Brendon Small

Growing up in rural Salinas, CA, Brendon Small had little to no exposure to the cultural amenities of city life. Geography, however, did not stop him from pursuing a career in the arts. On the insistence of a friend, Small first began playing guitar at the age of 15, and by his late teens was performing in front of audiences around his hometown. After high school, Small decided to take his passion for performing once step further, by enrolling in the prestigious Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, MA. After graduating from the school in 1997, Small continued to perform in clubs throughout Boston. By the late '90s, however, the hip-hop explosion was already underway in America, and Small, a rock musician by trade, subsequently found that less venues were willing to host his style of music. With rock music seemingly on its way out, Small gave up music and turned to comedy. He enrolled in a few comedy courses at Emerson College, and before long was performing his standup on stages all throughout Boston. On one particular night, a young comedy writer by the name of Loren Bouchard happened to catch Small's act. Bouchard liked what he saw and decided to approach Small after the show. Quickly realizing they had similar comedic sensibilities, Small and Bouchard came up with the idea for an animated TV show about a young boy who makes DIY videos with his friends. The show, called "Home Movies," was eventually picked up by the UPN network, but was quickly cancelled after only five episodes. As luck would have it, however, the newbie Adult Swim network saw potential in the show, and soon picked it up. "Home Movies" aired for four seasons on Adult Swim, and although it was never a breakout hit, over time the show developed enough of a cult following to be ranked in a list of the Top 100 Animated Shows of All Time compiled by the popular entertainment website IGN. After the show was cancelled in 2004, Small made his living as a prominent voice actor on such animated shows as "Squidbillies" and "Venture Bros.," while also making the occasional appearance on such live action shows as "Reno 911!" (Comedy Central 2003-09). Then in 2006, Small returned to writing and producing with the darkly humorous animated series "Metalocalypse." The show followed the comedic mishaps of a fictional death metal band known as Dethklok. Small co-created the show with friend and partner Tommy Blacha, while also voicing several of the show's characters. In a move signaling a return to his musical roots, Small also wrote all of the music for "Metalocalypse," which he released on several albums under the Dethklok name.