Brendon Small

Brendon Small (born February 15, 1975 in Springfield, Illinois) is an American sitcom writer/producer, actor, voice actor, composer, and musician. He is best known as the creator of the animated series Home Movies and Metalocalypse.

Early career
Small started learning guitar at 14 to assuage boredom after his family moved to Salinas, California. At his first public performance his hands shook so wildly that he had trouble controlling the guitar. It would be another ten years before he was comfortable performing in public. He graduated from Palma Highschool in Salinas California. He graduated from the Berklee College of Music in 1997. During his music studies he concurrently took several writing and comedy classes at Emerson College. After graduating, he felt that the rock music genre was fading in popularity so decided to try his hand at comedy.

He was performing at The Comedy Studio in Harvard Square when he was spotted by Loren Bouchard, who at the time was casting for the central character for a UPN pilot produced by Tom Snyder Productions which eventually evolved into Home Movies.

Television work
Brendon Small was the co-creator, writer, voice actor, composer and musician for Home Movies, a cartoon initially aired on the UPN television network and then moved to Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. The final episode of Home Movies aired on April 4, 2004, after running four seasons, although the show is periodically rerun on Adult Swim. In the series, he voiced the show's protagonist, 8-year-old aspiring filmmaker Brendon Small, as well as a number of other characters.

Small lent his voice to a number of other animated shows. He co-starred as Chad in the BET animated sit-com, Hey Monie!, and has voiced many supporting characters in The Venture Bros., including that show's shell shocked and drug-addicted version of Jonny Quest. Small has also had cameo roles in Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Squidbillies, Reno 911!, and Frisky Dingo. Small along with Scott Adsit appeared as lead characters of the Adult Swim pilot Let's Fish; the show's pilot premiered on May 13, 2007, but the series was not picked up.

In April 2005, the Sci Fi Channel announced an upcoming debut of a half-hour animated ensemble comedy show created by Small titled Barbarian Chronicles. The show, which has yet to be seen, was said to be produced by Small and Worldwide Pants Incorporated. Small has said that there are currently no plans to produce the show but that anything can happen in the future.

Small's latest television project is as co-producer, co-writer, composer, and voice actor for the Adult Swim series Metalocalypse, which premiered on August 6, 2006. The series focuses on a fictional death metal band named Dethklok, and each episode features a song "performed" by the band. In addition to all of the behind-the-scenes work he does for the series, he also provides voice talent for the characters Skwisgaar Skwigelf, Pickles, and Nathan Explosion, three of the five members of Dethklok. Small has stated that while this is his dream job, he does not really like watching animation that much.

In September 2007, Small completed work on the Dethklok album titled The Dethalbum, in which he collaborates with Gene Hoglan to deliver an authentic melodic death metal sound while simultaneously retaining the light-hearted nature with which Small portrays the heavy metal genre. The album debuted at #21 in the Billboard 200, making it the highest-rated death metal album on the Billboard.

In November 2007, Small, Hoglan, Mike Keneally and Bryan Beller performed live as Dethklok at twelve US college campuses in support of the Dethalbum. The Adult Swim-sponsored "Dethtour" featured Dethklok supporting the indie rock band …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. The foursome reunited in 2008 to headline a longer "Dethtour," where they toured the U.S. in June and early July with fellow metal bands Chimaira and Soilent Green.

They also performed directly before headliners Iron Maiden during the first day of the debut of the Heavy MTL festival in Montreal, Canada, 2008.

Small also recently announced work was complete on The Dethalbum II, released on September 29, 2009. The Dethalbum II reached number #15 on the Billboard 200, making it the highest charting death metal album in history. A tour in support of the new album began in the Fall of 2009, where Dethklok co-headlined with the band Mastodon.

Brendon Small announced that he will be releasing a solo album in fall of 2010, after season 3 finishes.

Brendon Small recently directed Soundgarden's music video for "Black Rain".

Non-television career
Small posed for a pictorial that appeared in the April 2006 issue of Playgirl magazine, as part of a humor-themed issue. Small posed naked holding a medieval flail and a strategically-placed metal shield that hid his genitals.

Along with comedians Ron Lynch and Craig Anton, Small has hosted the "Tomorrow Show", a weekly live comedy show at the Steve Allen Theater in Los Angeles.

Brendon Small currently resides in Los Angeles, California with his dog, Ernie.

Small also announced at a concert Q&A session that he will be putting out an affordable Gibson signature model guitar, not an Epiphone, despite the NAMM photos.

Discography

 * 2004: Songs Brendon's Not Allowed To Name (Also known as web) -- Free online download, comprising songs from Home Movies.
 * 2006: Home Movies - Bonus Soundtrack CD (released with the Home Movies Season 4 Boxset)
 * 2007: Dethklok - The Dethalbum
 * 2009: Dethklok - The Dethalbum II
 * TBA: Solo Album - With Gene Hoglan on Drums