He was a quiet little boy. Practically friendless. And above all, he felt alone in the world. Jarret Griffis’s evolution from a sickly quiet child to a voiceover artist occurred through a series of occurrences that most people would never have happened to them. But it all began with an ear problem that had him in hospitals from 2-8 years old. And, at school, no one was interested in this boy. “The teachers did not know how to handle me.”
Jarret is open about his personae based on his childhood. “I tend to be guarded,” he says. “And I spent so much time alone; I never wanted to be an actor, so I have no idea how it happened.”
The truth is it was COVID that initiated Jarret’s entry into voiceover. “I had a friend who asked me to narrate a book he had written.” So, Jarret recorded the book, and his feedback of positivity knocked him over and got his attention.
Born in Rockwood, Tennessee, Jarret noticed that the deep accent of the Tennessee native made “people think we were stupid, so I adjusted my speech pattern from the people I saw when watching the news.” He’s referring to network news, where the general American dialect is prevalent. Tom Brokaw is famous for having this accent due to being raised in South Dakota. In essence, the general American dialect indicates no regional place where your accent will be telegraphed. It’s the accent that isn’t.
He started designing computers at 17, and “I would write articles reviewing new equipment,” says Jarret. “And in the 90s, you had to fix your own computers, unlike today.” This created Jarret’s niche, allowing him to “enjoy working from home without supervision because I do not like to be told what to do.”
Meanwhile, as his I.T. career took off, he had his eye on voiceover, although “I had never thought I had talent,” says Jarret. “I just didn’t sound like those guys.” But what was brewing underneath the status quo of a “perfect voice” was a need for a voice that was anything but perfect, and that’s when Jarret’s voice found its place. www.jarretgriffis.com
But before Jarret got into other areas of voice work besides standard branding work, he spent an extended period of time taking classes and emulating other successful character voices. Here’s an example of what he did. This is Jarret copying the original script to duplicate the sounds he heard on the original.
Despite his preference for character work, Jarret discovered he had commercial talents.
However, Jarret’s range revealed itself in many other voice ventricles. Here is the result of PBS using Jarret.
“I would have never imagined that my goal in voiceover would have developed so well,” says Jarret. “I’m an I.T. data storage specialist. What does that have to do with the creative arts?”
The answer lies in the evolution of the need to hear natural voices. Unlike the founders of voicework like Don LaFontaine, “the monster truck voices” from yesteryear had aged out of the voiceover business. The internet came into being. And with it came the need for the viewer to hear a voice that sounded like they did, not like the forefathers of the business that had set the standard for what was considered excellence.
This became good news for Jarret and thousands of other talents who suddenly began to realize that Anybody with a unique polished sound could find a place in voiceover. “And I did,” says Jarret.
His dive into character work allowed Jarret to discover that he had been accepted into V.O. work. His preference was character work, and with much surprise, this track came:
“I get a lot of enjoyment out of playing unhinged characters like Bullseye,” says Jarret. “I feel like I have a larger canvas, so I can be more creative with how I deliver lines.”
Character portrayals are my new thing. In “Battle Ballz,” “I’m doing four voices.” And there are other opportunities Jarret discovered in such works as his performance in “Marvel Move.”
So, now at 45, Jarret lives in Austin and still works in field engineering while pursuing voiceover. And as ironic as it is, Austin has become a world hub for I.T. experts, but for Jarret, “I’d rather do voice.”
And in final, “I’m still an introvert, and I do okay in a crowd, but I generally prefer small groups of people or alone.” But he is no longer “practically friendless” but still, just like childhood, quiet. But there is one exception. Add a microphone, and Jarret will be anything but quiet.
