Personal background

Thomas Edward “Tom” Bodett was born on February 23, 1955, in Champaign, Illinois, and raised in Sturgis, Michigan. As of 2013, he resided in Dummerston, Vermont, where he is a member of the town’s board of selectmen.

Career

Spokesperson

Motel 6

In 1986, Bodett was both building houses in Homer, Alaska, and contributing content to NPR’s All Things Considered show. A creative director at the Richards Group ad agency heard him on NPR and hired him to record a commercial for Motel 6. Bodett ad-libbed the famous line, "We'll leave the light on for you", and has been the spokesperson for the chain ever since. The director, David Fowler, hired him because Bodett "sound like the kind of person who stays there." He thought, "Gosh, if I only had an account for a national budget motel brand with a sense of humor and humility, I could make a heck of an advertising campaign with this guy."

In 2005, Motel 6 began using Bodett for their wake-up calls. The chain hoped to bring a more personal touch to people's day by using their spokesperson's voice. Bodett was also featured on the first Motel 6 podcast, released for the holidays.

Beginning in November 2015, a new marketing campaign featuring Bodett's voice premiered, highlighted by TV and radio commercials touting the investment in and renovation of Motel 6 properties nationwide; it's scheduled to run through 2016.

Jamesway

From 1993 to 1994, Tom Bodett was also the spokesperson for Jamesway department stores with stores in Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, and performed voice over radio commercials advertising the chain. Jamesway, a discount chain selling lower end merchandise for less money than some of its competitors, filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the fall of 1995 and closed up shop at the end of the year.

Media appearances

Radio

As a broadcaster, Bodett hosted two radio programs, The End of the Road (1988 to 1990) and Bodett & Company (1993).

In 1999, Bodett started The Loose Leaf Book Company, a radio program that centered on author and book interviews, discussions, and dramatizations.

As of 2013, he is a contributor to The Bob Edwards Show on XMPR and a member of the stable of panelists on Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, a National Public Radio news quiz show.

Television

Bodett hosted the public television program, Travels on America's Historic Trails (1997).

He also did the voiceover for "Mime Time" and the "Good Idea/Bad Idea" segments featuring Mr. Skullhead on Animaniacs, had a brief cameo in Pinky and the Brain, as well as narrated the direct to video Animaniacs movie Wakko's Wish (1999).

Webzine

Bodett was a regular columnist for the webzine Mr. Showbiz.

Writing

In 1999, Bodett published his first children's book, titled Williwaw!

Published works

• As Far As You Can Go Without a Passport (1986), ISBN 0-201-10661-2
• Small Comforts (1987), ISBN 0-201-13417-9
• The End of the Road (1989), ISBN 0-688-08701-9
• The Big Garage on Clearshot (1990), ISBN 0-688-09525-9
• The Free Fall of Webster Cummings (1996), ISBN 0-7868-6209-2
• America's Historic Trails (1997), ISBN 0-912333-00-6
• Williwaw! (2000), ISBN 0-375-80687-3
• Norman Tuttle on the Last Frontier (2004), ISBN 0-679-89031-9

"(The) Last Decent Parking Place in North America", ISBN 055345272X Audio Cassette - 1991 by Random House Audio

In popular culture

The Dungeons & Dragons-themed podcast The Adventure Zone features the fictional town of Rockport, which is populated exclusively by thousands of Tom Bodetts.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]