The man who runs Manitoba press briefings has a voice straight out of a movie trailer

Paul White sounds like he should be narrating trailers for epic action movies — but instead, he uses his "big, boomy voice" to moderate Manitoba government press conferences.

White is a government media manager who uses his famously baritone voice to call on reporters during virtual press conferences, with all the style and panache of a game show host inviting contestants to "come on down!"

"We went [virtual] at the height of the pandemic, where we had to clear out the reporters from the actual room. And so to bring a little order to the chaos of a typical scrum, we started doing moderation. So that's how I ended up doing this," White told As It Happens host Carol Off.

"I think some [reporters] may get a kick out of it. I know of a couple that use that as a new ringtone on their wireless device."

White's smooth, movie trailer tones have been the subject of social media commentary in Manitoba — and even earned him the "Best Voice of 2020" shout-out last year from Winnipeg Virgin Radio, which noted his "incredible, deep, stop-you-in-your-tracks kind of voice."

While it may sometimes sound like he's hamming it up for the audience, White insists this is just his regular, everyday voice.

"It's something my father left me," he said. "He just had a big, boomy voice. And if any of the boys misbehaved, we knew about it from a distance."

In fact, he says, most of the men in his family sound a bit like old-timey radio announcers.

"I have an older brother who is often mistaken for me on the phone. He dabbled in university radio a long time ago," White said.

"Even my son's got a fairly boomy voice — but not quite like Dad's. He sounds a bit like me, if he wants to mock me a little bit."

White does have some experience in broadcasting. Early in his career, he was a local TV news anchor.

And while his pipes are all natural, he insists he wasn't born with it.

"I wasn't yelling at the doctor after he slapped me," he said. "No, I wasn't doing that."

Written by Sheena Goodyear. Interview produced by Kate Swoger.