Perd Hapley is one of the best-loved characters of Parks and Recreation, portrayed by actor Jay Jackson. The unusual newscaster became a fan favourite during the show. Jackson, himself, is a former broadcast journalist who worked in LA for more than twenty years. His inspiration came from his real-life experiences as a journalist. Jackson revealed this information in an interview with Entertainment Weekly."He had a unique clip in the way he would do the news,"He also credited Furnell Chatman, an NBC Los Angeles journalist, as influencing Perd's individual approach to style and presentation. The character's distinct voice and humorous timing were created by mixing Jackson's own reporting skills with Chatman's unique news presentation style. The fans of the Parks and Recreation series were fond of the confusing statements and wordplay Perd practiced over the series.Read more about the story.Real reporter named Chatman View this post on Instagram Instagram PostParks and Recreation took the real-life broadcasting experience that Jackson had and transferred it to the fictional character Perd Hapley. Jay Jackson explained that Furnell Chatman was an NBC Los Angeles reporter with a very distinctive and unusual style. Chatman, now 78 years old, had worked in broadcast journalism for over 40 years across three different cities. He was the first Black broadcast journalist in Louisiana in history in 1972.Chatman worked extremely hard at WVUE-TV in New Orleans and then made it memorable at the Channel 4 NBC in Los Angeles. Jackson used Chatman's now-famous catchphrase and delivery technique as inspiration for Perd's endearing qualities. The actor claimed that Chatman was easily recognized due to his peculiar speech pattern and salt-and-pepper beard.Turning experience into comedy View this post on Instagram Instagram PostJackson has been able to leverage his real journalistic skills in the role of Perd Hapley on Parks and Recreation to create embarrassing humor. Director Alex Hardcastle encouraged Jackson to experiment with his performance during the early episodes. Hardcastle suggested Jackson exaggerate his delivery to make the character funnier. Jackson started with a straightforward reporter approach but gradually developed into the goofy Perd we know today.The actor attributed this gradual development to the fact that he discovered the personality and the speaking style of Perd. Parks and Recreation also provided Jackson with the opportunity to work alongside excellent actors and screenwriters, which helped him improve his comedic timing. This is what taught him how to act and behave on the set.Jackson's journalism backgroundParks and Recreation star Jay Jackson had a successful career that covered major stories in Southern California before joining the acting industry. He covered sad news, including murders, fires, and accidents, at the KCAL9 News in Los Angeles. Jackson said that he was practiced at the so-called death and destruction beat. He covered significant stories, including high-profile cases that attracted major attention.His real journalism work spanned from 1993 onwards at various stations, including KUSI Television, UPN, and CBS2. Parks and Recreation benefited from Jackson's authentic understanding of how news anchors actually worked. This genuine background made his portrayal of Perd Hapley believable while also being incredibly funny and entertaining.Follow Soap Central for more updates!