Charles Breen

Film director, Mimi Leder, said it first. On an interview with her, the first thing she mentioned was my voice. "You have an amazing speaking voice. Do you do voice over?" Although I was there to interview to design a feature film she was about to direct, I was flattered by her compliment. And if it had been the last time a professional had said something like that, I may not have pursued a career in voice over. But it happened...again and again. And when a voice over professional said exactly the same thing, I listened. I was immediately immersed into the world of voice over and spent the first six months of my career training intensively, spending several days a week, every week in a vocal booth, learning the ropes and the subtleties of the craft. I attended classes and seminars, and because of my SAG affiliation, had the good fortune of being able to attend voice over seminars and workshops there, as well. The advantage that I have is not only my distinctive voice, but the many years of professional experience that I have both behind and in front of the camera in the entertainment industry. Having the opportunity to work closely with directors and being around some of the best actors in the industry has given me insight into taking direction and what it takes to be a great performer. Charles originally studied architecture at Cranbrook the world-renowned art and design school in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Once in Los Angeles, he quickly gravitated to the film industry and began working at Universal Studios as a set designer and art director. His film credits include working with Ridley Scott on BLADE RUNNER, Mike Nichols on POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE, Richard Attenborough on CHAPLIN and James Cameron on TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY. He also worked with Barry Levinson on DISCLOSURE, Clint Eastwood on THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY and William Friedkin on JADE. Recently, after being encouraged by several directors he has worked with, Charles began pursuing work as a voice over artist. He is currently being coached by voice over professionals and is attending a number of classes and workshops, both privately and at the Screen Actors Guild. He recently received certification to be able to attend the Don LaFontaine workshops and lab at the Screen Actors Guild. Nominated for an Emmy for Best Art Direction for HBO's WEAPONS OF MASS DISTRACTION, Charles is a member of the Art Directors Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) and a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and is excited about his new endeavors as a voice over artist. Home Studio • iMac Desktop (3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 1TB Hitachi Hard Drive) • MacBook Air Laptop (1.86 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, 251GB Flash Drive) • Mac OS X Version 10.6.6 • Pro Tools, Audacity, TwistedWave, GarageBand Software • M-Audio Producer USB Cardioid Microphone and boomstand • Bose QuietComfort 3 Headphones In addition to my home studio and equipment, I have access to a professional state of the art voice over studio which includes equipment by Manley, E-mu, and DBX. Also available is an assortment of Sennheiser/Neumann, MXL, and Pearlman microphones, including a Neumann U87. This studio also has ISDN and two professional quality sound booths and an assortment of recording software and mixing board. Having worked in the entertainment industry for a number of years, Charles knows how important it is to be professional and conscientious about your work. He also knows how important it is to deliver a quality product on time and on budget. Easy to work with and extremely creative, Charles has a keen sense of humor, takes direction well and gets a tremendous amount of satisfaction and enjoyment out of his work. In addition, Charles is not only computer proficient, but has a background in music and editing as well. His knowledge of the visual aspects of film, music videos and commercials lends itself well to the world of the voice over artist. Being able to visualize a script is extremely important in that arena. Although he is open to many voice over opportunities and will consider all that may come his way, because of his love of film and cars, Charles is especially interested in movie trailers and automobile commercials.