Today we’d like to introduce you to Charles Westphal.
Hi Charles, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’m Charles, a composer and producer born and raised outside of San Francisco. As a kid, I wasn’t particularly musical. I took classical piano lessons on and off for a number of years, but really stories were the thing that drove me—I wanted to write and read every chance I could. That was the way, far as I could tell, to think clearer, communicate more easily, and connect to everyone and everything more deeply. By the time I turned 15 that all kind of merged with music. I realized that my favorite film and game moments were accompanied (or driven entirely) by the music. It managed to communicate something with an emotional directness that I still can’t wrap my head around.
Composing piano sketches had taken over by then, and soon after I got my hands on a copy of Logic Pro. Piano compositions became beats, scores, orchestral mockups, and everything in between. I was fascinated by sample libraries, plugins, and every trick I came across on YouTube. The fact that I could open up my laptop and replicate an orchestra with the click of a button absolutely transformed my life.
So after a quick stint of creative writing at UC Santa Cruz, I went on to study and graduate from Berklee (2020). There, I relearned the piano, discovered that seventh chords weren’t evil, finally fell in love with classical music, and met tons of extraordinary musicians and friends who completely changed the way I understood music.
Next up was a quick but impactful internship with Ryan Shore and then a tough season of COVID. The years following were a mix of freelance work and assistant jobs, culminating in a position with Audiomachine. There, I had the privilege to learn from, work with, and befriend composers whose music I had previously used for reference. It was a pretty mind blowing time of life, and thanks to all my friends there I learned a great deal, wrote a ton, and had a chance to develop my ear.
After a couple years of assisting, composing on various albums, and eventually completing one of my own, I chose to leave the library music world to explore outside opportunities.
I currently do a combination of composing, producing, ghostwriting, mixing, and music editing from my home studio in LA, always striving to better my craft through a study of and reverence for the masters.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Ha! Certainly not. COVID was a huge initial obstacle. I had some solid momentum built up that crashed to a halt. That was pretty demoralizing for sure.
And on my second LA stint I was living month to month for over a year. Plus being an assistant had its fair share of ups and downs.
I think the shortage of opportunity and surplus of talent pretty much guarantees that it’s a tough road, so perseverance and just focusing on improving the craft was really critical.
And given the inundation of overqualified musicians, there’s this constant battle of comparison. You know how you want your music to sound, and it can be difficult if not impossible due to project constraints to meet your own expectations. So I had to learn a lot about detachment and just moving forward. Depending on the deadline there is definitely such a thing as “good enough.”
So yeah I’ve experienced most the classic LA symptoms—That said I’ve been really lucky. Have had some miraculous opportunities and met tons of amazing mentors and friends along the way who selflessly opened doors and pushed me through them.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m primarily a composer and producer for visual media (film, animation, games). Currently I’m writing music for an upcoming telenovela and a few smaller films.
The most high profile work I’ve done was for Call of Duty: Mobile, including main themes: Shadow Operatives & Eternal Ghost (2024) along with 10+ other tracks. My music can also be heard on the main trailer for “The Fire Inside” from Amazon MGM Studios.
Honestly I’m most proud of the work I did with my friends at Sound Citizen back in 2020, where we created custom music for the Mississippi Aquarium. We were all finishing up college (it shows) but there was something magical about the experience of cramming into a dingy apartment and collaborating while ignoring school work. I’m still dying for an excuse to do a remaster.
Basically I try and integrate the musical / instrumental awareness of classical composers with the sonic awareness and ingenuity of modern producers. It’s a task I constantly fall short of but always strive for.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I think doing everything you can to be around and learn from the people you professionally look up to is a must.
In my case, I applied for a number of internships in my last year of college. When I landed one, I moved to LA and committed everything I could to that experience, which then snowballed indirectly into other opportunities. I don’t think interning is necessary, but in my case it was a good way to learn from and meet people that knew way more than me.
There are also tons of creative meetups. Going to those gives you a lay of the land, and can help you connect with people doing what you want to do. I’ve found that people are surprisingly excited to offer help and guidance if asked. So not being afraid to ask for wisdom (ideally in person) is helpful. Just make sure you’re curious about them, not just how they can help you. You really want to go into those kind of situations without any expectations, which is sort of a paradox.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.charleswestphal.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/
- Other: https://www.soundcitizenmusic.com
