Charlie kicked off at age 19 with an International MTV award. He was accepted to Britain's National Film and Television School, but soon lured away by Richard Branson’s Limelight Films. He worked directly with Nike's Phil Knight to create his first campaign, and never looked back. This was followed by work for Coca-Cola, Nintendo, Budweiser, Disney and Superbowl spots for General Motors.
Developing his storytelling at Ridley Scott Associates, he accelerated his directing of actors by learning acting itself and landing roles. He then continued with international campaigns for Mazda, Nissan, and Sprite. His writing and development of big screen adventures has taken him through Nicaragua’s civil war, undercover with Serbian paramilitaries, East London gamblers, and across the Pacific in a container ship. He is currently developing an innovative musical with British producers Paul Brooks (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) and Gerard McMahon (The Lost Boys).
Charlie’s biggest adventure is fatherhood to three kids who are practically perfect in every way.
Life My priorities have always been that family comes first. I'm away shooting on extended trips so my kids need to know there is a purpose for my absence. However when one of my children was diagnosed with autism, I took time out to nurture him through that jorney. Everything else took second place for quite some time, but watching his development from desperation to fluency was the most rewarding experience of my life, and has given me a heightened appreciation for every facet of the human experience. Now I can enjoy being back behind the camera while knowing my son is enjoying his own journey.
My process I start by getting right to the core of the script. Ask questions. Listen. Establish the one characteristic that sets this product apart. Then I storyboard everything myself and create a "true north" set of images that keeps everyone pointed in the same direction - actors, wardrobe, camera, etc.
Years of working directly with founders and CEO's has developed this language into a strategy of its own. It's a process that gets everyone on the same page and gives the client the comfort of knowing I speak their language.
It's also a universal language that means I'm just as comfortable working in Warsaw, Beirut, Milan, Nashville, Odessa, or anywhere else. One of my favorite directing experiences was a long shoot for MTS; Russia's biggest commercial of the year, we shot in Moscow, Beijing, Hainan, and Kiev with an Italian cinematographer, Russian creative director, and 1st AD from New York. Pulling all the threads into a common language is what I do best and I'm looking forward to the next adventure.
They say:
“One of the six people I’ve ever met who is capable of entirely original thought.”
- Jonathan Miller, Producer, TBWA/Chiat Day/ Apple
“Charlie is a tennis ball machine for ideas. Shoots them out one after the other.”
- Sybil McCarthy, Producer, BMW Worldwide
“I’ve never met a director who is more interested in and obsessed with strategy.”
- Jennifer Palais, strategist, Apple/Google/Nike
“A complete slave driver.”
- Malcom McLaren, manager, The Sex Pistols