BRIAN TELESTAI

Brian Telestai is an American actor based in the Pacific North West who works in film, audiobooks, VO, television, and theatre. Brian’s career in the entertainment industry started as a musician on The Vans Warped Tours in 2006 & 2007 as a founding member of the post-hardcore band I Am Ghost on Epitaph Records (bass/keys/orchestration). Although he has a gold record on his wall, Brian is equally proud of his ukulele cover of Lil Jon's "Get Low".

His voice has been described as approachable, articulate, and full of layers. He loves sinking his acting teeth into a compelling villain in a fantasy or a pair of friends with pithy, comedic dialogue. Brian is excited by stories and character arcs that champion the underdog and highlight the struggles of the human condition. He has been cast as the confident jackass, the millennial professor, the jaded optimist, the friendly bartender, the holiday grump, and the tech company CEO.

Brian has worked with traditional publishers like Penguin Random House, Tantor, Audioworks/Spotify, Hachette, OrangeSky Audio, Recorded Books, and Simon & Schuster. He is proud to have narrated books written by indie authors, leaders, musicians, aerospace engineers, and even Pulitzer Prize-winning sports journalists. He loves voicing and reading Motivational and Environmental Nonfiction, Men's Mental Health, Musician Memoirs, Sci-Fi, YA, Horror/Thrillers, and Adventure/Survival.

Over Thanksgiving of 2021, Brian was involved in a near-death experience along the Oregon beach. While running, Brian accidentally stepped into a sinkhole, where he shattered the radial head in his right arm and dislocated his elbow. Blacking out from the pain, Brian came to while being hit by waves. He managed to climb out of the water with his remaining 3 limbs and save his own life by scaling the side of a cliff. After a joint replacement, he has been healing physically and mentally, with a renewed desire to create art that will outlive himself.

When not narrating or acting, Brian can be found forest bathing along the Boise river, writing and producing musical screenplays, hiking and rock-climbing in the Pacific North West, helping his wife of 15 years with her performing arts camps, or snuggling with their tuxedo cat. 

​Brian was also a featured model for dozens of Hot Topic's store-front posters and internet catalogue. As an actor, you can see Brian in horror and sci-fi films, with selections at the Boston Sci-Fi Film Festival and Sun Valley Film Festival, as well as season 2 of the Bible-era drama, The Chosen. Brian's theatrical credits include work with the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Migration Theory (Boise), Dramatic Adventure Theatre (NYC/Tanzania), and Alley Repertory Theatre (Boise). Brian has also been interviewed and featured in dozens of national and international publications, radio shows, and tv shows. 

To work with Brian Telestai, email him at Brian.Telestai@gmail.com.