# Brad Breeck
**Brad Breeck** (Bradley Joseph Breeck, born 1978) is an American composer and songwriter based in Los Angeles, best known as the sole composer of Disney's animated series *Gravity Falls*, for which he also wrote the theme song.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2695142/) His television credits span Disney, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, MTV, and Netflix animated and live-action series.[2](https://www.bradbreeck.com/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name / born | Bradley Joseph Breeck, born 1978 in Illinois[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/breeck-mn0001464768) |
| Education | Master of Fine Arts in composition, California Institute of the Arts, 2003[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/breeck-mn0001464768) |
| Signature work | Sole composer and theme-song writer for *Gravity Falls* (2012–2016, 40 episodes)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2695142/) |
| Award | 2016 ASCAP Screen Music Award, Outstanding Original Score in a Comedy Series, for *Gravity Falls*[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/breeck-mn0001464768) |
| Bands | Member of the experimental noise-pop band The Mae Shi; formed Skull Tape in 2011[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/breeck-mn0001464768) |
| Other series | *We Bare Bears* (4 seasons plus the film), *The Owl House*, *Glitch Techs*, *Voltron: Legendary Defender*, *Star vs. the Forces of Evil*, *Kiff*, *StuGo*, *Awkward*[2](https://www.bradbreeck.com/) |
| Recent work | *Stranger Things: Tales from '85* (Netflix animated spinoff), the rebooted *Smurfs* series for Nickelodeon[2](https://www.bradbreeck.com/) |
## Background and education
Breeck grew up in Illinois listening to Christian heavy metal and punk.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/breeck-mn0001464768) After high school he studied at the [California Institute of the Arts](https://www.edgepedia.org/california-institute-of-the-arts), earning a Master of Fine Arts in composition in 2003.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/breeck-mn0001464768) While at CalArts he formed the experimental noise-pop band The Mae Shi, gigging and releasing several albums; he later stepped back from the band to focus on scoring but stayed active in rock, forming Skull Tape in 2011.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/breeck-mn0001464768) The Mae Shi's music appears in the 2021 film *The Mitchells vs. the Machines*.[2](https://www.bradbreeck.com/)
His own website describes the combination of his punk and indie band history, fluency with vintage synthesizers, and formal composition training as the basis of his style.[2](https://www.bradbreeck.com/) In a 2016 interview he described his tastes as experimental and named writing pop songs as one of his main passions.[4](https://telltaletv.com/2016/03/tv-composer-brad-breeck-on-the-music-of-gravity-falls-and-mtvs-awkward-exclusive-interview/)
## Career path into television
Breeck's first scoring work came through a chain of small opportunities he recounted in a 2016 Reddit AMA: a school friend directing a short at [Nickelodeon](https://www.edgepedia.org/nickelodeon) asked him to score it, that short led to a test demo, the demo led to a Nickelodeon show, the show brought him a manager, and the manager pestered Disney until Breeck got the chance to pitch demos for the *Gravity Falls* theme.[5](https://www.bubbleblabber.com/2016/02/reddit-ama-recap-brad-breeck-talks-gravity-falls-music-composition/)
His early credits included episodes of the [Disney Channel](https://www.edgepedia.org/disney-channel) anthology *Shorty McShorts' Shorts* and installments of Nickelodeon's *Random! Cartoons*, followed by Nickelodeon's *Fanboy & Chum Chum* (2009–2014) and the animated series *Bondi Band* (2010–2012).[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/breeck-mn0001464768) For Nickelodeon he also wrote the theme for *Robot and Monster*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2695142/)
## Gravity Falls
*Gravity Falls*, created by [Alex Hirsch](https://www.edgepedia.org/alex-hirsch), was Breeck's breakthrough: he composed both the main theme and the score for every episode from 2012 to the series' end, helping define the show's blend of quirky indie pop and spooky atmosphere.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/breeck-mn0001464768) IMDb credits him as the singular composer for the entire series across its 40 episodes.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2695142/) Songs he wrote for the show include "Disco Girl" and "Don't Start Un-Believing".[6](https://gravityfalls.fandom.com/wiki/Brad_Breeck)
The work earned him the 2016 ASCAP Screen Music Award for Outstanding Original Score in a Comedy Series.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/breeck-mn0001464768) In interviews he singled out the season 2 episode "Not What He Seems", in which Grunkle Stan's long-lost twin brother is revealed, as a highlight that let him expand his palette on emotionally charged, cinematic scenes.[4](https://telltaletv.com/2016/03/tv-composer-brad-breeck-on-the-music-of-gravity-falls-and-mtvs-awkward-exclusive-interview/) He appeared alongside Hirsch and voice actors [Jason Ritter](https://www.edgepedia.org/jason-ritter) and [Kristen Schaal](https://www.edgepedia.org/kristen-schaal) at the series' finale celebration event.[7](https://d23.com/d23-video/gravity-falls-celebrates-two-gravity-defying-seasons/)
## Later television work
After *Gravity Falls*, Breeck moved among studios and networks. He scored Disney's *[Star vs. the Forces of Evil](https://www.edgepedia.org/star-vs-the-forces-of-evil)* (2015–2019), scored and wrote songs for four seasons of [Cartoon Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/cartoon-network)'s *We Bare Bears* plus *We Bare Bears: The Movie* (2020), Netflix/DreamWorks' *[Voltron: Legendary Defender](https://www.edgepedia.org/voltron-legendary-defender)* (2016–2018), Netflix's *Glitch Techs* (2020–2021), and Disney's *The Owl House* (2020–2023).[2](https://www.bradbreeck.com/) • [3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/breeck-mn0001464768) He was also the composer for MTV's live-action series *Awkward*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2695142/)
More recent credits include Disney's buddy-comedy series *Kiff* (2023), Ryan Gillis' 2025 series *[StuGo](https://www.edgepedia.org/stugo)*, Nickelodeon's rebooted *The Smurfs*, and the 2026 animated Netflix spin-off *[Stranger Things: Tales from '85](https://www.edgepedia.org/stranger-things-tales-from-85)*.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/breeck-mn0001464768) His film work includes music department and soundtrack credits on *[Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny](https://www.edgepedia.org/tenacious-d-in-the-pick-of-destiny)* (2006) and *The Mitchells vs. the Machines* (2021).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2695142/)
## Working style
Breeck has described the difference between his animated and live-action work: in animation, music is heightened and songs are usually parodies or genre pieces that follow genre conventions, while live action such as *Awkward* is less literal and gives a composer more leeway to find his own palette.[4](https://telltaletv.com/2016/03/tv-composer-brad-breeck-on-the-music-of-gravity-falls-and-mtvs-awkward-exclusive-interview/) AllMusic's biography frames his scoring voice as carrying his love of punk and indie rock into animated soundtracks.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/breeck-mn0001464768)
## References
1. [Brad Breeck, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2695142/)
2. [Brad Breeck, official website](https://www.bradbreeck.com/)
3. [Brad Breeck Biography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/breeck-mn0001464768)
4. [TV Composer Brad Breeck on the Music of Gravity Falls and MTV's Awkward, Tell-Tale TV (2016)](https://telltaletv.com/2016/03/tv-composer-brad-breeck-on-the-music-of-gravity-falls-and-mtvs-awkward-exclusive-interview/)
5. [Reddit AMA Recap: Brad Breeck talks Gravity Falls music composition, Bubbleblabber (2016)](https://www.bubbleblabber.com/2016/02/reddit-ama-recap-brad-breeck-talks-gravity-falls-music-composition/)
6. [Brad Breeck, Gravity Falls Wiki](https://gravityfalls.fandom.com/wiki/Brad_Breeck)
7. [Gravity Falls Celebrates Two Gravity-Defying Seasons, D23](https://d23.com/d23-video/gravity-falls-celebrates-two-gravity-defying-seasons/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Film, TV, and video-game composers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license