CASTING CASTING STORIES STORIES EVAN MAJORS LET'S GET REAL(ITY) LCLEAR ET'S GET REAL(ITY) CLEAR THE LONELINESS OF TSELF-TAPING HE LONELINESS OF SELF-TAPING CASTING SOCIETY THE ZINE | AUGUST 2022
EVERY ISSUE T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S Editor's Note 12 CSA in the NEWS 03 ON THE COVER EVAN MAJORS | MEMBER SPOTLIGHT 06 CASTING STORIES 2 THE LONELINESS OF SELF TAPING 05 IN THIS ISSUE LET'S GET REAL(ITY) CLEAR 09 MEET YOUR NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS! 04 This month's monthly spotlight was written by: TURQUOISE WASHINGTON is a recent alumni of the Casting Society Cares Training and Education program FEATUREPHOTOGRAPHERKIMBERLYGREEN
in the news... C A S T I N G S O C I E T Y Get To Know The Casting Director: Luis Canete C A S T I N G N E T W O R K S Casting Society Reveals 2022 23 Board D E A D L I N E Zendaya’s ‘Euphoria’ Role Almost Went To A First Time Actor, And More Secrets From Emmy nominated Casting Directors V A R I E T Y 3 How ’Succession,’ ‘Hacks,’ And More Made Room For Veteran Actresses To Land Their First Emmy Noms Get To Know The Casting Director: Megan Foley Get To Know The Casting Director: Linda Lamontagne MEGANFOLEYMARRA,CASTINGNETWORKS WENDYO'BREIN,CASTINGNETWORKSLINDALAMONTAGNE,CASTINGNETWORKS Casting Society Announces 2022 23 Board Of Directors Film News In Brief ‘Drag Race,’ ‘Queer Eye’ And ’Top Chef’ Casting Directors On Finding Thought Provoking Contestants For Reality Shows Get To Know The Casting Director: Wendy O’Brien Get To Know The Casting Director: Sherry Thomas LUISCANETE,CASTINGNETWORKS SHERRYTHOMAS,CASTINGNETWORKS T H E N E W Y O R K T I M E S Jennifer Venditti Will See You Now I N D I E W I R E Casting A Casting Director: How Allison Jones Ended Up In Front Of The Camera On ‘Barry’ And ‘Curb’
The first role he ever cast was a Spanish speaking Colonel Sanders for a Kentucky Fried Chicken radio ad in Spanish
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Jessica is a native New Yorker Her favorite season is Fall and her karaoke go to is Dreams byFleetwood Mac. Julie, when not casting, is studyingStephen Porge's Polyvagal Theory! If you pick a number from 1 to 264, I can tell you what episode of Frasier it is and what happened in it Was on the path to being a professional flutist Is the proudmother of two great kids and a sweet rescue dog
She loves a castingchallenge Destiny's a fan of good literature, dark chocolate, and classic film
Casting director lover of talent Multi tasker Mother of twins. Zora shares her home with not only her son but with a dog, a cat, 2 turtles and 2 fishes. Oh, coyotes come to visit once in a while! 4 Or as South Bend residents know her, "Mrs Pete Buttigieg " Though she has now lived in LA almost as long as she lived in Chicago, Chicago will halways ave her heart Go Cubs Go!
Candido reads tarot and dances for Fleetmac Wood She was named after the infamous Erica Kane of All My Children Erin is an Unscripted dcasting irector with 20 years experienceShe recently joined the board of directors as the first ever reality casting director She hopes to bring a voice and represent all of the amazing reality casting director's that are current CSA members as well as encourage her peers to join When not casting, you can find me obsessing over my tomatoes and dahlias in the garden, planning a trip, or chasing my kids around the NW.
Adopted her beloved dog Leo, short for Leopold, which was fate because she also has a Leo star sign.
BOARD DIRECTORS
When not casting, she's channeling her inner Ina Garten cooking, baking and fhosting riends until her heart's content!
Was photographed for Keith Barraclough's famous "Red Head Project" a series of portraits of natural redheads from all over the world
Sujotta received a swimmingscholarship to college Wendy is a cabaret singer She's done 3 one woman shows (in NY & LA) and recorded an album called "Wendy K, Just for a Thrill "
My favorite snack is goldfish Danielle is "mildly" Peloton obsessed Has been deeply passionateabout bridging the gap and creating real opportunities for underrepresented talent
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“Why are these turnarounds so fast?”
Recently though, I have embraced what I think might be the root cause of these concerns: actors are meant to perform in front of people And not just their parents, spouse, or roommate (Them too, of course, but not ONLY them.) The loneliness is causing them to question everything about the process, their craft, OUR craft, and the business The fact that they need to direct themselves and choose their own takes is as much an exercise in managing negative self talk as it is about the character they’re trying to inhabit Simply, it’s all just a lot Do I think self taping should end? Absolutely not It has kept all of us safe, allowed us to be with family, and still do our jobs in as thorough a manner as ever (My burning eyeballs think maybe it’s making us TOO thorough sometimes ) And frankly, a lot of us have been using self tapes as an audition tool for many years prior to the pandemic to help with audition nerves, distance, managing schedules, caring for sick family members, etc For all its difficulties, it’s also a gift for actors, Casting, producers, et al So how can we encourage actors to move from resentment and loneliness back to understanding and collaboration? The only solution I’ve stumbled upon is to simply answer their questions honestly and validate their experience. Self taping is not easy, for them or for us, and the more actors can be reminded that we are their allies, even though we ’ re on the other side of the internet, the less of an impact the weight of isolation will have on their hearts and ultimately their performance.
"I've heard if you don't get your tape in immediately, you'll miss out " "How do we even know if our work is being seen if we never hear anything back?" “When are we going back to live auditions?”
I hear the refrain quite often On social media, in virtual panels, podcast interviews and private conversations, actors routinely ask the same questions which mostly boil down to “I’m putting the effort in, but is anyone even watching?” My initial reaction is always to balk: OF COURSE we ’ re watching It’s our JOB! If we ’ ve requested you read, we want to see it! Your deadlines are fast because OUR deadlines are faster than ever! I cannot wrap my brain around how many actors think we, Casting Directors, are constantly wasting their time by Erica S. Bream, CSA 5 Erica S. Bream, CSA
The loneliness of self-taping
After all, we are working toward the same goal we WANT our actors to be wonderful and we are all adapting our respective skill sets to achieve that end. As physically distant as we may be, we are all in the same metaphoric boat paddling as hard and fast as we can With our earbuds in And our blue light glasses on In 2020, the entire worldwide industry moved to self taped auditions Not because it was time to make a change, but because it was the only way to keep people safe and continue to (first) create art and (eventually) get back to set. However, somewhere in the isolation of the pandemic and the difficulty of the self tape learning curve, some actors have begun to truly resent Casting Directors, and the process "Does Casting REALLY watch every tape?"
EVAN MAJORS "MYOVERNIGHTSUCCESSIS20YEARSINTHEMAKING, AND...IFEELLIKEI'MJUSTGETTINGSTARTED." BY TURQUOISE WASHINGTON 6
Kalamazoo, MI. Through that, many local Detroit bands would approach me, asking me to be their manager At that time, I didn't know what a manager did becauseIwasstudyingtobeajournalist.
That is what my degree is in, English and Journalism I wrote for the Kalamazoo Gazette.Iwantedtobeamusicjournalist and had an internship at Vibe Magazine in NYC my junior in college So when I started getting approached by local bands in the Detroit area to manage them, I was like, "sure!" I also started promoting shows in Detroit for Nas, The Roots,andDeLaSoulduringthattime
After learning more about management, that'swhenIdecidedIwantedtomoveto LA to represent talent My first paying job in LA was as a receptionist for a small boutiquePRcompanyinHollywood.Then, after a year, I got a job as an agent's assistant to the owner of Osbrink Model andTalentAgency,CindyOsbrink.Finally, I was on track to be an agent but discovered it was not what I wanted to do.SoImovedaroundandworkedinfilm productionforawhileuntilIlandedatthe SyFyChannelasanexecutiveassistantin Alternative Programming, and that's how Igotintotheunscriptedworld worked there for four seasons and on Trista and Ryan's Wedding. While at TheBachelor,theyweretryingtoprime me to be a producer, but I was more interested in casting because that department always seemed to be having more fun So whenever I had downtime or during my lunch break, I would help in the casting department. The more time I spent working with casting fascinated me because it spoke to my interest. I finally felt this was the best fit for me because, once again, it really tapped into what I felt was my skill set, interviewing and connectingwithpeople 7 How does your background in journalism come into play when castingunscripted?
I am a naturally curious person So working in unscripted allows me to utilize my interviewing skills. Interviewing people as a journalist helped me as a casting director because you ' re dealing with 'real people' and understanding and being abletotrackastory
What keeps you passionate about unscriptedwork? Ithinkithaschangedovertheyears.At the beginning of my casting journey, it wasjustaboutconnectingwithpeople I have a special gift of making people feel comfortable with me; you have to havethatalmostinstantlywhensitting down with someone. You have to get peopletotrustyouandopenuptoyou about their life What keeps me going now is wanting to put more people of color on TV and help tell their stories authentically There is still a lack of diversity and portrayal of Black people andpeopleofcolorasawhole.Weare still dealing with stereotypical tropes So, it is important to me to make sure stories are being told correctly and making sure that we are casting diverse people because all people of color are not the same. We are not a monolith. I am a big fan of reality television, and you have cast some iconic shows To name a few: Rhythm + Flow, The Real World,Married at First Sight,March,Are YoutheOne?,ExtremeMakeover:Home Edition,thelistgoeson
Whatisyourcastingprocess?Isiteasyfor youtoweedthroughpeoplewhojustwant tobeonTVandnotinanauthenticway?
Dallas is on the come up Dallas is one of those markets I got sent to a lot when we were doing in person interviews, especially when I was casting a lot of dating shows. There are a lot of attractive singles here in Dallas I'mexcitedtoseethegrowthofDallas
as far as the entertainment community We now live in a world where we can work virtually, so I am still working in Los Angeles and New York. Dallas is central, so it makes for convenient short flights to the east or westcoast
ferenceinyourcreative w you approach casting s? RealWorld,whereit'san st, you ' re looking for hintheirjourney.Youare eone who can't help but number one Then you someone who wants to wo Overall, how do they e versus how they leave, their arc be in terms of You look for those oments in people's real so cast people who care are empathetic, and are e that's how they will be changed from that of experience. When ng show like Married at he Bachelorette, we are ng for people who want nd people who feel like all in terms of trying to eir own. Do they find it?
Sometimes. Tell me how you decide on your next project. It took me a long time to get to a level where I could choose the type of projectsIwantedtocast.Iamfortunate. Myprocessisjustdecidingwhatspeaks to me at the time I want to work on projects that can shift the culture and createconversationslikeRhythm+Flow on Netflix. I helped oversee casting and wasalsooneoftheproducers.Andthen, sometimesItakeprojectsbecauseIjust gottakeepthelightson!Realtalk Do you have unconventional ways of discoveringtalent? Iwouldn'tsaythisisunconventional,but I read everything I love to read I like bookstores,andyoucanfindoutalotby just reading You can find talent by reading magazines and books and listening to podcasts. I am constantly finding interesting worlds and subculturestofindtalent Justlivinglife, I'm always searching Again, I'm naturally curious, so even when I go to restaurants,Iwanttoknowwhothechef is If I drop off my truck to get fixed, I'm looking to see who the mechanics are. Thereistalenteverywhere.8
Whatkeepsmegoingnowis wantingtoputmorepeopleofcolor onTVandhelptelltheirstories authentically. Doyouhaveafavoritetypeofshowtowork on?StructuredorUnstructured? Ithinkrightnow,itshiftsforme Atonepoint,I washeavyincastingdatingshows I'vecast dating shows that have never even aired. I am really enjoying competition shows. I am currently overseeing casting for The New King and Queens of Comedy for Comedy Central Walter Latham was the original creator and Executive Producer for Kings of ComedyandQueensofComedywhichgave us Bernie Mac, rest in peace, Steve Harvey, Monique,andothercomedianswhoarenow legends in comedy We are bringing the brand back but now looking for the next generation of comedians I enjoy docuseries aswell IcastMarch,whichairedontheCW We followed a group of students at Prairie View A&M University, an HBCU in Texas, who are part of their marching band, The MarchingStorm Ienjoyedcastingthatseries becausewewereabletoshowcasetheinner workings of a big HBCU marching band We wereabletoseewhattheyreallygothrough, all the hard work and dedication while juggling school and band Those students inspiredme
I think the benefit of being a seasoned casting director is that I've been around the block I can tell when I sit down with someone, even on Zoom Zoom has now becomeabarrierinaway.Wearenotreally doingin personinterviewsanymore,whichis unfortunate because there is nothing like meeting someone in person and picking up on their idiosyncrasies Non verbal communication is such a critical factor in assessing an applicant Over Zoom, it's easiertobephonywhenyou'renotinfrontof somebody. So, as casting directors, we do know Istillcareaboutauthenticity Istillcare about someone ' s story and if they are genuinelytellingit You recently relocated to Dallas, TX. What has your experience been working in that regionalmarket?
Numberthree:doyourresearch Learnyourcraft No matter what level you are at, there is always somethingtolearn.Finally,youhavetokeepupwith theindustrytrends Ourcultureandtechnologyare moving faster and faster, and culture is constantly shifting What was hot six months ago is not hot anymore So always stay abreast of the trends in yourbusiness,whichgoesbacktoalwayslearning
Numberfour:Befearless,anddon'tbeafraidtolose orfailbecausethat'showyougrowandlearnwhat nottodo There'snothinglikethecomeback!
Whatimpactwouldyouliketoleaveintheworldofcasting? TheimpactIwanttoleaveisthatIwashereandmadeit Iwantto be that person that someone else coming up can look to as an inspiration. You must be resilient to work in this industry. This journeycanbeverychallenging Mycareerandsuccesshavenot beenlinear It'sbeenupanddown,backandforth I'vegottenjobsI wanted,haddoorsslammedinmyface,peoplesaying"no"tome, and was fired That is why you have to be resilient because this industryisunpredictableandwillconstantlychallengeyou.Thisis amarathon,andittakestime.Thereisnosuchthingasovernight success.Myovernightsuccessis20yearsinthemaking,andIstill struggle; it is not perfect You are only as good as your last show ThereisneveratimewhenIfeelI'vemadeit,andIamgoodtosit backandkickmyfeetup Ialwayshavetoprovemyselfasoneof thefewBlack,PuertoRican,gaymalecastingdirectors Mymentor andnowagenttaughtmeearlyonnottobrandmyselfasa"Black Casting Director" and to not be relegated to only cast "Black shows"becauseit'ssoeasyinourbusinesstogetpigeonholed I'm proudofthevarietyshowsI'vecastandthecareerIhaveforged I feellikeI'mjustgettingstarted EvanisrepresentedbyA3ArtistsAgency.
Numberone:bepatient.Ithinkthereissucharush togetfromAtoZandpeopleforgetaboutthesteps inthemiddle
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Befearless,anddon'tbeafraidto loseorfailbecausethat'showyou growandlearnwhatnotto.
What is the project you are most proud of and why? I will always have a special place in my heart for The Real World Once I landed at Bunim/Murray, that'swheremycastingcareerworldreallyopened and changed my whole career trajectory That's where I became a casting director. It wasn't overnight;Iwaspromotedfromacastingassociate toacastingdirectoroverseveralyears Ireallyowe Sasha Alpert, Damon Furberg, and Morgan Fahey, who were my bosses and mentors there They helped shape and mold me into the casting director I am today and gave me opportunities. I am currently watching The Real World: Homecoming series and working with James Knox onmycurrentshow,whowasoneoftheEP's ThenI would say Rhythm + Flow It was the first hip hop competitionshowwe'deverseenonTV Forhip hop to be the number one genre that continues to dominate Billboard charts and shape and shift popular culture, it was time that we got see it reflectedintheformofanunscriptedTVseries Whatadvicedoyouhaveforyoungpeoplewho'd liketogetintoentertainment?
Number two: build relationships Building relationships is not emailing someone and asking them for a job. Building relationships is emailing andaskingthemoutforcoffeeandgettingtoknow themasapersonandwhattheydo,notwhatthey candoforyou
Whatareyoupassionateaboutoutsideofunscriptedcasting? I'm passionate about writing. One day I'd like to move abroad, travel,teachandwritemybook.Maybeseveralbooks.
Real(ity)
CASTING PRODUCER Communicate with Associates to guide them in researching, outreaching, and pre interviewing / vetting. Interview cast members and decide whether they are worth moving on to the editing stage. Take edit notes to guide the casting editors. Write up the pitch page paragraph and check over the pitch page and edit before it goes to final looks by the Casting Director.
CASTING ASSOCIATE Research, outreach and pre-interview / vet potential cast. Write up initial casting document to present to Producer. Schedule cast members for interviews including interview guidelines, application link, additional information they might need. Collect and look over application, and then collect and organize additional photos/videos from cast members for edits.
CASTING DIRECTOR Lead the Casting Team. Organize roles, communicate with the Network / Production Company regarding scheduling, casting needs, pitch dates, casting changes. Guide research needs, make selections on which cast to edit, watch and finalize edits, make final selection for pitches, finalize pitch pages, attend casting pitches, oversee cast selections and make sure paperwork is complete.
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We asked board member & Head of Casting for The Circle, Erin Tomasello, to help us get our reality titles straight.
CastingbyErinTomasello
CASTING ASSISTANT Offer assistance to all aspects of the casting process on an organizational aspect. Help with posting the flyers if needed. Assist in collecting additional media/photos for cast. Help out with second eyes for pitch pages, casting cards, printing, casting pitch as a whole.
InJuly,wehighlightedsomeCasting Directormemberswhoworkinreality 1 1
CASTINGMANAGER Communicate directly with Casting Producers, Associates and Director to make sure that all paperwork is filed properly, pitch pages are consistent, pitch cards are built and printed for the in person pitch and cast members are communicated with throughout the process. Casting Manager will also send over additional information to cast as they are moved along in the process.
Since 2018, Casting Society Cares has participated in the annual Los Angeles Shatterproof Rise Up Against Addiction Walk. This year we have teamed up with The Rosenzweig group with the goal of together raising $10K. Shatterproof is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to ending the addiction crisis in the United States. They work toward transforming the treatment system in the U.S, ending stigma that dehumanizes those with addiction and supporting families and communities through advocacy, resources, and action. From March 2020 to March 2021, the US saw a historic 96,000 number of deaths from overdoses. Shatterproof’s mission is more important than ever Join us on Saturday, November 19th at 8AM PST in Grand Park for the 5K walk/run or donate to the team! All ages are welcome. Sign up or donate here: https://tinyurl.com/CSCshatterproof For more info or any questions, contact Sunday Boling Kennedy at sunny@mormanbolingcasting.com! SUPPORT SHATTERPROOF 1 2
| The Zine AUGUST 2022
This month's issue is a love letter to the fastest growing segment of our membership, reality casting professionals! Our cover story, Evan Majors, has been a fixture in the reality casting scene for 20 years now and is enjoying the 'come up' of the growing industry of Dallas, Texas. It's so exciting to hear about Evan's own come up into the wide world of unscripted casting. Our T&E alum, Turquoise Washington's one on one with Evan was not just educational for her but for any scripted CD members who read it as well Our first ever Unscripted CD on the CSA Board of Directors, Erin Tomasello, gave us a quick cheatsheet on who does what in a reality casting office Now we can ALL sound like "we're in the know" and make our reality casting members feel welcome, seen, and embraced! Then, a small segue, we have an incredible op ed by regional CD, Erica S. Bream, talking about the new world of self taping in the most empathetic of lights. Which is something all casting professionals can relate to nowadays. Happy Casting! Casting Stories
Caitlin D. Jones
KATRINA WANDEL GEORGE Contributor MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR ELIZABETH BERRA CopyEditor SECRETARY LAURA ADLER CSA ADMINISTRATOR CAITLIN D JONES Editor in Chief VP OF COMMUNICATIONS DESTINY LILLY PRESIDENT OF CASTING SOCIETY VP of COMMUNICATIONS ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ 13 ERICA S. BREAM Contributor CSA MEMBER ☆ TURQUOISE WASHINGTON Contributor CASTING SOCIETY CARES T&E ALUMNI ☆ ERIN TOMASELLO Contributor BOARD MEMBER ☆ ☆ SUNDAY BOLING KENNEDY Contributor CSA MEMBER
Editor's ENote ditor's Note
