Talent Professionals

Sharon Bialy on the structure of a casting office -- and hers, in particular

Sharon Bialy on casting commercials early in her career -- and on the limitations of casting at that time and her biggest takeaways from those early years

Sharon Bialy on how casting for television compares to casting for film and for theater and for commercials

Sharon Bialy on which roles she's responsible for casting as a TV casting director

Sharon Bialy on meeting and forming a professional partnership with Sherry Thomas and on their process for working together

Sharon Bialy on the stress of network casting tests (as with The Unit)

Sharon Bialy on what makes for a good relationship between a casting director and a show creator -- like the relationship she has with Vince Gilligan

Sharon Bialy on pay for casting directors, and casting getting recognition by the Television Academy but not by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences

Sharon Bialy on submissions for a show like Better Call Saul, and on how the casting process works -- and how casting was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic

Sharon Bialy on how she and Sherry Thomas resolve differences of opinion in casting

Sharon Bialy on auditioning actors with fake sides

Sharon Bialy on how AI might impact casting and actors in the future

Sharon Bialy on her favorite thing about casting - reading with actors

Sharon Bialy on the role of a casting director

Sharon Bialy on her responsibilities as a casting director

Sharon Bialy on actors being attached to a project

Sharon Bialy on how she finds actors

Sharon Bialy on casting a lot of theater actors during early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and on how the pandemic impacted casting protocols

Sharon Bialy on how emerging technology has impacted casting over the years

Sharon Bialy on whether or not good casting can save poor writing and whether or not poor casting can take down a script

Sharon Bialy on what she looks for in a lead actor

Sharon Bialy on working with agents

Sharon Bialy on the physicality sometimes required for roles

Sharon Bialy on lessening the pay gap between male and female leads on Halt and Catch Fire, and on her observations of pay equity negotiations in recent years

Sharon Bialy on how casting has changed since she first started in the business

Sharon Bialy on how opportunities have changed for actors since she started in the industry

Sharon Bialy on advice to an aspiring casting director

Vince Calandra on moving from production into talent coordinating on The Ed Sullivan Show

Vince Calandra on advice to aspiring talent executives - return phone calls and don't book through email

Reuben Cannon on the importance of chemistry in casting

Reuben Cannon on what makes a good casting director and the craft of casting

Reuben Cannon on the process of casting

Reuben Cannon on a typical casting session 

Reuben Cannon advice to aspiring casting directors

Mike Fenton on the craft and technique of casting for television and on the Hollywood Blacklist

Mike Fenton on the responsibilities of a casting director

Mike Fenton on the qualities of a good casting director

Mike Fenton on the importance of casting in television and movies, and on the casting director working with the producer

Mike Fenton on an independent casting director obtaining clients and finding actors

Mike Fenton on the difference between an independent casting director and one that works in-house for a show

Mike Fenton on finding actors for projects, and facing pressure to cast certain people

Mike Fenton on the qualities he looks for in an actor

Mike Fenton on casting Dinotopia and other mini-series or made-for-television movies

Mike Fenton on casting pilots

Mike Fenton on conducting his casting sessions

Mike Fenton on researching actors before casting them

Mike Fenton on casting for live television, filmed television, and feature films

Mike Fenton on using headshots for casting

Mike Fenton on stunt casting

Mike Fenton on dealing with producers and networks in casting, and on discovering talent

Mike Fenton on advice to aspiring casting directors

Eddie Foy III on the art of casting

Eddie Foy III on advice to aspiring casting directors

Danette Herman on working with managers, publicists and agents as an executive in charge of talent 

Danette Herman on her approach to working with talent 

Danette Herman on dealing with talent for awards shows and how the process has changed

Danette Herman on how communication has changed throughout the years in her job as talent coordinator

Danette Herman on advice to aspiring talent executives

Burt Metcalfe on the process of casting

Lori Openden on how she learned to become critical of performances from her early experiences of casting Barney Miller, and on how she would find talent

Lori Openden on what she likes about casting

Lori Openden on changes in the casting industry over the years from the time she worked on Hill Street Blues to current day

Lori Openden on the audition process and when the network typically weighs in

Lori Openden on what she looked at when hiring casting executives and her team at NBC

Lori Openden on differences between being a casting director and a network casting executive

Lori Openden on chemistry and lack of chemistry between actors and how it can help or hurt a show

Lori Openden on the process of auditioning kids

Lori Openden on the hardest type of role to cast - leading men

Lori Openden on the differences between a character actor versus leading man

Pam Polifroni on her casting process and on the importance of casting

Pam Polifroni on her casting process and on diversity in casting

Pam Polifroni on working with agents and managers as a casting director

Pam Polifroni on working with budgets as a casting director

Pam Polifroni on the qualities a casting director needs

Pam Polifroni on how casting has changed since she started

Pam Polifroni on her advice to an aspiring casting director, and on how she would like to be remembered

Pam Polifroni on casting Santa Barbara, and on the process of casting a daytime drama

Jay Sandrich on why casting is important and what he looks for in talent

Lynn Stalmaster on becoming a casting director, and what was gratifying to him about the process

Lynn Stalmaster on what he learned about casting during his time as an actor

Lynn Stalmaster on his learning process when he became a casting director

Lynn Stalmaster on what he looks for in an actor's training

Lynn Stalmaster on the casting director working with the director

Lynn Stalmaster on getting to know actors

Lynn Stalmaster on experiences he's had with difficult actors, and on the importance of the script

Lynn Stalmaster on working along side other casting directors

Lynn Stalmaster on working with agents

Lynn Stalmaster on what can turn him off of an actor

Lynn Stalmaster on hiring casting associates

Lynn Stalmaster on his typical involvement with a show once it was cast

Lynn Stalmaster on how influential networks were in the casting process

Lynn Stalmaster on the particular challenges of casting movies made for television

Lynn Stalmaster on how the casting business has changed over time

Lynn Stalmaster on the process of casting a project, and on what a casting director looks for

Lynn Stalmaster on the secret to working with so many varied personalities and celebrities

Lynn Stalmaster on advice to aspiring casting directors

Lynn Stalmaster on advice to actors meeting with a casting director

Ethel Winant on the craft of casting for television

Ethel Winant on learning how to cast for television and on dealing with directors and producers when casting

Ethel Winant on the differences between a casting director and a talent scout

Ethel Winant on advice to aspiring casting directors