Voiceover

You know the kind of castings I'm talking about. Where the casting director spams your script out to all the usual agents who in turn send an e-blast to their "usual suspects" with instructions to send submissions by end of day  – often without a word of human direction during the entire process.  All that remains is to speed-sift through the recordings, post the link and... boom.  Casting's done. Rinse and repeat.

 

To me, this by-the-numbers approach to casting is not only uninspired,  

it's unprofessional.  And can be greatly disappointing to the ad agency creatives who were hoping for something more.

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I should know.  I used to be one of those ad agency creatives. 

 

Yep, for over twenty years I not only wrote national TV and radio campaigns for top New York ad agencies, I also oversaw which actor got the part.  And if there's one thing I learned during that time, it's that truly great casting cannot be done by rote.

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That's why, if you're an agency producer, I won't start auto-dialing the agents the minute I get your storyboard.  I'll ask to speak with your creative team, discuss the copy, the tone and feel, even send samples of cultural references if needed. All to make sure I understand every nuance of the concept and direct the actors accordingly, whether virtually or in person.

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It's also why, if you run a casting office or a sound studio, I can provide a higher level of freelance help than you might be used to.  With experience in all major commercial genres, I can ensure the actors' performances are on-concept and on brand.  And guide them through their auditions in a language they understand.  And being pretty handy with ProTools, I can also make edits and clean up breath noises on the fly. All while providing an upbeat, friendly presence to make your office a place of cheer, not fear.

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This isn't the way casting is always done.  It's simply the way it should be done.  If you agree, let's talk, and see what a little extra effort can do for your next voiceover or 

on-camera casting.