Voiceover

You know the kind of castings I'm talking about. The ad agency forwards the script to the casting director who forwards it to the agents who blast it out to all the "usual suspects" with instructions to send something by end of day  – often without a word of human direction during the entire process.  All that remains is to sift through the submissions, 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.

​

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

That's right, for over twenty years I not only created national campaigns for major New York ad agencies, I also chose the actors for those campaigns. And if there's one thing I learned during that time it's this: great casting cannot be done by rote.

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 in person or virtually.

​

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.  I'm also pretty handy with ProTools, so I can clean up breath noises on the fly. All while providing an upbeat, friendly presence to make your office a place of cheer, not fear.

​

This isn't the way casting is always done.  It's just 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.