Casting

Join General Hospital casting director Mark Teschner as he provides industry insights, offers valuable knowledge about its evolving landscape and examines current dynamics in the television casting industry. Teschner will join in virtually from Los Angeles.  

Highlights:

• 11x EMMY® Winner: Experience a special session with an award-winning casting director, providing unparalleled expertise and stories from a celebrated career in television.

• Inside 'Auditions': Gain exclusive insights into the casting process behind the long-running soap opera, General Hospital, with a focus on how iconic roles are cast and developed.

• Career Advancement: Receive practical advice on advancing your acting career, including tips on headshots, resumes, and navigating auditions for television roles.

• Q&A Session: You will have an opportunity to ask questions about the casting process, industry trends and personal experiences.

About Mark Teschner

Mark Teschner, a native New Yorker, has been the casting director for ABC Daytime's "General Hospital" since 1989. Renowned for his exceptional eye for talent, Rolling Stone calls him "an actor's casting director," and TV Guide praises his "unparalleled track record for finding top new talent." Teschner has won eleven Emmy Awards for "Outstanding Achievement in Casting" and eight additional nominations. He is also a seven-time recipient of the prestigious Artios Award from the Casting Society of America, with sixteen additional nominations. Teschner has served as vice president of the Casting Society of America and as a Governor of the Television Academy. This year, he was inducted into the "Silver Circle" at the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences.

RSVP: Registrations are required. Please complete the form below to RSVP; you must be logged-in to RSVP.

Cost: Free for SAG-AFTRA San Diego Local members in good standing (paid through Oct. 31, 2024) with registration.

If you are not a member or not a San Diego Local Member you can attend for a fee of $10. You must register below AND you must also pay via this link.

Check-in begins at 6:30 p.m.

No guests are allowed. Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome.

Please note that ADA requests must be received 72 business hours before the start of the event.

Join the Los Angeles Local Background Actors Committee for An Evening with Background Casting Directors:

This fascinating and educational panel will be moderated by SAG-AFTRA with the following seasoned background actor casting directors:

• Dee Dee Ricketts - DD Casting
• Bill Dance - Bill Dance Casting
• Rich King - Rich King Casting

Panelists will discuss the casting process for the various TV/Theatrical/Streaming and New Media contracts that SAG-AFTRA has in place, from registration, to booking and working the job. Get the questions asked that you always wanted to know and advice from casting directors who all have a common love for actors and a passion for sharing their knowledge. Whether you’re a new member or restarting your professional career, this is a great way to gain more experience and insight about the craft of background artistry.

Members are encouraged to submit 3-4 questions that you would like the casting directors to answer. Questions should be emailed to backgroundactorsinfo@sagaftra.org. 

When: Monday, August 5 at 7 p.m. PT 

Where: James Cagney Boardroom, SAG-AFTRA Plaza 
             5757 Wilshire Blvd.
             Los Angeles, CA 90036

*Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. PT and light refreshments will be served. 

Parking: Please park in the garage off of Curson Ave. and bring your parking ticket for validation.

RSVP: Log in to see the form below. Deadline to RSVP is Wednesday, July 31. SAG-AFTRA members, please bring your physical or digital membership card for admittance. 

Questions? Reach out to backgroundactorsinfo@sagaftra.org or call (323) 549-6811.  

IMPORTANT NOTE: There is very limited space, so please sign up early and encourage others to do the same. Guests without registration confirmation will not be admitted.

Panelists are subject to change without notification.

This panel is not intended to imply an endorsement of any individual or company by SAG- AFTRA. The information provided through the panel is given for informational purposes and may not be a suitable substitute for the advice of other industry professionals. You should always use good judgment in these matters and should not act or refrain from acting based solely on information provided through the panel.

This event is only open to active SAG-AFTRA members in good standing (paid through Oct. 31, 2024).No guests are allowed. Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome.

ADA requests may be included on your RSVP form below. Please note that ADA requests must be received by 4 p.m. PT,Tuesday, July 23 to the Background Department at (323) 549-6811.
 

Looking to refine your audition skills for both stage AND screen? Join us for a special workshop designed to fine-tune your auditions and translate performances more specifically for theatre and film. From blocking and delivery to framing and physicality, we will discuss what makes a tape sink or swim in each medium to put you in the running for the gig!

RSVP: Reservations are required. Please complete the form below to RSVP; you must be logged in to RSVP. 

This event is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing (paid thru Apr. 30, 2024). No guests are allowed. Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome.

Please note that ADA requests must be received 72 business hours before the start of the event. 

Join us for the Arizona-Utah Local’s TV Co-Star Audition Intensive Conservatory with Emmy-nominated L.A. Casting Director Jamie Castro, CSA, (Inventing Anna, Grey’s Anatomy, Station 19, Friday Night Lights).

Co-star roles present their own unique challenges and are the gateway to larger TV roles. With Arizona’s new tax incentive in place, local actors will be getting more auditions for these types of roles and we want our talent to shine and book them!  

The workshop will last two hours and is fully on Zoom. The class is in three parts: 

• Overview of co-star roles and tips and tricks for preparing for these auditions and roles.
• Prepared read with redirects and notes for those who register and provide a headshot and resume by 9 a.m., Feb. 5.
• Moderated Q&A.

This is a great class to strengthen your audition technique and practice in the remote live format - which is what many casting offices are currently using instead of in person.  All registrants are encouraged to join class from their self-tape set up.

Priority registration for Arizona-Utah Local members. Any remaining spots will open to other actors on Friday, February 2. There are no refunds. Upon registration you will be sent a link for payment. After payment is received you will be emailed instructions on where to send your headshot and resume along with the Zoom information.

SAG-AFTRA members $15
Non-Members $40

RSVP: Reservations are required. Please complete the form below to RSVP; you must be logged in to RSVP. 

Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome.

ADA requests may be included on your RSVP form below. Please note that ADA requests must be received 72 business hours before the start of the event. 

Ever wish that you could have one-on-one time with casting directors?
Now’s your chance! We’re hosting a night of “Casting Speed Dating” on November 7th from 6-8pm!
 

Join us for this event, where you’ll get the opportunity to spend five minutes with casting representatives from O'Connor Casting, PR Casting, and Compass Casting. In addition to meeting in person, you’ll have the opportunity to share a digital package of your materials as well as a hard copy of your headshot & resume. (All casting authorities involved will have access to your materials after the event, as well.)

This is a fast paced, closely timed Conservatory, so we need to do some pre-production to make sure it all goes smoothly. Here's what you'll need to do:
 

1.) Register for this event through this SAG-AFTRA Event Registration page  (PLEASE NOTE - WE ARE CURRENTLY MANAGING A WAITLIST.)
2.) Submit a digital package of your materials (if/when you move off the waitlist, you will receive an email with specific instructions regarding the digital package after you register for your time slot - please do not email materials at this time)
4.) The day of the event (November 7th), please bring additional hard copy headshots and resumes for the casting directors. YOU MUST BE ON TIME. We are scheduling members in specific windows of time. If you miss your time slot, there's no way to make it up. (Just come early and you'll have no worries.) 
 

As these events are free, reservations fill up fast. A waiting list will be used. If you can't make it, please cancel your reservation with as much notice as possible. Only a limited number of spots are available, so please register ASAP!
 

Parking is available for $13 in the parking structure at 10 East Ontario. Enter on the north side of Ontario between Wabash and State, then take a ticket. When you sign in, you may purchase a four-hour ticket for $13 (Cash only). You will need both tickets to exit the parking structure.

SAG-AFTRA Chicago Local Conservatory presents:
"Demystifying the World of Animation and Video Game Voice Over"

Along with countless negatives, the pandemic brought one shining positive to Chicago's voice actors - more animation and video game auditions! These auditions and subsequent jobs can be full of wide ranging acting challenges. From crisp organic dialogue to crazy characters and event grunts and gory deaths - these scripts bring it all. How can a voice actor best prepare for these types of opportunities? Join us in October as LA-based animation and video game Voice Actors/Directors - and SAG-AFTRA members—help guide you to bringing your A game. The final stretch of our evening will include a discussion with the directors and some of Chicago's A-list voice actors about the realities of working these jobs and contracts, and what to be on the lookout for in our current labor climate.

If interested in the opportunity to submit a read for playback and critique, please register for the event and submit your interest to Jess Jones via (Jess.Jones@sagaftra.org) - deadline is October 13th @ 12noon. Those selected will be notified by Monday October 16th. MP3s for submission and playback will be due by Thursday October 19.

PRESENTER BIOS:

Sarah Elmaleh - Sarah Elmaleh is an actor and voice director with a passion for collaborative creation, and serves as SAG-AFTRA Chair of the Interactive Negotiating Committee. Best known for roles in AAA games like Hi-Fi Rush, Halo Infinite and Gears 5, and for indies like Afterparty, Pyre and Gone Home, her directing credits likewise span production scope from Goodbye Volcano High to Fortnite. Led by her desire to foster stronger inter-disciplinary collaboration within games, she has spent years organizing, advising, and educating in the games industry and academic programs.

Deb Doetzer is a proud member of the performer unions SAG-AFTRA and AEA. Deb is represented exclusively by Stewart Talent in Chicago and New York, and has an extensive list of voice-over credits to her name: most recently she was Gwendolyn Clawthorne on season two of the Disney animated series “The Owl House.” She can also be heard on the interactive games Red Faction (PA Announcer), Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus (Divinity), Watch Dogs (various) and Injustice: Gods Among Us as the Narrator. She is adjunct faculty at both Columbia College and the Theater School at Depaul University, an instructor at Acting Studio Chicago and helped originate the voiceover courses at The Second City Training Center.

(Additional Presenters, forthcoming / as announced)

Panel Participants include:

Brad Grusnick has a B.S. in Theatre from Northwestern University. He is a graduate of The Second City Conservatory in Chicago and UCB Los Angeles. A 20-year VO veteran, he has voiced characters for several video games, including Diablo IV, Back4Blood, Elder Scrolls Online, Metro: Exodus, Days Gone, Bioshock: Infinite, God of War: Ascension, Elder Scrolls: V Skyrim, Asura’s Wrath, and more. He was "Mayor Moose" and "Lou Behr" in the Amazon Pilot, Bear in Underwear, "Mumkey" and "Spiderlamb" in WB Animation's Bunnicula, and is "Magnus Finke" and "Gill" in Dreamworks Dragons Rescue Riders.

Tim Dadabo is a multifaceted voice actor, who in addition to work in commercial, promo, and television narration has worked on some of the biggest titles in Video games like:  Halo, TMNT,Watch Dogs, MLB, Dragon Age, Dragon Dogma, Disney Guilty Party, Stubs The Zombie,  Leisure Suit Larry, and  Red Faction.  His animated credits include Kung Fu Panda, Doc McStuffins, Disney Spidey and His Amazing Friends. Looney Toons and  American Dad.

RSVP: Reservations are required. Please complete the form below to RSVP; you must be logged in to RSVP. 

This event is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing (paid thru April 30, 2023). No guests are allowed. Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome.

ADA requests may be included on your RSVP form below. Please note that ADA requests must be received 48 business hours before the start of the event. 

The Conservatory is back IN PERSON June 26!

Join us for an evening with casting directors from O'Connor Casting as we discuss and work on all things commercial! From self tapes to virtual callbacks to being back in the same room -  the O'Connor Casting crew will help us navigate the latest trends of the modern commercial and help us get ready for that next "Bite & Smile".

A small group of actors will be chosen via a lottery system to actively participate and perform during this conservatory presentation.

If you wish to submit to the lottery, please submit your interest to Jess.Jones@sagaftra.org by Friday, June 16 at noon.   

Scripts will be distributed to those selected a week before the workshop. Some participants will be asked to self tape their script and some will be asked to perform live with casting. This will also be chosen randomly via lottery. Please indicate if you have a preference between self tape or live in-person method when submitting to the lottery.
 

RSVP: Reservations are required. Please complete the form below to RSVP; you must be logged in to RSVP. 

This event is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing (paid thru Oct. 31, 2023, or in compliance with the May 2023 dues relief extension). No guests are allowed. Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome.

ADA requests may be included on your RSVP form below. Please note that ADA requests must be received 48 business hours before the start of the event. 

Verve Studios’ Amanda Melby (SAG-AFTRA, AEA) leads this workshop designed to give you the tools and information you need to successfully produce Self-Tape and Live Remote Auditions.

First there were self-tapes and then, with the pandemic forcing people to be home, live remote auditions became a reality. In the past, actors were responsible for the craft and casting was responsible for the technology. Not anymore. With self-tape and live remote auditions, actors now have to be technically proficient as well. Both as an actor herself, and as owner and head coach of Verve Studios, Amanda has been self-taping and live remote auditioning for over 7 years. She is current on industry standards and best practices.     

In this workshop, you’ll learn best practices for equipment and process, including sides, lighting, sound, camera, editing and delivery. You’ll learn about all of the tools and information you need to self-tape and submit successfully. You’ll receive a worksheet and equipment guide and actors may participate by sending in a 1-minute self-tape audition video to be shown and critiqued or by being a “live remote audition” actor.  (Limit 3 actors for each modality).

The workshop is 2.5 hours long and will include time for questions. Participants are encouraged to join from their best self-tape location. 

This Arizona-Utah Conservatory program is free to SAG-AFTRA members as a benefit of membership.

WHEN: 10 am - 12:30 pm, Sat., Aug 20

WHERE: Remote via Zoom

RSVP: Reservations are required. Please complete form below to RSVP.

This meeting is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA Arizona-Utah Local members in good standing (paid thru Oct. 31, 2022, or in compliance with the May 2022 Dues Relief Extension). No guests are allowed. Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome. If more than one SAG-AFTRA member per household will be attending, each member will need to RSVP individually. RSVP is required prior to the above mentioned deadline for admittance.

About the Presenter: 

Amanda Melby, a native Minnesotan, made her way to Phoenix via Southern California, Washington, DC and Cleveland. She has worked as a professional actress for over 30 years and is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and AEA. Amanda produced and starred in the feature film RAISING BUCHANAN with René Auberjonois and M. Emmet Walsh. Other films include FUNNY THING ABOUT LOVE, LOCKER 13, JAKE’S CORNER with Richard Tyson, NETHERBEAST INCORPORATED, and THE MAJESTIC.Her short films include COVET, CULT STATUS, and SMALL HAPPYS. Television includes CANDID CAMERA, S.I.S., BOSTON PUBLIC and SCREEN WARS. Amanda is a busy commercial actress and also works as a producer, director and spokeswoman. She is the Owner/Head Coach of Verve Studios. She is a four-time Emmy® nominee for SCREEN WARS and RAISING BUCHANAN, was the 2007 Phoenix Film Foundation Board Member of the Year, the 2008 Layne Award recipient and was a 2011 Governor’s Arts Award nominee. She studied in Howard Fine’s Master Class and is currently in Gunnar Rohrbacher’s Sitcom Master Class in LA. Amanda is an accomplished cellist and holds a BA in theatre and English from Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota.  She is repped by the Leighton Agency (AZ), Eris Talent (L.A.) and Bankston Talent (NM).