What is a Casting Director?

What is Ayoka Billions Casting?

Let's start with what I am NOT:

1) A Talent Agent.

These folks truly are saints. They work 24/7 to search for opportunities for their actors, promote them, submit them, answer questions, negotiate contracts, put out fires, give advice, encourage excellence, hold some hands, and wipe a few tears. Yes, tears. There are many in this industry. Talent agents submit their actor clients to casting directors for projects and receive 10-20% of the payment in exchange. I don't have a talent pool or website with pictures (because it would need to contain photos of at least 129, 092 active members of the Screen Actors Guild, along with numerous non-union actors).

2) A Suggestion Service.

I get calls from people asking for headshots of actors that I can suggest for their project. While, I do have a list of talented actors across the Southeast that I know can deliver a stellar performance, they may not be right or available for this particular project. That is what breakdowns are for: we see who is available and interested prior to asking them to AUDITION (with material from this project) for the project. I would never book anyone (except major NAME TALENT) without an audition.

3) A Counseling Service.

I receive emails and phone calls almost daily from actors wanting to meet/chat about getting auditions for Film & TV roles. I understand that you don’t know how to get started in this industry. My advice is as simple (and as complicated) as A-B-C: A) Professional Acting Training. B) Great Headshots. C) Connected Talent Agent. Enough on that for now since I will write more about these points in a future article.

SO, what am I?

I am a professional casting director, hired by production companies and filmmakers to find the right talent for your project. I work day and night with agents and directly with actors to find the right talent, create audition material, schedule auditions, advise the production on the best options, and book/schedule actors for the job. My goal is to make your project come to life with the best talent available to fit your budget. What type of projects? I have cast union and non-union projects including Feature Films, Short Films, Music Videos, Commercials, Industrials, & Interactive Projects. It is the highlight of my job to see completed projects with talented actors saying lines that started as words on a page. That is what I do.