Becs Hall posted an event on the TM Hub

TM HUB WEBINAR - Tips of the Trade: How To Be The Best Casting Researcher
When: Wednesday 5th April, 7pm (BST)

Join Becs as she chats with TV Casting Expert, Nsofwa K. Nwannadi, to learn how to be the best you can be at casting.

@NsofwaK. Nwannadi will talk us through what casting is, the different types of casting jobs there are in TV and how to be intentional with your casting too. And, this session isn't just aimed at those working at researcher level - come and join us if you're just generally interested in finding out more about casting and how it works or if you are already working in casting, maybe at a more senior level, as a helpful refresher - as we'll be giving lots of the latest tips of the trade that you can add to your existing casting skills.

Nsofwa will also take us through her own casting career journey too, sharing how she got into this area of TV and why her career choices all helped towards being successful in this role.

[ Access: This event will include closed captioning. If you have other access requirements, please contact support@thetalentmanager.com ]

Jason Rosette

Noyce!

3 years ago

Claudia Murg

Hi! As it is my first time attending a webminar, im not sure if to expect another email with the link for the 7pm webminar

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Emily Swain

Hi Nsofwa Thank you & well done. RE Direct Actor/Talent Approaches -best practice? I am primarily a jobbing actor (also job to job rollercoaster on a loop) but also have made content. Many of us actors source our own work, hustle and we are also repped. I am one who is not afraid to approach casters, producers and directors directly. As getting on radars is what is key - then your work truly speaks for itself. Do you have any tips re ways to approach and how to source those team members?

Nsofwa K. Nwannadi

@EmilySwain Hi Emily - i wish i knew more about scripted TV casting but it's outside of my experience . I would suggest always seeing who the casting directors/ assistant casting directors are and emailing them through the indie. I'd also suggest searching through Talent Manager for people and their roles. Unfortunately my expertise isn't in scripted drama or genres under that umbrella. Admittedly my response is a little elementary re actor/talent approaches.

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@NsofwaK. Nwannadi Thanks So much for taking the trouble to reply! I think your response is great - but partly this is my ignorance as yes my life is absolutely more focused in the scripted areas. But for docu drama and recon understanding re casting by PMS directly I found it interesting because a casting director is often not used in these scenarios in the way they are in drama/scripted. thank you! E

Scott Toms

Sorry my first job in TV wasn't a Producer, I've worked seven years in TV to get to researcher, how will this help me break in as a researcher?

@ScottTom Hi Scott, no need to apologies. My first job in TV news was as a broadcast journalist/producer (titles sometimes work differently in radio & news) on BBC Breakfast because i was a qualified journo with 5 years experience in print and online. To transition into fact/ent TV making, i had to become a junior researcher, then work my way up from there. Hopefully the tips i gave, after my intro, on how to transition from researcher to casting researcher proved to be useful in some way.

3 years ago Edited 3 years ago

Richard Nash

What social media casting techniques can (much) older documentary producers learn from the new generation of dynamic and innovative casting researchers?

@RichardNash Hi Richard - i'd say engage in Instagram, facebook, Twitter - these are all tried and tested methods. However platforms like TikTok, Twitter Spaces, Club House, Meet UP, YouTube are great ways of finding people, groups, sub cultures too

@NsofwaK. Nwannadi Thanks so very much. What an excellent webinar!

Katie-Alice Constant

Do you have advice on how to apply to Casting Researcher roles without already having casting credits? I have a few years of development researcher and researcher on a production experience, these roles required me to cast talent and contribs, but 'Casting' is not my specific credit.

@Katie-AliceConstant State that you want to diversify your CV and explain what experience you would bring to a team that a 'normal' caster maybe couldn't. As a DR you know how to spot a good story/ format, what translates well to TV. You keep on top of trends, consumer appetites - as a former DR myself, this gave me an edge. Be willing to learn and get on the phone!

Alicia Lau

Thank for taking the time to do this webinar Nsofwa and Bec! My question is do you have advice on how to adapt to different contributors personalities, what is the best approach?

@AliciaLau Be a good listener and be observant. Get to know what they like, don't like, how they like being spoken to. What their interests are, find common ground to show that you also have a personality or can relate to them in some way. But always set a boundary so they know you're also working in a professional capacity. With tricky contribs, always make your seniors aware that they're tricky so they can offer you the right support. Ask your PM for production phone to draw a boundary.

Andrew Deakin

Hi Becs, Will this YouTube livestream of the Webinar be available to watch afterwards here on Talent Manager? As this is really helpful for the future & very interesting.

Sarah Lee @ The Talent Manager

HI @Andrew Deakin - the video is available to our whole community just until tomorrow but if you are a Pro Member you can access anytime from our Pro Only learning area

Eduardo Lins

What are you casting now?

Abigail Burgess

Hi Nsofwa, can we get in touch with further questions re casting if possible? Thank you so much for all the tips!

@AbigailBurgess Hi Abigail, thank you for joining. Feel free to message me via Talent Manager and i'll be happy to help where i can :)

Thank you! Very enjoyable ...

@NsofwaK. Nwannadi Hi Nsofwa, One question I have. Would you say the best approach for asking a TV crew member about an area of TV you're interested in or a programme you're interested in pursing is to pick the best time when they are available, be diplomatic & try to get your point across? I have autism you see. And would you say that is the same for people of different saxes, religions & diversities & treat them like normal people & treat them like you genuinely want to work with them,.

@AndrewDeakin Hi Andrew – You’re so right about being diplomatic and asking for availability – production can get so busy that people may not be available right there and then. My tip is to ask for chat over coffee, it’s informal and social and less intimidating for some. Becs mentioned being persistent which is key – finding out who the talent manager or PM is and being persistent with them is valuable. It’s part of their ACTUAL job to hire, network and find editorial talent, so ask away!

@AndrewDeakin 100% agree with your point on treating people the same while creating an inclusive and equitable environment for peoples differences. We make better TV when our teams are reflective of the public we want to watch our shows.

Jenny Allen

Thanks @NsofwaK. Nwannadi that was really interesting. Thanks too to @BecsHall for arranging it.

Matt Born @ DV Talent

Great webinar, thanks @NsofwaK. Nwannadi @BecsHall

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Tips of the Trade: How to Be the Best Casting Researcher