Join Film Fatales on Friday, June 11th at 2pm PT for a discussion about what filmmakers need to know about inclusive casting with Casting Directors Erica Hart (Enemies of the State), Jennifer Ajemian (Feeling Through), Victor Vasquez (X Casting). Moderated by Film Fatales member Stavroula Toska (Beneath the Olive Tree).
Ever wonder what really goes on in the mind of a casting director before deciding to work with a director? How do you, the director, know you have hired the right casting director for your project? What is the difference between "color-blind casting" and "color-conscious casting?" What are best practices for casting inclusively? Join us to hear about all this and more from three of the busiest casting directors on the East Coast.
This event is open to the public and will be accessible with live captioning.
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If you missed the event, no worries! You can catch up on past events and watch HERE
ERICA A. HART, CSA (Casting Director/ Producer) graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, where she studied film and television. She has been casting for over a decade and has loved every minute of it. She started off in network and studio casting moving her way up to Casting Coordinator in the New York Office of ABC Primetime Casting. Erica has appeared in The Hollywood Reporter as a featured rising artist and has cast films that have screened at the Tribeca Film Festival, SXSW, Outfest, Cinequest, and the Cannes Film Festival. THE SURROGATE (a film she cast as well as associate produced) was in INDIEWIRE's Best Movies Eligible for a 2021 Oscar, was a VARIETY CRITICS PICK, and earned Erica her first Artios nomination and win in 2021. She has cast commercials for high-end brands such as Maybelline, Gillette, Hasbro, and Delta, to name a few. She has also collaborated with The National Black Theatre and Drama League and has cast a handful of their productions. Erica has been the Casting Associate for shows like RAY DONOVAN (SHOWTIME), THE BOLD TYPE (FREEFORM), DEFENDING JACOB (APPLE+), and GODFATHER OF HARLEM (EPIX). Currently she's the Casting Director for the THAT DAMN MICHAEL CHE(HBO MAX), BLACK DON'T CRACK (ABC), and LOVE LIFE Season 2 (HBO MAX). She is on the Board of Governors for The Casting Society of America (CSA) and a member of the Television Academy. Outside of casting, she has received grants and awards from the Puffin Foundation, New York Television Festival and The Digital Bolex, and has developed new series for BET and WeTV.
Jennifer Peralta-Ajemian is a U.S. Casting Director with a focus on diversity and inclusion. Since 2005, she's worked on a range of film, theater, commercial, and voiceover productions. Her work has premiered at numerous festivals including the Atlanta and Austin Film Festivals, the Dallas International Film Festival, New Orleans Film Festival, Palm Springs International ShortFest, Slamdance, SXSW, and Tribeca. She is the casting director of STORMCHASER, Winner of AMC Networks and Stareable Fest's Web Series and Indie TV Prize, and FEELING THROUGH which is nominated for Best Live Action Short at the 2021 Academy Awards. Outside of casting, she coaches artists & business professionals, and provides creative consultation for NEXGEN filmmakers.
Stavroula Toska is a multi-award-winning writer, director, actress and content creatrix, known for pushing boundaries through her unique storytelling and POV. Her works have received global recognition, including top honors from the New York Women in Film and Television. Her passion, focus, leadership and work ethic have led to collaborations with industry veterans such as Academy Award winner Olympia Dukakis and Emmy winner Cady McClain. Stavroula's latest project, SWITCH, is a 13-time-award-winning scripted web series based on her years of working as a dominatrix in New York City. She is currently developing SWITCH into long form episodic and writing her first book about her experiences during those years. Season 1 of the web series is available at www.switchtheseries.com Stavroula founded The Toska Matrix Productions as her vehicle for sharing untold stories and crafting work that taps into the essence of who we really are, exploring trauma and healing while entertaining and educating. Some of her most notable works include her multi award winning directorial debut, Beneath the Olive Tree - a feature documentary narrated by Academy Award winner Olympia Dukakis, IN THE VICE, The Sounding, PRONOIA, Livin' the Dream and more. She splits her time between Los Angeles and New York City, and serves as a mentor for underserved youth at Reel Works, is on the board of the Hellenic Film Society USA and Film Fatales, and advocates for victims of domestic violence.
Victor Vazquez, CSA (he/him/his) is the founder and lead Casting Director of X Casting NYC (www.xcastingnyc.com), a member of the Casting Society of America, and a 2020 Theater Communications Group (TCG) Rising Leader of Color. He currently casts for Broadway (upcoming undisclosed project), Theatre, and Film. IG: @VictorVictorV