Behind the Curtain

Erica A. Hart, CSA graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she studied film and television. She has been casting for over 10 years on many high profile projects. She started off in network and studio casting moving her way up to Casting Coordinator in the New York Office of ABC Primetime Casting. In 2014, Erica appeared in The Hollywood Reporter as a featured rising artist. She has cast projects that have screened at the Tribeca Film Festival, SXSW, Outfest, Cinequest, and the Cannes Film Festival and are streaming on Netflix and Amazon. The Surrogate (a film she cast as well as associate produced) was in Indiewire’s Best Movies Eligible for a 2021 Oscar and was a Variety Critic’s Pick. 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 has cast a handful of their productions. Erica is the Casting Associate for Ray Donovan (Showtime), The Bold Type (Freeform), Defending Jacob (Apple), and Godfather of Harlem (Epix). Outside of casting, she has received grants and awards from the Puffin Foundation, New York Television Festival and The Digital Bolex, in addition to developing 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.

Victor Vazquez, CSA is the founder and lead Casting Director of X Casting NYC, a member of the Casting Society of America, and a 2020 Theater Communications Group (TCG) Rising Leader of Color. He currently casts for Broadway, Theatre, and Film. IG: @VictorVictorV

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 here. 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.