When your San Diego production team is filming a TV series, you know how important it is to find just the right actor to play each role. Working with a casting agency can help you streamline your casting process and hire the right talent for your show.
Video-based media is still growing and changing, and having a relationship with a casting agency is going to be beneficial to you as you fulfill your specific needs and bring your vision to fruition. Do you need actors with certain skills or features? Do you have multiple projects going at once, or do you have multiple talent needs within the same project?
A San Diego casting agency can help you keep the production of your TV series on track. Here are five reasons to hire one.
1. A Local Agency Knows the Territory
San Diego is about 120 miles south of Los Angeles, but ties between the two cities run deep. TV shows such as Veronica Mars and Animal Kingdom have been filmed in San Diego, and also movies such as Top Gun, Scarface, and Transformers. The traditional center of the movie industry might be in Hollywood, but San Diego has its own TV and film history as well.
This means that some of the movie and TV industry is located in San Diego—not just the actors you’re looking to hire, but also their agents and people who have other production-related positions, such as editors, set dressers, directors, and script supervisors. Having a local connection who knows the local industry scene and who has a network of people and organizations ready to go is invaluable, whether you’re an actor wanting to work for a production company or a production company looking for actors to hire. After all, sometimes it’s not so much what you know as who you know.
2. An Agency Streamlines the Casting Process
There’s a lot that goes into finding actors for a TV series, and the search can be exhaustive. If you have five roles to fill, without a casting agency, you’ll have to advertise for the roles, accept the applications, and handle the casting calls and interviews (and second interviews, and script reads, and so on) before you can start working on your project. All that—times five! And depending on how many people give you applications, you could be looking at weeks of work and hours of time that could be used for other parts of your project.
If you work with a casting agency, however, you won’t have to handle all that work yourself. The agents who work with casting agencies already have portfolios, references, and job histories for actors. Once you tell the agents about the five roles you have to fill, they’ll quickly be able to narrow down who in their talent pool could fit those roles best. With the bulk of the work done, you’ll only have the best candidates left to choose from, simplifying your work and freeing up your time for other tasks.
3. They Stay Up to Date With the Changing Industry
The way we watch TV and film has changed dramatically in recent years. With the rise of streaming services, the audition process has adapted, contract negotiations have changed, management of residuals has evolved, competition of projects vying for actors has increased (and actors for projects); the list goes on. The professionals in a casting agency follow these changes carefully, adjusting their own practices as needed so that they can best represent their clients, both on the talent and hiring sides of the industry. When you work with an experienced agency to hire actors, you also gain the advantages of their expertise.
4. A Casting Agency Empowers Your Project
A lot of work goes into producing a TV series, and there are many moving parts; casting is just one of them. Working with a professional casting agency certainly helps you hire the right talent for your project, but the benefits go far beyond that. While they narrow in on the right actors for your work, you are free to dedicate your time and energy to other priorities.
It’s difficult to relinquish control of any part of a project you’ve given your blood, sweat, and tears to, but when you delegate the work and trust the expertise of a team working for your benefit, it can really pay off. You can focus on the larger picture and feel empowered to do what you do best: bring your vision to life.
5. An Agency Can Fulfill Your Vision of Diversity
So often, the media doesn’t represent everyone. There tend to be traditional looks in television and film. Modern casting companies such as InnoVision Talent Agency seek to challenge those traditional types of casting by creating a more inclusive roster, welcoming actors from all walks of life, including historically underrepresented groups. Diversity is important when casting for the small screen.
Non-traditional casting can help your TV series appeal to wider audiences, driving further popularity and commercial success. It can also help people understand each other better and see the world through someone else’s eyes. For instance, a child who uses a wheelchair is likely to better relate to a TV actor who also uses a wheelchair. They may even be inspired.
At the very least, that child might feel more seen and comfortable in their skin. It might invite conversations between friends and acquaintances about their disability. This is a way to fight against stigmas and biases. That child might have assumed they were incapable of something because of their disability; seeing this actor’s performance might challenge that preconceived notion. A casting agency that understands diversity can help your project have a larger impact.
When you’re looking for a San Diego casting agency, InnoVision Talent Agency is ready and waiting to help you bring your TV series to the small screen. With over a decade of experience within the film, TV, and advertising industry, you can rely on us to find the best talent around for you and your production team. Contact us today to get started.