Casting By Operates in Four Markets and Expands its Work on English-Language Productions

Casting By marks nine years of operation with projects in Mexico, Colombia, the U.S., and Spain. The company also works on English-language productions and takes part in titles for platforms such as Netflix, Amazon, and HBO. Jessica Caldrello, CEO and director of Casting, explained that the expansion is the result of sustained growth and the consolidation of relationships with production companies and platforms.

“We’re at a very exciting moment because a lot of things are happening at Casting By that we had been working on for a while, but now we’re seeing the results,” she said.

The company began with a one-year consulting engagement for Telemundo and later expanded its activity with Sony. Later on it opened offices in Mexico and strengthened its presence in Spain. Caldrello also has ten years of experience at Telemundo, based in Miami, with activity across various territories in Latin America and Europe.

FOUR MARKETS AND AN INTERNATIONAL OPERATION

The executive noted that the company maintains simultaneous activity in four markets. In Spain it is working on three productions: a film that just wrapped shooting, another film in the casting stage, and an international English-language series for Secuoya.

In Colombia, Casting By continues working on titles such as Medusa and Cien Años de Soledad, in addition to other projects carried out in that market. In Mexico it is working on El Juego de las Llaves 4, its first series for Amazon Original, and on La Otra, a Netflix production starring Camila Sodi and Osvaldo Benavides.

“What excites us most is that we’re in four markets at the same time,” Caldrello said. The company is also involved in Above and Below, an English-language film that has already reached U.S. theaters.

ABOVE AND BELOW: THE FIRST ENGLISH-LANGUAGE FEATURE FILM UNDER ITS CHARGE

Above and Below represents a particular milestone for Casting By. Although the company had already worked on English-language productions, this was the first film for which it took on full responsibility for casting.

Shooting took place in Spain, even though the story is set in Cancun during spring break. The team needed to find performers capable of speaking with an American accent. Due to budget and travel constraints, it could only bring two actors from the U.S.

“This was our first full film that we handled entirely on our own as casting directors,” she explained. The company launched a broad casting call in the U.S. and found the two performers who traveled to Spain to co-star with Antonio Banderas. It then rounded out the cast in Europe with actors who could work with that accent.

Caldrello highlighted the collaboration with director Jesse V. Johnson, Frank Ariza, and AF Films. She also noted that she hopes the film will reach Mexico soon.

LOCAL CASTING FOR MEDUSA 2

The second season of Medusa took the team to Barranquilla to hold an open casting call over several weeks. The production sought to strengthen the local presence in a story set on the Colombian coast.

“We really wanted the series to have more authenticity,” Caldrello said. The director believes the process will allow audiences to recognize both the locations and the accents and speech patterns of the performers.

“I think it’s going to feel very local,” she added. She also anticipated that the new season’s cast will have a stronger presence of artists from the region.

NEW PROJECTS IN MEXICO AND EUROPE

Among the projects it is developing in Mexico, Casting By is handling the casting for El Juego de las Llaves 4, by Corazón Films. The company is also part of the production Por Catálogo, produced by Black Sheep Productions and Mar Abierto for Amazon. The company is likewise involved in La Ley de Alicia, an adaptation of The Good Wife for Netflix, starring Fernanda Castillo.

In Spain, the company recently wrapped shooting on Amor y mente, a remake of the Italian film Locamente, and is working on casting for Un Buen Camino, a Mexican adaptation of a story available in Italian on Netflix.

Caldrello also mentioned Marcelo en el Mundo Real, a film directed by Lucía Puenzo and starring Eugenio Derbez and Eva Longoria. The team handled the full casting for this English-language production, with characters and accents from the interior of the U.S.

International expansion is part of the goal the company set from its founding. “That was our dream: to be international,” Caldrello added.

PRODMEE AND ACCESS TO NEW TALENT

Casting By’s expansion is also supported by tools that facilitate contact with performers. Caldrello highlighted the role of Prodmee, a platform that centralizes the company’s casting processes and allows actors without representation to take part in casting calls.

“It’s a platform that’s completely free, that anyone who wants to be an actress, who wants to be an actor, who can’t find a manager, can use,” she explained. The executive noted that the company keeps casting calls open and reviews all the materials it receives: “Casting By’s motto is that we look at absolutely every casting submission, there are no auditions that go unseen, that don’t get reviewed.”

OPEN DOORS FOR ACTORS

Caldrello linked this approach to her own experience and to the difficulties faced by those starting an acting career. That’s why Casting By also offers support to performers who need to prepare for an audition, even when the project doesn’t belong to the company.

“If you need to do a casting and don’t have anyone to help you, and that audition isn’t for us, come anyway, we’ll still help you. We’ll set up the lighting, we’ll set up a good camera, we’ll provide the reader, we’ll provide direction, and we’re happy to do it to help you,” she said.

MORE PRODUCTION IN MEXICO

The director of Casting also observes a resurgence of audiovisual activity in Mexico following a slower period during the World Cup. “Now everything has started picking back up, and I understand a lot of things are coming here to Mexico,” she said.

For Caldrello, making access to talent easier is part of how Casting By seeks to develop its work. “I think that’s something that really stands out about this company: empathy. Empathy and the desire to help, and open doors,” she concluded.