Wednesday, August 15, 2001

Casting light on the (talent) machine

When in LA, do as the Los Angeleans do. And for me that meant despite a late Monday and Tuesday nights I was to be called out and go attend an early breakfast seminar. And that means when you're in the entertainment capital of the world (or one of them), you attend the Women in Film breakfast on Wednesday, August 15th. Management consultant and producer Stephen Graham, who attended the Cocktails with Courtney event the night before told me about a few networking cocktail parties going on in town and this early event.

Taking Sunset to the Wyndham BelAir Hotel I attended this breakfast networking session where members introduced themselves and new guests were introduced by the hostess of the event Ryan Larson. Member Lisa Davis, a photographer, mentioned a great goals workshop called FlashForwardInstitute.com, where they guarantee results! TheStoryCoach.com Patrick Horton and StressMastery.com director Joyce Kenyon were also at our table as were three young actresses. Normally the audience isn't always so actor-heavy, but the speaker was Viacom Productions and Showtime Talent and Casting SVP Beth Klein. Beth provided background on what she does and how casting at Viacom and Showtime work and then offered helpful hints and tips for actors trying to get bigger in the biz. Peggy Hernandez, an advocate for Latino actors, asked the question about diversity in casting.

Afterwards I chatted with Showtime casting assistant Alexa Leskyn about the alt.sho.com awards show I hosted and if they had any plans for more technology shows...Stay tuned because you never know!