Speaking at this Saturday’s seminar is casting director Amey René Morris! Famous around these parts for us using both her first and middle name religiously.
Amey René has credits that span TV, features, web series, Internet stuff, and commercials. Based in Los Angeles with an office in Seattle, she lists her expertise as “searching out new, undiscovered talent.” Like Gina Rodriguez on “Jane the Virgin.” You’re all watching “Jane the Virgin,” right? If so, congratulations, you’re doing it right. If not, WHY NOT? It’s like “Gilmore Girls” crossed with a telenovela by way of the narration from “Arrested Development.” It’s great. Amey René’s other TV credits include Emmy & Golden Globe Award winning “Modern Family,” so she’s pretty much got good TV on lockdown.
On the feature side, she did the Washington casting for the upcoming film “Captain Fantastic,” directed by Matt Ross and starring Viggo Mortensen. Other recent film credits include “Laggies,” directed by Lynn Shelton and starring Keira Knightley, Chloe Grace Moretz, and Sam Rockwell and “Lucky Them,” directed by Megan Griffiths and starring Toni Collette and Thomas Haden Church.
(Quick note: I could not remember the names of the male stars of those movies on my own. I had to look it up. My brain was like, “Chin Guy, Sam Whatshisface, and Dude From Wings.” Sexist brain problems, you guys.)
On the commercial and Internet side of things, Amey René has done the casting for the Web Series “Rocketmen” and for national commercial campaigns including NIKE “Never Finished” with Richard Sherman, MICROSOFT, Toyota, Nissan, and UPS. She also worked on the Internet videos for the Thug Kitchen cookbook and “Goldieblox vs. the Big Sister Machine.” If you’re not familiar with Thug Kitchen, you best get familiar. If you love eating right and swearing, Thug Kitchen is for you. And the video Amey René cast for it is all kinds of delightful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ar7g_26QWu0
But that’s not all! Most recently, she finished casting for the feature film “Hickey” and is working on three other features that will shoot in 2015. So we’re all appreciative that she’s taking time out of her busy schedule to come talk to us and you about commercial and theatrical casting. The seminar is coming a bit early this month, April 18th instead of the last Saturday of the month, so if you have a ticket, be sure you show up on the right day. Personally, I host the damn thing and I only found out about the date change this morning, because apparently I don’t look at the whiteboard in the Marketing office where Erin helpfully posts this information for exactly this reason.
Lindsay Katai is a writer/performer/debtor who has worked at Casting Networks since 2010.
Seminar Recap