About
Casting Director Vicky Johnston
Casting Services throughout the USA using industry standard casting platforms such as Casting Networks & Actors Access.
01. GLOBAL CASTING
Casting talent via self-tape video submissions means we are no longer limited by location to find the best talent. I can cast talent in the State you are shooting in but also know that we can open up casting nationwide or Globally!
02. Professional
My reputation is kinda important and I’d like to keep it that way. You’ll always receive top level service from me. Please read my testimonials below to reiterate my service and committment to my clients.
03. à la carte Casting Services
I can assist you with full casting services or if you have a limited budget you can select and customize what you would like me to take care of and you can take over from there.
SERVICE WITH EXCELLENCE
ABOUT VICKY
I have spent a lot of time in the film industry but my absolute passion is casting talent that thrive in their craft. I’ve seen many people come into this industry new to acting and now they are lead characters in feature films and TV shows (Yes, I am talking about you Paul Wutherich, Ally Ionnides, and so many more). Casting excellent talent is a pleasure and passion of mine.
I started casting back in 2009 but over the years, the way we cast, has evolved with the advancement of technology including the time efficiency it offers. Altogether, this is a great benefit to production companies and businesses everywhere. We are no longer limited by geographics. If you’re looking for unique talent then casting talent outside of your region just became so much more accessible. I have cast talent from all over the nation including scouting talent from Australia and New Zealand. Please scroll down to see videos of the type of projects I cast for. I work with reputable companies that produce high production value media.
I am meticulous in talent selection and can give you plenty of guidance when it comes to casting and selection. A good casting director has the unique ability and eye for spotting excellent talent that will work well for your production. I’ve seen thousands of actors over the years and know when someone has that winning formula. I will go far and wide to find you the perfect cast.
I’m easy to work with but always very professional about the casting process. You’ll find me to be very organized and forever thinking ahead so we handle any items before they become issues. There are many moving parts when it comes to casting but you’re in the right hands. If you need guidance on actor rates, buyouts, travel, rehearsal day rates etc., please let me know. I’m here to help and guide you through. As a rule of thumb most day rates for independent media is in line with the current SAG-AFTRA rates.
DISCLAIMER
I work with reputable companies that have a proven background. I work direct with large corporate companies, advertising agencies and established production companies. This is a people business and many people entrust me with providing high calibre opportunities from outstanding companies.
FEATURES
What I Do Best
List of Services
I mostly work with USA based companies. Talent is sourced from where ever you prefer.
CASTING BY LOCATION
CAST IN YOUR SHOOTING LOCATION
The most cost effective way to cast is to select talent in the region you are shooting in. As an example: If you’re from California but shooting in Washing DC. I’ll cast talent in Washington DC.
CASTING BY LOCATION
CASTING NATIONWIDE
This service is very common. First we will find the best talent in the State you are shooting in but we can reach talent throughout the country or within surrounding States of your shooting location to keep travel costs down.
CASTING BY LOCATION
GLOBAL CASTING
This service is used when you are looking for a truly unique or specialized talent. I work with English speaking countries to find the best actors and voice-over artists. Rest assured if you need an ethnic look, or non-English speaking actor I’ll find the right talent.
CULL & SELECT
SHOWING YOU THE BEST
Let’s face it, there are lots of wannbe’s out there. I appreciate them trying but these are not the self-tape auditions you want to be wasting your time on. I run a pre-selection process so we can get right to work on final selections.
CREATE A SELF-TAPE GALLERY
AUDITION GRID
I use a number of casting platforms plus dedicated secure pages on my website for you to see talent submissions on a page (gallery style) so you an quickly navigate through the selections.
ARRANGE CALLBACKS
THE SHORT LIST
Once a short list is created I’ll request callbacks via self-tape audition or an online video conference call.
NEGOTIATE PAY RATES
THE DAY RATE AND MORE
Before I send out the casting breakdown to talent agents and actors we display the daily rate so talent know ahead of time what the pay will be. There are cases when this rate may be negotiated in order to book a very good actor. Some talent have a minimum rate before they will book dependent on their skill, experience and demand. There may be other factors to consider such as travel, accomodation, rehearsal, hold day, day out of days etc.
Correspond with Talent Agents
BOOKINGS
There’s quite a bit of activity that goes on behind the scenes here. Finding out availability, booking talent, restrictions, collecting talent information etc. These finer details need to be carefully handled within a timely manner.
COORDINATE CONTRACTS
THE FINE PRINT
I coordinate deal memos and contracts to make sure they are filled in correctly, signed and returned.
MANAGE LOGISTICS
THE SPREADSHEET
This is the brains of the operation. I provide a shared google docs spreadsheet with everything you need to know. A lot of data is collected in order to bring you all the information you will need on each cast member…right down to their shoe size. This is the information you’ll need to contact the talent, any special requirements, agent representation, day rate and other concessions, travel dates, booking dates, shoot dates, talent sizes, social media and profile links etc. It’s quite comprehensive. You’re production team will find this spreadsheet quite invaluable. You’ll have full editing rights to also create tabs that you can customize so everything is in one place for your key production team members such as hair, makeup, wardrobe and travel departments.
COORDINATE OTHER NEEDS
REHEARSALS & PRODUCTION MEETINGS
Dates for rehearsals, productions meetings and any other special requests. I can find a small number of background talent if you need but beyond that I suggest working with a casting coompany that specializes in Extras.
FINAL DETAILS
ALMOST READY FOR SHOOT DAY
You can pat yourself on the back at this point. You’re nearly there. If there are any final tasks that need completing (or dear I say we need to recast someone urgently because something unfortunate has happened), I’ll make sure we tidy up any loose ends. I will send billing information out to the talent agencies so once the talent vouchers are signed off upon wrapping they’ll invoice you directly for talent services rendered. Payment terms are upon receipt unless it is a union job or prior arrangements have been made.
SOME PROJECTS I HAVE CAST
TESTIMONIALS
From our first email through the end of the production Vicky brought nothing less than laser focus, resourcefulness, and quality.
She didn’t need to be micro-managed and in fact she brought a handful of resources to the table in order to help us manage the tall order of talent.
Her process is refined and her people skills go a long way in handling communication between departments on set. Casting was seamless and she was very patient and helpful in finding exactly what we (and the clients) wanted.
If she’s not already booked out because she’s a legend, I’d highly recommend signing Vicky on to any production!
Vicky provides outstanding results! One member of our team who had just finished a major casting week for an Apple commercial, commented that Vicky’s work was the best he’s seen in the State hands down.
We went into the casting expecting to find maybe one actor half as talented as the 5-6 choices who were above and beyond the level of talent we’ve previously worked with in Utah. We went from mild hopes to a seriously hard decision between what actors to select. That just doesn’t happen in Utah if you know this scene. Our team really isn’t sure how Vicky works her magic but I wouldn’t go into pre-production on any commercial or short without her help now. Her rate is incredibly fare and she delivers talent we simply didn’t know existed in the Salt Lake and Utah county area.
Casting went from this heavy weight looming over our production to the least of our worries because we were so confident in Utah Casting. I consider the talent Vicky found for us on par with any of the choices we would of found in LA and she accomplished all this in less than a week because we had such a fast turn around time. I apologize for this long rant of flattery but its really rare to find someone so professional and talented as Vicky in Utah.
Vicky Johnston was a vital asset as my Casting Director for “Scavenger Hunt”. Her dedication and professionalism are second to none. I gave her the task of casting 8-10 children in starring roles, not an easy task. But Vicky provided us with a large number of willing hopefuls. Her networking skills allow her to be in touch with the filmmaking process and provide thoughtful and creative input regarding casting choices. I would not hesitate to use Vicky at any time, and will be using her again soon.