As actors, we often put so much emphasis on finding acting agents that we overlook one of our best friends in the industry - casting directors. The truth is, having good relationships with casting directors can outlast any agent relationship and is something you can take with you as you move between agencies.
Casting directors are the ones who actually put you in the room. They're the ones who remember you, recommend you for projects, and champion your work to directors and producers. Building these relationships should be a key part of your career strategy.
Networking with casting directors offers several advantages: they often work across multiple productions and agencies, they have long memories for talent they like, and they're actively looking to discover new faces for their projects. Unlike agents who represent a limited roster, casting directors need a vast pool of talent to draw from.
Casting directors can help get you signed with an agencies as their reach and connection spread far across the industry. They are also great to get a reference off, this is something you can show potential agents in the future. Bottom line, you should be actively looking to make connections with casting directors, they can be a great ally in the industry.
Here are five casting directors who actively seek new talent and are genuinely open to receiving emails from actors they haven't auditioned before.
1. Sophie Holland Casting
Website: www.sophiehollandcasting.com
Sophie Holland has built her reputation on major Netflix productions including The Witcher, Wednesday, You, and Shadow and Bone, alongside films like Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and upcoming projects with Tim Burton. Her company, Sophie Holland Casting, now employs a team of five and has become one of the UK's most exciting casting offices.
What makes Sophie particularly notable for emerging actors is her vocal advocacy for discovering new talent. She's been outspoken on social media, in podcasts, and in industry interviews about how casting directors should actively search for fresh faces and voices. In a Variety interview, she emphasized: "Casting wasn't just about finding beautiful people who could do the American accent convincingly, but that casting could have a real, profound impact on the people watching it."
Sophie champions diversity and inclusion passionately, not just as buzzwords but as fundamental principles in her casting approach. She's known for creating safe, supportive audition environments where actors can do their best work. As she told Deadline: "As a casting director, I think you need to give safe environments so that people can be their most creative selves."
Her ethos is clear: she believes everyone has something special to offer, and it's the casting director's responsibility to help unlock it. If you're an emerging actor looking to work with someone who genuinely wants to discover new talent, Sophie Holland should absolutely be on your radar.
2. Aisha Bywaters Casting
Website: www.aishabywaters.com
Aisha Bywaters is rapidly becoming one of the UK's most exciting casting directors, and her BAFTA wins speak volumes about the quality of her work. She won the BAFTA TV Craft Award for Scripted Casting twice, in 2022 for the comedy We Are Lady Parts and again in 2024 for the drama Three Little Birds.
Her television credits include Daddy Issues starring David Morrissey and Aimee Lou Wood, Queenie (the Channel 4 adaptation of Candice Carty-Williams' acclaimed novel), Everyone Else Burns, and Everything I Know About Love. Her film work is equally impressive, including UK casting for Coralie Fargeat's The Substance starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, Daniel Kaluuya's The Kitchen, the BIFA-winning Polite Society, County Lines, and The Last Tree (which premiered at Sundance 2019).
What sets Aisha apart is her commitment to discovering unknown talent and nurturing their careers. She famously cast 12-year-old Jedaiah Bannerman in The Kitchen, introducing the world to a remarkable young actor. Her approach to auditions is supportive and collaborative—she wants actors to bring their authentic selves into the room.
In her own words: "Come as yourself. Come as you are. I can only cast you if I know who you are. You might not get the job every time, but if we know the sort of actor you are, the sort of person you are, just be as chilled and relaxed as you can be and just be nice and have a laugh and be creative."
Aisha started working in casting in 2007, assisting Shaheen Baig on projects including The Impossible, Starred Up, Black Mirror, and Peaky Blinders before establishing her own company in 2015. She regularly conducts masterclasses and workshops, demonstrating her commitment to supporting actors at all stages of their careers.
3. Carolyn McLeod Casting
Website: www.carolynmcleodcasting.com
With over 15 years of casting experience, Carolyn McLeod is a freelance casting director specializing in film, theatre, and streaming content. She's worked with acclaimed directors including Paul Schrader, Stephen Herek, Michael Caton-Jones, Roland Joffé, and Sofia Coppola on projects for Netflix, BBC, Disney, Warner Bros, Hallmark, SyFy/NBC Universal, and Amazon Prime.
Carolyn's impressive accolades include winning the BIFA 2021 Best Casting Award for Boiling Point, receiving a BAFTA Film Best Casting nomination in 2022, and winning the Casting Directors Guild Best Casting in an Independent Film Award in 2023.
Her extensive experience across multiple platforms and territories makes her particularly valuable for actors looking to work in high-quality independent films and major streaming productions. As a BAFTA, CDG, and CSA member, she maintains strong connections throughout the industry and has proven her ability to discover talent that resonates with both critics and audiences.
For emerging actors, Carolyn represents the kind of casting director who can elevate your career through quality projects with respected filmmakers. Her track record shows she's willing to take chances on new faces when they're right for the role.
4. Hammond Cox Casting
Website: www.hammondcoxcasting.com
We all need to start somewhere, and commercial casting is an excellent way to practice audition technique while gaining valuable on-set experience. Hammond Cox Casting is one of the major players in UK commercial casting, working on numerous high-profile advertising campaigns each year.
What makes Hammond Cox particularly valuable for early-career actors is their openness to seeing new faces and their high turnover of actors per job. Commercials typically cast fresh, diverse talent to appeal to broad audiences, which means they're actively looking for actors who haven't been overexposed in the advertising world.
Working on commercials offers several benefits beyond the paycheck: you'll gain experience working with professional crews, learn how to take direction quickly, build your showreel with broadcast-quality footage, and develop relationships with a casting office that handles significant volume. Hammond Cox's reputation in the industry means a strong performance in one of their castings can lead to repeat bookings.
For actors building their careers, commercial work provides regular income and professional experience that translates directly to film and television work. Hammond Cox's willingness to audition new talent makes them an ideal entry point into the professional casting world.
5. Louise Kiely Casting
Website: www.louisekiely.com
Based in Ireland, Louise Kiely has established herself as one of Ireland's preeminent casting directors since founding her company in 2005. Her impressive body of work includes The Banshees of Inisherin (for which she won the CDG Best Casting in a Film Award and the CSA Artios Award), Normal People (Emmy nomination), Bodkin, The Tourist, Sing Street, and The Green Knight.
With more and more film and television work shooting in Ireland, Louise represents an essential contact for regional actors and anyone interested in working on Irish or UK-Irish co-productions. She's cast over 100 projects spanning film, television, and commercials, working with both emerging talent and established stars.
What makes Louise particularly accessible to new actors is her genuine passion for discovering talent. In her own words, she describes casting as being about "nurture as well. It's about craft and building that craft and being part of their journeys." She's known for creating supportive audition environments and giving actors the space to do their best work.
Louise works with partners Karen Scully and Thyrza Ging, and together they've built a reputation for efficiency, organization, and creativity in their approach. She's a member of the CDG, CSA, and AMPAS, and serves as Chair of IFTA's Casting Chapter.
For actors based in Ireland, the UK, or anyone willing to work on Irish productions, Louise Kiely Casting should absolutely be on your contact list. Her track record of discovering breakout talent (think Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones in Normal People) demonstrates her eye for identifying stars before they become household names.
How to Approach These Casting Directors
Having this list is valuable, but your approach matters just as much as who you contact. Here are key strategies:
Research their recent work: Before reaching out, familiarize yourself with their recent projects. Mention specific work you admired in your email, but be genuine.
Be professional and concise: Casting directors receive hundreds of emails weekly. Keep your introduction brief, include your Spotlight link, and make it easy for them to see why you're reaching out.
Timing matters: Don't email just after major projects wrap or during pilot season when they're overwhelmed. Mid-production periods or quieter months tend to get better response rates.
Follow up strategically: If you have genuine updates, a new credit, improved showreel, or upcoming performance, that's a legitimate reason to re-connect. Don't email every month without new information.
The Get Repped Advantage
Finding casting director contact information is just the beginning. Get Repped provides direct emails for these casting directors and hundreds more, cross-referenced with their recent projects and submission preferences.
Our email tracking shows you exactly who opened your submission and clicked your links, taking the guesswork out of follow-ups. You'll know which casting directors are genuinely interested in your materials and when to strategically re-engage with updated information.
Building relationships with casting directors is a long game, but it's one of the most valuable investments you can make in your career. Start with these five, research their work thoroughly, and approach them professionally. The right connection with a casting director can transform your career trajectory.