What should you ask before you book a casting company or agency?
- Do you cast this kind of job: print, on-camera, real people or background?
- Will we see options and a casting session before we book anyone?
- Is the talent union or non-union, and does the job need to be?
- How are the booking fee and the agency fee set, and who pays them?
- What usage is included, for how long and where?
- Who handles the model release?
- Who’s the contact on the day if someone’s late or sick?
- How far ahead do you need the date and the brief?
Casting companies and talent agencies around DC
These are agencies and casting companies only, with what they say about themselves on their own sites. I haven’t seen a public rating on any of their own pages, so none are shown.
T.H.E Artist Agency
What they do: Represents models, actors and stylists, including hair and makeup and wardrobe.
Best for: Commercial and lifestyle print, on-camera work and stylists
Where: Georgetown, Washington, DC
Taylor Royall Casting
What they do: Casting directors for on-camera actors, print models and voice-over, serving Maryland, DC and Virginia.
Best for: Commercial on-camera, print and voice-over casting
Where: Baltimore and Washington area
Pat Moran Casting
What they do: Casts feature film and TV, plus commercials, training videos, PSAs and print.
Best for: Film, TV and commercial casting
Where: Baltimore, MD
Thea Washington Casting
What they do: Casting for commercials, TV, film and reality, with real people casting and government and digital projects.
Best for: Real people casting and agency or government video
Where: DC, Maryland and Virginia
Jaderlund Casting
What they do: Casts principals, background, real people and living history for East Coast productions.
Best for: Background, real people and period work
Where: Richmond, VA, with a Washington, DC office
Kendall Cooper Casting
What they do: Commercial casting and TV and film casting, principals and extras.
Best for: Commercial and TV casting
Where: New England and the Mid-Atlantic
Central Casting, DC
What they do: Background casting in DC through its casting portal, with casting director support and payroll.
Best for: Background and extras for larger productions
Where: Washington, DC service
Liton Agency
What they do: Talent agency booking models for events, campaigns and brands, including print, commercial, promotional and trade show work.
Best for: Commercial print and event models
Where: Downtown Washington, DC, by appointment
KiSS Model Management
What they do: Model agency with a roster you can browse on its site.
Best for: Fashion and commercial models
Where: DC, Los Angeles and New York
The Chronic Agency
What they do: Modeling agency connecting its roster with brands for fashion shoots, commercial productions and events.
Best for: Brand and event model bookings
Where: Fairfax, VA, serving DC and Baltimore
The Pink Light
What they do: Model, talent and event staffing agency for promotional, trade show, fashion and print work.
Best for: Trade show and promotional models
Where: Atlanta headquarters, with Baltimore and DC rosters
Do you need a casting director or a talent agency?
A talent agency sends you people from its own roster. A casting director looks across agencies and the open market to find the right face, and runs the session. For a few models on a print day, an agency is often enough. For real people, a big group or a specific look, a casting director earns the time.
What’s real people casting?
It’s casting people who aren’t professional models, like actual nurses, engineers or customers, so the photos look like the folks who really do the work. Several casting companies above list it.
Can you use your own employees instead?
You can. Get a signed release from each person, and plan for someone who’d rather not be in the photos. See when someone says no to a portrait.
How do you spot a bad agency?
An agency is paid when its talent gets booked. Be careful with one that asks new talent to pay up front for classes or photos, and check that the agency has a real site and an address before you send a brief.
Double-check before you book
Rosters, rules and union status change. Look at each agency’s own page, and confirm the details with the agency before you book.
Briefing a photographer
To write up a shoot, see the photo shoot brief builder. For agency teams, see the Agencies page. For hair and makeup, see hair and makeup stylists in DC. For the rest of the day, see the production day checklist.
