Casting About

Casting About is a specialized research database that provides detailed profiles of casting directors working across film, television, and theatre. Each profile includes the casting director's project history, current and upcoming shows, office contact information, and known submission preferences. This information helps actors and their representatives target the right casting offices for specific types of roles.

The database is updated regularly to reflect new project announcements, staffing changes at casting offices, and shifts in which casting directors are handling which types of projects. Users can search by casting director name, project title, network, or genre to find relevant contacts. The search functionality makes it easy to identify which casting directors are actively casting projects that match an actor's type.

The subscription cost is positioned as a professional expense for serious actors and their teams, and many talent managers and agents also maintain subscriptions to use alongside their own industry databases. Getting started involves creating an account on the Casting About website, selecting a subscription plan, and then using the search functionality to research casting directors relevant to your target market. For self-tape auditions specifically, Casting About's data helps actors understand who will be watching their tape on the other end, and knowing a casting director's background, the types of projects they have cast, and their known preferences allows actors to make more informed choices about their audition approach and material selection.

Casting About's database includes information that is difficult or impossible to find through other sources, including casting directors' preferred submission methods, their known preferences for types of actors and performance styles, and their relationships with specific production companies and networks — this insider intelligence allows actors and their representatives to craft targeted approaches rather than generic mass submissions. Casting About is most valuable for actors who are actively auditioning and want to understand the landscape of who is casting what in their target markets, as the intelligence gained from researching casting directors before auditions can inform everything from material preparation to follow-up strategy. The information fills gaps not available through free resources like IMDb or social media profiles.

The primary users of Casting About include actively auditioning actors, talent managers, talent agents, and casting associate teams, with actors using the database to research who is casting specific projects they are targeting while representatives use it to identify appropriate casting offices for their clients. Understanding a casting director's history and preferences before an audition can meaningfully influence an actor's preparation — knowing that a particular CD tends to favor naturalistic performances or has a track record of championing diverse casting allows actors to calibrate their approach appropriately. Casting About has become an essential intelligence tool for actors pursuing a strategic approach to their career, as tracking which casting directors are working on which projects allows actors to anticipate audition opportunities and prepare before breakdowns are released.

Casting About subscriptions are available at $19.95 per month with discounts for annual commitments, positioning it as a professional tool rather than a casual resource. At approximately $20 per month, it represents a modest investment for actors who audition regularly, and the value becomes clear when a single piece of intelligence — knowing which CD is casting a new show, understanding their preferences, or identifying the right submission pathway — leads to an audition or booking that would not have occurred otherwise. Some actors share subscriptions with scene partners or study groups to split the cost, though this practice is technically against the platform's terms of service, and for actors and representatives who use the data actively the return on investment is consistently positive.

Casting About is recommended for actively auditioning actors in the Los Angeles and New York markets who want to approach their audition preparation strategically, and it is also valuable for talent representatives who want to supplement their own industry knowledge — actors who view their careers as businesses that require market intelligence will find the subscription worthwhile. Actors in regional markets where the casting landscape is smaller and more personally accessible may find less value in the database, and those who are just beginning their careers and are not yet auditioning for projects with established casting directors may want to wait until they are further along in their career development before subscribing.

Research the casting director for every audition before you tape, not just the high-profile ones — understanding who is watching your self-tape helps you make more informed performance choices, and take notes on your experiences with different casting offices and cross-reference them with Casting About's data to build your own personalized intelligence file. Use the project tracking feature to monitor upcoming shows and their casting assignments before breakdowns are released, share relevant findings with your representative to facilitate proactive submissions, and review the database periodically to stay current on casting director movements between offices and their new project assignments since the landscape shifts constantly.