Susan Paley Abramson and Justine Hempe Form New Casting Office

Susan Paley Abramson and Justine Hempe have partnered on a new casting venture, Back Stage has learned.

Paley Abramson was the casting director for HBO comedy "Entourage," which ended its eighth and final season in September. She started on the show as an assistant in its first season, working for casting directors Sheila Jaffe and Georgianne Walken. She was promoted to associate for the second season, and to director when Walken left in 2008. She also continued to rack up associate credits on Jaffe's film projects, including "Secretariat" and "Rambo."After Entourage wrapped it's final season, she stayed with Jaffe to cast "40," an HBO pilot project from "Entourage" writer/executive producer Doug Ellin.

Hempe was a longtime associate in the office of Margery Simkin. Most recently, she worked with Simkin on Warner Bros.' sci-fi epic "Pacific Rim," which is currently in-production. In recent years she's also worked on bird-watching comedy "The Big Year," medical drama "Extraordinary Measures," and blockbuster "Avatar."

Hempe and Abramson both worked with Simkin on the 2005 film "XXX: State of the Union."

The new partners are currently casting the film "Thicker Than Water," among other projects.