TMA Heller Awards Honor Top Managers, Agents, and CDs

Managers, agents, and casting directors were honored Tuesday at the Talent Managers Association’s 10th annual Heller Awards, which were presented at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Universal City, Calif.

The evening’s emcee, Jim Meskimen, a celebrity impressionist who gained fame on YouTube, opened the ceremony by thanking the TMA for having him and acknowledging that his presence violated the rules. “I hear you have a strict no-talent-allowed policy for this event,” he joked. “It’s kind of like that show ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians.’ ”

Not including Meskimen and the flash-mob dancers who surprised attendees during dessert, the evening was devoid of performers—although manager Sal Williams did impersonate Jamie Foxx. In addition to Williams (of WE Management), the presenters included Phil Brock (Studio Talent Group), Terry Luce (Exclusive Talent Management), Jake Azhar (Hollywood Management Company), Annet McCroskey (Artistic Endeavors), Joseph Ruggieri (Meridian Talent Management), Betty McCormick Aggas (Midwest Talent Management), William Michael Carpenter (William Michael International), Tiffany Smith (Rise Above Entertainment), Karla Huff (Dream Talent Management), and Daryn Simons (Acting Out Management).

Highlights of the evening included a video of casting associate Jenny Treadwell (of Krisha Bullock Casting) on the phone with her mother talking about making a video every year and never winning the award for outstanding casting associate. The video was shortly followed by Treadwell winning the prize—and walking on stage with her mother on a cell phone. She expressed gratitude to Krisha Bullock, “who is the best casting director boss anyone could have. I would work for her if she worked in a floral shop.”

Francene Selkirk accepted the award for commercial casting director of the year by saying she would pass on to her daughter the fact that “I had a job that was fun, creative, made me work really hard, and gave people work. I have a lot of relationships with actors that come in.”

Selkirk’s speech summed up the evening’s sentiments: support and collaboration among industry professionals. Brock, president of the TMA, talked about the importance of building relationships. In outlining the services that the TMA provides to its members, including workshops and other activities, he mentioned the organization’s plans to connect actors and member managers through free general interviews.

Before the ceremony began, former TMA president Paul Trusik of Trusik Talent Management was honored with the TMA Manager of the Year Award.

The Talent Managers Association (originally the National Conference of Personal Managers) was co-founded by Seymour Heller in 1954, and the annual awards are dedicated to his memory. The TMA is an association of professional talent managers who uphold the TMA code of ethics and have proved themselves to be knowledgeable and skilled in the eyes of their peers.

The 2011 TMA Heller Award nominees and winners (in bold) are:

ADULT THEATRICAL AGENT
Mike Baldridge (Momentum Literary and Talent Agency)
Brianna Barcus (Clear Talent Group)
Robert Haas (Innovative Artists)
Jay Schachter (Mavrick Artist Agency)
Denny Sevier (House of Representatives)

YOUTH THEATRICAL AGENT
Meredith Fine (Coast to Coast)
Jackie Lewis (LB Talent)
Cindy Osbrink (Osbrink Agency)
Emily Urbani (Osbrink Agency)

ADULT COMMERCIAL AGENT
Neil Kreppel (Commercial Talent Agency)
Hugh Leon (Coast to Coast Agency)
Nancy Luciano (LB Talent Agency)
Angela Strange (Osbrink Agency)
David Ziff (CESD)

YOUTH COMMERCIAL AGENT
Jeremy Apody (Abrams Artists Agency)
Brad Diffley (Mavrick Artist Agency)
Jackie Lewis (LB Talent Agency)
Dawn Osbrink (Osbrink Agency)
Carol Lynn Sher (CESD)
Philip Marcus (Clear Talent Group)

FILM CASTING DIRECTOR
Deborah Aquila, Tricia Wood (Aquila/Wood Casting)
Patrick Baca (Patrick Baca Casting)
Randi Hiller (Randi Hiller Casting)
Allison Jones (Allison Jones Casting)
Mary Vernieu (Betty Mae Casting)

TELEVISION CASTING DIRECTOR
Megan Branman, Dylann Brander (Branman and Brander Casting)
Scott David (Scott David Casting)
John Levey (John Levey Casting)
Wendy O’Brien (Wendy O’Brien Casting)
Marisa Ross, Alyson Silverberg (Ross/Silverberg Casting)
 
COMMERCIAL CASTING DIRECTOR
Joe Blake (Joe Blake Casting)
Craig Colvin (Craig Colvin Casting)
Ross Lacy (Ross Lacy Casting)
Francene Selkirk (Francene Selkirk Casting)
Sheila Manning (Sheila Manning Casting)

ASSOCIATE CASTING DIRECTOR
Lyndsey Baldasare (David Rapaport Casting)
Arlie Day (Bacharach/O’Neill Casting)
Gina Gallego (Randi Hiller Casting)
Sherie Hernandez (Greenstein/Daniel Casting)
Jenny Treadwell (Krisha Bullock Casting)

TMA MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Paul Trusik, Trusik Talent Management