A great YouTube clip or a strong online following can get a young performer a meeting at ABC Family, but acting chops are needed to turn that introduction into a job.
ABC Family, a division of Disney, has been ramping up its scripted programming in recent years. To do that, it’s broken out of the traditional pilot cycle and is now using a year-round development model, which means the network is routinely casting actors in the age range of 18–25. “When I started we had nothing on the air, and now we oversee something like 12 current shows and have many, many more in development,” said Elizabeth Boykewich, who became ABC Family’s head of casting in 2005.
Boykewich has overseen casting for series that have been the network’s calling card, including “Switched at Birth,” “Pretty Little Liars,” and “The Secret Life of the American Teenager.”
“We look everywhere. We still go to showcases. We go to the diversity workshop. We’ll see theater. We’re still trying to cover everything,” Boykewich told Backstage. “We’re looking at online content. We’re looking at the Vine stars, YouTube stars. We have a partnership with Maker Studios, which is now part of the Disney family.”
Sometimes a funny clip circulated among the network’s casting staff is enough to initiate a meeting. “We’ll find whoever the performer is, and sometimes they’ve done a lot of that content and sometimes it’s, like, the first thing they’ve ever done,” said Boykewich. “We’ll send them in for an audition and get a sense for what their actual acting chops are. At the end of the day, hits on a website are great but they also have to be able to deliver the acting goods in the room. We will treat them the same we will a new actor.”
Boykewich is a proponent of developing young actors, and has implemented a Talent 101 class for all new millennial actors on ABC Family. Her staff also tracks performers they like but who were too raw when they came in to audition. “Someone who we just really respond to but doesn’t have the chops yet will in a year or in a year and a half,” she said.
For actors on the cusp, her advice is: “Get in a comedy class. Get in a scene study class. Get in an audition class. Whatever it is, get up and be working and be in that community and be with other people who are developing with you and just do it. So much of it is just doing it every day and figuring out how you best work.”
ABC Family will occasionally post open calls on its Facebook page, or look to ABC Television Group’s Creative Talent Development programs for talent. Actors don’t need representation to get signed, said Boykewich, pointing to Shay Mitchell, a Canadian actor who was cast as Emily Fields on “Pretty Little Liars.”
“If they’re unsigned and they’re good, we absolutely will cast them,” she added.
The network has also served as a launchpad for signed performers looking to take the next steps in their career. Boykewich pointed to Katie Leclerc, who stars on “Switched at Birth,” Lucy Hale of “Pretty Little Liars,” and Nick Robinson, who was a regular on “Melissa & Joey.”
Boykewich anticipates creating more work for performers in the coming months, particularly more pilots.
“We just wrapped casting on two half-hour, single-camera pilots,” she said. “We are doing the casting for ‘Recovery Road’ and ‘Stitchers,’ which will be airing within the next year. We’re looking for guest stars and the big [recurring roles].”
Boykewich said she wants actors with a point of view. “I want to get a sense of how you see the world,” she said. “You go in the audition room, you already don’t have the job—so you’ve got nothing to lose.”
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