Dan Cangelosi, creative director and partner at Jersey Filmmaker, has it all figured out.
Having cast 100% of his branded content projects himself through Backstage for the last five years, he was convinced of the value of being his own casting director from day one and has never looked back.
His award-winning content development and production company, specializing in sports and entertainment documentary and branded content, creates thousands of video assets a year for clients and partners like Google, DoorDash, Walmart, Red Bull, Delta, and Showtime. Company founder Anthony Seratelli started Jersey Filmmaker while playing professional baseball, combining his sports and storytelling chops to build a brand that can boast alliances with ESPN, New York Knicks, Fanatics, Madison Square Garden, Tennis Channel, and Fox Sports.
That doesn’t mean Cangelosi didn’t have to mess it up his first time out to learn his lesson. Flush with the optimism of a first-time director, he used Craigslist to hire a few dozen extras for a first commercial, almost none of whom showed up on shooting day. He understood then that the key to his success was scouting talent from a resource where people were genuinely committed to the craft and hungry for the work. He knew from his acting days that Backstage talent was that resource.
He knew they would show up–-and to this day, they always have.
Why do your own casting
Cangelosi uses Backstage to cast for Jersey Filmmaker’s branded content projects. To him, the reasons are simple, but they add up to a big impact.
Cost
Doing your own casting with Backstage instead of hiring an outside casting company or working exclusively with a talent agency saves a massive amount of money that can go back into production and/or create better profit margins. Depending on your project needs, you can easily, routinely save tens of thousands of dollars in casting costs by using Backstage.
Time
Working with an intermediary like an external casting company or talent agency to find right-fit talent adds an extra layer of work for everyone and ultimately could even limit your options. With Backstage, you can quickly post a job and immediately start receiving hundreds of submissions from qualified talent. You can also use the platform’s powerful search, collaboration, and messaging tools to further accelerate your search, streamline team work, and easily communicate with talent. Hands-on tools that help you evaluate and select talent are crucial for meeting the tight deadlines in the world of branded content.
Control
Performing the casting yourself gives creative control back to your team. As a director or content writer, you know best the content vision and how to execute it. Relying on a casting director outside of your company means risking misinterpretation or dilution of that vision. With Backstage, there’s nothing between you and the talent you want.
Accountability
Members on Backstage are committed to the craft, so much so that Cangelosi reports 100% attendance of Backstage talent for the more than five years he’s been using the platform. He has posted “countless” casting calls, and every person, even extras, have shown up every time. Being able to rely on talent has given his team a huge advantage, especially on projects with tight budgets that don’t allow for over-casting extras.
Cangelosi has found again and again that Backstage members are more serious, and that talent who have demonstrated some extent of commitment in their profiles, and who have taken the time to show him they genuinely want the job, are not going to drop out.
Read the full case study of Jersey Filmmaker's experience using Backstage.
How to do your own casting
The more experience you have casting on Backstage, the better you’ll understand how to navigate the platform and find the talent you’re looking for faster, Cangelosi says.
The Backstage platform encourages talent to take advantage of profile building tools to include a full description of themselves, previous experience, multiple professional headshots, and media files to show off their skills and potential. Cangelosi said he quickly learned that talent who invest in building out their profiles, especially by including professional headshots and video reels, are serious contenders.
“They understand they need to put it all out there without you having to ask for it,” he said, allowing him to see who’s serious, already anticipating his needs, and ready to get to work.
When he creates a talent shortlist for a first round of evaluation, he messages candidates through the platform to send sides, ask for a self-tape, and offer directions. He said providing direction at this stage is a valuable way to find out how well they follow and are willing to take direction and minimizes the need for additional callbacks.
Why Backstage
Cangelosi has cast a lot of people on Backstage who had a lot of acting experience–-and also some who didn’t.
“One of the great things about Backstage is everyone has a chance,” he says. And he has found that “if I stay open, I can discover rising talent.” Indeed, he has cast talent who have moved on to other large and notable projects. “I love seeing them succeed.”
Backstage members work to promote themselves and show they are serious, he says. He continues to come back to Backstage again and again because he knows “I will find someone genuine”–-someone genuinely interested, genuinely talented.
“You’re going to find your person,” he promised.
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