Atlanta native Brian Beegle studied acting at the Alliance Theatre as a child, but later found his calling as a casting director, and has now been with Stilwell Casting for eight years. “I love being a casting director,” he said. “I never thought I would fall into this. I’ve got a great career, I love my job, and I’m super proud of what we do.” Beegle chatted with us about Stilwell Casting, how auditions work, and it’s so important for actors to keep learning.
Tell us about Stilwell Casting.
Annette Stilwell opened the agency in 1980. We cast real people, union and non-union actors, and models for commercials, television, film, voiceover, and print. Last year alone, we cast more than 130 television commercials. We’re from here so we enjoy doing what we do and we're kind of masters of Atlanta casting—we understand this city and have lots of relationships here, and our networking gives us an edge on finding real talent. We also provide payroll services and workers’ compensation for crew and talent. So we can find everybody for your production and pay everybody in your production, including the cast, crew, directors, and writers.
What is your audition process like?
I have seen hundreds and hundreds of scripts, hundreds of treatments, and I have auditioned for stuff thousands of times, so I have a great sense of what directors want to see: timing, tone, pace, all those things. Taping is big now, but all I ask of anybody who is going to tape: don’t self-tape. Have someone else do it, because if this is the only time we’re ever going to see you, you need to make your best impression. I watch taped submissions with a bit of pain. I always feel I could’ve made this better if the person had just come in.
What is a casting director's job?
A lot of people don’t understand what a casting director does. A casting director doesn’t just direct talent or pick you or eliminate you. A lot of what a casting director does is behind the scenes—a lot of negotiating with ad agencies, production companies, figuring out the rates. Knowing whom I need to work with to find the right people for the right roles. Understanding the tone of the work.
What is your advice for actors?
If I could implore actors to do one thing, it would be to take improv for camera. Truly, I would insist that they go audit a class, or as many classes as they can. You can do that for free here in Atlanta. Basically I’m always trying to get actors to study more. You could book little roles, you could book huge roles, but you have to always be studying. And the way I think of it is, if you audit a class and the class intimidates you, that’s the class you should take. Otherwise, you’re not learning anything.
Do you see more actors moving here instead of New York or LA?
There are a lot of actors moving here and so there’s more competition, but there's also a higher level of performance. The last myth we have to defeat is that you have to move to Los Angeles to get these big opportunities. Actors often think, “I’ve done all these little roles, I’m a SAG member now, I have to go to LA to get these big roles.” Well, that’s gone now. We are now competing head-to-head for lead roles and for things that don’t even shoot in Georgia. You want to know how we know Georgia’s actors are on the map? Because now they’re casting in LA and asking Atlanta, “What do you have?” for shows shooting in Los Angeles. Here in Georgia, we embrace opportunity and enjoy other people moving here.
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