Photo Source: Victoria Mojica Monroe, Ben Jordan, Melissa Berger-Brennan at the 2022 Heller Awards Credit: Eugene Powers
After a brief hiatus due to last year’s double strike, the Heller Awards are back! The event will take place at the Taglyan Complex in Los Angeles on Nov. 14.
Named after talent manager Seymour Heller, one of the founders of the Talent Managers Association, the Heller Awards honor the industry’s top talent representatives. This year, the ceremony’s theme is “Resurgence,” reflecting the industry-wide revival and the ways that representatives rallied around their talent. Jeremy Holm (“House of Cards,” “Mr. Robot”) will host the event, with Victoria Mojica Monroe, Lori Kay, and Tammy Wallace producing and Ryan Guess directing.
Three-time Emmy winner Meg Liberman will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award for Casting. The Lifetime Achievement Award for Management will be posthumously awarded to Ken Kragen, the creator of the “Hands Across America” and “We Are the World” campaigns. Kragen represented star talent including Lionel Richie, Olivia Newton-John, the Bee Gees, and Burt Reynolds. Rounding out the group of honorees is the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, which will receive the Impact Award.
Here’s the full list of this year’s honorees and nominees.
Lifetime Achievement: Casting
Meg Liberman | “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” “Fame,” “Band of Brothers,” “Seinfeld”
Lifetime Achievement: Management
Ken Kragen | Kragen & Company
Impact Award
SAG-AFTRA Foundation
Video Game Casting Director of the Year
- Jamie Bafus | Sony Interactive Entertainment America
- Julia Bianco-Schoeffling | The Halp Network
- Ivy Isenberg | Ivy Isenberg Casting
- Emily Schweber | Emily Schweber Casting
- Lisa Zambetti | Lisa Zambetti Casting
Northeast Commercial or Voiceover Casting Director of the Year
- Donald Case | Donald Case Casting
- Rachel Reiss | Liz Lewis Casting Partners
- Matthew Wulf | Wulf Casting
Animation Voiceover Casting Director of the Year
- Julie Ashton | Julie Ashton Casting
- Christi Soper-Hilt | Dreamworks Pictures
- Ruth Lambert & Robert McGee | Lambert / McGee Casting
- Linda Lamontagne | Linda Lamontagne Casting
Commercial Casting Director of the Year
- Dan Bell | Dan Bell Casting
- Dan Cowan | Broad-Cast
- Karen Ryan | Canvas Casting
- Michael Sanford | Sanford Casting
- Jodi Sonnenberg | Sonnenberg Casting
Northeast Voiceover Agent of the Year
- Katherine Ryan | Buchwald
- Jason Sasportas | Stewart Talent
- Allie Silber | DDO Artists Agency
Voiceover Agent of the Year
- Matt Ambrosia | Danis, Panaro, Nist Talent
- Marni Anhalt | Imperium 7 Talent Agency
- Alicia Beekman | DDO Artists Agency
- Melissa Berger-Brennan | CESD Talent Agency
- Portia Scott | Coast to Coast Talent Group
Southeast Commercial Agent of the Year
- Laura Crawford | People Store
- Cindy Hill | Gravity Hill Agency
- Angie Moncrief | Action Talent Agency
- Jayme Pervis | J Pervis Talent Agency
Northeast Commercial Agent of the Year
- Doug Kesten | Brady, Brannon & Rich Talent
- Gina Manfredi | DDO Artists Agency
- Mickey Shera | Innovative Artists
Youth Commercial Agent of the Year
- Michelle Clifton | NTA Talent Agency
- Bri Curtis | DDO Artists Agency
- Dawn Osbrink | The Osbrink Agency
- Sydel Lisi | Coast to Coast Talent Group
- Carol Lynn Sher | CESD Talent Agency
Adult Commercial Agent of the Year
- Doug Ely | AKA Talent Agency
- Garrett Hershey | Daniel Hoff Agency
- Jason Hilton | Luxe Talent Agency
- Hugh Leon | Coast to Coast Talent Group
- Nancy Luciano | Luciano Reeves Talent Agency
Northeast Casting Associate of the Year
- Lauren Kurnit | CBS Television Studios
- Joanna Levinger | Meredith Tucker Casting
- Kim Krakauer | JT & Co.
- Nicholas Petrovich | Cindy Tolan Casting
- Shira Steiner | Jonathan Strauss Casting
Casting Associate of the Year
- Samantha Garrabrant | Lowry-Johnston / Goldstein Casting
- Rachel Imbriglio | Ulrich / Dawson / Kritzer Casting
- Steven Tylor O’Connor | Aufiero / Horn Casting
- Emily Bohbrink | Automatic Sweat
- Satchel Buck Stoddard-Jones | Terri Taylor Casting
Youth Episodic Casting Director of the Year
- Danielle Aufiero & Amber Horn | Aufiero / Horn Casting
- Tatiana Bull | The Walt Disney Company
- Alexis Frank Koczara & Christine Smith Shevchenko | Koczara / Shevchenko
Northeast Youth Theatrical Agent of the Year
- David Doan | CESD Talent Agency
- Mallory Levy | DDO Artists Agency
- Bonnie Shumofsky Bloom | Stewart Talent
Youth Theatrical Agent of the Year
- Ryan Hayden | Ideal Talent Agency
- Domina Holbeck | CESD Talent Agency
- Philip Marcus | Clear Talent Group
- Milton Perea | Amsel, Eisenstadt, Frazier & Hinojosa Talent Agency
- Laura Wood | DDO Artists Agency
Northeast Theater Casting Director of the Year
- Jim Carnahan | Jim Carnahan Casting
- Carrie Gardner | Kopel / Gardner Casting
- Paul Hardt | Hardt Casting
- Destiny Lilly | The Telsey Office
- Tara Rubin | Tara Rubin Casting
Southeast Casting Director of the Year
- Erica Arvold | Arvold
- Brian Beegle | Brian Beegle Casting
- Lisa Mae Fincannon | Fincannon & Associates
- George Pierre | Pierre Casting
- Kris Redding | Kris Redding Casting
Northeast Episodic Casting Director of the Year
- Rob Decina | CBS Television Studios
- Erica A. Hart | Hart Casting
- Jonathan Strauss | Jonathan Strauss Casting
- Cindy Tolan | Cindy Tolan Casting
- Julie Tucker | Tucker / Meyerson Casting
Episodic Casting Director of the Year
- Kim Coleman | Kim Coleman Casting
- Libby Goldstein | Lowry-Johnston / Goldstein Casting
- Carol Kritzer | Ulrich / Dawson / Kritzer Casting
- David Rapaport | Rapaport / Baldasare Casting
- Vickie Thomas | Vickie Thomas Casting
Northeast Feature Casting Director of the Year
- Douglas Aibel | Douglas Aibel Casting
- Avy Kaufman | Avy Kaufman Casting
- Jessica Kelly | Chrystie Street Casting
- Laura Rosenthal | Laura Rosenthal Casting
- Susanne Scheel | Susan Scheel Casting
Feature Casting Director of the Year
- Leah Daniels-Butler | LDB Casting
- Rich Delia | Rich Delia Casting
- Sarah Finn | Sarah Finn Company
- Terri Taylor | Terri Taylor Casting
- Mary Vernieu | Betty Mae Casting
Southeast Theatrical Agent of the Year
- Jennifer Hummel | People Store
- Jason Lockhart | Atlanta Models and Talent
- Joy Pervis | J Pervis Talent Agency
- Candace Stewart | DDO Artists Agency
- Ashley Pomes Wilkinson | Beck Talent
Northeast Adult Theatrical Agent of the Year
- Barrett Bischoff | Nicolois & Co.
- Ben Jordan | Headline Talent Agency
- U-Shin Kim | UGA Talent
- Matt Redmond | Douglas, Gorman, Rothacker & Wilhelm
- Jay Schachter | Stewart Talent
Adult Talent Agent of the Year
- Natalie Rose Kollar | LA Talent
- Amy Luker | Jana Luker Agency
- Garry Purdy | Momentum Talent and Literary Agency
- Mike Staudt | The Gersh Agency
- Rachel Tolliver | FireStarter Entertainment
TMA Talent Manager of the Year
- Ray Jimenez | Zero Gravity Management
- Lori Kay | Prevail Artist Entertainment
- Richard John Martin | Ignite Talent Management
- Victoria Mojica Monroe | Monroe Talent Management, Inc.
- Tammy Wallace | Five Star Talent Management