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Casting Assistant

Keywords Studios is a premier international service provider to the global video game industry and beyond. From our offices and beautiful newly built recording studios in Burbank, we collaborate with top game developers and publishers as well as streaming platforms, content distributors and broadcasters, providing services including English voice recording, dubbing, subtitling and access services to help make their content shine for audiences worldwide.

The Opportunity

The Casting Assistant in collaboration with our Casting Coordinator will be in charge of helping to cast and hire voice actors in accordance with clients' budgets and the project’s creative requirements. He/she will be responsible for leading negotiations with actors and agencies for all bookings. The Casting Assistant must have a vast knowledge of a large range of actors and an extensive understanding of their abilities and voice characteristics. The Casting Assistant must also possess a thorough appreciation of changing market demands and trends within voice production/localization in the video game and media entertainment industry. The Casting Assistant will also help to broaden the existing pool of talent and continually seek new voices when demand increases, and expand our casting services to accommodate a large volume of projects. The Casting Assistant oils the cogs of the facility ensuring things run smoothly on a day-to-day basis.

What You'll Do:

• Study project details and casting material such as character descriptions, scripts, images, voice samples, etc., to understand casting requirements.
• Send casting references and recording assets to actors/agencies for home reads.
• Own and organize our actor database in order to easily search and find talent.
• Negotiate with actors and vendors according to the project budget and specification.
• Provide the list of candidate actors to clients through Project Managers (PMs) for the final confirmation as necessary.
• Upload samples to client casting platforms as required, or email castings as applicable.
• Contact actors/agencies to hold and book actors and determine all recording schedules.
• Act as a liaison between the company and actors/agencies and nurture those relationships.
• Find replacements, as needed, during production for actors who can't complete their roles.
• Help the audio team with assigning appropriate freelance vendors for each project including: directors, engineers, assistants, and editors.
• Collect invoices from actors/agencies and report final cost to Audio Manager.
• Participate in production meetings with clients as required.
• Proactively identify when external casting is needed in order to scale up and take on more requests.
• Continually look for ways to expand our roster and find new talent niches.
• Cover during Casting Coordinator’s absence
• Other related projects and duties as needed.
• Actors’ bookings and schedules.
• Allocate studios, directors, and freelance engineers to schedule recordings.
• Ensure completion of contracts, releases, W-9s, and NDAs.
• Manage all SAG-AFTRA paperwork and union clearances.
• Prioritize different projects and timelines with the PMs.
• Use internal tools to plan and keep track of the bookings and schedules.
• Keep the PMs informed about the status of bookings.
• Delegate necessary project tasks to our Studio Assistants in order to prioritize casting.
• Anticipate busy periods and proactively request additional help during planning stages.
• Help the Studio Manager to expand and grow our casting services by finding external vendors.

Coordination:

• Actors’ bookings and schedules.
• Allocate studios, directors, and freelance engineers to schedule recordings.
• Ensure completion of contracts, releases, W-9s, and NDAs.
• Manage all SAG-AFTRA paperwork and union clearances.
• Prioritize different projects and timelines with the PMs.
• Use internal tools to plan and keep track of the bookings and schedules.
• Keep the PMs informed about the status of bookings.
• Delegate necessary project tasks to our Studio Assistants in order to prioritize casting.
• Anticipate busy periods and proactively request additional help during planning stages.
• Help the Studio Manager to expand and grow our casting services by finding external vendors.

Requirements

• A true passion for the craft of voice acting and audio production.
• At least 2+ years working in a voice production company and/or as a freelancer in voice casting.
• Knowledge of voice actors, industry trends, and best practices.
• Connection to voice actors and talent agencies.
• Sharp communication, persuasion, and negotiation skills.
• Must be highly organized and a highly independent multi-tasker with a strong command of time management.
• Must have the ability to be efficient in a demanding and very fast-paced environment.
• Knowledge of video games, film and tv pop culture, and their industries (publishers, developers, platforms, etc.).

Technical Skills:

• Demonstrable experience in Administrative, Production, and/or Coordination positions for 3+ years (experience in the Audiovisual market and/or recording studios is a plus).
• Must have an excellent understanding of the audio production process, lingo, and file formats.
• Strong command of MS Excel.
• Ability to adapt to evolving workflows and new tools.
• Able to work under pressure and meet deadlines in a fast-paced, complex environment.
• Able to manage sensitive and confidential information.
• Able to teamwork in a proactive and positive manner to achieve shared objectives.
• Friendly and personable with great people skills.

Behavioral Skills:

• Outstanding ability to use good judgment to constantly prioritize tasks and outsource overflow.
• Able to work under pressure and meet deadlines in a fast-paced, complex environment.
• Able to manage sensitive and confidential information.
• Able to teamwork in a proactive and positive manner to achieve shared objectives.
• Friendly and personable with great people skills.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, Vision benefits
• Voluntary Long-term / Short-term Disability
• 401K w/ company match
• Work alongside dynamic individuals in the dubbing and gaming industry
• Work within a company with upward career growth opportunities