CASTING
Focused on the Big Picture Jen Kelley and Rita Harrell gave themselves the lead roles as partners in Big Picture Casting By Echo Mont gome r y Ga r re t t
F inding the right business partner is like the challenge of casting the right talent — on steroids. When Jen Kelley saw room in the Atlanta market for a new casting agency in 2011, she immediately thought of her colleague from the People Store, one of the top talent agencies in the Southeast where she had worked for fourteen years. Kelley knew her work style and ethics aligned with Rita Harrell’s. New Hampshire native Kelley drove across the country to Los Angeles immediately after college graduation, determined to be a sitcom writer. She got her start in the industry as an assistant in the youth division of a talent agency. She moved to Atlanta in 1996 to become an artist but eventually felt the pull of becoming a talent agent again and joined The People Store, Inc. For several years, Harrell lived in New York City where she worked in casting for theatrical organizations such as The Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival, the New York Theater Workshop and the Williamstown Theater Festival. She freelanced in casting on various television and movie projects and worked in FOX Television’s east coast casting office before returning to her hometown of Atlanta with her husband Scott. When Kelley reached out, Harrell had left the talent agency for five years to start her family, and she was ready to jump back in the game. The duo co-founded Big Picture Casting. Their office in downtown Decatur offers a studio where they tape auditions, and the agency has gotten so busy that they recently promoted their one employee Kimberley Thomas to an associate position. “Tax incentives were just kicking in, and the volume of work was starting to change here,” says Kelley. “I kept hearing from clients that they wanted more casting options.” The pair dove in. Says Kelley, co-author of The Actor’s Guide for Kids , “We’re one of the few casting directors in town who do it all: film, television, commercial and voice over.” She also notes that, “Each year has its own flavor. Some years have been busier with film and television. This year’s been busy for commercials.”
adding, “We both have a really good sense of humor. We keep things lighthearted when it gets stressful.” And although each have their strengths, they’ve learned to play all the roles needed to lead a successful casting agency. Since they started their agency, the number of talent agencies has quadrupled. “A lot more actors are moving here, and the talent pool has grown significantly,” says Kelley. One of the duo’s biggest casting jobs was the Tom Cruise movie American Made. “That was a challenging one, because we had so many roles to fill with different nationalities,” says Harrell. Big Picture frequently works with Adult Swim and cast four seasons of the Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell series. Says Kelley, “That show is quirky and weird. It’s a challenge sometimes finding the right person for it, but it’s a lot of fun.” Still there are challenges. “One of the toughest things about being a casting director is balancing your schedule,” says Kelley. “It’s often feast or famine. You never know when your next job is coming.” Like many businesses, Big Picture relies heavily on word-of-mouth and gets a lot of repeat business. “Word of mouth is crucial — especially in the film and television world,” says Harrell. As for the type of roles that are going to actors in Georgia, Kelley says the business is changing but there is “still a way to go. Producers often want a star name in the role of a series lead and that still usually gets cast out of LA or NYC. We are seeing local actors getting more and more recurring, guest star, and supporting roles” Harrell attributes some of their success to their strong sense of talent and good taste.
Rita Harrell, Jen Kelley and Kimberly Thomas
Both partners, members of the Casting Society of America, have their different roles. Harrell jokes that she’s the technological end of the partnership — “the IT department,” — while Kelley says, “I’m the organized one. I like to do scheduling and get out and see live theater and keep my eyes peeled for new talent.” They both admit to being detail oriented perfectionists, which is essential to casting, says Harrell,
“We have a good vocabulary for giving direction,” she says. “We take the vision of the director, the production company or the ad agency and communicate that to the actors, so they can produce what they need to do to win the role.” Because so much new talent is coming into the market, says Kelley, “Everyone has to up their game.”
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