Jennifer Venditti

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Jennifer Venditti is an American casting director, filmmaker, and author known for her film and television casting work. She was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota. [1]

Contents

Early life

Venditti began her career in the fashion industry, working with various brands and W Magazine. In 1998, she founded her casting agency, JV8INC, based in New York City . Her first feature documentary, Billy The Kid, was released in 2007. [2]

Career

Venditti started casting for fashion brands, including Versace and Yohji Yamamoto. [3] Her significant opportunity came when photographer Carter Smith asked her to cast a shoot for W Magazine, which she described as the beginning of her career in casting. [4]

In 2014, actor and director Ryan Gosling hired Venditti for his debut, Lost River . Gosling praised her ability to find individuals with rich characters, which is essential for his film. [1]

Venditti's casting for American Honey (2016) involved scouting in locations like Walmart and dollar stores. [5] Her approach aimed to find authentic individuals fitting the roles.

Venditti gained recognition for her casting work on the HBO series Euphoria . The diverse cast includes actors from various backgrounds, discovered through extensive searches on online platforms. [6]

In 2019, she cast the crime thriller Uncut Gems , directed by the Safdie brothers. [6]

Awards and nominations

Venditti received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series for her work on Euphoria in 2022. [7] She also won the Best Television Pilot and First Season award at the 36th Artios Awards presented by the Casting Society of America in 2021. [8]

Venditti's directorial debut with the documentary in 2007 entitled Billy The Kid [1] won five awards, including Best Documentary at South by Southwest (SXSW) festival, [9] Best Documentary at Edinburgh International Film Festival, [10] Best Documentary Feature at Los Angeles Film Festival, [2] Most Popular Documentary at Melbourne International Film Festival, [2] and Outstanding Achievement in a Debut Feature Film at Cinema Eye Honors. [11] She was also included on the 25 New Faces of Independent Film list in their 2007 annual survey of new talent. [12]

AwardYearCategoryWorkResultRef.
Primetime Emmy Awards2022 Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series EuphoriaNominated [7]
Artios Awards2021Best Television Pilot and First Season (Drama)EuphoriaWon [8]
South by Southwest (SXSW)2007Best DocumentaryBilly The KidWon [9]
Edinburgh International Film Festival2007Best DocumentaryWon [10]
Los Angeles Film Festival2007Best Documentary FeatureWon [2]
Melbourne International Film Festival2007Most Popular DocumentaryWon [2]
Cinema Eye Honors2007Outstanding Achievement in a Debut Feature FilmWon [11]

Publications

In 2022, Venditti published her first book, Can I Ask You a Question?: The Art and Alchemy of Casting, under A24. [1] The book received the American Institute of Graphic Arts 50 Books 50 Covers award. [13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Lowry, Ryan (April 4, 2022). "Jennifer Venditti Will See You Now". New York Times . Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Billy the Kid (2007) | MUBI . Retrieved 2024-09-02– via mubi.com.
  3. ↑ "For Casting Director Jennifer Venditti, Finding Talent Is About Instinct". W Magazine. 2022-04-05. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
  4. ↑ "For Casting Director Jennifer Venditti, Finding Talent Is About Instinct". W Magazine. 2022-04-05. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
  5. ↑ Davis, Allison P. (2016-09-29). "How 'American Honey' Got Cast". The Ringer. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
  6. 1 2 Hess, Liam (2022-04-05). "Meet Jennifer Venditti, the Street Casting Wizard Behind 'Euphoria' and 'Uncut Gems'". Vogue. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
  7. 1 2 "Jennifer Venditti, CSA". Television Academy. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
  8. 1 2 Pedersen, Erik (2021-04-16). "'Trial Of The Chicago 7', 'Borat', 'Soul', 'One Night In Miami' & 'Minari' Take Film Prizes At Casting Society's Artios Awards". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
  9. 1 2 Indiewire (2007-03-14). "SXSW '07 DAILY DISPATCH: "Billy The Kid" and "Itty Bitty Titty Committee" Win Top Jury Prizes At SXS". IndieWire. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
  10. 1 2 "Eye For Film: Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007". www.eyeforfilm.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
  11. 1 2 "Outstanding Achievement in Debut Feature Film". Cinema Eye Honors. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
  12. ↑ "25 New Faces - Filmmaker Magazine - Summer 2007". filmmakermagazine.com. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
  13. ↑ "AIGA - Can I Ask You A Question?".
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