Industry | Entertainment |
---|---|
Founded | 1927 |
Headquarters | 7 Leicester Place, , |
Areas served | UK, Europe |
Services | Casting Directory, Rehearsal and Audition Space [1] |
Owner | Talent Systems |
Website | spotlight |
Spotlight is the largest casting resource in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1927, it has over 70,000 actors, actresses, presenters, dancers, and stunt performers in its database. [2] It is used by production companies, broadcasters, advertisement agencies, and casting directors. Clients range from large organisations such as the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4 to smaller production companies. Its website features a public "Contacts Listings" section, which lists a variety of professionals which provide services to the entertainment industry. [3]
Spotlight is one of the most successful and largest companies in the UK casting profession. [4]
Kenneth Seale joined the company as an employee, and later became a director. He was succeeded by his son Nigel, who launched a CD version of Spotlight in 1995, which won a Professional Publishers Association award. [5] Spotlight was registered as an unlimited company in 2010, which does not have to disclose its profits publicly. Nigel Seale died in 2019 aged 78. [6] His daughters Emma and Philippa worked for Spotlight, and his son Ben became chief executive. [5]
Spotlight was acquired by Talent Systems in 2020. [7]
Spotlight was the publisher of annual directories of entertainment industry professionals (including actors, presenters and directors/designers). [8]
Equity, formerly officially titled the British Actors' Equity Association, is the trade union for the performing arts and entertainment industries in the United Kingdom.
The Stage is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. Founded in 1880, The Stage contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those who work in theatre and the performing arts.
In the performing arts industry such as theatre, film, or television, casting, or a casting call, is a pre-production process for selecting a certain type of actor, dancer, singer, or extra to land the role of a character in a script, screenplay, or teleplay. This process may be used for a motion picture, television program, documentary film, music video, play, or advertisement, intended for an audience.
A production company, production house, production studio, or a production team is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and video. These groups consist of technical staff and members to produce the media, and are often incorporated as a commercial publisher.
A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds work for actors, authors, broadcast journalists, film directors, musicians, models, professional athletes, screenwriters, writers, and other professionals in various entertainment or sports businesses. In addition, an agent defends, supports and promotes the interest of their clients. Talent agencies specialize, either by creating departments within the agency or developing entire agencies that primarily or wholly represent one specialty. For example, there are modeling agencies, commercial talent agencies, literary agencies, voice-over agencies, broadcast journalist agencies, sports agencies, music agencies and many more.
A background actor or extra is a performer in a film, television show, stage, musical, opera, or ballet production who appears in a nonspeaking or nonsinging (silent) capacity, usually in the background. War films and epic films often employ background actors in large numbers: some films have featured hundreds or even thousands of paid background actors as cast members. Likewise, grand opera can involve many background actors appearing in spectacular productions.
The Departure Festival, formerly known as Canadian Music Week, is an industry conference and music festival held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Harold Owen "Gary" Wilmot, MBE is a British singer, actor, comedian, presenter, writer and director who rose to fame as a contestant on New Faces.
Backstage, also previously written as Back Stage, is an American entertainment industry trade publication. Founded by Allen Zwerdling and Ira Eaker in 1960, it covers the film and performing arts industry from the perspective of performers, unions, and casting, with an emphasis on topics such as job opportunities and career advice. The brand encompasses the main Backstage magazine, and related publications such as its website, Call Sheet —a bi-monthly directory of talent agents, casting directors, and casting calls, and other casting resources.
Nigel Martin-Smith is a Manchester-based English musical band manager.
Dennis Law Sau-yiu is a Hong Kong film producer, screenwriter, actor, director and presenter. He is the former chairman and executive director of Milkyway Image, and a founder of its subsidiary company Point of View Movie Production Co. Ltd. Films directed by Law include teen comedies such as The Unusual Youth and Love @ First Note, and martial arts action films that include Fatal Contact and Fatal Move.
Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. is an American holding company for talent and media agencies with its primary offices in Beverly Hills, California. The company was founded in April 2009 after the merger of the William Morris Agency and Endeavor Talent Agency. Endeavor represents artists in film, television, music, theater, digital media, and publishing. It also represents the NFL and NHL. Endeavor is majority owner of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) through TKO Group. In collegiate athletics Endeavor-Learfield IMG represents The American, A10, Big 12, Conference USA, Horizon League, MAC, MEAC, OVC, SEC and WCC.
The Peruvian version of Bailando por un Sueño premiered its first season on June 7, 2008, hosted by Gisela Valcárcel, who returned to Peruvian television after spending three years away. The programs, in a format called "galas", transmitted on Saturdays at 10 pm for Panamericana Television live from the Monitor Studios, located in the Lima district of San Borja.
An audition website aggregates acting, modeling, and dancing auditions online. One of the most significant organizations for professional screen and theater casting in the United States is the Casting Society of America (CSA).
An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performer. It typically involves the performer displaying their talent through a previously memorized and rehearsed solo piece or by performing a work or piece given to the performer at the audition or shortly before. In some cases, such as with a model or acrobat, the individual may be asked to demonstrate a range of professional skills. Actors may be asked to present a monologue. Singers will perform a song in a popular music context or an aria in a Classical context. A dancer will present a routine in a specific style, such as ballet, tap dance or hip-hop, or show his or her ability to quickly learn a choreographed dance piece.
Prometheus Global Media was a New York City–based B2B media company. The company was formed in December 2009, when Nielsen Company sold its entertainment and media division to a private equity-backed group led by Pluribus Capital Management and Guggenheim Partners. Guggenheim acquired Pluribus's stake in the company in January 2013, giving it full ownership under the division of Guggenheim Digital Media.
Jan Russ is an Australian casting director, producer and actress of theatre and television. She is best known as the casting director for various programs for Grundy Television/Fremantle Media, and is notable for launching the careers of many actors that became international stars.
The Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA) is an active arts service and advocacy organization founded in 1975. It is in the United States and is dedicated to Hispanic artists, actors and actresses.
Digital casting is a process that enables both talent and people who solicit and employ talent to fulfill production requirements in the entertainment, corporate, non-profit, art, amateur and marketing industries through the use of on-line, mobile and digital technology.
The Stage Debut Awards are theatre awards recognising individuals making their professional debuts in the performing arts in the UK. The annual ceremony was launched in 2017 by The Stage and include accolades for Best Performer in a Play, Best Writer, Best Designer and the Best West End Debut Performer. Recipients of these awards have gone on to star in West End shows, television series and films.