“I think in the recent years the demand for European actors in the US has grown exponentially.”
Casting Director, former President of the Casting Society of America (CSA)
On July 1, 2017, e-TALENTA and Breakdown Services began working together to provide International Casting opportunities for European and North American talent.
Our collective goal is to provide Hollywood and other North American productions with easy access to European Actors, Agents and Casting Directors and the European Community with unprecedented North American opportunities.
Established in Los Angeles, California in 1971, Breakdown Services and its family of companies is the North American film, television and theatre industry leader in providing essential services for all aspects of casting. We are endorsed by the Casting Society of America (CSA) as the preferred online resource for their casting needs. With a database of nearly 1 million actors and over 56,000 breakdowns released each year, we are proud to play a part in the casting of almost every major project from Oscars to Emmys to Tonys!
“European actors are becoming increasingly important for North American studios and productions. This is partially due to the international marketing of many films, as well as the high quality of trained European actors.
We’re very happy to have found a partner in e-TALENTA who reflects the entire lingual and cultural diversity of European actors and Casting Directors.”
Founder of Breakdown Services
Advantages for actors and agents
Network and Studio Casting Executives and independent Casting Directors from across North America will have immediate and easy access to your e-TALENTA profile.
These include:
- Members of the Casting Society of America (CSA)
- Casting Executives from every major Hollywood Network and Studio including: NBC, CBS, ABC, Disney, Fox, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, HBO, Netflix, Amazon, Nickelodeon.
You do not need another account and there are no additional costs – your multilingual e-TALENTA profile is now your way of presenting yourself in Europe, the US and Canada!
Your e-TALENTA profile can be found exactly the way it is by American Casting Directors. A separate account is not necessary.
Important: Make sure that your profile can be found through the category search and that you have indicated all your talents and abilities, such as languages (mother tongue and other). These should absolutely be indicated on your profile as well as in your showreel and/or about ME video. This way, you’re making your profile interesting for North American and other international Casting Directors.
No. Your e-TALENTA profile can be found the way it is by American Casting Directors. You do not need another account or membership
No. Every profile can be found. Of course, actor-PRO members have the option of presenting themselves with more material (showreels, about-me video and more photos).
There are four main reasons for this:
- The quality of European talent and their training
- The international network of producers and their ever-expanding international co-productions and shooting locations
- The increasing importance of international casts for the marketing of films and TV series
- Stories in an increasingly international setting, which require a cast that adequately reflects different ethnic backgrounds and cultures
When individual roles have to be cast with European actresses and actors, Casting Directors will usually search directly for agents and their clients. If required, roles are also published on e-TALENTA.
If a larger part of the talent has to be cast internationally, there will usually be a Casting Director in Europe involved. All participants can therefore use e-TALENTA to their advantage and find the best way of working together.
When a US production wants to cast a European actress or actor, they will take care of the conditions surrounding this (such as a work visa). Often, the filming will take place in Europe, which makes everything even easier.
When it comes to fees, most North American productions follow the tariffs of the big US unions (such as SAG-AFTRA). This will also apply to European actresses and actors.
Advantages for European Casting Directors
- CastingAbout is Breakdown Services premiere Directory of Casting Directors. With your free access to CastingAbout, you will be able to find current contact information for casting offices in Los Angeles, New York, Toronto and Vancouver including current projects, phone numbers, social media links and more.
- Search CastingAbout for projects that require International Casting Directors and establish relationships with North American Casting Directors who need knowledgeable, competent counterparts in Europe.
- Your e-TALENTA profile is now available through CastingAbout to North American Industry professionals (Casting Directors, Studios and Network Executives) who can see what you have worked on, where you are located and how to contact you.
When a larger part of the cast has to be found in Europe, American productions will be looking for a Casting Director in each country.
They can now use the e-TALENTA search tool to find your e-PROFILE. You should therefore make sure that your profile is up to date and complete in every detail. You can also add your contact details, which languages you speak, for which projects you have previously worked and you can include a brief introductory text.
You can do all this and more by logging into your profile and clicking on „Edit e-PROFILE“.
With Breakdown Services’ CastingAbout, you can find out who is casting what in North America and you have access to valuable information for a potential international project collaboration.
As a research and marketing tool, members use CastingAbout to search for specific Casting Directors, associates or assistants; locate current and past projects for each casting office; check the up-to-date casting status of each show, movie or play.
You have access to all functions free of charge and you can use them by logging into your profile and clicking on “Menu” and then “CastingAbout”.
Yes. As well as the normal e-TALENTA search (mainly Europe), you now have a second e-SEARCH tool available to you, one specifically for actors and actresses in the US and Canada.
You can find the new search tool by clicking on “e-SEARCH” -> “Actors” -> “North America”
Yes. You can create the casting the way you always do in your Casting Director login and then you can select “North America” as the recipient during the last step.
We will discuss all details with you and we will then take care of the publishing of your breakdown in North America through Breakdown Services.