This story was originally published by ArtsATL.
Film and TV casting director Kimberly Wistedt believes she always wanted to be in casting, even before she knew exactly what it was.
“In college at the University of Florida, I was a stage manager in the theater department. Even though I liked acting classes, I didn’t want to be in the spotlight,” she says.
So her professors introduced her to a few industry contacts, and she interned during the summer between her junior and senior year with Tara Rubin Casting, a New York company that casts long-running Broadway musicals such as “Phantom of the Opera,” “Les Misérables” and “Jersey Boys.” Then, after graduation, she apprenticed with casting powerhouse Bernie Telsey in New York.
“He touches everything, from major Broadway productions [like “Rent” and “Hamilton”] to TV, film and commercials,” she says. “But over time, I was feeling burned out; a puppy-love college relationship was dissolving.”
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Credit: Jenni Girtman
A native of Atlanta, Wistedt says she was already clued into the market and the success of “The Walking Dead.” She Googled casting directors in Atlanta, and up popped the names Craig, Mark and Lisa Mae Fincannon of Fincannon & Associates — veterans with a longtime business base.
“I reached out to them through IMDbPro, and they swooped me up. I’ve worked my way to running their Atlanta branch, and I’ve been a creative casting director partner with Lisa Mae for six years now,” she says.
Just a short time ago, Atlanta and the Southeast were viewed as one camp, while Los Angeles and New York City were in another camp at the top. But today, that dynamic has shifted, says Wistedt.
“At first, the Southeast was relegated to being a locations market, providing the one-line bellhop or the girlfriend as a leg of support for the cast of a film or TV series,” she says. “But over the years … we’ve become a primary market, a neck-and-neck market. And we’re peopling the cast in tandem with the Los Angeles market.”
One of Wistedt’s favorite projects early on was the film “Triple 9,” a feature in which many of the stars came through the studio. She and others at Fincannon were in the room with the director and were named for their work on the ground with him. They were also invited to the film’s premiere.
“We were the only casting office on the feature, which was really good,” she says. “It was a really gritty gang feature with Woody Harrelson, Kate Winslet and Norman Reedus. It was hugely collaborative and challenging.”
Other favorites have been the series “Halt and Catch Fire” (AMC) and “Rectify” (Sundance), where Wistedt says she worked as part of a highly collaborative team on scene in almost every episode. “Shows like these are my favorites, where you get to work with a really amazing team, and they trust our Southeastern actors,” she says. “Los Angeles and New York are often looking for these actors, too, and we win out. We people productions with all these truly Southern characters, and it feels authentic, collaborative and really great.”
Credit: Courtesy of Kimberly Wistedt
Credit: Courtesy of Kimberly Wistedt
Earlier this year, Georgia Production Partnership — an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization supporting the entertainment community — invited Wistedt to speak at Atlanta City Hall for its Film Day event. Standing in a group alongside Mayor Andre Dickens, she spoke about the positive impacts she has witnessed while working from her Georgia home base, in support of the renewal of Georgia film tax incentives,
“I’m so grateful I don’t have to uproot everything that makes me feel grounded, happy and successful and move to … other locales,” she says. “It’s inspiring to be a part of this huge shift.”
Aspiring casting directors, take note — there is more than one route to the role of casting director, and education doesn’t tell the whole story.
“My collegiate background was ultimately helpful in terms of networking and meeting professors and directors to help me make the right contacts. That said, you can’t rely solely on your degree. You have to throw yourself out into the community that’s doing what you want to do. In any industry, it’s about who you know.”
At the end of the day, Wistedt says, casting directors are perpetually rooting for actors. “There’s the common misconception that comes from the Los Angeles world about an unfriendly, sterile casting environment, and there are always bad apples. [Yet], we are rooting for actors. [Watching them excel] only helps us excel.”
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Carol Badaracco Padgett is an Atlanta freelance writer who specializes in film and television coverage. A graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, her work has appeared in publications nationwide.
Credit: ArtsATL
Credit: ArtsATL
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