Join us for a conversation between casting directors working in animation, including: Julie Ashton, Shiondre Austin, Mary Hidalgo, Ruth Lambert, Sarah Noonan, and Jackie Sollitto. Moderated by casting director Sunny Boling.

PANELIST BIOS:

Julie Ashton is an award-winning casting director. She is known for BIG MOUTH (2017), BOB'S BURGERS (2011) and BALLS OF FURY (2007).

Mary Hidalgo's first introduction to animation casting was 1993’s classic THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS. The following year she partnered with Ruth Lambert at Disney Feature Animation and helped cast titles such as TARZAN, THE EMPEROR’S NEW GROOVE and LILO AND STITCH amongst many others. During this period, she also began her relationship with PIXAR. Mary, along with Ms. Lambert, cast A BUG’S LIFE, TOY STORY 2, and MONSTERS, INC. Then, on her own, cast the mega hits FINDING NEMO and THE INCREDIBLES.

Hidalgo left Disney in 2003 and began a short period of freelance work on features – highlights were CURIOUS GEORGE starring Will Ferrell and TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE with Matt Stone and Trey Parker who she also worked with on their hit series South Park.

In 2006, Mary started working for Sony Pictures Animation. This began her 10 year plus tenure as the head of casting for all of the studios animated features. Titles include SURF’S UP and HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA.  In 2009’s she worked with Phil Lord and Chris Miller casting CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS. Building on her relationship with Lord/Miller, Hidalgo worked on Warner Brother’s THE LEGO MOVIE and THE LEGO MOVIE 2: THE SECOND PART.  She also cast the duo’s THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE and THE LEGO NINJAGO MOVIE and in 2018 she cast Sony Pictures SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE which won the Academy Award for best animated feature. She is currently working with Lord & Miller on the Spider-verse sequels as well as a reboot of their classic TV series CLONE HIGH.

Hidalgo’s TV credits include Matt Groening’s DISENCHANTMENT, Guillermo del Toro’s TROLLHUNTERS: TALES OF ARCADIA (which she won the 44th Daytime Creative Arts Emmy for Outstanding Casting in an Animated Series or Special for 2017) and  GREEN EGGS AND HAM for Netflix (which she won the Emmy for in 2019). She also cast the limited series MAYA AND THE THREE with Jorge Gutiérrez.

In 2022 Hidalgo partnered again with Chris Williams on the Oscar nominated SEA BEAST as well as Guillermo del Toro’s PINNOCHIO with which won the best animated feature that year.

Mary continues to do a variety of TV and Feature Animation casting.

Ruth Lambert started out her career as a Stage Manager working at repertory theatres. She was hired by Gretchen Rennell to work at her casting office at Paramount Pictures in New York and was hooked! Since then Ruth has worked on Academy Award nominated movies (live action as well as animated) and Emmy Award winning tv shows. Ruth was hired to work at Disney Feature Animation in 1996 and has worked in animation ever since. While at Disney, Ruth cast THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, MULAN, LILO AND STITCH, TOY STORY 2 as well as many other animated features. She left Disney in 2001 and partnered up with Robert McGee in 2002 after the birth of her son. Ruth and Robert have worked on many animated shows including THE CLEVELAND SHOW, THE LIFE AND TIMES OF TIM and are currently the Casting Directors for RICK AND MORTY, TEN YEAR OLD TOM, STAR TREK LOWER DECKS and SOLAR OPPOSITES. Ruth has won 8 Artios Awards for excellence in Casting and has been nominated for an Emmy which she didn’t win.

With over sixteen years of experience in the casting world, Jackie Sollitto is currently partnered with Christine Terry at Terry/Sollitto Casting. On shows like FAMILY GUY, AMERICAN DAD, and ROBOT CHICKEN, Jackie continues to love the experience of pairing talented performers with animated characters. Her experiences in bringing scripted podcasts to life on projects like BATMAN UNBURIED and HARLEY QUINN AND THE JOKER: SOUND MIND has also been a joy while attaching talent to exciting stories to be carried by those voices. Prior to her partnership at TSLA Casting, Jackie began her career in live action features and TV. Spanning indies to major motion pictures like J. EDGAR and OLDBOY, to beloved TV series such as BONES and those of the Arrowverse - she has loved working with actors through it all.

Sunday Boling Kennedy (AKA "Sunny") began her career in the feature casting office of 20^th Century Fox assisting Christian Kaplan on DUDE, WHERE’S MY CAR?, ICE AGE, BEHIND ENEMY LINES and more. She then worked for CDs Sheila Jaffe, Debi Manwiller, Eyde Belasco and Francine Maisler before launching Morman Boling Casting with Meg Morman. Award-winning feature credits include HARD LUCK LOVE SONG, DRAMARAMA, UNLOVABLE, THE BALLAD OF LEFTY BROWN, HELLO MY NAME IS DORIS, HUNTER GATHERER and WAITRESS. She has also cast numerous narrative podcasts, including Blackout, Bridgewater (S2), 13 Days of Halloween: Devil's Hollow, and Ronstadt. She has been nominated for 11 Artios Awards for excellence in casting and has won twice.  Sunday served as the Vice President of Membership & Governance for the Casting Society of America for two years and is currently on the board for the Casting Society Cares.

Please note: no soliciting (including giving out headshots, reels, business cards, scripts) or asking for email addresses from guest speakers.