Join us for a panel with 2026 Artios Award nominated Casting Directors for Short Film Ally Beans, Tanya Giang, Marin Hope, Sunday Boling Kennedy and Hamzah Saman as they will share stories from their nominated projects, provide insight on the current state of the industry for casting directors and performers, and provide expert advice for auditioning and self-taping, moderated by casting director Jamie Ember.
BIOS:
Ally Beans (she/her) is an award-winning Casting Director specializing in independent film. Her casting work has earned four Artios Award nominations, two Heller Award nominations, and one Heller Award win. Projects she has cast have premiered and screened at leading international festivals including Sundance, SXSW, TIFF, Tribeca, and Venice. Her film credits include ADO (Shortlisted, 2026 Academy Awards), THE CATHEDRAL (Spirit Award winner), HEY, VIKTOR!, HERD, THE MISEDUCATION OF BINDU (Peacock), HANDS THAT BIND, BEAST, SHADOWS (HBO), USER ZERO (HBO), MENORAH IN THE MIDDLE (Hulu), KENDRA AND BETH, and WHO WE ARE NOW (Apple). Beyond film, Ally is deeply committed to arts advocacy and community storytelling. She is actively involved with The Firehouse Theatre, supporting programming, fundraising initiatives, and creative community engagement efforts that expand access to live performance and independent arts. As an educator, Ally is passionate about demystifying the entertainment industry for emerging performers and helping actors build confident, sustainable careers. She has taught both theater and film students at universities nationwide and frequently leads adult on-camera training for private studios in New York, Los Angeles, and the Dallas–Fort Worth area. Outside of casting, Ally is passionate about the intersection of art, fashion, and personal style, drawing inspiration from visual culture, design, and storytelling across disciplines.
Tanya Giang has been casting for around 14 years, working primarily in television and film. As an Associate, TV credits include 'Riverdale,' 'The Brothers Sun,' 'Doom Patrol,' 'The Wilds' and 'You.' As a Casting Director in the indie film space, her projects cover a range of genres – 'A Great Divide' starring Ken Jeong and Jae Suh Park, 'Run & Gun' (Paramount+), 'Block Party' (BET+), and 'Daughter' (Corey Deshon’s directorial debut feature).
In recent years, Tanya has also begun casting animation/voiceover as the Casting Director for Netflix's 'Ultraman: Rising and an Associate' on season 4 of 'Love, Death & Robots.' Prior to casting, Tanya worked in talent management and in production as a set photographer. In all fields, she is committed to progressive and inclusive storytelling.
Marin Hope is a LA-based casting director, native to Los Angeles. That said, she began her career in New York at ABC Primetime under casting executive Marci Phillips. She would later work alongside casting directors Judy Henderson, Suzanne Smith-Crowley, Jessica Kelly, Billy Hopkins, Ann Goulder and Mindy Marin on projects such as Homeland, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Pan Am, The Maze Runner, The Blacklist, HBO’s Bessie and American Made.
Upon her return to Los Angeles in 2014, Marin joined Define American, a nonprofit media and culture organization that works to humanize the immigrant experience and reframe the national conversation around identity and citizenship. As their Entertainment Media Director, Marin expanded the organization’s presence in film and television. She also produced the inaugural Define American Film Festival, which was held in Des Moines, preceding Iowa’s 2016 Presidential Caucuses.
While with Define American, Marin continued her work in casting, frequently collaborating with veteran casting director Heidi Levitt. Some of their credits include The Last Word (Shirley MacLaine, Amanda Seyfried), Kings (Halle Berry, Daniel Craig), Bad Samaritan (David Tennant, Robert Sheehan), Who Will Write Our History (Joan Allen, Adrien Brody), The Roads Not Taken (Javier Bardem, Elle Fanning, Laura Linney, Salma Hayek), and Raymond & Ray (Ewan McGregor, Ethan Hawke).
In addition to her continued work in independent film and theatre, Marin serves as the Head of Casting for a leading vertical company.
She is a member of the Casting Society of America and received an Artios Award for Casting in 2020, with additional nominations in 2018, 2021, and 2026
Sunday Boling Kennedy is an award-winning casting director and partner at Morman Boling Casting. She began her career at 20th Century Fox and launched her own company in 2004 with Meg Morman. She has cast over 100 films, including 'A Simple Machine' (winner of 2025 Heartland International Film Festival and 2025 Lighthouse International Film Festival), 'Omaha' (premiered Sundance 2025, releasing April 2026), 'Green and Gold,' 'Day of Reckoning,' 'Waitress,' 'Hello,' 'My Name is Doris,' 'Aporia,' 'The Ballad of Lefty Brown,' 'The Hyperions' and 'Unlovable.' TV and streaming credits include: 'The Promised Land,' 'The Baxters,' 'Sneakerheads,' 'Ish Hashuv Meod,' 'The Dead Girls Detective Agency,' 'In the Vault and Relationship Status.' She has also cast numerous award-winning narrative podcasts - a few select credits include 'Blackout,' 'Ad Lucem,' 'Havoc Town,' 'The Hookup,' 'Last Known Position' and 'Ronstadt.' She has been nominated for 12 Artios Awards for excellence in casting and won twice. She served on the board of the Casting Society for four years as Vice-President of Governance. She is currently the Co-president for Casting Society Cares.
Hamzah Saman, CSA is a Los Angeles–based casting director and SAG-AFTRA actor, and the founder of Arab American Casting and Diversity in Hollywood platforms dedicated to expanding access, visibility, and opportunity for underrepresented talent while supporting inclusive casting across all communities. A 2026 Artios Award nominee, Hamzah collaborates closely with filmmakers to translate story into specific, truthful casting choices, run clear and respectful audition rooms, and build strong shortlists efficiently. His work spans short films, commercials, and independent projects, with a mission to connect great actors to great storytelling - while keeping representation authentic, human, and precise.
