Join us for a Conversation with some of the 2026 Artios Award nominated Casting Directors. This panel will feature Betsy Fippinger (Familiar Touch), Kate Geller (Bob Trevino Likes It), Avy Kaufman (Task) and Julie Schubert (This Diplomat)
Our panelists 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.
Betsy Fippinger has trained under some of the best casting directors in New York, including Meredith Tucker, Ellen Lewis, Ellen Chenoweth, and Shayna Markowitz. As a Casting Associate and Assistant, she worked on projects directed by Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Bo Burnham, Greg Mottola, and Lynn Shelton. She won an Artios Award for her work as the Casting Associate on the pilot episode of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”. As a Casting Director, Betsy cast Sarah Friedland’s “Familiar Touch,” which won three awards at Venice ’24 (including Best Debut Film) and earned two 2026 Indpendent Spirit nominations. Betsy cast the lead youth roles for “Are You There, God? It’s Me Margaret,” for which she won her second Artios Award co-cast Nicholas Colia’s “Griffin in Summer” (winner of three awards at Tribeca ‘24, including Best Narrative Feature), which has earned an Artios Award nomination in 2026. Before entering casting, Betsy worked at HBO and the William Morris Agency and graduated with a BFA in Film from Wesleyan University in 2003.
Kate Geller is a 4-time Artios nominated NY-based Casting Director. Recent film credits include: OH, HI! (with Molly Gordon and Logan Lerman, SUNDANCE 2025), CHILI FINGER (with Judy Greer, John Goodman, Sean Astin and Bryan Cranston), INTO THE SKY (w/Sam Richardson, Sofia Black-D’Elia, and David Cross), IDIOTKA (SXSW 2025), FUCKTOYS (SXSW 2025), OMNI LOOP (SXSW 2024, Artios Nomination), BOB TREVINO LIKES IT (SXSW 2024 Narrative and Audience Award winner), COLD WALLET (SXSW 2024), ON THE END (with Tim Blake Nelson), BARRON'S COVE (with Garrett Hedlund), CORA BORA (with Meg Stalter, SXSW 2023), MOLLI AND MAX IN THE FUTURE (SXSW 2023), THE GOOD HALF (with Nick Jonas, Tribeca 2023), THE SECRET ART OF HUMAN FLIGHT (Tribeca 2023), SOMEWHERE QUIET (Tribeca 2023), THE FRONT ROOM (A24), DRUGSTORE JUNE (with Esther Povitsky), MATERNA (Tribeca 2020), NINE DAYS (Sundance 2020), and SHIVA BABY (SXSW 2020, John Cassavetes Winner, Artios Winner)
Avy Kaufman is an award-winning film and television casting director whose career spans all genres and continents. She has collaborated with renowned directors including Ang Lee, Steven Spielberg, Robert Redford, Ridley Scott, Jodie Foster, Wong Kar-Wai, Joachim Trier, to name a few. She has cast award-winning films such as ‘Lincoln', 'Brokeback Mountain', 'The Sixth Sense', 'Life of Pi', 'A.I.', 'Rustin', 'Tár', and 'King Richard'. Some of her most recent credits include: 'Babygirl', 'Train Dreams', and 'Sentimental Value'. Avy is the recipient of multiple Emmy awards for her work on 'Succession' and 'Damages'. Other accolades include the Robert Altman Award for Luca Guadagnino's 'Suspiria' at the independent spirit awards in 2018, casting director of the year at the hollywood film festival, a lifetime achievement award from the subtitle film festival, and nominations for best casting at both the british independent film awards and the BAFTAs. She is featured in Helena Lumme's book 'great women of film' and was honored with a place on Variety's ‘New York women’s impact list' for her excellence in casting for film and television. She resides in New York City and is the proud mother of two sons.
Julie Schubert is an Emmy Award–winning and Artios-nominated casting director known for her keen eye for talent and her ability to assemble authentic, compelling ensembles across film and television. Her credits include The Diplomat, Under the Bridge, House of Cards, which earned her an Emmy for Outstanding Casting, as well as Marvel’s Daredevil, Marvel’s Jessica Jones, Mindhunter, as well as features such as the award-winning Night Comes On, Fifty Shades Darker, Fifty Shades Freed and Confessions of a Shopaholic. Julie continues to contribute to projects that prioritize powerful human stories and her work reflects a deep commitment to discovering emerging talent while also pairing established artists with roles that challenge expectations. Julie was born in Philadelphia, attended New York University and currently resides in New York City.
SAG-AFTRA members and guests invited to events will behave in a professional and courteous manner. Any violation of the rules or transgression of decorum will be subject to review by the programming team, which has authority to remove the member from present and future SAG-AFTRA Foundation programs.
