SYNOPSIS

Room: Theater 4

This two hour class will include a Q&A and a prepared reading session with an experienced casting professional.

Please prepare a scene or monologue from Film or television, less than two minutes long.

If you are bringing a scene, please bring an extra copy for your reader.

CASTING DIRECTOR BIO

Stephen Salamunovich CSA, brought a diverse background to his 31-year career as a casting director. He began his professional life in his native Los Angeles as a musician performing and recording as a vocal soloist with such groups as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the San Francisco Opera Company, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the soundtrack of "The Godfather" and the Disney recording of "It's a Small World". As a studi drummer, keyboardist and vocalist he has worked and recorded with numerous artists including contempory jazz artists Gerald Albright, David Benoit, Taylor Mesple', Peter White, NBC's "The Voice" sensation, Mycle Wastman, renowned bluesman, Doug MacLeod and can be heard on the last four releases by Michael Tomlinson with whom he worked for some 20 years. In 1984, he was offered an opportunity to work for the seminal, Los Angeles casting firm, Anderson, McCook & White and what began as a part-time interest became a full-time passion. After a five-year apprenticeship under Nancy McCook and Catherine White, he moved to Seattle, Washington in an effort to embrace a better quality of life and founded Complete Casting By Stephen Salmunovich.

Stephen has worked with such Academy Award-winning directors as Milos Forman and Bernardo Bertolucci. His television credits number well over three thousand projects including numerous features for television, the series Simon & Simon, Ferris Bueller and In Living Color, as well as literally thousands of commercials and industrials and features filmes such as "The Details" starring Toby McGuire, Elizabeth Banks and Laura Linney. Salamunovich is also the recipient of the Artios Award, casting's highest honor bestowed by his peers in the Casting Society of America. He holds the distinction of being the first and one of only two lead casting directors in the award's history to win an Artios outside of New York or Los Angeles. It is one of three nominations he has received for the award, the most recent in 2014. He is a frequent guest speaker and facilitator to numerous professional groups and acting workshops and has made many appearances on television and radio as an industry expert. He has served on the boards of the IFP and the Centerstage Council of the Seattle Theater Group and is a strong advocate for arts education and outreach programs that support the involvement of youth in the arts. He officially retired from casting on May 19th, 2016 after 31 years.

Salamunovich is also an accomplished presentational and media coach and has prepared many public and private figures for appearances on such shows as Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, The Today Show and The Tonight Show. He has worked with such companies as The Westin Hotels, The American Cancer Society, Kaiser Permanente and Campfire USA. He has helped sports starts like Kareem Abdul Jabbar and bodybuidler Rachel McLish attain celebrity endorsement deals and has assisted CEO's,  political figures, chefs, best-selling authors, entrepreneurs and sales teams on communicating from the energetic place that is far more impactful than the mere words used. His work is based on authenticity and the harnessed energy of both speaker and audience, as fundamental cornerstones for personal expression and communication. He is at work on an upcoming book based upon the revoluntionary techniques he's successfully helped his clients to master. He lives in Seattle with his wife Sheila where he roots for the Seahawks and also the Mariners...except when they occasionally play his hometown Dodgers.

REQUIREMENTS

• In order to attend this class, you MUST have a SAG-AFTRA Foundation account. 

• NO LATE ARRIVALS and NO WALK-INS are admitted. Only those participants who have received a telephoned or e-mailed confirmation message from staff will be admitted to the session. Waitlisted individuals who have not received such confirmation will not be admitted at the door. Please do not show up if you have not been explicitly confirmed as RSVPed.