'Casting Indie' on "Inside Urban Hollywood"

Casting Directors Twinkie Byrd and Pamela Staton Join
BlogTalkRadio Host Tanya Kersey on "Inside Urban Hollywood"
on Monday, April 14, 2008, at 8pm PST/11pm EST

Just because your film isn’t a big budget or studio film doesn't mean you can't get name talent cast in your project. Due to the increasing pressure to have name talent in a film in order to get it into the distribution pipeline, attaching a seasoned, well-connected casting director to help cast an indie project has in recent years become a creative and strategic force in an independent filmmaker's success. Not only can talent determine whether or not you get financing for the film, for the low-budget independent film, it may mean the difference between development hell and a green light.

Casting Directors Twinkie Byrd ("Notorious," "Stomp the Yard") and Pamela Staton ("All About You," "Traci Townsend") will appear on BlogTalkRadio’s show "Inside Urban Hollywood" (http://blogtalkradio.com/insideurbanhollywood) with host Tanya Kersey on Monday, April 14, 2008, at 8pm PST/11pm EST. Byrd and Staton will talk about how indie filmmakers can get well-known talent cast in their independent film projects. They will also discuss how actors can jumpstart their careers by acting in indie films. Callers are welcome to join the conversation during the show by calling (646) 200-3290. The live, Internet talk-radio show will stream from the host page at http://blogtalkradio.com/InsideUrbanHollywood.

Twinkie Byrd has been casting for 20 years. She has cast many high-profile music videos and has worked with artists such as Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Wyclef Jean, Avril Lavine, N'Sync, Christina Aguilera, Brittany Spears, Black Eyed Peas, P. Diddy, J. Lo, 50 Cent, OUTKAST , DMX, P.O.D. and Eve. Many of the directors she's worked with in the music video world have moved onto film. They include David LaChappelle, Brett Ratner , Spike Jonze, Tim Story, Marcus Raboy, Forest Whitaker & Dave Meyers just to name a few. Her Commercial clients include Reebok, Barbie, PEPSI, TGI Fridays MTV, VH1, Home Depot and Dodge Chrysler. Byrd's feature casting credits include the number one hit "Stomp The Yard," "King's Ransom" and "Three Can Play That Game". She is currently casting Fox Searchlight's "Notorious," about the life of Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace.

As the president of Pamela Staton Casting, Staton sees her vision for diversity in casting fulfilled as she strives to create many acting opportunities and expand the scope of working actors. As a result of her dedication to excellence and keen eye for talent, she has completed 18 Independent Films, 14 of which received distribution, 11 garnered "Best Film" honors from prestigious film festivals, 7 film shorts, 2 documentaries and a few Stage Plays. Some of the more popular titles are “"All About You," "Restraining Order," "Traci Townsend," "Playaz Court," named an urban classic by Variety, "The Disciple," "Sister’s Keeper," and most recently "Street Boss."

Some of the talented actors Staton has cast in film projects include: Morgan Freeman, Robin Givens, Eric Roberts, Jeff Fahey, Michael Madsen, William Forsythe, Chris Tucker, D.L. Hughley, Chris Spencer, Gary Anthony Williams, Keith David, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Jay Acovone, Richard T. Jones, Taraji Henson, Raven Goodwin, Debbie Allen, Boris Kodjoe and Ruby Dee. She approaches client's wish lists with determination and often delivers greater than the budget dictates. She has a track record for recognizing new and emerging talent. She considers Craig Ross, Jr., Christine Swanson, Marc Cayse, Reggie Gaskins, J.D. Cochran, Greg Morgan, Tracie Dean Ponder, Karen Hayes, Robert Hyatt, Bo Svenson, Rodney Charles, Kent Faulcon, Brian Crewe, Michael Hoffman, Jr, Connie Robinson, Lance Kawas, Christopher Marlon and Greg Carter "ones to watch."

An archive will be available at the same link immediately following the show or listeners can subscribe to the archives via the RSS feed located on the host page at http://blogtalkradio.com/insideurbanhollywood.