Confessions of a Casting Director

Latest Episodes:

Episode 14 - LIVE RECORDING FROM FREE PARENT ZOOM CHAT WITH DOUGLAS GORENSTEIN - RECORDED APRIL 1, 2020 Apr 07, 2020

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Join us for a LIVE recording from Jen Rudin's 3rd weekly free parent support chat during the pandemic.

Today's guest is headshot photographer Douglas Gorenstein. Doug shares a lively presentation on all you need to know about headshots!

DOUGLAS GORENSTEIN was voted "Favorite New York Headshot Photographer" in BackStage.com. He served as the official photographer for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon where he photographed virtually every major star on the planet. Next time you are at the grocery store pick up a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Tonight Dough ice cream to see the headshot Douglas took of Jimmy Fallon that appears on the carton. For 20 years Douglas has taken amazing acting headshots for kids, teens, and adults at his beautiful NYC studio. His clients have appeared on Broadway, in major films and TV shows, and national commercials. He's proud to be the headshot photographer for Jen Rudin and Bob Marks. Douglas also loves working with actors who are just starting out to make sure they have head shots that get them noticed!More info at: www.douglasgorenstein.com

Episode 13 - LIVE RECORDING FROM "SELF TAPING" PARENTS CHAT - MARCH 24, 2020 Mar 31, 2020

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A live recording from our 2nd weekly free online chat for parents on March 24, 2020! Today's discussion featured an in-depth Q&A on self taping, best practices, lighting and tripod and a bonus chat about voice over recording from home.

Episode 12 - GETTING YOUR DIGITAL HOUSE IN ORDER WITH ELLEN SAUCHELLI FROM STAGE DOOR DESIGNS Mar 24, 2020

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In this episode, Jen chats with Stage Door Designs owner Ellen Sauchelli. Stage Door Designs is a full-service agency for actors & performers. We provide consulting services for families just getting started in the business as well as full-service marketing support those further along in their career. Our clients include actors, performers, and members of the arts community in general.

Ellen Sauchelli is a co-owner ofStage Door Designs. She and her business partner, Carter Sayle, founded the company in January of 2010 to support the marketing, digital and online needs of savvy actors, their families and other members of the arts community.

Ellen has always had a great love for theatre and performing, and formally studied voice at the college level. After graduating, her career took a different direction, where she spent 20+ years in financial services sales, marketing, and product development. In 2008, she started her own second act when she began to guide and support her son Jake and his young performing career.

Carter has been working in graphic design, digital publishing, and video for over 25 years. Carter holds a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance and a master’s in music education. He acted in musical theatre in college and wrote and staged three musicals while there. In addition, Carter spent many years as a teacher of both music and gifted students.

Ellen and Carter first met in Kansas City, Missouri when their sons (Jake Bennett Siegfried andZachary Sayle) originated the roles of Randy and Ralphie Parker in the Kansas City Repertory Theatre’s World Premiere of A Christmas Story the Musical. Their jobs as traveling ‘stage parents’ caused them to realize how much a parent has to do to support a child actor. The business of the business was a full-time job. Carter and Ellen decided to join forces to help parents and families with these tasks and so, Stage Door Designs was born.

Episode 11 - WFH AND LIVE RECORDING FROM "HOW TO KEEP YOUR ACTORS FOCUSED" LIVE ZOOM CHAT Mar 17, 2020

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On Monday, March 16, 55 parents gathered on a free ZOOM chat with Jen Rudin, to discuss ways to keep young actors focused during this challenging time.

Jen shares the discussion here, along with a bonus chat about strategies for working from home!

For more info, visit www.jenrudincasting.com

Episode 10 - RACHEL RESHEFF Mar 10, 2020

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In today's episode, Jen Rudin chats with seasoned young actor Rachel Resheff about balancing college and her professional acting career, with insights into Rachel's years as a child actor.

Rachel Resheff is an actor, singer, and dancer. At age eight, she started her career starring opposite Edie Falco and Elias Koteas in Eric Mendelsohn’s acclaimed film Three Backyards. On Broadway, Rachel originated the role of Young Fiona in Shrek, The Musical, followed by roles in Billy Elliot, Mary Poppins, The People in The Picture (originated lead opposite Donna Murphy) and Larry David's Fish in the Dark (originated principal). Rachel has workshopped and performed in dozens of new works and Off-Broadway plays at Playwrights Horizons, Signature Theater, New York Stage and Film, Roundabout, Soho Rep and the Eugene O'Neil Center. Some of her film and TV credits include Netflix’s: Seven Seconds, Friends from College, and Orange is the New Black and feature films: The Escort, The Boat Builder, Annabelle Hooper and The Ghosts of Nantucket, and the upcoming Giving Birth to a Butterfly. Rachel is an alumna of the prestigious LaGuardia Arts High School and currently attends Harvard University ('23).

Episode 9 - KIRRILEE BERGER Feb 25, 2020

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In this episode, Jen interviews Australian-American actress Kirrilee Berger. Jen and Kirrilee first met in 2008 when Jen was the Casting Executive for Disney Theatrical Productions and cast Kirrilee as Jane Banks in the national tour of Disney's hit musical Mary Poppins.

Australian-American actress, singer, and dancer, Kirrilee got her start at the age of 4 on Sesame Street. Kirrilee went on to do the Broadway national tours of both Billy Elliot and Mary Poppins before the age of 12. In her adult career, Kirrilee has been lucky to have been in over 100 episodes of television working with some of the biggest stars in Hollywood such as Zendaya, Elizabeth Moss and Katharine McPhee. Some of Kirrilee’s most notable credits include The Handmaid’s Tale, KC Undercover, One Dollar and The Who Was Show.

Find Kirrilee @kirrileeberger and follow the Confessions of a Casting Director podcast @confessionscastingpoodcast.

For more info, visit www.jenrudincasting.com/podcast

Episode 8 - LIVE AT BROADWAYCON 2020 WITH BROADWAY ACTOR BHAVESH PATEL Feb 11, 2020

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LIVE from BroadwayCon 2020, this episode shares the lively CONFESSIONS OF A CASTING DIRECTOR PANEL with Jen Rudin and her Broadway actor guest, Bhavesh Patel. The conversation covers auditions, Patel's tips for performing 8 shows and week, and the importance of being PREPARED for auditions, just in case you get a chance to read opposite Kevin Kline.

For more info, follow Bahvesh on Instagram @projectpatel and Jen Rudin @rudinj.

Episode 7 - SELF TAPING Jan 28, 2020

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If you are an actor, you will get asked to send in a self-tape! It's the first step for auditions these days. In this very important episode, Jen Rudin goes over the details for how to submit a self-tape for a live action project or for voice over. This episode is full of do's and don'ts! DON'T MISS IT!

Episode 6 - DANNY BURSTEIN Jan 14, 2020

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In this episode, Jen Rudin chats with six-time TONY nominee and star of Broadway's MOULIN ROUGE, the incredibly talented Danny Burstein. Danny shares stories from his early years as a student at New York's prestigious High School of Performing Arts, and his journey as a celebrated actor over the course of his career.

For more info, follow Danny on Instagram @dannybur.

Episode 5 - MARCIA RUDIN Jan 01, 2020

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In this very special episode, Jen celebrates the new year and new decade with an honest, moving and heartfelt chat with her mother, Marcia Rudin. They talk about Jen's childhood acting career, the sacrifices parents have to make and Marcia shares her own wisdom and humor as she advises parents today on the highs and lows of show business.

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