Hellmann heads new Cast Station office here

Robin Hellmann of The Cast Station

Since opening an office here in January, “the reception has been wonderful, wildly surpassing our expectations,” says Robin Hellmann, Chicago casting director for Texas-based The Cast Station, providing union and non-union casting for film, TV, commercials, corporate, voiceover and print.

“It is no secret that the Chicago production industry is growing and we were deeply aware of the talent waiting to be discovered here,” Hellmann says.  “So, now that outside film companies, studios, etc., recognize this too, opening a Chicago branch of The Cast Station made sense.”

An improv performer and former events manager for Piven Theatre Workshop for three years, Hellmann operates the Chicago office with casting assistant Catherine Lynch, whose background includes producing indie films and editing promotional videos.

For now they’re working out of Hellmann’s Lakeview home and  plan on moving into an office in the North Avenue-Clybourn area in September.

Hellmann says Cast Station is addressing what they see is a “serious lapse” in Chicago’s casting landscape by offering casting of “real people,” for which the company is well known.

“You don’t see a lot of that in Chicago, which is disheartening, especially considering the surge in ‘authentic advertising.’”

She’s also positioning the Chicago office “to provide the city’s corporate market with the same resources to which the commercial market is privy. “Unfortunately, most casting companies won’t look your way without a minimum budget that most industrial producers just don’t have.”

Hellman hopes The Cast Station can “showcase the unparalleled talent we have so our Chicago actors are not fleeing to find work in LA or New York as they have been doing for years.”

Full-service company operates in four cities

John Williams founded The Cast Station in Austin in 2008.  Williams operates offices in Austin, Dallas and Houston and Karmen Leech runs the LA and New Orleans offices. 

They recently cast for director David Gordon Green’s feature Joe, starring Nicolas Cage.  Leech found Gary Poulter, a once-homeless man and non-professional actor who won acclaim for performance, and who died shortly before the film was released. 

They’ve also cast for Janusz Kaminski and Guillermo Arriaga; agencies Leo Burnett, McCann Erickson, and MMB for advertisers McDonalds, Toyota, and Verizon.

The Cast Station is co-hosting an invitation-only, come meet/network event with Women in Film June 12 at Rockit.Casting directors from their Austin and LA offices are expected to attend.