The CDA is an alliance of professional UK Casting Directors dedicated to upholding professional standards within the industry.

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Announcing the Winners

 

MEET THE NOMINEES

 

CAMILLA ARTHUR

Camilla became a Casting Director in 1993. After a stint directing at RSA London Camilla went back to the world of casting moving to LA.  Returning to London in 2013 and twenty years after introducing Calvin Klein to street-casting UK style she worked on Absolutely Fabulous the movie to provide a new casting format, which she calls ‘Authentic Casting.

 

HANNAH BIRKETT

Hannah has been involved in casting for almost 20 years, working on an array of projects, from commercials to feature films. She won her first of two British Arrow Craft awards at the age of just 23 and more recently a Film Craft Crystal award and is a long-standing voting BAFTA member.  Hannah encourages new talent and supports inclusive casting.

 

SHAKYRA DOWLING

Shakyra has been a Casting Director since 2008, working on British Independent feature films, TV dramas and European co-productions. Recently she cast a BBC3 comedy, a French Feature film and a British Asian drama shooting across the Uk and Kashmir.  ‘Us and Them’, starring Jack Roth, is currently premiering at this year’s SXSW Festival.

 

KATE EVANS

Kate started working as an agent and now has over 20 years casting experience. Whether sourcing fishermen in Norway, surfers in Cornwall, actors, children, celebrities or fashion models, using her vast network of contacts to make sure the brief given is not only met but exceeded.

 

ALI FEARNLEY

Ali has been casting for films, TV and commercials for over 20 years.  Working closely with Directors and casting both established actors and searching for new emerging talent.  Ali relishes a tricky brief, and casts for many of the best Production companies and Directors in the UK and abroad on award winning work.

 

LEANNE FLINN

Leanne mixes traditional casting with street casting. Trained as an actor she has developed a creative approach and has a good eye for spotting talent. Leanne’s credits include the John Lewis Christmas commercial and the This Girl Can campaign. She has won two D&AD Pencils for casting. She recently worked with Oscar nominated director Yorgos Lanthimos on a feature film.

 

HEATHER MARCH

Heather has been casting since the late ‘90s and street casting has made up the bulk of work. She started on the Dove Campaign For Real Beauty in 2004 and still regularly casts for this and numerous other campaigns, which call for a more production based casting service. She enjoys working on projects with international casting requirements.

 

BRENDAN McNAMARA

Brendan set up Beach Casting in 2007 working on projects such as Katy Brands Big Ass TV Show for ITV and The Agent, a British independent feature film. More recently Brendan cast British comedy The Fitzroy, McDonalds first major Christmas campaign in 2016, the very successful Boots Christmas 2016 campaign and HSBC ‘the lift’.

 

SUE ODELL

Sue loves casting fabulous faces for fantastic photographers from her Blue House studio in Kentish Town.  Photographers she’s worked with include Bailey, Elliott Erwitt, Snowdon, Don McCullin, and Nadav Kander. There’s always a story behind every picture Sue casts.

 

TREE PETTS

Tree has cast over 1000 commercials during her 20 years in casting. She specializes in traditional casting, street casting and children. Known for her energy, passion, experience and knowledge Tree has worked on many award winning commercials, advertising campaigns, films and music videos. Tree is the Chair of the CDA.

 

CHRIS SNODE

Following a successful career as a World Champion and Olympic diver, Chris Snode began casting 30 years ago. Specializing in Sports Castings both in the UK and worldwide, Chris Snode Casting continues to deliver unique, high-quality casting.  Commercials cast last year won 26 awards across three continents, including Glass and Gold at Cannes Lions.

 

MARK SUMMERS

Mark trained as a performer before moving into casting over 20 years ago. He has worked with Marc Forster, David LaChappelle, Madonna and Metallica. He has over 14,000 credits to his name. He has won a British Advertising Craft Award for Best Casting Director. He was the UK Casting Director on Michael Jackson’s This Is It tour.

 

AMANDA TABAK

Amanda has cast BAFTA, BIFA and OSCAR-winning contemporary dramas.  She is known for casting youth driven drama and authentic talent, particularly when there is a need for urban diversity or comedy. She has garnered multiple British Arrows awards for her commercials casting. Amanda recently completed UK casting on the Oscar nominated Feature ‘Toni Erdmann’.