Free Online Open Calls Help Casting Work From Home During the Pandemic

Casting Networks

Although COVID-19 has seemingly brought the entire entertainment industry to a halt, studio executives, directors and casting professionals haven’t stopped searching for new talent. What is usually an industry dependent on face-to-face interactions, has transformed to meet the demands of a rapidly changing market.

Cast It Systems, a Talent Systems online casting solution, enables networks like Disney+, Netflix, Fox and more to create open calls on custom webpages and accept submissions for free, from anywhere in the world. Disney Features Casting, for example, has utilized the Cast It Worldwide Open Calls system to support their Launchpad Shorts Incubator. This initiative is an opportunity for underrepresented directors with diverse perspectives to create amazing shorts for the Disney+ platform. Take a look at a few of the projects currently casting below:

The Little Princess – When seven-year-old ballet dancer Gabriel becomes close friends with Rob, an athletic boy from school, Rob’s dad Chen feels threatened by Gabriel’s gender expression and what influence it may have on Rob’s life. Chen decides to humiliate Gabriel by calling out his “feminine behavior” in front of his entire family.

American EID – A low-budget, short film to be distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures on its subscription video-on-demand platform. No acting experience required!

I’ll Take Care of You – Four-year-old Noah is going to spend the evening with Avalon, his babysitter who’s recently lost her mother. When he almost gets hit by a car, Avalon is forced to face her feelings about loss, while Noah learns that death is something to be afraid of.

Growing Fangs – After attending human schools her entire life, Mexican American half-human, half-vampire Val Garcia attends a new high school for vampires, witches, zombies, and werewolves. Finally thinking she can show her true self, she’s disappointed to realize her new friend Buffy does not like humans. When her human best friend Jimmy blunders onto the campus, Val has to be honest about who she really is and risk losing acceptance from Buffy and her new school.

The Last of the Chupacabras – Chepa is the last of a dying breed, a 75-year-old tamale seller with a food cart.  Treated as an expendable curiosity by modern society, which mocks and gawks at her, Chepa has a terrifying yet adorable protector—a chupacabra, and he too appears to be the last of his breed.

The Tryout – A Chinese-American student at the Westmoreland Preparatory Academy, Xiaoyu is determined to become the maître d’ at the formal dining hall in the school, where he must know every teacher’s and student’s name to greet them. After practicing very hard, he finally has his big tryout, and learns a thing or two about striving, failing, and being true to himself.

We encourage talent representatives to submit appropriate talent to any open calls listed above (for free), or share with interested parties. If you are a casting professional and are interested in hosting an open call, learn more on the Cast It Worldwide Open Calls page or contact the Cast It Systems support team at support@castitsystems.com.