News & Advice
Pearson Casting for ‘Starlight Express’, Ali Fearnley and Hannah Birkett Casting among the CDA Award winners. The winners of the Casting Directors Association (CDA) Awards 2025 have been announced at a ceremony at St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, hosted by the hilarious Lou Sanders. The awards, created to celebrate the crucial yet often under-appreciated work of the […]
The High in Fat, Sugar and Salt Advertisements Restrictions for food and drink commercials and what it means for the creative industry. On 15 May 2025, Spotlight sent the Secretaries of State a letter on behalf of the creative industries urging them to delay implementation of the High in Fat, Sugar and Salt (HFSS) Advertisement […]
Verity Naughton wins multiple awards, with the casting teams behind ‘Rivals’, ‘Conclave’, ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ and ‘Mr Bates vs the Post Office’ also taking home wins. The winners of the Casting Directors’ Guild Awards 2025 have now been announced at a ceremony in London, hosted by Sue Perkins. The CDG Casting Awards, now in […]
The CDG Awards returns for a seventh year, championing the amazing work of casting directors in the UK and Ireland. The CDG Casting Awards celebrates the fantastic work by casting teams across film, television, theatre and commercials. Winners of this year’s awards will be announced at the ceremony taking place on 13 February in London. […]
Tips for actors looking to break into commercial work, including what to expect at the audition, how much you’ll get paid and what to look for in breakdowns. On average, around 60% of the auditions you do as an actor in the UK are for commercials. Brands are producing television advertisements all year round for […]
US casting director Susan Shopmaker talks casting ‘The Holdovers’ and ‘The Iron Claw’, how commercial casting differs from film and how to get cast in US-based productions. Susan Shopmaker’s casting career spans decades. With over 30 years’ experience casting for feature films, as well as plenty of credits in commercials, she is one of the […]
