Advertising and media are nothing without people. But finding the right people can be tricky, just ask these 11 casting directors.
Diversity, equity and inclusion are paramount to ensuring that brands connect with their consumers and that media reflects today’s Australia.
Picking this list is not easy. We’ve consulted our very good friends in the industry, studied the Casting Guild of Australia and of course, our very own Women in Media Awards.
As ever with our Best of the Best lists, there are a number of folks who very narrowly missed out on the top 10 including Holly Bryar, Kylie Green and Matthew Waters. In the coming weeks, we’ll be taking a look at the 10 Best of the Best in these industry disciplines: creative directors with both independent and holding company agencies, Experiential Producers and Business Support staff. If you know anyone who you think should be in contention, please drop an email with their name to [email protected].
10. Ally Reynolds and Ellie Honigman, casting directors and owners, Northside Casting
Ally Reynolds and Ellie Honigman founded Northside Casting three years ago having met through mutual friends and spending time at another casting agency. In that short time, they’ve worked on some enormous campaigns including Nab’s ‘Wrangle Your Money’ campaign that sought to hit Gen Z with an important message about financial management. At last year’s Casting Guild of Australia awards, their work for Australia Post with its ‘Always Delivering’ campaign nearly saw them scoop the Best Casting in a TVC gong. While Northside Casting hasn’t been around for as long as many of the names in this list, there’s clearly plenty more to come from the pair.
9. Nick Hamon, founder, NickHamonCasting
Nick Hamon founded his eponymous business back in 1998 when he was just 26 years old. Since then, he has gone on to have an outsized impact on the world of casting, having helped to set up the Casting Guild of Australia and serving as its vice president between 2013 and 2016. Nowadays, he leads a team of three, including Amy Mete, who was recognised as a rising star by IF Magazine and won and Megan D’Arcy. Recent work from Hamon (and the team) includes the very funny ‘You Don’t Send A Ute To Do A HiLux Job’ for Toyota via Saatchi & Saatchi.
8. Joe Wijangco, casting director, i4 Casting
Wijangco has been part of the industry since 1999—i4 Casting, meanwhile, has just turned 20. During his career, Wijangco has worked on a number of Cannes Lions-winning campaigns and scooped a number of CGA Awards and a D&AD pencil. i4’s recent work includes the delightfully revitalising ‘Paahhlmolive’ work via VML.
7. Toni Higginbotham, founder, Toni Higginbotham Casting
Toni Higginbotham founded her casting business back in 1998, following stints at Wildside Productions and the ABC. Another highly awarded casting director, with Lions, AWARD awards, Clios and even a Gold Pencil under her belt, Higginbotham’s notable recent work includes the brilliant ‘When Australia Happens…’ for AAMI via Ogilvy. Higginbotham also runs a series of workshops and even one-on-one tutoring to help get creative industry careers off the ground.
6. Peta Einberg, Peta Einberg Casting
Peta Einberg came very highly recommended to us by friends in the industry. Einberg has been running her own casting company since 2006 and now counts two staff on the books, plus Buckley the dog. Again, the Peta Einberg Casting office has a very full trophy cabinet. Some of the business’ most recent work includes the delightfully whacky 7-Eleven and Mobil campaign launched in August and the brilliantly whacky “From A Place Purer Than Yours” for Pure Blonde released earlier this year.
5. Mel Mackintosh, casting director, Mackintosh Casting
Melbourne-based Mackintosh was another highly recommended casting director to B&T. Mackintosh’s career started back in 1993, working with the Minogue sisters’ (yes, those ones) management team but switched to casting a year later. She was a founding member of the Casting Guild of Australia and has served on its exec committee and currently sits on the TVC committee along with several other faces on this list. Notable recent work includes the global “Where Happiness Comes Naturally” for Tourism Fiji and the ticklingly funny Myer regifting Chrismas spot from last year.
4. Stephanie Pringle and Alison Fowler, casting directors and founders of Chicken & Chips Casting
Stephanie Pringle and Alison Fowler founded Chicken & Chips in 2015 when they were just 26 and 27, respectively. Since then, they’ve gone on to work for some of the biggest brands in the country, including Bumble, Nike and Kayo. They are no stranger to the pages of B&T, either, with the pair making history when they won the entrepreneur category 30 Under 30 in 2018, and Stephanie winning Best of the Best Casting Director in 2021. Recent efforts include this toe-tapper of a spot for McCains.
3. Natalie Jane Harvie, director, Citizen Jane, Citizen Jane
Another strong recommendation from our friends, Harvie founded her agency in 2010 after spending more than 20 years as a professional singer. Harvie is a powerhouse of the industry and has cast talent in some of the most important ads for some of the country’s biggest brands, including the likes of Telstra and Macca’s. In fact, her casting for Telstra’s exceptional ‘This Is Footy Country’ campaign saw Harvie win Best Casting in a TVC at last year’s Casting Guild of Australia Awards. While beautifully shot and crafted, that ad alone shows the power of a good casting director—without its cast, it’s nothing. More recently, Harvie also cast ‘Kia’s Getting A Ute’ (a B&T fave) and the ‘The Original Mouthful’ for Macca’s (another fave). But our pick is still ‘Better On A Better Network’, again, for Telstra.
2. Felicity Byrne, casting director and founder, Byrne Creative
Originally from the US but now residing in Sydney, Felicity Byrne has again cast some of the most important ads of recent times and was very highly recommended by industry insiders. Her work casting ‘Shop ALDI First’ helped the campaign clean up at the recent Effies. More recently, Byrne cast Howatson+Company’s cracker of an ad for ABC iView. Byrne Creative prides itself on a bespoke approach to casting for each client, from traditional agency and street casting to location and research-led casting. Byrne and the team’s standout work this year, however, has to ‘Consent Can’t Wait’ for the Department of Social Services.
1. Simone Landes, founder and director, The Lifestyle Suite
Simone Landes founded The Lifestyle Suite back in 2013 and has since gone on to become a pioneer in representing health and lifestyle experts in media. While she works less on the TVC side of things, the representation of expert and diverse talent has never been more important. Landes walked away with the Casting Director trophy at this year’s B&T Women in Media Awards, where she was hailed by our judges for her tireless work to showcase an accurate representation of Australia as well as raising awareness of disability, LGBTQIA+ challenges and gender equality. Landes’ efforts have placed her talent in high-profile roles, including Dr Joanna McMillan on Good Chef Bad Chef and Dr. Preeya Alexander on ABC’s The Drum. A significant achievement from Landes’ impressive career was her casting Ellie Cole in I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here, the first participant with a physical disability.
