It’s a huge part of a producer’s job to find the perfect talent. And the best casting agencies are what make it possible. Of course, which casting agency is the best for your production can vary depending on the specific needs of your shoot, your vision for the talent, and even your relationships with different casting agencies and their agents.
We get it–it’s a lot!
LÜK Network is all about streamlining the booking and production process, so we put together a review of some of the best casting agencies around the world for you to consider for your next production.
Table of Contents
Best Casting Agencies & Directors
When casting a photoshoot, producers must often work with countless casting agencies to find exactly the right talent for every role. To say this is time-intensive is an understatement. Whether it’s searching for a specific look, communicating with the agencies, negotiating terms and rates, or managing payments, it’s a huge job that takes time away from the creative process.
Plus, this is a process that hasn’t changed since the 90s…so LÜK Network decided to do something about that.
We created a platform that combines talent submissions from every agency you know and love with a suite of producer tools that streamlines every part of the booking process. Whether it’s searching for specific talent, setting up castings, sharing role-specific details, or processing payment and taxes, LÜK has it handled.
If you want to start connecting to these top-tier agencies right now, you can get started with LÜK. Or, enjoy this guide we put together for you on some of the best casting agencies and directors to work with.
1. AAMO
Location: London
AAMO Casting is represented globally under CLM Agency. They specialize in street casting fresh and striking faces for their clients. They mainly cast for fashion shows and editorials for brands like MAC Cosmetics, Nike, Burberry, and Marc Jacobs.
2. AMC Casting
Location: New York, London, Paris
Award-winning Angus Munro founded this casting agency, first known as AMC Casting, before it became AMC Casting. Munro and his team have cast fashion shows and advertising campaigns worldwide, including Abercrombie & Fitch, Adidas, Desigual, Gap, and more. Munro has also collaborated with Naomi Campbell, Pharrell, Hermes, Rick Owens, and other major labels and talent.
3. Ashley Brokaw
Location: New York
Ashley Brokaw is a casting director who started working with Prada and now exclusively casts for Prada. Brakwo has worked with major brands like Louis Vuitton, Coach, and Balenciaga. She has collaborated with talents like Hoyeon Jung, Amanda Murphy, Eva Mendes, and Amber Valetta.
4. Barbara Pfister
Location: New York
Barbara Pfister Casting was founded by Barbara Pfister herself. This casting agency looks to find unique and individual faces for their clients and projects. Barbara Pfister Casting is dedicated to finding the best fit for their client to help the vision come to life. Their clientele includes Fendi, Alexander McQueen, Lady Gaga, Sofia Coppola, and David Sims.
5. Cast Partner
Location: New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Mexico City, Mumbai
Cast Partner is the largest casting company on this list. It’s an international casting agency that has partnered with various name brands such as Nike, Nordstrom, and Balenciaga. With five different offices located all over the world, Cast Partner provides a comprehensive casting service that focuses on building and maintaining relationships and promoting multiple cultures and ethnicities.
6. DM Fashion Casting
Location: New York, Paris, Rome
DM Casting Agency is a full-service and global fashion casting company with locations in New York City, Paris, and Rome. They cast for fashion shows, covers and editorials, ambassadorships, and more. They aim to serve the most high-profile clients and maintain a diverse talent catalog. Some of DM Casting’s most notable clients include Victoria Beckham, Tom Ford, Givenchy, Versace, and many more.
7. East Tenth Casting
Location: New York
Ten years ago, Mark Aguilar founded East Tenth Casting, a full-service casting agency that finds talent for fashion shows, editorials, commercials, films, and advertising. East Tenth Casting has worked with Dove, H&M, Calvin Klein, Diesel, and more. East Tenth Casting is passionate about casting diverse individuals for all upcoming projects and opportunities.
8. En Vue Casting
Location: New York
En Vue Casting finds talent for TV commercials, runway shows, editorials, and “real people” casting. En Vue Casting is led by Hollie Schliftman, En Vue’s casting director, who has over 15 years of experience in casting for famous brands like Pantene, CoverGirl, Dolce and Gabbana, and Juicy Couture. En Vue has also cast celebrities like Nick Jonas and Daniel Radcliffe.
9. Erin Simon Casting
Location: New York
Erin Simon Casting is a casting agency run by Erin Simon in New York. Simon alone has over 20 years of experience in casting with a diverse catalog. She casts editorials, advertising, sports, and beauty brands as well as works with younger talent. She’s booked talent for campaigns with ULTA Beauty, Adidas, Nike, and Marc Jacobs.
10. Establishment Casting
Location: New York, London
Establishment Casting is a full-service casting agency founded by Anita Bitton over two decades ago. Bitton is now the creative director and cast for the most exclusive brands such as Balmain, Marc Jacobs, Harper’s Bazaar, and many more. They also have impressive clientele including Naomi Campbell, Beyonce, and Lana Del Rey. Establishment Casting also offers its services for commercials, film, music videos, ad campaigns, fashion shows, and editorials.
11. GMLV Casting
Location: New York
GMLV is headquartered in New York with a mission to find a wide range of talent for productions ranging from fashion shows to feature films. They have collaborated on projects with Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, and Dior Homme and cast individuals for the well-known sci-fi series Stranger Things.
Casting, Booking, & Payroll–Simplify Your Entire Photoshoot Production
12. Jennifer Starr
Location: New York
Jennifer Starr is an iconic casting director with over 25 years of experience under her belt. Starr had been one of the first casting directors to look at non-traditional beauty and talent for exclusive brands and advertisements. She has worked with DKNY, Givenchy, Ralph Lauren, and A-list celebs like H.E.R., Scarlett Johansson, and Adam Driver as well.
13. JN Casting
Location: London, Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Miami
JN Casting has been around since 2001, working as a global, full-service, creative production and casting agency. They have experience in the fashion, film, sports, and tech industries,with their campaign portfolio including Samsung, Macy’s, UNIQLO, and many more. JN Casting has also collaborated with Lady Gaga and Serena William for Love Bravery and Nike fashion campaigns.
14. Liz Goldson
Liz Goldson, originally on the path to becoming a professional swimmer, is now a powerhouse casting director with an impressive clientele, including Andreas Kronthaler, Bella Hadid, POP Magazine, and Levi’s. Goldson works hard to bring her client’s visions to life and help convey their stories in the most authentic way possible.
15. Midland
Location: New York, London, Paris, Milan
The Midland Casting Agency team helps foster and grow careers by casting the best talent for editorials, fashion and beauty campaigns, fashion shows, and projects. Some of their most notable clients are Vogue, Christian Dior, Donna Karan, and Estee Lauder. Midland Casting Agency also offers services for photography, creative direction, styling, and beauty.
16. Nina Day Casting
Location: New York
Nina Day is a casting and creative agency founded by Nina Day herself with a mission to expand media expectations by casting diverse talent from different backgrounds. The agency has done numerous ad campaigns and editorials for fashion brands like Puma, La Perla, and Ralph Lauren. Nina Day has worked with individuals and organizations including Dr. Maya Angelou, Nickelodeon, The United Nations, and Bottega Veneta.
17. Noah Shelley
Location: New York
While not an agency, Noah Shelley is a casting director with an extensive portfolio that works with Streeters Agency as well as Angus Munro, the casting director and founder of AM Casting. With 15 years of experience, Shelley has worked with Dazed and Confused, Kanye West, and Calvin Klein, and on Gap, Tiffany & Co., and Skims campaigns.
18. Plus Three Two
Location: Paris, London, Milan, New York
Founded by Evelien Joos and Shaun Beyen, Plus Three Two have been pioneering new talent for years. They not only cast models but also photographers, videographers, hair and makeup artists, and set designers. They work hard to bring visions to life for clients like Karl Lagerfeld, Louis Vuitton, and Oscar de la Renta.
19. Red Penny
Location: New York and Los Angeles
Red Penny is a casting agency that got its big break casting for an ad project with Microsoft and now has over 20 years of experience in the industry. Red Penny casts for commercials, lifestyle, fashion, “street,” and “real people.” Red Penny has worked for Chase Bank, Mercedes Benz, Cadillac, Chevron, and more.
20. Stefanie Stein
Location: New York
Stefanie Stein Casting is a full-service casting agency specializing in models, celebrities, influencers, and real people casting. They look for talent with fresh beauty to cast for editorials, commercials, fashion shows, and advertising. Stefanie Stein Casting has worked with Phoebe Tonkin, Kendall Jenner, Willow Smith, Tiffany & Co., Tommy Hilfiger, and Neiman Marcus.
21. Shay Nielson Casting
Location: Los Angeles
Shay Nielsen Casting is a global, full-service casting agency that works with clients to cast top talent for editorials, film projects, and advertising. They also specialize in street casting and finding new and unconventional talent worldwide. Shay Nielsen has worked with brands: Adidas, Balmain, Saint Laurent, and Chanel.
22. Trew Production
Location: New York
Trew Production is a full-service production agency based in New York. Founded by Drew Lineham, a fashion expert with 23 years of experience, Trew Production works with all types of brands for lifestyle, luxury, and contemporary markets. They have cast over 200 fashion shows and shoots and have worked with Emilio Cavallini, Conde Nast, American Eagle, and Vogue.
23. Wulf Casting
Location: New York
Wulf Casting is an award-winning, full-service casting studio for commercials, prints, fashion campaigns, comedy, and branded content. With over a decade of experience, Wulf Casting has built a healthy portfolio working with celebrities and brands like Millie Bobby Brown, Miley Cyrus, Dua Lipa, Nintendo, Vogue, and Dior.
24. Xyne Casting
Location: New York
Xyne Casting prides itself in finding the most unique-looking models, actors, and musicians for projects. They specialize in street casting but welcome submissions from anyone looking to work on projects. Xyne Casting works on anything ranging from campaigns to social media and has collaborated with Dolce and Gabbana, Vogue, Elle, and Milk Makeup.
25. Zan Casting
Location: New York and Los Angeles
Zan Casting is all about finding diverse and authentic talent to help tell stories. They work hard to build relationships with their talent and client and handle celebrity and influencer negotiations. They cast their talent through global street casting and have teamed up with West Elm, Vera Wang, Netflix, Instagram, and more for ads, campaigns, and commercials.
How to Choose the Right Casting Agency
How do you know what casting agency is the right fit?
As Talent
Time for research! Before choosing an agency, consider some brands, directors, producers, and photographers you’d be interested in working with, and then take a look at the agencies they’re connected to. Look at their talent portfolios, vision and mission, and company ethos to help determine if they’re the right fit.
Make sure to take note of any submission and portfolio requirements reviews from former and current talent at the casting agency, as well as target pay if you can find that information.
Of course, prioritize safety first to make sure the casting agency or director you’re speaking to is legitimate. Some individuals may pose as major casting agencies online or impersonate casting directors when street casting.
Some of the best ways to catch casting scams are:
- Poor grammar
- Strange email addresses
- Requests for paying money upfront
- Unexpected membership and entry fees
- Asking for explicit or unclothed photos
As a Producer
Are you a producer working with multiple casting agencies at once–and feel a little (read: very) stressed?
Well, we’re here to help!
LÜK Network connects top-tier brands with top-tier talent with solution-based tools that make it simpler for you to cast them, manage them, and pay them. Our platform allows you to pick the right talent for virtual or in-person casting and assigns you a personal booking assistant to confirm the talent on your behalf. You can also add all your casting details like time, date, location, parking instructions, protocols, and anything your models need to bring to the shoot.
After the shoot, our All-Set feature simplifies the accounting process by putting all 1099 freelancers on one invoice and handling payouts.
Instead of managing various talent from various agencies, you get to do it all on one simple platform. Or rather, we get to do it all for you.
Consider a New Type of Casting Agency
LÜK Network is changing the game when it comes to helping producers like you find the perfect talent for your production. We give you access to all the talent agencies in one place so you get a simpler, less stressful, and refreshingly easy booking and casting process.
Your casting cure-all has arrived.
