October 20, 2025 • 25 mins
Jennifer Schwalenberg is a New Mexico Casting Director based in Santa Fe. She began her casting career in Los Angeles in 1995, working for prominent commercial casting director, Beth Holmes. She spent five years honing the craft of traditional commercial casting while also scouting the streets for directors who favored “real people.” During her tenure at BHC, Jennifer worked on hundreds of national commercials, including numerous Super Bowl campaigns.
She eventually left L.A. for Santa Fe, her geographic dream, hired by the New Mexico Film Office under Governor Bill Richardson to create a Native American casting database to showcase the state’s tribal members.
Jennifer served as Deputy Director of the New Mexico Film Office where she devoted her time for eight years recruiting and servicing productions, marketing New Mexico, its communities and resources, coordinating scouts throughout the state, managing the tax credit and loan programs, and assisting producers, studios and networks throughout production and the incentive process.
She went back to her love of casting and joined the Midthunder Casting team from 2013 to 2019, where she worked on dozens of feature films, television productions, local and national commercials. Jennifer opened Casting by Jen in 2019, with highlights including local casting on four seasons of Dark Winds, The Night Driver, Lone Wolf, Olmo, and Rez Ball.
She is a Member of the Casting Society of America, Television Academy, and Governor’s Council on Film & Media Industries. Jennifer is passionate about animal welfare and her three large rescue dogs are often seen in her virtual casting sessions.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:04):
Hi everyone today and what's my frame?
I'm doing my casting director, Jennifer Schwalenberg.
Today Jennifer takes us behind the scenes of her early days
casting and commercials in Los Angeles before she eventually
found her way to Santa Fe, her geographic dream.
She was hired by the New Mexico Film Office to create the Native
American Casting database. She also served as deputy
director of the New Mexico Film Office for many years before
(00:27):
returning to her roots of casting.
Now let's get to the conversation.
Hey, Jennifer, welcome to What'sMy Frame?
How you doing? I'm doing so well, thanks for
having me. For anyone who isn't familiar,
would you mind just starting us off with your creative origin
story? What drew you to a career in the
arts and casting? You have such a strong voice for
(00:49):
empowering others and I'm just curious what was the the
foundation of that and how did that grow and evolve?
OK, great. I'll try to keep it very short.
Well, I grew up in a very small town in Wisconsin and I just
always knew as a teenager I wanted to be where the action
was. And that was Los Angeles.
Not so much the film industry, the music industry.
(01:11):
Sunset Blvd. I grew up in the 80s, so that
was the place to be. So I just beelined.
I worked three jobs after high school and just beelined to LA.
I wanted to just kind of take the edgier route in life and
just be immersed in it. And, and I I did some background
work just to make money. I never ever, ever wanted to
(01:34):
act. I knew I could never.
But someone convinced me to justjust get an agent and just, you
know, just see. And so I got, I got an agent and
I went on 2 auditions and said absolutely not.
I can't. There's absolutely no way I can
do this, but I was fascinated with the business and every time
I would go into the agency, I was always cleaning up the
(01:57):
office and these agents who werea mess their desks.
And back then we had physical head shots.
I mean, I'm showing my age, but so I was organizing head shots
and I was just doing this just because I couldn't stand to see.
I'm kind of a type A personality.
I couldn't stand to see what a mess these these offices were.
And finally the owner of the agency came up to me and said,
(02:19):
hey, Jen, do you want to work here?
I was like, yeah, yeah. So I just started working at the
talent agency and I, I knew I had found my place behind the
scenes for sure. And, and then after that, I
transitioned the casting. This was in the 90s.
I worked for a really well knowncommercial casting director
(02:40):
named Beth Holmes, and I worked there for five years.
We did a lot of national commercials, a ton of Super Bowl
campaigns. We had some directors that liked
real people. So I was sent to cat shows in
Pasadena and truck stops in, youknow, Palmdale and, you know,
(03:04):
just to do some real people casting.
And so biker bars and so I got a, a great lesson in that.
And then, you know, I was in LA for 10 years and honestly, I
just, I got sick of LA, the traffic, the people, the noise,
the, it was too much, too much of everything.
And I'd always heard about SantaFe, NM.
(03:26):
And finally, you know, I loved my job, but I just couldn't take
LA anymore. So I just one day quit my job,
moved to Santa Fe, not knowing the soul, rode horses for a
living, and and then I randomly sent my resume to the state film
office. And oddly, at that time they
were looking to hire someone with casting experience because
(03:50):
the missing had been shot in NewMexico, Ron Howard.
And when Ron Howard was leaving the governor at the time, God
rest his soul, Governor Bill Richardson had a meeting with
Ron Howard and said, hey, how was your experience in New
Mexico? And Ron said, you know,
everything was fantastic, but you guys don't have any Native
American actors. We had to bring it, bring in
everybody from Canada. And the governor said, that's
(04:13):
absolutely ridiculous. We have 22 tribes and pueblos
here. So he said to the state film
office, I want you to create a Native American casting
database. So I was hired on just a three
month contract to go through to all the pueblos and tribes
throughout the state and create a Native American database.
And then they just kept me on, kept me on, kept me on.
(04:35):
And then suddenly I became deputy director of the state
film office to help market the state, bring in productions, and
then assist all the producers throughout the production
through the production and the incentive process.
And then we got a Republican governor in in 2011, completely
killed the the tax incentives. And so I quit and I was talking
(04:59):
to a friend of mine, it's producer Tony Mark who did The
Hurt Locker, who lives in New Mexico.
And I said, you know, I think I want to get back into casting.
And he said, you know what, you should meet with Angelique Mid
Thunder. And so she and I met, completely
hit it off. So we became casting partners
for six years. And then after that, I just
(05:20):
decided to go out on my own. And, and Angelique and I are
still great friends. We still work on projects
together, but yeah, so that's mystory.
What is your creative process like for coming onto a project
and what do you look for in collaborators because you're
going to be spending a lot of time with these film makers.
You know, yeah, it, you know, itjust depends on the projects
(05:43):
because I do everything New Mexico.
You know, we're not LA, we're not New York, although we do get
a, a, a good, a good chunk of production.
But I'll do everything from television series to films to
very small independence to commercials to whatever.
And you know, the, the, my favorite thing in the world is
(06:03):
to get the script that I get so excited when I get the script
because I just hunker down. And I, I, I create the character
breakdown on my own, whether they have one or not, but they
usually don't. And some, because I know the
acting pool in New Mexico. And keep in mind, I'm a New
Mexico casting director. It's very rare that I'm casting
(06:28):
outside of New Mexico unless it's a Native American project
or, you know, something random. I'm a local casting director,
and so I know the pool of actorsbecause I've been in Santa Fe
for 25 years now. I know them so well.
And so even when I'm reading a script, I'll already have the
(06:50):
person in my head, oh, this, this is him.
This is her. Oh, she's going to nail this.
Yep, Yep, Yep. So yeah.
But I also love fresh faces, too.
I love, love, love fresh faces. When I put the breakdown out and
I'm going through the submissions, I'm like, oh, who's
this person? Having been in those major rooms
where you were casting and working on, you know, Super Bowl
(07:11):
spots and these huge national campaigns, the commercial
audition specifically, is there anything that you learn from
your time in the room that wouldempower or help actors to
present and put their best foot forward in a commercial self
tape? Commercials are such a it's such
a different animal than films. And because it depends on the
(07:32):
commercial, whether it's comedicor or whatnot, you know, I, what
I found in the rooms that's thatthat actors need to know.
It's so important for actors to show the range, even if it's
just the director says, hey, let's do it again, just maybe
say the line more authoritarian or blah, blah, blah.
OK, great. So when you do that second take,
(07:53):
don't just change the line to bemore authoritarian, but change
other stuff too. No, Does that make?
Because then they're like, oh, that was different.
Oh yeah, they had definitely arranged.
You touched a little bit on yourmove from LA to New Mexico.
What was that like personally and professionally as she found
her footing and found your creative home there?
(08:14):
Yeah, it was a, you know, I, it was very sad for me to leave LA
because all my friends were there and I loved, loved my job.
But personally, I needed, I needed peace in my life.
And I found that in Santa Fe. And I never thought I would
(08:34):
leave the film industry, but, you know, hey, I did.
I needed to do what was best forme.
And, you know, oddly, you know, after three years of being here,
like I said, I rode horses for aliving, the film industry found
me. I never, ever thought that would
happen. And because in 2003 when they
hired me to create the Native American Casting database,
(08:56):
that's when our tax incentives started to really get off the
ground. And that's when we saw the
influx of production. So I was there for eight years
and see the growth and the explosion of not only our talent
base, but our crew base and vendors and infrastructure and
all of that. Because we were, we were the the
(09:18):
main filming location outside ofLA and New York until other
states started copying our incentives.
And then, and then Atlanta when they passed through 30%, you
know, we were, we started to lose a bunch.
But because I was, I've been here for so long and on, you
(09:42):
know, the beginning of the, the film industry really taking off
here. Like I, I watched the growth of
the actors and, and it helped because I knew the small talent
pool way back when. And so I was, you know, I was
growing as, as the talent pool was growing.
(10:02):
So I've known some of these actors for over 20 years here.
I mean, and it's, it's, I love about the, the industry here is
that we're all friends. I mean, even the casting
directors here, we're all friends.
We're all buddies. We refer jobs to each other all
the time. It's not this competitive thing
going on. Even the actors too and the
crew, like we're all supportive of each other and that's what I
(10:25):
love about the business in such a small market.
So I consider myself a local casting director and productions
hire me because they're filming in New Mexico and they want to
find local New Mexico talent. Of course, budget wise and
sometimes creative wise, if it'sNew Mexico playing New Mexico or
whatever, we won't be able to authenticity here.
(10:47):
So 9095% of the time I am hired to cast local.
True local New Mexico actors, that's my job and that's what my
priority is. Could you take us inside of the
process of building the Native American Casting database?
That was a very long time ago. That was 2003.
(11:09):
And, you know, we didn't even have like, what is your e-mail
address on the form? So we have great, we had great
tribal liaisons throughout the state and we coordinated with
them and they would rent or theynot rent, they would give us a
free facility to use. And we had this kind of all
lined up over the course. I don't know how many weeks or
months. And we would travel, let's say
(11:33):
to, you know, Mescalaria, Mescalaria Apache Reservation
and, you know, meet with the tribal authorities and governor
and, and they would help promotethe casting call.
And, you know, some, we went to some pow wows in Gallup and we
went to the Four Corners area, Farmington, Navajo Nation and
(11:54):
locally in the Santa Fe area, they northern pueblos.
And sometimes we'd have a reallygreat showing and sometimes we
wouldn't because they didn't really understand the film
industry and what it meant. But at the end of the day, we
ended up with 1200 people in ourdatabase, which was fantastic,
but eventually it just became outdated.
(12:16):
And so now because I was doing and have been doing Native
American casting, especially on Dark Winds, I have my own
internal casting database. And now it's more an online open
call where they just submit through an e-mail.
(12:36):
And occasionally, though, LA casting director Renee Haynes
and I will do an in person casting call.
The last one we did, gosh, at IIA in Santa Fe, Oh my gosh,
hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people showed up.
So, yeah, so in a lot of these, these Native American actors who
(12:57):
really got serious, you know, I helped get agents.
So now they have agents and they're, you know, they're SAG
and they're working and it's fantastic.
So it's a matter of going between our talent agents that
Rep the actors and my internal what I call because that's what
we called back in the day. And I still use the term real
people my real people database. That's amazing that they were
(13:22):
able to go on to start building foundations of careers and
building a team and things like that.
Do you have any favorite memories of, you know,
conversations with actors that you found through the database?
On the first season of Dark Winds, I was hired to find a
Native American elder who spoke fluent Navajo.
(13:45):
And so I actually put out an online call and, you know, I do
a lot of time Googling, you know, not just Native American
projects, but other projects. If it's some specific, you know,
ethnicity or whatnot. And I know it's not in our local
actor pool. I I just create these internal
(14:07):
e-mail lists on organizations and spend hours just doing that
and making phone calls and sending that out.
And that's how I found really amazing authentic people.
But back to the case of the Navajo elder.
And I got a submission and it was from this woman's daughter.
(14:29):
And she sent me this woman. And I literally, my jaw dropped.
And this is the kind of woman that casting directors dream of
finding like a face straight outof National Geographic.
I worked with this woman who lives in the middle of the
Navajo Nation, and she got this amazing guest star role on Dark
(14:55):
Winds. She's been in Four Seasons now.
And she, the authenticity that she brings to the production is
stunning. And she called me after season 2
and said I was able to pay off my house and my car because of
this industry. And so that was just the the
(15:21):
biggest, what's the word I couldhave asked for these roles, even
a one day role that pays these $1200, it can make a huge
difference in their lives. And that's so rewarding.
I guess that's the word I was looking for.
It's so rewarding to me to be able to help, to help, to be a
(15:45):
part of that. Now, during your time as deputy
director of the New Mexico Film Office, what was under your
rules and responsibilities? Because I I think sometimes
actors that are not in a regional market don't have a
full comprehension of the importance of the film office
and what all it is doing to bring and keep productions in
(16:08):
that area. Yeah, I I definitely learned
that a film office is crucial. A good film office is crucial to
to bring in productions and keepthem coming back.
My role was marking the state I was in before even social media
(16:28):
was a thing. So thank God I didn't have to do
any of that. But it was really, and it was
like taking the first phone callexplaining all the tax
incentives. We had a film loan program at
the time, and so it was literally coordinating the
scouts. We had a great program where
it's like, you know, are we at hotel partners and whatnot?
That would put them up for free,The directors, the producers,
(16:49):
and we had a great location guy in our office that would take
them out. This was all free to
productions. So basically I'd explain the
incentives. We'd send them a location
package based on their script. They'd come out and scout.
I'd arrange all the scouts, all the hotels, and then when they
came to New Mexico to film, I was just there to help
throughout the entire production, whatever they
needed, Working sometimes with other state agencies, the
(17:12):
governor's office to, you know, go through hoops to get them
whatever they needed and shepherd them throughout the
incentive process, the tax incentives and the loan program,
and then keep track of all the statistics that they brought
into the state. So it was a lot, but it was a,
it was a fantastic job because I, I am in love with New Mexico.
(17:35):
I'm, and I was very, very proud.It was an easy job for me to
promote New Mexico. It I, I can do it in my sleep
because I'm so passionate about the state so.
Is there any advice or opportunities for actors in the
New Mexico market that want to know or understand or find
(17:56):
community there that you would encourage them to search out,
find, take advantage of and willof course link anything that we
can in the show note? You know, we have a great
nonprofit called Stagecoach Foundation that it's George RR
Martin's nonprofit and they do amazing free workshops and
(18:19):
trainings for New Mexico actors and crew.
Yeah, we, we've filmed crew programs all over the state,
partnering with community colleges.
I'm not sure if the awareness isjust not there.
I mean, we've, we've been a major market for over 20 years
(18:42):
and I'm not sure why the awareness isn't there.
We have over, I think well over 2000 SAG members in New Mexico.
Going back to that elder role that you you brought up and her
beautiful story, US casting knowing actors work with the
film makers to reassure them andin spotlight the importance of
(19:06):
authentically casting these roles, even if the resume and
background is perhaps not there yet.
For smaller roles, they're not that concerned.
I don't even think they look at the resume or or demo sometimes.
Like what was their audition? That's what we're looking for.
That's what we want. They're perfect for this scene.
We're going to hire them and they don't take all that other
(19:27):
stuff into consideration. So there's been a couple times
where I fought hard for someone and and I got that after the
role because I fought hard for them.
But honestly, most of the time Ihave no ego about this.
I just don't have that power. As we rang down, do you have a
(19:48):
project or role you're especially proud of helping
bring to life, or that you thinkreally showcases the beauty of
New Mexico? Dark Winds, I mean, I, they're,
they're like a family to me. They're so fantastic.
Everybody in production is fantastic.
(20:08):
They film it in and around SantaFe, even though it's, you know,
set in Arizona mostly, but you can just see the beauty of New
Mexico, not only with the locations, but most of the
talent are true locals. And that's the most, I think
the, the, the the proudest work for me is absolutely dark winds.
(20:32):
It's it's, it's just an honor towork without sounding really
cheesy and typical, but it really is an honor to work on
that production. Like I said, it's like a big
family. And that's what's so great about
regional casting. Is there anything advice or
encouragement that you would share from inside the casting
(20:53):
office for actors? As cheesy again as it sounds, I
mean authenticity, it's like I always say, like just what's the
big funny saying, you know, about acting?
The big secret to acting is don't act.
And the Coen brothers said something about do nothing and
now do less. And so because we can always
(21:17):
bring you up. So it's just like, like I always
say to people, especially new people and real people who don't
have any experience, I say don'tbecome the character, you know,
don't, don't try to act or be someone you're not.
And when they finally get that, you know, and and we can spot
that a mile away, you know, as casting directors, we can smile
(21:41):
and modded away that when you'reacting.
And so my advice is always, you know, just do less, always do
less and make the character you so it's authentic.
And we see that also. I'm a big proponent of do
something in those last three seconds, like after your last
(22:03):
line or the other person is lying.
Don't just cut like keep the camera rolling for 3-4 or five
seconds and do something, whatever that is.
It could be something very subtle or walking off or an
expression or something you wantto add, but just do something.
And it makes it more interestingwhen I'm watching tapes and you
(22:27):
get to the end and oh, it just makes it more memorable.
I also like when a lot of casting directors do not like
props. They do not like actors dressing
up. I am different.
I actually, if it's going to enhance the performance and
you're sweeping the store and that's part of the scene, like
(22:50):
grab a broom and sweep, you know, and I like that, you know,
those little things really do help, especially on productions
that are going moving so quicklyand they and they see the
person. So if you're a lawyer in a
courtroom, like wear a suit, like those little things really
do help. If you happen to have a, you
(23:12):
know, some scrubs and you're a nurse or doctor, wear it like
just, you know, throw a Seth scrub on if you have one.
I mean, for me personally, like I said, a lot of other
passengers say, Oh, Jen is so wrong about this, but I've seen
it and I've seen it. Those little things.
I mean, we don't want it to be distracting though, of course,
and we don't want it to impede your performance.
(23:34):
But when it's done right and suddenly I like to see that.
Jennifer, last question we ask everyone, what is one thing you
wish you could go back until your younger self?
Don't stress about the things you cannot change.
Something to that effect of having less stress in your life
(23:59):
and making choices to have more peace.
Jennifer, thank you so much for making the time to join us here
on the podcast today. Welcome you're what can I add
one quickly other. Yeah, of course.
The other big thing that I always tell actors, and I know
you guys are aware of this, but when you send in your tape, let
(24:20):
it go. Let it go and don't obsess.
I ran into an actress in Santa Fe one time in a grocery store
and she had sent in a tape probably 3 months earlier for
something I was working on. You said, Oh my gosh, can you
know, can I just ask you like, what did I do wrong?
I thought I nailed that auditionand I've been for three months
(24:42):
about like what I could have done better and I didn't want to
reach out to you because I know that's not professional blah
blah. I'm like, oh honey, that role
was cut 2 days after you sent inyour tape.
So it's just a lesson of, and I know you guys already know this,
just let it go when you send in your tape and you send in your
best thing because so many factors go on behind the scenes.
(25:04):
They could have changed it to a male, they could have changed
the the age, they could have changed the ethnicity.
They you never know. So just you do your best work,
you send in your tape and you let it go.
Hi everyone, thanks for listening and being the absolute
best part of our creative community here at What's My
Frame? If you'd like to learn more
(25:25):
about our guests, please check out the show notes and please
join us on socials at What's My Frame?
To stay in the know for upcomingevents, I'm your host, Laurie
Linda Bradley. We'll see you next Monday.
Hi everyone today and what's my frame?
I'm doing my casting director, Jennifer Schwalenberg.
Today Jennifer takes us behind the scenes of her early days
casting and commercials in Los Angeles before she eventually
found her way to Santa Fe, her geographic dream.
She was hired by the New Mexico Film Office to create the Native
American Casting database. She also served as deputy
director of the New Mexico Film Office for many years before
(00:27):
returning to her roots of casting.
Now let's get to the conversation.
Hey, Jennifer, welcome to What'sMy Frame?
How you doing? I'm doing so well, thanks for
having me. For anyone who isn't familiar,
would you mind just starting us off with your creative origin
story? What drew you to a career in the
arts and casting? You have such a strong voice for
(00:49):
empowering others and I'm just curious what was the the
foundation of that and how did that grow and evolve?
OK, great. I'll try to keep it very short.
Well, I grew up in a very small town in Wisconsin and I just
always knew as a teenager I wanted to be where the action
was. And that was Los Angeles.
Not so much the film industry, the music industry.
(01:11):
Sunset Blvd. I grew up in the 80s, so that
was the place to be. So I just beelined.
I worked three jobs after high school and just beelined to LA.
I wanted to just kind of take the edgier route in life and
just be immersed in it. And, and I I did some background
work just to make money. I never ever, ever wanted to
(01:34):
act. I knew I could never.
But someone convinced me to justjust get an agent and just, you
know, just see. And so I got, I got an agent and
I went on 2 auditions and said absolutely not.
I can't. There's absolutely no way I can
do this, but I was fascinated with the business and every time
I would go into the agency, I was always cleaning up the
(01:57):
office and these agents who werea mess their desks.
And back then we had physical head shots.
I mean, I'm showing my age, but so I was organizing head shots
and I was just doing this just because I couldn't stand to see.
I'm kind of a type A personality.
I couldn't stand to see what a mess these these offices were.
And finally the owner of the agency came up to me and said,
(02:19):
hey, Jen, do you want to work here?
I was like, yeah, yeah. So I just started working at the
talent agency and I, I knew I had found my place behind the
scenes for sure. And, and then after that, I
transitioned the casting. This was in the 90s.
I worked for a really well knowncommercial casting director
(02:40):
named Beth Holmes, and I worked there for five years.
We did a lot of national commercials, a ton of Super Bowl
campaigns. We had some directors that liked
real people. So I was sent to cat shows in
Pasadena and truck stops in, youknow, Palmdale and, you know,
(03:04):
just to do some real people casting.
And so biker bars and so I got a, a great lesson in that.
And then, you know, I was in LA for 10 years and honestly, I
just, I got sick of LA, the traffic, the people, the noise,
the, it was too much, too much of everything.
And I'd always heard about SantaFe, NM.
(03:26):
And finally, you know, I loved my job, but I just couldn't take
LA anymore. So I just one day quit my job,
moved to Santa Fe, not knowing the soul, rode horses for a
living, and and then I randomly sent my resume to the state film
office. And oddly, at that time they
were looking to hire someone with casting experience because
(03:50):
the missing had been shot in NewMexico, Ron Howard.
And when Ron Howard was leaving the governor at the time, God
rest his soul, Governor Bill Richardson had a meeting with
Ron Howard and said, hey, how was your experience in New
Mexico? And Ron said, you know,
everything was fantastic, but you guys don't have any Native
American actors. We had to bring it, bring in
everybody from Canada. And the governor said, that's
(04:13):
absolutely ridiculous. We have 22 tribes and pueblos
here. So he said to the state film
office, I want you to create a Native American casting
database. So I was hired on just a three
month contract to go through to all the pueblos and tribes
throughout the state and create a Native American database.
And then they just kept me on, kept me on, kept me on.
(04:35):
And then suddenly I became deputy director of the state
film office to help market the state, bring in productions, and
then assist all the producers throughout the production
through the production and the incentive process.
And then we got a Republican governor in in 2011, completely
killed the the tax incentives. And so I quit and I was talking
(04:59):
to a friend of mine, it's producer Tony Mark who did The
Hurt Locker, who lives in New Mexico.
And I said, you know, I think I want to get back into casting.
And he said, you know what, you should meet with Angelique Mid
Thunder. And so she and I met, completely
hit it off. So we became casting partners
for six years. And then after that, I just
(05:20):
decided to go out on my own. And, and Angelique and I are
still great friends. We still work on projects
together, but yeah, so that's mystory.
What is your creative process like for coming onto a project
and what do you look for in collaborators because you're
going to be spending a lot of time with these film makers.
You know, yeah, it, you know, itjust depends on the projects
(05:43):
because I do everything New Mexico.
You know, we're not LA, we're not New York, although we do get
a, a, a good, a good chunk of production.
But I'll do everything from television series to films to
very small independence to commercials to whatever.
And you know, the, the, my favorite thing in the world is
(06:03):
to get the script that I get so excited when I get the script
because I just hunker down. And I, I, I create the character
breakdown on my own, whether they have one or not, but they
usually don't. And some, because I know the
acting pool in New Mexico. And keep in mind, I'm a New
Mexico casting director. It's very rare that I'm casting
(06:28):
outside of New Mexico unless it's a Native American project
or, you know, something random. I'm a local casting director,
and so I know the pool of actorsbecause I've been in Santa Fe
for 25 years now. I know them so well.
And so even when I'm reading a script, I'll already have the
(06:50):
person in my head, oh, this, this is him.
This is her. Oh, she's going to nail this.
Yep, Yep, Yep. So yeah.
But I also love fresh faces, too.
I love, love, love fresh faces. When I put the breakdown out and
I'm going through the submissions, I'm like, oh, who's
this person? Having been in those major rooms
where you were casting and working on, you know, Super Bowl
(07:11):
spots and these huge national campaigns, the commercial
audition specifically, is there anything that you learn from
your time in the room that wouldempower or help actors to
present and put their best foot forward in a commercial self
tape? Commercials are such a it's such
a different animal than films. And because it depends on the
(07:32):
commercial, whether it's comedicor or whatnot, you know, I, what
I found in the rooms that's thatthat actors need to know.
It's so important for actors to show the range, even if it's
just the director says, hey, let's do it again, just maybe
say the line more authoritarian or blah, blah, blah.
OK, great. So when you do that second take,
(07:53):
don't just change the line to bemore authoritarian, but change
other stuff too. No, Does that make?
Because then they're like, oh, that was different.
Oh yeah, they had definitely arranged.
You touched a little bit on yourmove from LA to New Mexico.
What was that like personally and professionally as she found
her footing and found your creative home there?
(08:14):
Yeah, it was a, you know, I, it was very sad for me to leave LA
because all my friends were there and I loved, loved my job.
But personally, I needed, I needed peace in my life.
And I found that in Santa Fe. And I never thought I would
(08:34):
leave the film industry, but, you know, hey, I did.
I needed to do what was best forme.
And, you know, oddly, you know, after three years of being here,
like I said, I rode horses for aliving, the film industry found
me. I never, ever thought that would
happen. And because in 2003 when they
hired me to create the Native American Casting database,
(08:56):
that's when our tax incentives started to really get off the
ground. And that's when we saw the
influx of production. So I was there for eight years
and see the growth and the explosion of not only our talent
base, but our crew base and vendors and infrastructure and
all of that. Because we were, we were the the
(09:18):
main filming location outside ofLA and New York until other
states started copying our incentives.
And then, and then Atlanta when they passed through 30%, you
know, we were, we started to lose a bunch.
But because I was, I've been here for so long and on, you
(09:42):
know, the beginning of the, the film industry really taking off
here. Like I, I watched the growth of
the actors and, and it helped because I knew the small talent
pool way back when. And so I was, you know, I was
growing as, as the talent pool was growing.
(10:02):
So I've known some of these actors for over 20 years here.
I mean, and it's, it's, I love about the, the industry here is
that we're all friends. I mean, even the casting
directors here, we're all friends.
We're all buddies. We refer jobs to each other all
the time. It's not this competitive thing
going on. Even the actors too and the
crew, like we're all supportive of each other and that's what I
(10:25):
love about the business in such a small market.
So I consider myself a local casting director and productions
hire me because they're filming in New Mexico and they want to
find local New Mexico talent. Of course, budget wise and
sometimes creative wise, if it'sNew Mexico playing New Mexico or
whatever, we won't be able to authenticity here.
(10:47):
So 9095% of the time I am hired to cast local.
True local New Mexico actors, that's my job and that's what my
priority is. Could you take us inside of the
process of building the Native American Casting database?
That was a very long time ago. That was 2003.
(11:09):
And, you know, we didn't even have like, what is your e-mail
address on the form? So we have great, we had great
tribal liaisons throughout the state and we coordinated with
them and they would rent or theynot rent, they would give us a
free facility to use. And we had this kind of all
lined up over the course. I don't know how many weeks or
months. And we would travel, let's say
(11:33):
to, you know, Mescalaria, Mescalaria Apache Reservation
and, you know, meet with the tribal authorities and governor
and, and they would help promotethe casting call.
And, you know, some, we went to some pow wows in Gallup and we
went to the Four Corners area, Farmington, Navajo Nation and
(11:54):
locally in the Santa Fe area, they northern pueblos.
And sometimes we'd have a reallygreat showing and sometimes we
wouldn't because they didn't really understand the film
industry and what it meant. But at the end of the day, we
ended up with 1200 people in ourdatabase, which was fantastic,
but eventually it just became outdated.
(12:16):
And so now because I was doing and have been doing Native
American casting, especially on Dark Winds, I have my own
internal casting database. And now it's more an online open
call where they just submit through an e-mail.
(12:36):
And occasionally, though, LA casting director Renee Haynes
and I will do an in person casting call.
The last one we did, gosh, at IIA in Santa Fe, Oh my gosh,
hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people showed up.
So, yeah, so in a lot of these, these Native American actors who
(12:57):
really got serious, you know, I helped get agents.
So now they have agents and they're, you know, they're SAG
and they're working and it's fantastic.
So it's a matter of going between our talent agents that
Rep the actors and my internal what I call because that's what
we called back in the day. And I still use the term real
people my real people database. That's amazing that they were
(13:22):
able to go on to start building foundations of careers and
building a team and things like that.
Do you have any favorite memories of, you know,
conversations with actors that you found through the database?
On the first season of Dark Winds, I was hired to find a
Native American elder who spoke fluent Navajo.
(13:45):
And so I actually put out an online call and, you know, I do
a lot of time Googling, you know, not just Native American
projects, but other projects. If it's some specific, you know,
ethnicity or whatnot. And I know it's not in our local
actor pool. I I just create these internal
(14:07):
e-mail lists on organizations and spend hours just doing that
and making phone calls and sending that out.
And that's how I found really amazing authentic people.
But back to the case of the Navajo elder.
And I got a submission and it was from this woman's daughter.
(14:29):
And she sent me this woman. And I literally, my jaw dropped.
And this is the kind of woman that casting directors dream of
finding like a face straight outof National Geographic.
I worked with this woman who lives in the middle of the
Navajo Nation, and she got this amazing guest star role on Dark
(14:55):
Winds. She's been in Four Seasons now.
And she, the authenticity that she brings to the production is
stunning. And she called me after season 2
and said I was able to pay off my house and my car because of
this industry. And so that was just the the
(15:21):
biggest, what's the word I couldhave asked for these roles, even
a one day role that pays these $1200, it can make a huge
difference in their lives. And that's so rewarding.
I guess that's the word I was looking for.
It's so rewarding to me to be able to help, to help, to be a
(15:45):
part of that. Now, during your time as deputy
director of the New Mexico Film Office, what was under your
rules and responsibilities? Because I I think sometimes
actors that are not in a regional market don't have a
full comprehension of the importance of the film office
and what all it is doing to bring and keep productions in
(16:08):
that area. Yeah, I I definitely learned
that a film office is crucial. A good film office is crucial to
to bring in productions and keepthem coming back.
My role was marking the state I was in before even social media
(16:28):
was a thing. So thank God I didn't have to do
any of that. But it was really, and it was
like taking the first phone callexplaining all the tax
incentives. We had a film loan program at
the time, and so it was literally coordinating the
scouts. We had a great program where
it's like, you know, are we at hotel partners and whatnot?
That would put them up for free,The directors, the producers,
(16:49):
and we had a great location guy in our office that would take
them out. This was all free to
productions. So basically I'd explain the
incentives. We'd send them a location
package based on their script. They'd come out and scout.
I'd arrange all the scouts, all the hotels, and then when they
came to New Mexico to film, I was just there to help
throughout the entire production, whatever they
needed, Working sometimes with other state agencies, the
(17:12):
governor's office to, you know, go through hoops to get them
whatever they needed and shepherd them throughout the
incentive process, the tax incentives and the loan program,
and then keep track of all the statistics that they brought
into the state. So it was a lot, but it was a,
it was a fantastic job because I, I am in love with New Mexico.
(17:35):
I'm, and I was very, very proud.It was an easy job for me to
promote New Mexico. It I, I can do it in my sleep
because I'm so passionate about the state so.
Is there any advice or opportunities for actors in the
New Mexico market that want to know or understand or find
(17:56):
community there that you would encourage them to search out,
find, take advantage of and willof course link anything that we
can in the show note? You know, we have a great
nonprofit called Stagecoach Foundation that it's George RR
Martin's nonprofit and they do amazing free workshops and
(18:19):
trainings for New Mexico actors and crew.
Yeah, we, we've filmed crew programs all over the state,
partnering with community colleges.
I'm not sure if the awareness isjust not there.
I mean, we've, we've been a major market for over 20 years
(18:42):
and I'm not sure why the awareness isn't there.
We have over, I think well over 2000 SAG members in New Mexico.
Going back to that elder role that you you brought up and her
beautiful story, US casting knowing actors work with the
film makers to reassure them andin spotlight the importance of
(19:06):
authentically casting these roles, even if the resume and
background is perhaps not there yet.
For smaller roles, they're not that concerned.
I don't even think they look at the resume or or demo sometimes.
Like what was their audition? That's what we're looking for.
That's what we want. They're perfect for this scene.
We're going to hire them and they don't take all that other
(19:27):
stuff into consideration. So there's been a couple times
where I fought hard for someone and and I got that after the
role because I fought hard for them.
But honestly, most of the time Ihave no ego about this.
I just don't have that power. As we rang down, do you have a
(19:48):
project or role you're especially proud of helping
bring to life, or that you thinkreally showcases the beauty of
New Mexico? Dark Winds, I mean, I, they're,
they're like a family to me. They're so fantastic.
Everybody in production is fantastic.
(20:08):
They film it in and around SantaFe, even though it's, you know,
set in Arizona mostly, but you can just see the beauty of New
Mexico, not only with the locations, but most of the
talent are true locals. And that's the most, I think
the, the, the the proudest work for me is absolutely dark winds.
(20:32):
It's it's, it's just an honor towork without sounding really
cheesy and typical, but it really is an honor to work on
that production. Like I said, it's like a big
family. And that's what's so great about
regional casting. Is there anything advice or
encouragement that you would share from inside the casting
(20:53):
office for actors? As cheesy again as it sounds, I
mean authenticity, it's like I always say, like just what's the
big funny saying, you know, about acting?
The big secret to acting is don't act.
And the Coen brothers said something about do nothing and
now do less. And so because we can always
(21:17):
bring you up. So it's just like, like I always
say to people, especially new people and real people who don't
have any experience, I say don'tbecome the character, you know,
don't, don't try to act or be someone you're not.
And when they finally get that, you know, and and we can spot
that a mile away, you know, as casting directors, we can smile
(21:41):
and modded away that when you'reacting.
And so my advice is always, you know, just do less, always do
less and make the character you so it's authentic.
And we see that also. I'm a big proponent of do
something in those last three seconds, like after your last
(22:03):
line or the other person is lying.
Don't just cut like keep the camera rolling for 3-4 or five
seconds and do something, whatever that is.
It could be something very subtle or walking off or an
expression or something you wantto add, but just do something.
And it makes it more interestingwhen I'm watching tapes and you
(22:27):
get to the end and oh, it just makes it more memorable.
I also like when a lot of casting directors do not like
props. They do not like actors dressing
up. I am different.
I actually, if it's going to enhance the performance and
you're sweeping the store and that's part of the scene, like
(22:50):
grab a broom and sweep, you know, and I like that, you know,
those little things really do help, especially on productions
that are going moving so quicklyand they and they see the
person. So if you're a lawyer in a
courtroom, like wear a suit, like those little things really
do help. If you happen to have a, you
(23:12):
know, some scrubs and you're a nurse or doctor, wear it like
just, you know, throw a Seth scrub on if you have one.
I mean, for me personally, like I said, a lot of other
passengers say, Oh, Jen is so wrong about this, but I've seen
it and I've seen it. Those little things.
I mean, we don't want it to be distracting though, of course,
and we don't want it to impede your performance.
(23:34):
But when it's done right and suddenly I like to see that.
Jennifer, last question we ask everyone, what is one thing you
wish you could go back until your younger self?
Don't stress about the things you cannot change.
Something to that effect of having less stress in your life
(23:59):
and making choices to have more peace.
Jennifer, thank you so much for making the time to join us here
on the podcast today. Welcome you're what can I add
one quickly other. Yeah, of course.
The other big thing that I always tell actors, and I know
you guys are aware of this, but when you send in your tape, let
(24:20):
it go. Let it go and don't obsess.
I ran into an actress in Santa Fe one time in a grocery store
and she had sent in a tape probably 3 months earlier for
something I was working on. You said, Oh my gosh, can you
know, can I just ask you like, what did I do wrong?
I thought I nailed that auditionand I've been for three months
(24:42):
about like what I could have done better and I didn't want to
reach out to you because I know that's not professional blah
blah. I'm like, oh honey, that role
was cut 2 days after you sent inyour tape.
So it's just a lesson of, and I know you guys already know this,
just let it go when you send in your tape and you send in your
best thing because so many factors go on behind the scenes.
(25:04):
They could have changed it to a male, they could have changed
the the age, they could have changed the ethnicity.
They you never know. So just you do your best work,
you send in your tape and you let it go.
Hi everyone, thanks for listening and being the absolute
best part of our creative community here at What's My
Frame? If you'd like to learn more
(25:25):
about our guests, please check out the show notes and please
join us on socials at What's My Frame?
To stay in the know for upcomingevents, I'm your host, Laurie
Linda Bradley. We'll see you next Monday.
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