We had a great time at the 33rd Annual Artios Awards hosted by the Casting Society of America and held at the iconic Beverly Hilton Hotel last night. We want to extend a huge thank you to CSA for coordinating such a lovely event to celebrate Casting Directors and Associates both here in Los Angeles and our Sisters & Brothers in New York part of Teamsters Local 817. 

This star studded event was hosted by the hilarious Tig Notaro and many of the award presenters were the very stars that were cast Members from some of the nominated productions. 

The tone of the night was set by CSA President Matthew Lesser as he began the evening highlighting the important role Casting Directors and Associates play. Casting Directors have the ability to portray the world around us and many times elevate the voices of those that aren’t always given one. Actress / Writer / and Producer Geena Davis was the next to address the attendees and brought to light the due diligence of the Casting Community to continue to change the perception of how we view the world in terms of gender equality, by committing to casting gender balanced Movies and Television shows. Many acceptance speeches throughout the night mirrored this theme, calling their colleagues to action to use Casting in films as a means to give visibility to those that are often times left unseen.

We are extremely proud of Local 399 Casting Director Victoria Thomas for being honored with the Hoyt Bowers Award for her outstanding achievements in her career thus far. Victoria has Casted countless films, Django Unchained, Hidden Figures, Edward Scissorhands, Sid and Nancy, Straight Outta Compton and Detroit — just to name a few. Upon official presentation of the award she was met with a standing ovation signifying the deep admiration and respect her colleagues hold for her passion and dedication to her work. 

Another honored guest was CAA Partner Kevin Huvane who was the recipient of the CSA Lynn Stalmaster Award for Career Achievement. This highly regarded award was presented by Actress Nicole Kidman who added that Kevin has played an integral part in helping to reshape the industry specifically for women. 

We are so proud of each and everyone of our Members that were honored with an award last night as well as those that were nominated. As Kevin Huvane mentioned in his Acceptance Speech, “Casting Directors are true artists.” Often unseen is the creativity that they pour into their work to cast a film or television show to truly bring a story to life. Casting Directors truly have the ability to reshape society by not shying away from giving bold, courageous and powerful roles to those that are truly representative of our diverse and unique communities. 

Thank you to the Casting Society of America for a wonderful evening. We would also like to thank all of the sponsors of the night and Backstage for giving the Teamsters a shout-out in their fantastic magazine. 

See a full list of winner from the night below: 

FEATURE FILM BIG BUDGET – COMEDY

“The Greatest Showman”  Bernard Telsey, Tiffany Little Canfield, Rori Bergman (Additional Casting), Patrick Goodwin (Associate)

FEATURE FILM BIG BUDGET – DRAMA

“Dunkirk”  John Papsidera

FEATURE FILM – STUDIO OR INDEPENDENT – COMEDY

“Lady Bird”  Jordan Thaler, Heidi Griffiths

FEATURE FILM – STUDIO OR INDEPENDENT – DRAMA

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”  Sarah Halley Finn, Meagan Lewis (Location Casting), Hannah Cooper (Associate)

FEATURE FILM LOW BUDGET – COMEDY or DRAMA

“Beach Rats”  Susan Shopmaker

 FEATURE FILM ANIMATION

“Coco”  Kevin Reher, Natalie Lyon, Carla Hool

TELEVISION PILOT AND FIRST SEASON – COMEDY

”Atlanta” – Alexa L. Fogel, Tara Feldstein Bennett (Location Casting), Chase Paris (Location Casting), Kathryn Zamora-Benson (Associate)

TELEVISION PILOT AND FIRST SEASON – DRAMA

“The Handmaid’s Tale” – Sharon Bialy, Sherry Thomas, Russell Scott, Robin D. Cook (Location Casting), Jonathan Oliveira (Associate)

TELEVISION SERIES COMEDY

“Veep” – Dorian Frankel, Sibby Kirchgessner, Marlise Gunzenhauser (Associate)

TELEVISION SERIES DRAMA

“Black Mirror” – Jina Jay, Henry Russell Bergstein (Location Casting)

LIMITED SERIES

“”Big Little Lies” – David Rubin, Melissa Pryor (Associate)

FEATURE FILM – NON THEATRICAL RELEASE

“The Wizard of Lies” – Ellen Chenoweth, Susanne Scheel (Associate)

CHILDREN’S PILOT AND SERIES (LIVE ACTION)

“School of Rock” – Suzanne Goddard-Smythe, Ty Harman (Associate)

TELEVISION ANIMATION

“Bojack Horseman” – Linda Lamontagne

REALITY SERIES

“Born This Way” – Sasha Alpert

SHORT FILM

“Perfect Roast Potatoes” – Rich Mento

SHORT FORM SERIES

“Confess” – Fern Champion , Sharon Lieblein, Troy Daniel Smith (Associate)

NEW YORK BROADWAY THEATRE – COMEDY OR DRAMA

“A Doll’s House Part 2”  -David Caparelliotis, Lauren Port

NEW YORK BROADWAY THEATRE – MUSICAL

“Come From Away” – Rachel Hoffman

NEW YORK BROADWAY THEATRE – REVIVAL, COMEDY OR DRAMA

“Jitney” – David Caparelliotis, Nancy Piccione

NEW YORK BROADWAY THEATRE – REVIVAL, MUSICAL

“Hello, Dolly!” – Craig Burns, Bernard Telsey

NEW YORK THEATRE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

“The Band’s Visit” – Tara Rubin

NEW YORK THEATRE – DRAMA

“Dead Poet’s Society” – William Cantler, Karyn Casl

REGIONAL THEATRE EAST

“The SpongeBob Musical” – Patrick Goodwin, James Calleri, Paul Davis

REGIONAL THEATRE WEST

“Zoot Suit” – Pauline O’con

LOS ANGELES THEATRE – TIE

“The 24th Annual Young Playwrights Festival” – Erica S. Bream, Cara Chute Rosenbaum

“Waiting for Godot” – Amanda Lenker Doyle, Chrissy Fiorilli-Ellington

SPECIAL THEATRICAL PERFORMANCE

“A Chorus Line” – Margery Simkin, Michael Donovan, Richie Ferris (Associate)

THEATRE TOURS

“Hamilton” – Chicago Company – Bethany Knox, Rebecca Scholl (Associate)