Considering the high-profile competition among the more than 350 members of the L.A.-based Casting Society of America, it was a real honor for Chicago ‘s Claire Simon Casting to win a C.S.A. 2006 Artios Award.
Simon’s won for casting the “Prison Break” pilot. It is only the second Chicago company to take home an Artios prize.
Simon attended the gala awards dinner Nov. 1 at the Beverly Hilton hotel where 800 guests applauded the presentation of winners in 20 film, television and theatre categories.
The criteria for a C.S.A. award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting are originality, creativity and the contribution of casting to the overall quality of a project.
L. A. casting directors John Papsidera and Wendy O’Brien shared the award.
Calling it “a team effort,” Simon and her staff of casting associates Teresa Thoma and Shelby Cherniet, and casting assistant Becca Knights began pulling in actors for the Fox Television pilot in early 2005.
Actors cast locally for the pilot were Alan Wilder, Anthony Starke, Cheryl Lynn Bruce, Chris Stolte, Jay Whitaker, Laura Scott Wade, Ora Jones, Phil Smith, Rich Komenich, Chelcie Ross, Jeff Parker, Nicholas Iovino, Peggy Roeder, Phil Van Lear, Rolando Boyce, and Danny McCarthy.
“I also cast the series and we cast over 150 actors,” said Simon, who joined C.S.A. in 1999. Prior to forming her own company in 1996, she had been an Aria Talent agent for five years.
“We mostly cast film and TV and a great deal of commercials, and we do a lot of searches. We provided a tremendous amount of talent for ?Death of a President,’ that was shot in Chicago, ?The Lake House,’ and earlier we cast the ABC pilot ?Enemies’ that wasn’t picked up,” she said.
Simon had been nominated for an Artios Award for Joan Cusack’s ABC series, “What About Joan,” filmed here in 2000-2001.
Casting director Jane Alderman has won the Artios Award twice, for “Normal,” a 2003 movie of the week, and “EZ Streets,” the 1996-97 TV series.
Mickie Paskal of Tenner, Paskal & Rudnicke was nominated for “Road to Perdition” in 2005.
Claire Simon Casting is located at 1512 N. Fremont, phone 312/202-0124. See www.simoncasting.com.
