When Judy Taylor, Disney’s vice president of casting and talent relations, was recently asked where she finds talent for shows on Disney Channel and Disney XD, she said, “Here at Disney Channel, for many reasons, we try to look everywhere. parts and have open calls all over the world”. the place to reach kids who might not have the opportunity to audition if it were only held in Los Angeles or New York.” In recent years, Disney has held open casting calls in the cities of Richmond, Kansas City , Phoenix, Austin, San Antonio and Wilmington, thousands of hopefuls attended these calls with dreams of becoming the next Disney Channel star.
No matter what the expectations of a child, teen, or parent attending one of these open casting calls, the harsh reality is that the chances of being found out are extremely small. But when someone is discovered, it can be a life-changing event that catapults a young person to world fame. This is exactly what happened one year when the Disney Channel held open casting calls in Texas and Florida. An amazing 11-year-old girl showed up and made a big impression on Judy Taylor and other Disney casting directors. This kid ended up becoming the second most popular Disney Channel star in history, winning countless awards, including six Kids’ Choice Awards, fifteen Teen Choice Awards, two Young Artist Awards, one People’s Choice Award, and one ALMA Award. So talent is discovered a lot in these open calls, and they are not a publicity stunt or gimmick as many skeptics falsely claim.
It is a fact that the vast majority of Disney Channel and Disney XD acting roles are broadcast in Los Angeles. Judy Taylor hires independent casting directors to do daily casting for individual series and movies. These casting directors use talent agents to recruit actors and read for specific roles. Sometimes casting directors will call someone who hasn’t signed with a talent agent, however these are usually for smaller roles called under 5s, meaning they have less than 5 lines of dialogue. Extras in the United States are not represented by agents and are hired directly through extra casting companies.
Another exciting trend in the entertainment industry is online submissions for acting roles. With the advent of digital casting, talents can now submit photos and resumes via email or online talent databases. There are only a few legitimate online databases, so knowledge of these websites is crucial. During the summer of 2013, casting directors for a highly anticipated new Disney Channel show sent out a casting notice for series regulars. They specified that children and teens outside of Los Angeles from all areas could submit an audition video. So, it’s official that Disney is now on board the online digital open casting call bandwagon. So the opportunities are real and they are out there. Whether it’s an in-person open casting call or an online talent search, kids and teens now have more opportunities than ever to pursue their dreams of working as actors on Disney Channel and Disney XD.