On-Staff Casting Producer Jack Marash got his start in casting at
MysticArt Pictures and is a highly respected member of our team. He has worked
on six seasons of Wipeout and met thousands of enthusiastic candidates for one
of America’s most popular game shows. He has been a part of the team that has
successfully cast a wide variety of television series with the attitude that
“anything is possible.” Jack is currently working on a high-profile design
competition show and interviewing furniture designers all over the nation.
1. Where did you go to school, and what did you go to school for?
I graduated from Curry College in 2005 with a degree in communication
with a concentration in film.
2. Where
did you work before getting in to the casting world?
Before I entered the casting world, I worked in marketing and
promotions as the Events Manager for two radio stations in Washington DC. I ran
the stations’ street teams and produced all events for the stations, from small
client events to large-scale concerts.
3. Why
did you move to Los Angeles? What was the appeal of the entertainment industry?
I moved from the east coast to Los Angeles because although the east
coast has a large amount of jobs in the entertainment industry, Los Angeles had
so many more jobs. I was 25 and I guess it was part of my quarter-century life
crisis. It seemed like a good time to make a move. The entertainment industry
appeals to me because at the end of the day, I am a storyteller and love to
tell people’s stories. It is what I do every day as a casting producer.
4. Why
did you apply for the MysticArt Pictures Apprenticeship Program?
I was new to LA, and MysticArt had such a great reputation and had
done so many shows that I had seen. I liked that the company had a scripted and
unscripted television department and a film department and had a diverse array
of projects. It seemed like a great way to get my foot in the door.
5. You
cast Wipeout and over the seasons have met thousands of people. How would you
describe the perfect Wipeout audition? What are some things that make
contestants stand out in auditions where you meet hundreds of people a week?
In any audition, whether it is for a competition show or a
docu-series, the people who stand out are people who own who they are. An
interview is not a time to be modest. Be proud of who you are and own it. One
of the big aspects at our training program at MysticArt is learning how to help
people brand themselves so that each person can set themselves apart from
everyone else auditioning. In a Wipeout audition, I love people who come in
having thought out how they want to be remembered on the show and come in to
the room showing it off. People do this by wearing a certain outfit, singing a
certain song, bringing a prop. The bigger character you are, the funnier it is
for us to watch.
6. You
have worked on numerous docu-series. How is casting a docu-series different
from casting a game show?
At MysticArt, we are trained in many
different genres of television. Game shows and docu-series are very different.
They are both a lot of fun and keep you busy all day long. On game shows,
we see a lot more people. I work with my team to book large groups of people
from different backgrounds, and then I work with our editor to set a format for
each edit. I normally do very short interviews all day long. On a
docu-series, we see less people and it is much more about telling people’s
stories. I spend a lot more time prepping for interviews and working with an
editor because each edit is much more in-depth than a game show. An interview
for a game show is fun and often similar to pretending you’re on a game show. I
have often been told after I interview someone for a docu-series that it was like
a therapy session because whether they are telling a sad or happy story, they
usually are thinking and talking about things they don’t get to talk about
every day. I can’t emphasize enough that in docu-series we look for very
specific archetypes, and this all goes back to our training in the ability to
help people brand themselves.
7. What
is something you did not expect about being a casting producer? What aspects of
the job were you unaware of before filling the role?
I never thought that working as a casting producer, I would have the
ability to change people’s lives. However, we do. I have been told by many
people, even people who ultimately didn’t make it on a show, that going through
the process changed their lives for the better. We have done some huge shows
where the end goal of the show is to change something big about a person’s life.
We have people who come back after not making the show who say going through
the process caused them to change their goals or really start working harder
toward them. There really is a mission at MysticArt to change people’s lives,
and it is so rewarding to be able to work at a company that makes a difference
in people’s lives every week.
8. What
is the best advice you can give to someone aspiring to be a casting producer?
The most important thing I would say is to remember to connect with
people. A casting producer is not someone who sits behind the camera and
robotically asks prepared questions. In each interview, I do try to put myself
in the shoes of the person I am interviewing. Even if I have nothing in common
with them, if I am in their shoes I can better understand their point of view,
which in turn helps them tell their story and builds immediate rapport, which
is essential in a good interview. Also, find a company that can really support
your dreams. If you identify your true passion, you will find that special
place where you can launch and grow your career.
