Casting Directors Up-Close and Personal

These are the folks with the power to get you hired on TV, in films, in commercials: the casting directors. And short of getting an audition with them, this is the format in which you'd like to see them: up close, talking about what they look for and how you can get seen by them. These dynamic informational sessions are held in small conference rooms seating no more than 50, so all your questions can be answered. Don't just bring your headshot?bring a notebook and have your pens ready. This is information and advice you don't want to miss.

Akua Campanella
Campanella has cast more than a dozen feature films, including The Beginning of Wisdom, starring John Perry and Mathew Perry; Playing With Fire, starring Vanessa Williams, Tangi Miller, and Mel Jackson, and A Private Affair, starring Vanessa Bell Calloway, Clifton Powell, Kym Whitley, and Casey Lee. Campanella also cast the pilot for Dakota Dogs, starring Duane Martin and Burt Reynolds.

Campenella's "Up-Close-and-Personal Session" will be in the Clark Gable Room at 11 a.m.

Mara Casey
As a casting assistant, Casey worked on several network pilots and series, including Gilroys, Grapefruit Moon, and George and Leo, starring Bob Newhart, Judd Hirsch, and Jason Bateman. Casey continued to cast television series as a casting associate at Kanner and Johnson, with shows such as Dawson's Creek and Zoe Duncan Jack & Jane, Lifetime's Oh Baby, and the feature film Playing Mona Lisa. Casey is currently the casting director for the WB's one-hour series The Gilmore Girls.

Casey will give two "Up-Close-and-Personal Sessions" in the Clark Gable Room at 1 & 2 p.m.

Patrick Cunningham
Cunningham's casting credits include Boomerang, What's Love Got To Do With It, Blank Check, and Desperado. He has cast for Disney in the sitcom department, as well as for such independent films as The Woman in the Moon, Never Met Picasso, and the documentary Art City, which aired on PBS. Cunningham is an active member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Casting Society of America.

Cunningham's "Up-Close-and-Personal Session" will be in the Marilyn Monroe Room at 12 noon.

Pam Dixon
After graduating from the University of Southern California, Dixon was hired by CBS Television. After a few months, she became assistant to the Head of Casting. Six months later, she left CBS Television to become vice president of casting for ABC Television Network. She oversaw the casting for all series, miniseries, television movies, and daytime soaps. Dixon left ABC television to become a production vice president for Paramount Pictures under Michael Eisner. For several years, she has been an independent