For our next session, we have invited Emmy-winning Shaheen Baig, BAFTA-winning Isabella Odoffin and award winning Hannah Ashby Ward to lead an in depth session that explores the process of casting for Film, TV, Theatre & Commercial projects.

The Casting directors will dissect their working practices from breaking down scripts, scouting for talent and working with directors, producers, show runners and production companies to understand the creative vision of a project. How do they evaluate an actor’s performance and adaptability for a project? How do they run audition rooms, call backs, screen and chemistry tests? How do they work with agents on availability, fees and cast offers?

With credits on several award winning productions, the casting directors will elaborate on the language of working across different mediums and bridging the gap between a project’s creative direction, market considerations and evaluating the right actors for the story being told. 

SHAHEEN BAIG

Shaheen Baig is an Emmy & BAFTA winning casting director whose work has played a major role in shaping contemporary British independent film and television. Known for her instinct for discovering new talent and for casting actors who bring authenticity and emotional realism to their roles, Baig has become one of the most influential figures in UK casting. She founded her company in 2002, working across film, television, and theatre.

She worked on the casting for the award-winning series Peaky Blinders, helping assemble the powerful ensemble that brought the Shelby family and their world to life. Her work also includes the multi-award winning television drama Adolescence. She won the Casting award at the BAFTA Television Craft Awards in 2020 for her work on The Virtues, highlighting the crucial creative role casting plays in television production.

A trustee of Open Door — a non-profit organisation that helps young people access drama schools — and co-founder of the Casting Assistant Certificate course with the National Film & Television School, Shaheen is deeply committed to supporting a more inclusive and accessible industry. In 2023, Shaheen received the Royal Television Society’s Baird Medal in recognition of her outstanding contribution to television and representation in the West Midlands.

ISABELLA ODOFFIN

Isabella Odoffin is a BAFTA and BIFA winning casting director working across film, television, and theatre. Through her company Isabella Odoffin Casting, she has built a reputation for championing new talent and casting bold, contemporary stories. Her film credits include How to Have Sex (2023), which won the Un Certain Regard prize at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as Boxing Day (2021) and The Nan Movie (2022). In television, she has cast series such as Supacell and DI Ray.

Alongside her screen work, Odoffin has also cast for leading UK theatre institutions including the National Theatre, having cast Rufus Norris’s SMALL ISLAND for which she won Best Casting from the CDG, an adaptation of Chekov's THREE SISTERS by Inua Ellams set in Nigeria under the direction of Nadia Fall, MASTER HAROLD AND THE BOYS directed by Roy Alexander Weise and A TASTE OF HONEY tour directed by Bijan Sheibani.

She was named a Screen International Star of Tomorrow in 2019.

HANNAH ASHBY WARD

Hannah Ashby Ward is an award winning casting director who runs LANE Casting in the UK, and is a partner in the International Company. Committed to authentic storytelling, diversity and representation, each project is sensitively approached by Hannah to ensure inclusive casting, subverting expectations and ensuring talent feel comfortable and respected during the casting process.

Her work ranges from long-form narrative films, TV series, fashion projects, advertising campaigns and music videos. Ward has cast for numerous high-profile music videos and brand campaigns with artists which include, Christina Aguilera, Anne-Marie, Little Mix, Bastille and many others.