Central Casting
Central Casting is the largest US background actor casting firm, connecting film, television, and commercial productions with its nationwide database of background talent, stand-ins, and doubles across all 50 states. It operates as a subsidiary of Entertainment Partners, offering integrated casting, payroll, and production workflow services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1925
- HeadquartersBurbank, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Central Casting does
Central Casting, founded in 1925 and headquartered in Burbank, California, is the dominant background actor casting firm in the United States, operating the country's largest and most diverse database of background actors, stand-ins, and doubles. The company serves film, television, and commercial productions by sourcing, vetting, and dispatching background talent, with physical offices in Burbank, New York, Atlanta, and New Orleans, and casting service availability extended across all 50 US states. Central Casting is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Entertainment Partners (EP), the global production finance and payroll company, and the two operate an integrated go-to-market under EP's production services umbrella.
The technology platform centers on the EP Casting Portal, a cloud-based casting management system that allows productions to search, book, and manage background talent, paired with SmartVoucher, EP's digital background voucher system that handles tracking, compliance, and payroll for background actors within EP's broader production finance infrastructure. Supporting products include Production Driven Casting, which unifies hiring, tracking, and payment in one workflow, and Premium Casting for specialty and period work. Talent self-registers for free through the consumer-facing website, uploading profiles with measurements, photos, and special skills, while production companies access the casting portal on an enterprise basis.
Revenue is generated from production companies paying for casting coordination, talent matching, on-set management, and integrated payroll processing through SmartVoucher; background actors register at no cost. The customer base spans essentially all major US studios and streamers — including Apple Studios, Amazon Studios, 20th Television, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros. Discovery/HBO, Sony Pictures, and Lionsgate — with the company booking hundreds of background actors daily across active productions. Headcount is reported at 101-250 employees, consistent with a mid-sized specialized services firm embedded in a larger parent organization.
Central Casting firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Central Casting
- Legal name
- Central Casting
- Website
- https://centralcasting.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1925
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Central Casting is the largest US background actor casting firm, connecting film, television, and commercial productions with its nationwide database of background talent, stand-ins, and doubles across all 50 states. It operates as a subsidiary of Entertainment Partners, offering integrated casting, payroll, and production workflow services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Central Casting industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Background Casting Services
- NAICS
- Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (711410)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Talent Casting & Auditions (Casting Directors, Open Calls) (HSACAHAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Casting & Talent Services (Casting, Background, Talent Holding) (MPADAFAI), Talent Agency & Representation Services (HSACAHAK)
Keywords
Where Central Casting is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Burbank
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Central Casting business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Casting Services to Productions: Central Casting generates revenue by providing background casting services to film, television, and commercial productions. Productions pay for access to the talent database, casting coordination, on-set management, and integrated payroll processing through SmartVoucher.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free talent registration for background actors |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Central Casting product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Central Casting provides background actor casting services for film, television, and commercial productions across all 50 US states. The company operates the largest and most diverse database of background actors, stand-ins, and doubles in the United States, connecting productions with talent through an integrated casting portal and SmartVoucher digital payroll platform. Productions pay for access to the talent database, casting coordination, on-set management, and integrated payroll processing, while talent register for free.
Product overview
Central Casting operates as a unified background actor casting platform offering services across all 50 US states. The core Central Casting platform connects productions with background talent, while SmartVoucher provides the digital payment and voucher infrastructure. The product suite includes Premium Casting for specialty roles, Production Driven Casting for integrated production management, and the EP Casting Portal for web-based access. All services are backed by Entertainment Partners' technology infrastructure.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SmartVoucher: EP's digital background voucher system for tracking, managing and paying background actors accurately, compliantly and on time.
- Production Driven Casting
- Premium Casting
- EP Casting Portal
Products and services
- Central Casting Background Casting Services Core background actor casting platform and service that connects film, television, and commercial productions with background talent (extras, stand-ins, and doubles) across all 50 US states, supported by offices in Burbank, New York, Atlanta, and New Orleans.
- SmartVoucher Digital background voucher platform that enables productions to track, manage, and pay background actors accurately, compliantly, and on time, integrated with Entertainment Partners' payroll infrastructure.
- Premium Casting Specialized casting service for premium projects including hiring minor background actors and other specialty roles requiring specific requirements.
- Production Driven Casting Integrated casting platform enabling productions to hire, manage, track, and pay background actors with full visibility across the casting process.
- EP Casting Portal Web-based casting portal providing productions access to manage casting operations, background actor selection, and production coordination.
Quantifiable outcome
- Hired approximately 14,000 background actors for The Ten Commandments (1956)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Central Casting
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Central Casting technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Central Casting partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Entertainment PartnerscoreEntertainment Partners acquired Central Casting as part of its expansion into casting technology solutions. Central Casting operates as a subsidiary within EP's portfolio, combining 100 years of background casting expertise with EP's production finance, payroll, and technology platform. EP's CEO Mark Goldstein oversees Central Casting operations and has invested in technology including SmartVoucher digital vouchers for integrated background actor payroll processing.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Central Casting competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Casting Networks: Direct competitor operating a digital self-service casting platform for actors including background roles, with profiles, audition submissions, and a competing talent database used by productions nationwide.
- Backstage: Casting platform and talent marketplace used by productions to source actors for background and speaking roles; competes on the digital self-service end of the casting market.
- Breakdown Services (Actors Access): Long-standing casting notice and actor submission platform serving background and principal casting, directly competing for the same talent-pool and production-customer workflows as Central Casting.
Broad incumbents
- CAA (Creative Artists Agency): Major Hollywood talent agency representing principal actors, directors, and writers; serves the same studio customers as Central Casting but in the higher-value principal talent representation segment.
- Entertainment Partners: Parent company and broader production services platform providing payroll, finance, and tax incentive management for productions globally — owns Central Casting and operates adjacent services that overlap in customer base.
- Cast & Crew: Major production payroll and workforce management company serving film, TV, and live events; broad incumbent competing with EP for production-side services that intersect with background casting workflows.
Emerging players
- Wrapbook: Modern production payroll and cost management platform gaining traction with productions; an emerging competitor to EP's payroll stack that, if extended, could intersect with Central Casting's SmartVoucher wedge.
Regional players
- Extraordinary Casting: Regional background casting agency serving specific U.S. production markets, offering an alternative to Central Casting for productions seeking localized casting talent pools.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Central Casting social profiles
Digital presenceCentral Casting financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Central Casting leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Central Casting funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Central Casting M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Central Casting
What does Central Casting do?
Central Casting provides background actor casting services for film, television, and commercial productions across all 50 US states. The company operates the largest and most diverse database of background actors, stand-ins, and doubles in the United States, connecting productions with talent through an integrated casting portal and SmartVoucher digital payroll platform. Productions pay for access to the talent database, casting coordination, on-set management, and integrated payroll processing, while talent register for free.
Is Central Casting a public or private company?
Central Casting is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Central Casting founded?
Central Casting was founded in 1925. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Central Casting based?
Central Casting is headquartered in Burbank, United States, in the North America region.
How does Central Casting make money?
One revenue line is on record: casting Services to Productions.
Who are Central Casting's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Casting Networks, Backstage and Breakdown Services (Actors Access). Broad incumbents are CAA (Creative Artists Agency), Entertainment Partners and Cast & Crew. Wrapbook is listed as an emerging player. Extraordinary Casting is listed as a regional player.
Does Central Casting have an API?
No public API is recorded for Central Casting.
What industry is Central Casting in?
Central Casting's product category is Background Casting Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSACAHAL, Talent Casting & Auditions (Casting Directors, Open Calls), with a secondary code of MPADAFAI, Casting & Talent Services (Casting, Background, Talent Holding). Its NAICS code is 711410 and its SIC code is 7812.