NYCastings
NYCastings / DirectSubmit is a subscription-based casting platform founded in 2000 that connects actors, models, dancers, singers, and voice-over artists with casting directors and producers across 14+ major US markets via direct self-submission and email-distributed casting notices.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What NYCastings does
NYCastings / DirectSubmit is a privately held, subscription-based casting platform founded in 2000 and operated by DreamCasters Media out of New York under Founder and CEO Aaron Seals. The platform connects performing talent — actors, models, dancers, singers, voice-over artists, and live acts — with casting directors, producers, and content creators across 14+ major US production markets. Talent can create profiles with resumes, photos, and video/audio reels, set up Role Alerts for casting notices, and submit directly to projects bypassing traditional agent-only channels. Casting professionals post notices by emailing [email protected] for distribution across the platform's subscriber base.
The core product is the DirectSubmit / NYCastings web platform, supplemented by an Agent Directory of agencies and managers, a free Monologues and Scripts database for actor practice, Role Alerts notification system, and School Scholarships. The technology stack is a conventional web application with database-backed profile management and email-based distribution via Constant Contact. No mobile app, no public API, and no AI-driven matching capabilities are disclosed. The company maintains a content marketing presence through a blog, industry interviews, and a TikTok channel.
The business model is freemium subscription on the talent side: free profile creation plus paid tiers ranging from $4/week to a $275 lifetime plan, with the Yearly plan at $90 ($7.50/month equivalent) positioned as best value. Casting directors access the platform for free and post notices via email. With 11–50 employees, no disclosed funding, no institutional investors, and no M&A activity across 24 years, the company appears to operate as a bootstrapped, founder-controlled lifestyle business rather than a venture-scaled enterprise.
NYCastings firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- NYCastings
- Legal name
- NYCastings / DirectSubmit
- Website
- https://nycastings.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- NYCastings / DirectSubmit is a subscription-based casting platform founded in 2000 that connects actors, models, dancers, singers, and voice-over artists with casting directors and producers across 14+ major US markets via direct self-submission and email-distributed casting notices.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
NYCastings industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Casting Platform
- NAICS
- Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (7114)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Talent Casting & Auditions (Casting Directors, Open Calls) (HSACAHAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Casting & Talent Services (Casting, Background, Talent Holding) (MPADAFAI), Production & Talent Services (Casting, Crew, Production Management) (MPAAAMAF)
Keywords
Where NYCastings is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
NYCastings business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Talent Subscription Plans: Recurring subscription revenue from talent members who pay to access casting notices and submit to projects. Plans include Yearly ($90), Quarterly ($33), Monthly ($14), Weekly ($4), and Lifetime ($275 one-time). All recurring plans can be cancelled anytime through the account dashboard.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Yearly Plan - $90 (57% off) |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Quarterly Plan - $33 (37% off) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly Plan - $14 (19% off) |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Weekly Plan - $4 |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Lifetime Special - $275 (one-time) |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free Account - $0 |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
NYCastings product offering
Product offeringCore offering
NYCastings (also branded as DirectSubmit) is a web-based casting platform that lets actors, models, dancers, singers, and voice-over artists directly submit themselves to casting notices for film, TV, theatre, commercial, and print productions. Casting directors and producers post notices to the platform and search the talent database, while paying talent members access notices, set up role alerts, and submit via subscription plans covering Union (SAG-AFTRA, Actors Equity) and Non-Union projects across 14+ major US markets.
Product overview
NYCastings / DirectSubmit is a casting breakdown service platform that connects casting professionals with talent. The core platform enables Casting Directors, Producers & Content Creators to cast SAG-AFTRA, Actors Equity Association & Non-Union talent including Actors, Models, Dancers, Singers, Voice-Over Artists & Live Acts. The platform operates across major US markets including NY, LA, San Francisco, San Diego, Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, Orlando, Washington DC, Las Vegas, Boston, Tennessee, Philadelphia, Seattle, and other major markets. The product suite includes: the core DirectSubmit/NYCastings casting notice listing service, an Agent Directory for talent representation, a Monologues and Scripts database for actor practice, Role Alerts for casting notifications, and School Scholarships. Talent can create accounts with resumes, photos, and reels, while casting professionals can post notices. The platform has served the New York production community for over 21 years with thousands of success stories.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- DirectSubmit / NYCastings Platform Subscription-based casting platform that allows Casting Directors, Producers, and Content Creators to cast SAG-AFTRA, Actors Equity, and Non-Union talent (Actors, Models, Dancers, Singers, Voice-Over Artists, Live Acts), while talent members submit directly to casting notices via paid plans (Yearly $90, Quarterly $33, Monthly $14, Weekly $4) or a Lifetime one-time $275 option.
- Agent Directory Directory of Talent Agencies, Personal Managers, Casting Directors, and talent representation professionals searchable by talent seeking representation.
- Monologues and Scripts Database Free database of acting monologues, film scenes, play monologues, and 2-person scenes organized by age, gender, genre, and source material for actors to practice and audition with.
- School Scholarships Scholarships for actors to pursue acting education and training through the NYCastings platform.
Quantifiable outcome
- Thousands of talent bookings and success stories documented
Companies that use NYCastings
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
NYCastings technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
NYCastings partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
NYCastings competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Mandy.com: Mandy.com is a casting platform with free and paid memberships serving actors, models, dancers, voice-over artists, and crew. It overlaps NYCastings on talent-side subscriptions and casting notice distribution in film, TV, theater, and commercial verticals.
- StarNow: StarNow is an online talent marketplace connecting actors, models, and performers with casting opportunities and agents. Like NYCastings, it operates on a freemium subscription model for talent and charges casting professionals to post notices, making it a direct alternative in the SMB/individual talent segment.
- Now Casting: Now Casting is a casting notice aggregator and newsletter serving actors across major US markets, focused on film, TV, and commercials. It is comparable to NYCastings in the casting-notice distribution layer where both monetize access to curated casting opportunities.
- Backstage: Backstage is the largest US casting marketplace for actors, models, dancers, and singers, offering paid casting notices and talent profiles. It competes head-to-head with NYCastings / DirectSubmit for both casting-director subscription dollars and talent-side sign-ups across film, TV, theater, and commercial casting.
- Casting Networks: Casting Networks (which absorbed Actors Access) is a direct casting platform used by casting directors to post notices and search talent for SAG-AFTRA and non-union productions. It mirrors NYCastings' core two-sided marketplace but operates at substantially greater scale with more resources for product development.
Others
- LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a broad professional networking platform that increasingly hosts acting/model profiles and casting-adjacent content via creator-mode profiles. It is not a casting-specialist but can serve as a substitute or complement for talent visibility and producer-side sourcing at the margin.
- Indeed: Indeed is a general-purpose jobs board that occasionally surfaces performing-arts and casting-adjacent roles. It is not a direct competitor to NYCastings but represents a low-cost alternative channel where casting calls can be reposted for free, putting marginal pressure on NYCastings' casting-notice value proposition.
- SAG-AFTRA: SAG-AFTRA is the labor union representing performers and a governing body for union casting. NYCastings integrates SAG-AFTRA job categories into its marketplace and is structurally adjacent as the institutional counterparty governing union talent eligibility — not a competitor, but a key ecosystem participant.
Broad incumbents
- IMDbPro: IMDbPro is the paid industry tier of IMDb, providing talent representation pages, contact details, and self-managed credits used by casting directors and agents. It overlaps NYCastings' searchable talent database function but is broader in scope (film/TV across the industry) and competes for casting-director attention rather than talent-side subscriptions.
Emerging players
- Playbill: Playbill is a long-running theater-industry publication that operates a casting notice board and jobs marketplace for Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional theater. It overlaps NYCastings on the theater-casting vertical and on-union (Actors' Equity) talent access, but is stronger in theater and weaker in film/TV.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
NYCastings social profiles
Digital presenceNYCastings financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
NYCastings leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
NYCastings funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
NYCastings 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 NYCastings
What does NYCastings do?
NYCastings (also branded as DirectSubmit) is a web-based casting platform that lets actors, models, dancers, singers, and voice-over artists directly submit themselves to casting notices for film, TV, theatre, commercial, and print productions. Casting directors and producers post notices to the platform and search the talent database, while paying talent members access notices, set up role alerts, and submit via subscription plans covering Union (SAG-AFTRA, Actors Equity) and Non-Union projects across 14+ major US markets.
Is NYCastings a public or private company?
NYCastings is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was NYCastings founded?
NYCastings was founded in 2000. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is NYCastings based?
NYCastings is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does NYCastings make money?
One revenue line is on record: talent Subscription Plans.
Who are NYCastings's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Mandy.com, StarNow, Now Casting, Backstage and Casting Networks. Others are LinkedIn, Indeed and SAG-AFTRA. IMDbPro is listed as a broad incumbent. Playbill is listed as an emerging player.
Does NYCastings have an API?
No public API is recorded for NYCastings.
What industry is NYCastings in?
NYCastings's product category is Online Casting Platform. 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 7114 and its SIC code is 7812.