How To Become A Casting Assistant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a casting assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Casting is one of the most critical parts of producing a movie or TV show, often playing a huge role in its success and ultimately determining the profit of the production. Casting directors hold the reins when it comes to choosing the right actors and actresses for the required roles, and by their side are casting assistants that provide help with finding actors and actresses to star in the production.

In general, casting assistants help with deciding which actors fit the role, whose fees fit the production budget, who are available for the shooting dates, and many other specifics. Their duties also include basic office tasks like answering the phone, making lists of possible actors, contacting agents, and more. And, as one would expect, they work closely with casting directors.

Casting assistants can either freelance in different productions or find permanent employment at a casting office. There are generally no formal requirements for this role, but prior experience with other productions is often a minimum requirement for many employers. Although this position may sound less lucrative, especially in the world of entertainment, the pay is above average, ranging from $42,000 to $81,000 a year.

ScoreCasting AssistantUS Average

Salary

2.5

Avg. Salary $32,144

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.7

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 6.35%

Black or African American 7.86%

Hispanic or Latino 14.44%

Unknown 5.58%

White 65.61%

Gender

female 62.81%

male 37.19%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

8.7

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.5

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

1.9

Work life balance is very poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a casting assistant

Explore casting assistant education requirements

Most common casting assistant degrees

Bachelor's

80.0 %

Associate

8.9 %

Master's

5.5 %

Start to develop specific casting assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Music Videos	13.70%
Reality	12.20%
IMovie	10.98%
ABC	6.54%
Travel Arrangements	6.22%

Complete relevant casting assistant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New casting assistants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a casting assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real casting assistant resumes.

Research casting assistant duties and responsibilities

Manage a roster of hair and makeup artists.
Oversee and manage model castings for fashion shows, advertising campaigns, editorials and special projects.
Prepare informational biographical sheets on potential participants that are pitched to network executives.
Assist casting team at NYC open casting call.

Prepare your casting assistant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your casting assistant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a casting assistant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable casting assistant resume templates

Build a professional casting assistant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your casting assistant resume.