Fall is Upon Us

Hi Everyone, Happy Fall and Welcome Back to my Blog-

As of my last blog post I have continued my personal facebook hiatus which began in the spring. I am grateful to my Casting Associate Cahill Connolly who maintains the Casting Solutions facebook group page which I do post on occasionally via her account. I'm enjoying posting on twitter (under LizOrtizMackes) as a way of time efficient updating. We are all shifting and evolving along with the seasons of life. Cahill has branched out as a photo editor, production coordinator and headshot photographer (http://www.cahillconnolly.com/). She is always on call to offer her expertise and support for Casting Solutions and I am, so proud of her additional accomplishments.

My expansion has been very personal and professionally has manifested within the realms of the labyrinth of indie film production. Every day I learn more and more how miraculous it is to get a film made. It has been extremely gratifying to collaborate with filmmakers who are artists in their own right. It is an honor to have on going working relationships with directors such as Moon Molson, Randall Dottin, Gordon Grinberg, Dave Gebroe, Wendy Shear, Stephen Mills, Roy Clovis Jr., Christina Choi, Sami Khan among others. The world of development and pre-production is a very isolated one. Much of the time I feel like I am so behind the scenes that I am underground. The more I delve into the intricacies of production the less you may hear about what Casting Solutions is up to. Understand this is quite deliberate as the natural progression into producing (I Ain't Playin Films) will eventually over shadow casting (Casting Solutions). We will always be available to clients to cast but as Cahill and I step into our respective changing roles in the industry we know it's best to flow with the shifts taking place.

I love being out there teaching at AADA, attending shows, giving workshops via the SAG Foundation and other venues. Casting is an integral part of how I think as a producer and I love seeing all the actors who are out there. Thanks to you book sales are still solid for "Ace Your Acting Audition", it's available at the Drama Book Shop and via amazon.com. I'm also delighted that I am booked to participate on a panel for producers at the School of Visual Arts on film financing (IIFF New York City Film Financing Townhall eventbrite.com/event/81119530…) and I'll be speaking more from a producing perspective, which is a first.

Feel free to be in touch via the Casting Solutions facebook group page. I thank you for your support, and I hope this finds you all well and renewed for a wonderful Fall.

Until the next time, I wish you all the best- Liz

Spring Forward- Spring (Facebook) Fast

Welcome back to my blog and Happy Spring. I am grateful for the expansion of the Casting Solutions Facebook group page which has over 1,010 members world wide. It is very gratifying to have a place to directly reach out to actors about castings, resources and news. Facebook is an effective tool providing the means to achieve this goal. Having said that, I temporarily deactivated my personal account, as many of my Facebook friends are also on the group page. This hiatus or fast, is a bit of a challenge; can I live without a personal presence on Facebook and the residual "cyber-stress" it was creating? I think I can and less than 24 hours into this experiment, I've already saved time and mental energy. My Casting Associate, Cahill Connolly (who really runs Casting Solutions, I'm just a figure head) will be posting on the group page on my behalf and will relay any messages you may have for the office or myself. I will continue to tweet on a regular basis so feel free to follow me on twitter (LizOrtizMackes). Now for some updates since my last blog post:
Thanks to all of you who have supported my book Ace Your Acting Audition, designed by the amazing Cahill. Drama Book Shop continues to re-order it on a regular basis and it is available on Amazon.com and also being sold overseas. The wonderful reviews posted by actors have touched me deeply and thank you to those who took the time to do so.
In January I announced the newest division of Casting Solutions, I Ain't Playin Films. I'm happy to say that 2 screenplays are being agressively pushed in LA, and that's all I'm allowed to disclose about it, but very encouraging, especially in a business where the climate can be chronically discouraging.
On the Casting front there were screenings of 2 very special short films: "The Robber Barons of Wall Street" by Peter Killy and "The Cycle" by Roy Clovis Jr. which also was the screen debut of our intern, high school senior, Surfin Percy. The shift to producing has overlapped with 3 current projects which we cast and I also am Associate Producer. These 2 films: "Crazy Beats Strong Every Time" by Moon Molson, "The Tailor" by Gordon Grinberg and pilot "Drama Inc." by Jennifer Richards & Babatunde Odesanaya are collaborations of extremely talented and accomplished individuals. Additionally, the film "The Camera's Eye" directed by Wendy Shear and written by James Tracy is doing the festival circuit. I look forward to attending the screening on May 6th at the Bergenfield Film Festival. The gratification of producing in conjunction with casting is an expansive journey and creatively rewarding. As an instructor at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and my other workshops I have an even deeper inside perspective into the industry which I can further demystify to my students. Producing is also extremely chaotic, unpredictable and time consuming. I've had to cut back on attending shows and showcases. Wearing the wife, mom, casting, teacher and now producer hats simutaneously have taught me the necessity and freedom of boundaries. I want to know what actors are up to but please don't take it personally if I can't see your show. The more I'm out there bringing in new projects for the office the more opportunities I can provide to actors, and isn't that what it's all about?
Enjoy the spirit of renewal which is exemplified by the season. I appreciate all of you and until the next time I wish you only the best. - Liz

It's a New Year and I Ain't Playin! 1-21-10

Welcome back to my blog. It's been an exhausting start to the year with the global and personal challenges we are all facing. I am grateful for the basics: good health, family, friends and meaningful work. I'm identifying this time as a crisis of reinvention. I've emerged as an author (special thanks to all who've supported the successful launch of Ace Your Acting Audition) and film producer. I Ain't Playin Films, a new divsion of Casting Solutions has evolved as a result of the film/stage projects in production and development which found their way to me. I am honored to be working with great scripts and collaborators. For a summary of these projects please send an email to: iaintplayinfilms@gmail.com . I embrace being more selective about the projects I cast and am enjoying my expanded role of producer more than I expected. I think this is because I have a stronger voice in the creative process and therefore able to advocate on a deeper level for diversity in regard to casting. Those who know me well understand how I love to speak up to producers and clients about the necessity of inclusion and advocacy for all actors. I know I push buttons, annoy some and perhaps lose work over this but that won't stop me because I Ain't Playin (hence the name of the new division!) I keep it real by proudly going into my 9th year on the faculty at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and by giving monthly workshops for SAG's NYCAP program for the last 3 years. Working closely with actors in this way is an inspiration and allows me to meet new actors on a continuous basis. We are all navigating our way through the storm of change, here's to moving onward and upward. All the best- Liz