Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Leyva.
Hi Lauren, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved Films! My grandparents grew up with very little Television or Film exposure in Cuba so once they got to the US, they became obsessed, the TV was always on in my house, and from Disney animated films to golden age mobster movies you name it we watched it! Like every little kid, I had big dreams, and I had the drive to dedicate my life to pursuing my passions so I seeked out to know everything about film and try all its facets. I was in drama club and musicals as a kid and thought I would go into acting, then as I grew older and a bit more reserved, I tried out writing and cinematography. Most of my free time was dedicated to watching and critiquing films, doing research on the process and then I thought maybe I’ll become a film critic. My love for film is so multifaceted just like film itself and I felt so much pressure to stick to one thing and excel at it, but it didn’t work out that way. Once I graduated from high school in Miami, I moved to New York to attend Marymount Manhattan College and my one year in the city catapulted my professional career. I met so many different people who worked in the industry and while some had specialties most people were multihyphenate, they could do multiple roles like write AND Direct and I quickly realized that’s what I would pursue. My first internship in the industry was for a casting director and I have pursued Casting ever since because I have such a love for actors and have always loved Fan Casting for books and plays I’ve read, But I have also still continued writing and hope to finish my first feature film script soon. I have also moved around a lot as an adult and I think it’s essential for any creative to go and experience things outside of their comfort zone, meet people from different backgrounds/Cultures, and challenge themselves. All of those things will only breathe life into your passions and inspire you! I am very fortunate that I have been able to carve out my own legacy in the casting world and work on some amazing series, and I hope to continue that trajectory as well as pursue writing and directing my own feature film and continue enjoying and reviewing other films.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It hasn’t been a smooth road, but I don’t think anyones is! My struggles were mainly mental and societal, while I have always had a very supportive family there’s still an expectation of what you “Should” aspire to be. As a woman and a first-generation American, Expectations are there for how you should conduct your life and the things you should aspire to be. Getting rid of the fear of “Should” opened more doors than I thought imaginable, it was scary and uncomfortable at first to say ” Hey, I’m moving to a city I’ve never been too, I don’t have a job but I’ll figure it out” I saw my peers graduating college when they were supposed to, getting married, buying houses and having kids and I felt less than. All these people had it figured out by 25 and I felt like a giant question mark. Once I realized that not everyone has the same path and tuned out my own negative self-talk, I felt whole and knew it might take longer but I was on MY path. I worked 2 jobs, an internship and made barely enough money to live in LA when I first arrived, and I would do it all again because it made me tougher and forced me to confront myself. I think to follow your dreams you need a level of delusion in your abilities but that blind hopefulness gave me so much confidence and it hasn’t steered me wrong since. I also love Miami and I’m not able to go back as much as I would like to, one of the hardest things is to lose that sense of community but you find new ones and try to love them all. It sounds corny but I think it’s very true that usually the biggest obstacle is yourself!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I work in Animated film & TV Casting! I currently work at Marvel Animation for a show that hasn’t been announced yet and prior to that I worked at Nickelodeon and Kapital Entertainment. My specialty is Animation and I try to focus on inclusive casting, especially in the Latinx and LGBTQ+ Community, Companies like Marvel and Nickelodeon have always made these communities a priority in representation on screen and that’s why I continue to work with them! Nickelodeon gave me opportunities to cast on shows like the Casagrandes which was so exciting working with renowned Voice Actors as well as iconic Latino actors like Eugenio Derbez and Carlos Alazraqui. I remember my boss was casting a Cuban character on the show and she asked me to listen to the Actors auditions before she did so I could flag what a Cuban accent actually sounds like and that was a highlight for me, not only because my culture was going to represented but she trusted my background and expertise. Casagrandes was definitely one of the shows I am most proud to have worked on, I would love to go into detail about my current show which has been incredible and probably the most fulfilling and challenging to work on but Marvel NDA’S are no joke so maybe I can share more when it’s announced in the coming years!
Prior to Animation casting, I worked in live-action casting for a production company with shows at CBS, Netflix, etc., and that taught me so much about the production process and working with live-action actors. Although my specialty is Animation, I miss seeing the way actors use their physicality on screen. Hopefully one day I hope to do both Animation and Live action.
So, what does a Casting associate actually do? well we usually meet with the creators and development team on a show, they tell us what they envision for the characters, and we start the audition process. We have relationships with Talent Agencies and Managers and ask for their talent to audition if they fit the character description we provide. After listening to hundreds of auditions we choose our top choices, between 5-10 actors, and send them to the creators. They pick their favorites and then we usually do more auditions with the creators in the room and after every single person in development and the studio weighs in and approves the choice, we can hire the actor and get them recorded. outside of the usual audition process, Casting teams usually take meeting with actors to see what kind of work their interested in, keep lists of actors we are interested and like for suggestions later on, and continually work with development teams about upcoming projects!
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out.
My advice for starting out is to have no fear and be true to yourself! Whenever I was weighing decisions in my head, I had a handful of friends who would tell me ” So do it! what’s the worst thing you have to come back home and start over that’s not so bad” having support is essential. I also believe that you need a strong self of self and your goals, life can be surprising, and you meet different forks in the road but if you always choose your truth then you won’t let yourself be steered in other directions!
I wish when I started out that I realized how precious life is! I was always anxious and anticipating the future, but none of that is certain so just be present, know what you want, and take it one day at a time to get there! We have this one life, don’t spend it all in your head, I’m constantly reminding myself to just go out there and try it!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @Loleyva and @StoriesandScenes
