Casting Directors UK – T

Amanda Tabak

Amanda Tabak is a London based Casting Director, owner of Candid Casting, and full member of The Casting Directors’ Guild (CDG).

Award winning Casting Director Amanda Tabak launched Candid Casting in 1993, and she still heads the casting company today. It’s one of the UK’s leading full service casting companies, working internationally in film, television, commercials and music video.

A Full Member of The Casting Directors’ Guild (CDG), Amanada Tabak received awards for Best Casting from the inaugural CDA awards and British Craft Arrows. She’s also worked on projects which won Oscar, BAFTA, BIFA and Emmy awards.

Amanda Tabak has earned a reputation for seeking out diverse new talent and tricky casting.

In 2017 Amanda Tabak was interviewed for BBC news about casting appropriate actors for a role.

She supported Ed Skrien’s withdrawal from the Hellboy role, following allegations of whitewashing, and was pleased that this was an indication that the industry was changing.

Amanda Tabak’s film & TV credits include:

Emily Tilelli

Emily Tilelli is a member of the Casting Directors’ Association (CDA) and the Casting Directors’ Guild (CDG).

In 2018, she was part of a workshop with the National Youth Film Academy, and gave a quick interview after the event.

When asked about the one piece of advice she’d give to actors, the casting director said that anyone walking into the casting room should do so with confidence, because they’d already made it through the first part of the casting process for that role. She may have considered a thousand or so actors and only picked maybe ten for audition.

Then she went on to say that this was an exciting time for the British film industry, with talented actors, producers, directors, and writers coming through the ranks.

Screen credits for Emily Tilelli as Casting Director include:

• The Day She Ate the Stars (Short) (announced)
•  Swede Caroline (filming)
•  God’s Petting You (post-production)
•  2021 Hireth (Short)
•  2021 Paul Dood’s Deadly Lunch Break
•  2019/I The Appointment (Short)
•  2018 Miss (Short)
•  2018 Selsey Bill (Short)
•  2018 Deep Clean (Short)
•  2018/III Sketch (Short)
•  2018 Tucked
•  2016-2017 Deep (TV Mini Series) (10 episodes)
•  2017 The Silent (Short)
•  2016 Surf Therapy (TV Mini Series) (10 episodes)
•  2016 To Dream
•  2015 Gillette ‘Spectre’ Television Commercial (Video short)
•  2015/I Over (Short)
•  2015 Social Suicide
•  2015/VIII The Return
•  2015 Nina Forever
•  2014/I James (Short)
•  2014 Perdition County (Short)
•  2014 The Engagement (Short)
•  2014 The Birthday Gift (Short)
•  2013/III The River (Short)
•  2013 Our Lady of Lourdes (Short)
•  2013/II Guardian (Short)
•  2012 Metamorphosis: Titian 2012 (Short)
•  2012 Liminal States (Short)
•  2007 Yolk (Short)
•  2003 You Can’t Stop the Murders

Other credits for Emily Tilelli’s casting work on film and television include:

•  2016/II Across the River (casting)
•  2013 Jack the Giant Slayer (casting assistant – uncredited)
•  2012 Les Misérables (casting assistant – uncredited)
•  2012/I Prometheus (casting assistant – uncredited)
•  2011 Jane Eyre (casting assistant – uncredited)
•  2008 Ten Empty (casting assistant)
•  2008 The Square (casting assistant)
•  2007 West (casting assistant)
•  2007 Lens Love Story (Short) (casting assistant)
•  2005 Still Time (Short) (casting assistant)
•  2004 Outback Jack (TV Series) (original casting – 8 episodes)
•  2003-2004 The Block (TV Series) (original casting – 3 episodes)
•  2002-2003 CNNNN: Chaser Non-Stop News Network (TV Series) (casting associate – 19 episodes)
•  1999-2002 BackBerner (TV Series) (casting associate – 18 episodes)
•  2001 The Election Chaser (TV Mini Series) (casting associate – 3 episodes)
•  2001 Outriders (TV Series) (casting assistant – 26 episodes)

Faye Timby

Casting Associate at Sophie Holland Casting, Faye Timby is a probationary member of The Casting Directors’ Guild (CDG). 

Faye Timby’s film & TV casting credits as casting director include:

• Free Fall (Short) 
• 2017 Happiness in Retrospect (Short)
• 2017 Pegah (Short)
• 2017 Sparebnb (TV Series) (7 episodes)
• 2013 Streets in the Sky (Short)

Her film & TV casting credits as casting associate include:

• 2022 The Magic Flute (casting associate) (filming)

Her film & TV casting credits as casting assistant include:

• 2019-2021 The Witcher (TV Series) (casting assistant – 16 episodes)
• 2020 Tin Star (TV Series) (casting assistant – 6 episodes)

In April 2020 Faye Timby was interviewed by Ashley Tabatabai about the #CastingCrushesCorona​ initiative she devised with Sophie Holland casting. 

The hour and a half footage is packed with interesting and useful advice, not least about how hard she had to work to break into the casting industry.

YouTube: Casting Director Interview | Why Your Personality Is Just As Important As Your Performance

The following month, Faye Timby talked to Ashley about the importance of a good agent.

YouTube: The Importance of a Good Agent | Faye Timby

In June 2020, Faye and Ashley discussed the casting process behind Season 1 of Netflix drama The Witcher.

YouTube: Some Insights Into The Casting Of The Witcher With Faye Timby

Then in July 2020 she returned to answer 10 questions.

YouTube: 10 Questions With Faye Timby

Casting Director Nicci Topping

Nicci Topping is more than a leading Casting Director in the UK. She runs workshops and she also blogs so that actors can get the advice they need to succeed.

Nicci Topping Casts For A Wide Range Of Projects

Nicci Topping is a member of the Casting Director’s Association (CDA). She has worked on over a hundred commercials, twelve feature films and a variety of other projects in the past fifteen years. She casts for short films, pop promos, TV dramas, theatre, photographic projects, and voiceovers. While some of her castings demand trained and experienced talent, and often household names, whilst others look to street casting to find the perfect contender for a role.

Nicci set up Topps Casting premises in her native Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, and these days also has premises in London and Manchester. She goes wherever the work requires. Casting can be across the UK and further afield.

Nicci Topping Has An Impressive Track Record

Her IMDb listing includes thirty credits as a casting director and a further seven under the casting department. Post Production film Angel 2.0 gives her credit as producer.

Awards and nominations include the British Arrows Craft 2015 nomination for Best Casting alongside Leanne Flinn. This was for the iconic Sport England campaign “This Girl Can”. She also cast for the award-winning music promo Chase & Status featuring Blind Faith and The Resident Evil Ads.

Nicci Topping Casting On Social Media

The Facebook page for Nicci Topping Casting includes links to her blog and interviews with esteemed organisations such as The Stage and Casting Networks. Following the Facebook page is a great way to keep up to date with the advice she gives. Sometimes she gives a shout out when looking for specific skillsets for casting when something unusual is needed.

Nicci Topping’s Twitter feed has some different content on Facebook. For example, the Nicci Topping workshop for Spotlight in conjunction with Actors Guild BG appeared here. Retweets for her work also appear here; they demonstrate the high regard for her work in this competitive profession.

How Nicci Topping Helps Developing Actors

The Nicci Topping Casting website is a good introduction to the work they do. However, the Nicci Topping blog is invaluable for any performer. In addition to interesting interviews, the topics include:

• Marketing for actors
• Cosmetic enhancements
• Audition nerves
• Casting low budget feature films
• Advice to parents bringing children to castings
• Getting your first acting job
• Why some actors book the best jobs

Casting directors often send out the message that they want to give you a chance to book a job with them. Nicci Topping is no exception. Moreover, her constant work engaging with actors through her blog, interviews, and workshops aim to give everyone some preparation advice and encouragement.

With thousands of contenders for each role, it can be hard to get into the audition room. If you are invited to a casting, make the most of the opportunity you are being given.