Nick Chiodini
A Casting Director for television and commercial advertising since 1999, Nick started his career with MTV Networks, where at the age of 22, he was asked to implement the first cross platform casting department for integrating real people with talent at the network.
While focusing his energy on the pop culture nature of MTV, Nick developed a method of Host and Real People casting that has become the standard for most network unscripted and docu-series casting. While with Viacom, Nick, working within the Talent and Development departments, cast improv and sketch talent, on air hosts and celebrity talent; as well as unscripted real people for original series such as Punk’d, The Wade Robson, and Pimp My Ride.
During his years with MTV, Nick cast over 50 projects for the channel including the hits Made, Parental Control, Next, Becoming, The VMA’s, Rock the Vote; as well as countless development projects. After 8 years, Nick finished his time “in house” at Viacom after setting up casting for projects at MTV’s UK offices. Since that time People Farm still regularly casts projects for the network.
In 2008, Nick created People Farm Casting. Seeing an emerging trend in consumer based advertising, Nick took his experience finding interesting and dynamic people from the across the country and began placing them in national network commercials. Working with both SAG talent and real consumers, People Farm once again set a standard for real people casting in the commercial realm; finding consumers of the products being advertised. Who better to sell you a “Snickers bar,” than someone who eats em every day?
Working with major brands from Sony, Toyota, Vitamin Water, and Converse; to Petsmart, McDonald’s, Nokia, Chase, Microsoft and Apple. Nick, through People Farm, works regularly with Oscar Nominated Director Henry Alex Rubin and the team at Smuggler, as well as countless award winning commercial producers and directors. People Farm is regularly hired directly through the Ad Agencies that represent these brands as well. The projects People Farm is involved with, have garnered countless awards, including British Arrows and Canne’s Lions.
Where television is concerned, Nick’s experience has extended beyond MTV into most of the major broadcast and cable networks. Most recently, Nick has been working extensively casting expert and scripted “host talent” for networks including Disney, SyFy, Discovery, Food Network, TLC, and Comedy Central. Additionally, in 2013, People Farm signed a development deal, finding hosts and new talent for Nat Geo in both Los Angeles and D.C. .
Since 2011, Nick has booked celebrity talent for hosting with names including Robin Williams, Jack Osbourne, Jennifer Lopez, and Director Eli Roth. With relationships at agencies and management houses on both coasts, Nick, through People Farm, is able to work with talent in both New York and at home in Los Angeles, as well as in the United Kingdom
With a keen sense of “castability,” Nick has found himself more and more involved in the development aspects of television and commercial production, as well as scripted and improvisational features. Working with a wide variety of specialized talent for development. Where a deeper “casting net” is required in order for a pilot to become a “green-lit series,” or for an ad campaign to have a “Let your buyer be your brand” authenticity, Nick IS the “go to.” He has vast experience working with specialized talent for development. This unique approach gives People Farm the ability to help producers and show runners develop “cast contingent” projects around their talent or campaign.
Nick maintains a strong belief that with the right interview, scripted or not, a solid creative foundation will always bring a perfect cast. He LOVES actors too, and always finds projects where that talent can be showcased as well. In 2012, he and the team at People Farm cast the sci-fi feature “Channeling;” currently winning festival awards across the Globe.
People Farm has taken casting for development, advertising and brand based television, as well as pure reality mayhem into the new decade, and Nick believes that as entertainment becomes more personal, the approach to casting for it should as well.
Farmers
“It’s all in the way you cultivate your crop” – unknown farmer
At People Farm, we cultivate talent. Any kind of talent, and the possibilities are endless. Our co-op mentality enables us to hire from within a given community for casting. Want Dancers? Need a nun? No problem, we’ll send someone into church just after they finish their dance class. Getting the idea? Its important when finding unique people, to know the people you are trying to find.
Teresa Mason: Casting Director: Special Skills, Real People, Families, Children
When it comes to finding real people, the most important thing is delivering AUTHENTICITY. There is no one in the business more skilled at this than Teresa. Working exclusively with People Farm for commercial work, Teresa has implemented a hands on approach to commercial casting that she developed while working with Nick Chiodini at Viacom beginning in 2006. Using a grass roots approach, Teresa has an unmatched ability to find “The Extraordinary Everyday.” She has been integral to the success of many campaigns at People Farm; including Vitamin Water, Converse, and the grounding-breaking “Proud Whopper” campaign for Burger King.