Community Highlights: Meet Taylor Lambert of Aura Casting

Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor Lambert.

Hi Taylor, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m a very creative person, so I always found myself getting involved in any artistic opportunity that came my way. I moved to California from DC in 2011 to start my career in the entertainment industry, and I am so grateful that I was welcomed by an incredibly supportive community. Through my work as an actor and a producer, I started building a network of like-minded people that trusted and inspired each other. I wanted to build on this enticing collaborative energy, so I co-created a networking group called Coffee & Catchup with my good friend Cameron Mark Lewis. Our networking events quickly gained popularity, and I feel like the collective experiences that our group shared became the main inspiration for my latest endeavor – Aura Casting.

I started Aura Casting in the midst of the pandemic, hoping to reestablish our art community – just online this time. The goal of Aura Casting is to include everyone. If you have a project that needs talent, great! If you are an actor that wants to audition, let me know! When starting the company, I focused on easing any struggles that I had experienced from the other side. The main challenges that I faced as an actor were the costs involved in auditioning – Casting website fees, paying for parking meters, printing paper headshots, acting classes, etc. I became dedicated to providing free resources to any interested actor as a way of giving back. When I worked as a producer, I found casting upwards of 80 people became super overwhelming while I was simultaneously planning the schedule, hiring crew and making changes to scripts. I developed Aura Casting as a service to make it as effortless as possible for our producer partners to find quality talent.

I wouldn’t be where I am today without the gracious support of the community and the experiences that I picked up along the way. We just celebrated Aura’s 2nd year anniversary – Here’s to many, many more!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
My career has led me to many different places, and I certainly could not have predicted that founding and running a successful casting company would be where I would end up. Prior to the pandemic, I worked a variety of jobs across fields to support my artistic passions. It was a struggle for me to determine which direction I should go. I knew that I loved bringing people together, so when I needed to determine my next career move in 2020, I focused on how I could do just that. I realized that casting was the perfect avenue to utilize this skill. Casting is all about bringing people together – The production teams, the actors, the talent agencies. Everyone works toward the common goal of creating the final product. I have definitely learned a lot since I started, and I’ve found that the problems become much easier to solve when I reach out to my network of collaborators.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Aura Casting is a 100% online casting company. We specialize in finding you diverse talent from all walks of life. Aura is inclusive – Our database is free to all and we offer free self-tape workshops and resources to our actors. If you’re a producer, we can connect you with local crew that you may need for your next project. We’re always ready to help out.

The Aura brand is all about creating community. We have had great success with being genuine in our marketing and asking for feedback and ideas on our posts. One of our favorite offerings is an artist interview series that we host every Friday on our Instagram page! We speak with working professionals in the film industry to give insights and advice to anyone who is interested. If you want to join the party, feel free to sign up for updates on our website and follow us on Instagram!

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
I think it really comes down to reaching out to people. You never know who can help you out. That’s what our casting technique is all about! We scour across the world for the perfect person for the role – Which means posting on social media, calling up talent agencies, even calling the actors themselves and telling them about the project. You just have to unapologetically put yourself out there and your people will find you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.auracasting.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aura_casting/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/auracasting
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aura-casting/

Image Credits
Pat Mazzera Photography, David Herschorn of PhotoBohemia