Hidden Gems: Meet Ramani Leah of The Casting Director’s Cut

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ramani Leah.

Hi Ramani, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was originally a theatre major before switching to film. I grew up doing theatre and loved it, but was interested in telling stories in other ways. When I got into film school, I didn’t really know how to contribute or what I brought to the table. What I DID know, however, were actors. I quickly became the go-to casting person in film school. I’d come to LA, release breakdowns with the limited knowledge I had, and would cast multiple thesis films per year. When I moved to LA, I moved with the intention of pursuing a career in casting.

Needless to say, it was a journey that involved more growth, tears, confusion, and thoughts of quitting than I’d usually like to admit. But every once in a while, a magical moment would sweep through and I’d be reminded of why I love casting and working with actors. Thank goodness for those moments because it led to a beautiful career all those years later.

I’ve been casting for almost 14 years and mostly work in streaming television. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

In 2020, I had an idea that blossomed with the help and insight of six other casting directors called The Casting Director’s Cut. In addition to casting for TV, I also help to facilitate and run social media for The Casting Director’s Cut: a resource that allows actors to have their materials reviewed by a CSA casting director and help them construct a more efficient demo reel with the eye of casting behind it.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Oh, definitely not 🙂 Is anything ever smooth in this industry? I had the usual struggles of making mistakes and allowing it to keep me up at night for weeks on end. I think my biggest struggle was the formidable personalities that I would encounter along the way. Being an easy-going, people-pleasing empath, this was very difficult for me. My inner Taylor Swift would constantly sing, “Why you gotta be so mean?” Years on this road, I realized that working for people like this wasn’t something I had to do in order to be successful–that setting boundaries wasn’t the scariest thing in the world. I began to get extremely picky about who I worked for and with. I stood up for myself when I was blamed for something that wasn’t my fault. Things got better, and I got happier. The rules still apply: be kind or find someone else. Life’s too short to have bad blood (can you tell I’m a Swiftie?).

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
The Casting Director’s Cut was the brainchild of myself and a few other casting directors. The conversation started from a common venting session in the casting community–the need for actors to have better materials so we can efficiently pitch them to our creative team.

Our jobs are a constant parade of re-editing actors’ demo reels (sometimes without them even knowing), begging reps for better clips or reels, and/or finding footage on our own that we think will help seal the deal. It’s incredibly time-consuming and quite frankly, not in our actual job description. But it’s a sometimes necessary step when creatives are on the fence.

We realized that actors often edit their demo reels on their own or with the help of non-casting professionals. And what they are left with is a package that doesn’t serve them the way it should.

A lightbulb went off when a fellow CD said, “I just wish there was a way for CDs to construct their reels for them.”

After talking through the details of what that would look like, we coincidentally launched The Casting Director’s Cut two days before the COVID-19 shutdown in March 2020.

Since then, TCDC has grown to become a go-to, trustworthy resource for actors. Beyond helping actors create their demo reel with the eye of a casting director, TCDC is passionate about hosting affordable, niche classes covering topics that are not widely found elsewhere, such as “Inside The Casting Office” (an inside look into what submissions look like on our end, and “Self Tapes That Book” (a class where CDs share winning self-tapes and point out the things that won them over). These $25 classes are ongoing and even help raise money for a different charity each month (yay!)

In late 2020, we introduced our first-ever Acting Retreat. Currently still in its virtual phase, The Acting Retreat is an immersive 2-day acting intensive where actors get the opportunity to learn from acting teachers who are considered the most prestigious in the world (some with waitlists over five years long!). Past teachers include Larry Moss, Bob Krakower, Howard Fine, Lesly Kahn & Margie Haber, to name just a few. Each year, TCDC hosts 2 Acting Retreats: one in January that focuses on drama and one over the summer that focuses on comedy.

Besides The Acting Retreat, our popular $25 niche classes, and demo reel help, we also offer career consultations. What makes us unique is the ability to choose which CD you’d like to consult with and how much time you’ll need. Career consultations can be as short as 20 minutes if you want to discuss a specific career question/issue or as long as an hour, where a CD will review self-tapes, demo reels, resumes, headshots, etc., and construct an individual game plan.

The future holds more of the above and (hopefully) an in-person (or at the very least) a hybrid in-person/online Acting Retreat!

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
1. Not everyone is going to like or agree with what you have to say, and that’s perfectly OK.
2. The higher you climb, the harder you fall (more success attracts more attention, both positive and negative), and that’s also OK.
3. Everything comes down to tone.
4. Work smart, not hard.
5. Kindness is everything.

Pricing:

• $49 (20 minute career consultation)
• $135 (60 minute career consultation)
• $160 (1 minute speed reel)
• $199 (1 genre, 1 standard reel)
• $345 (2 genres, 2 standard reels)

Contact Info:

• Website: www.TheCastingDirectorsCut.com
• Instagram: @TheCastingDirectorsCut
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecastingdirectorscut
• Twitter: @TCDCofficial
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@TheCastingDirectorsCut
• Other: www.RLcasting.com