Meet Becky Wu of Orange Street Casting in Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Becky Wu.

Becky, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started my journey as a Casting Director by helping out a friend who was shorthanded and worked the lobby as a monitor in a commercial casting office. I was just filling in. I’ve asked a lot of Casting Directors in the past what brought them into casting, 80% of them said to me that it fell into their laps. I’m also an actor myself and would attend workshops and when these CDs would say they “stumbled upon it” or it “fell into their laps” I always wondered how something like that could even happen. Well, here we are a decade later and I can truly say, “It fell into my lap!” I started as a fill-in and within a month, moved my way to becoming a partner at a casting office. Talk about the right place at the right time. The casting process was very intuitive for me as I’ve been on the other side of the camera for so many years. I worked at that office for 4 1/2 years and then started Orange Street Casting in April of 2017 and have been so incredibly lucky to have a successful and fun business/career that allows me to still act regularly and create my own bliss. It’s amazing how life can create lemonade when you didn’t even know you had lemons!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
If there is ease in my profession, it’s because I love what I do but I wouldn’t say it’s been easy. I’ve never been partners or owned my own business when I became a partner at my previous casting office and had a huge crash course in business 101. I threw things against walls and hoped that they would stick. I helped that previous office grow exponentially and it became very difficult to keep up with the demand unless we expanded. In March of 2017, my previous partner and I decided to part ways and I was terrified to start Orange Street Casting. To venture on my own was a scary thing but it was the best thing that has ever happened to me. It really taught me a lesson about hardship and the amazing community I have around me. It’s not beneficial to dwell on the “why did this happen?” but to focus on the “how can I come out of this bigger, better, stronger?” That mindset will always lead you in a direction to thrive out of any hardship.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Orange Street Casting story. Tell us more about the business.
Orange Street Casting focuses mainly on commercial casting. We cast commercials, promos, music videos, film, industrials, print, web and new media projects. What I am most proud of is my team of amazing professionals that have heart and soul in this seemingly cold and ruthless industry. I’m also proud of our relationships we have built with amazing talent, production offices, directors, advertising agencies, agents, managers that I can call friends in this industry. I am very much an actors casting director. I’m very adamant with my staff about being respectful to not only our clients but to all talent that walks through our doors. To have them understand an actor’s journey and process, how many auditions they may have had that day and needing to be “ON” at the drop of a hat is truly a skill and takes so much focus. Being an actor is emotionally and can be physically demanding so creating a warm and inviting environment is so important to me and what represents OSC.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I would say luck plays about 1/3 part in my life and business. You know how the saying goes…”Luck meets preparation = opportunity.” That’s mostly true for me but I have been blessed with the gift of service. I love making people happy, helping them wherever I can, being selfless and always rooting for others. Yes, that sometimes leaves me forgetting about myself, but there is no other joy for me than to be of services to others and that has played a great role in my luck. I don’t do it so I can have good luck but I do it because it truly fulfills me. To know that something I did put a smile on someone’s face. Gives me all the feels!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.orangestreetcasting.com
• Email: orangestreetcasting@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orangestreetcasting/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/orangestreetcasting

Image Credit:
Image credits are Kane Lieu, TheEmmaExperience, Becky Wu, Mowgli; Subject images OSC Team: Kane Lieu, Christian Anaid Salas, YJ Gold, Annamaria Ezechiels. Andrew Gerde(assisstant) giving explanation during a casting session. contortionist musicians are Bonnie Morgan and Mercy Malick. ladies sitting/waiting. Kathy Wu, Junko Goda, Amy Tsang, Christina Lee

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