or


[06/15/06 - 12:00 AM]
NBC Entertainment and NBC Universal Television Studio Announce New Executive Casting Assignments

[via press release from NBC]

NBC ENTERTAINMENT AND NBC UNIVERSAL TELEVISION STUDIO ANNOUNCE NEW EXECUTIVE CASTING ASSIGNMENTS

Grace Wu Becomes Senior Vice President, Casting, NBC Entertainment, While Steven O'Neill Is Named as Vice President, Casting, NBC Universal Television Studio

Emmy Award-winning Casting Director Jennifer McNamara Becomes Vice President, Casting, NBC Entertainment in New York; Casting Executive Brian Dorfman Also Joins NBC as Vice President, Casting, NBC Entertainment, in Burbank.

BURBANK/UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. � June 15, 2006 � Grace Wu has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Casting, NBC Entertainment, while veteran NBC casting executive Steven O'Neill has been named to take Wu's former position as Vice President, Casting, NBC Universal Television Studio.

In other NBC casting department changes, Emmy Award-winning casting director Jennifer McNamara ("Sex and the City") will become Vice President, Casting, NBC Entertainment in New York � O'Neill's former assignment � while ABC Entertainment/Touchstone Television casting executive Brian Dorfman also joins NBC as Vice President, Casting, NBC Entertainment, in Burbank.

The announcements were made today by Marc Hirschfeld, Executive Vice President, Casting, NBC Entertainment, and Nancy Perkins, Senior Vice President, Casting, NBC Universal Television Studio.

Hirschfeld spoke of Wu, McNamara and Dorfman:

"I'm excited to have Grace Wu returning to the network after her two-year stint at NBC Universal Studio. During the NBC Universal integration, Grace demonstrated her creativity and leadership skills under Nancy Perkins. As my Senior Vice President, she will be supervising the day-to-day casting on both the NBC current series as well as being network casting exec for USA and SCI FI projects. She'll also work closely with me and the network development team as we head into pilot season.

"It was a real coup to have landed Jen McNamara as my new Vice President of Casting at NBC New York. She is one of the best and most well-respected casting directors currently working there. She did a terrific job casting our new '30 Rock' pilot starring Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin, and she'll continue to cast the series in addition to supervising casting of the 'Law & Order' dramas, 'Kidnapped' and 'The Black Donnellys,' as well as finding and auditioning new emerging talent on the East Coast.

"I've always respected Brian Dorfman's work at ABC/Touchstone and I'm thrilled he's joining our NBC West Coast team as Vice President Casting. He's got impeccable taste in talent, strong management skills and great relationships with agents, managers and talent. I really feel like I've assembled my 'Dream Team.'"

Said Perkins of O'Neill and Wu: "Like the whole community, I'm delighted to have Steven back in Los Angeles and can't wait to work side by side with him. And as much as I'll miss having Grace at the studio I'm happy we'll get to keep working together when she's back at the network. How lucky am I?"

Wu will report to Hirschfeld. Prior to becoming Vice President of Casting for NBC Universal Television Studio, Wu was appointed Director of Casting, NBC Entertainment, in October 2000 and earlier served as Manager in 1999. During her network term, she supervised casting for "Friends," "3rd Rock from the Sun," "Just Shoot Me," "NewsRadio," "Ed" and "Freaks & Geeks."

Previously, while at Liberman-Hirschfeld Casting Agency, Wu worked on casting for "Seinfeld," "MadTV" and "The Larry Sanders Show."

O'Neill, who reports to Perkins, will be responsible for overseeing all of the studio's vast network and cable television projects.

O'Neill returns to the West Coast after nine years in New York as Vice President, Casting, where his duties included oversight of network, studio and cable channel casting on the East Coast. After joining NBC in 1993 as a Manager, Casting, he was promoted to Director one year later before heading to New York. Earlier in his career, he was a casting executive at Touchstone Television and began as a casting assistant at the CBS network in New York.

McNamara, a two-time Emmy winner for her work casting the fourth and fifth seasons of "Sex and the City," reports to Hirschfeld. She also has served as casting director on NBC's new Fall comedy "30 Rock" (starring Tina Fey), "The Street," "Hope & Faith," among others.

In addition, McNamara has been casting director for many feature films, including "Boys Don't Cry," "Gone Baby Gone" (New York casting), "Mr. Gibb," "Southern Belles" (which she also produced), "Thumbsucker" (New York casting), "Super Troopers" and "Unconditional Love." She also worked as a casting associate on "The Cider House Rules," "Shakespeare in Love" and "Good Will Hunting."

Dorfman comes to NBC from ABC Entertainment/Touchstone Television, where he has been Vice President, Casting for Comedy, since July 2002. He also will report to Hirschfeld. While at ABC, Dorfman also was Executive Director of casting for Comedy.

Prior to his tenure at ABC, Dorfman served as a Casting Director at Warner Bros. Television, where he worked on the comedy "Two of a Kind and "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" Earlier, he served at the studio on staff as an associate casting director on the series pilots for "Trinity" and "The Adversaries." He began at Warner Bros. as a casting coordinator from 1996-97.





  [june 2006]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· 30 ROCK (NBC)
· ED (NBC)
· FREAKS & GEEKS (NBC)
· FRIENDS (NBC)
· HOPE & FAITH (ABC)
· JUST SHOOT ME (NBC)
· SEX AND THE CITY (HBO)
· STREET, THE (FOX)
· WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY? (CW)





[02/22/25 - 08:09 AM]
"Portobello," from Marco Bellocchio, Debuts on Max in 2026
Max has announced its first Italian scripted original production.

[02/21/25 - 02:45 PM]
4 Nations Face-Off: Canada-USA Championship Game Delivers 9.3 Million Viewers; ESPN's Largest Hockey Audience Ever
The telecast peaked with 10.4 million viewers and was the most-viewed non-NFL event ever on ESPN+.

[02/21/25 - 11:22 AM]
New Vice Series "The Grudge" Premieres on March 26
Taking viewers inside sports' fiercest rivalries, where every game is more than a contest - it's a battle for pride, redemption, and legacy.

[02/21/25 - 10:15 AM]
"High Potential" Finishes Spectacular First Season Hitting Series Highs
In addition, "High Potential" achieved a remarkable benchmark for the finale episode, earning a series high on streaming and becoming ABC's best drama episode ever, based on seven-day views on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.

[02/21/25 - 10:00 AM]
FOX's "The Quiz with Balls" Hosted by Jay Pharoah Rolls Into Season Two with Renewal of Hit Game Show
The popular game show pits brains against balls, combining a high stakes quiz show and a large-scale physical competition with each episode featuring two families competing for $100,000 in an epic "battle of the balls."

[02/21/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "CHAOS: The Manson Murders" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Directed by Errol Morris, the film untangles a web of conspiracy involving the CIA, LSD, Jack Ruby, the Manson Family, and Vincent Bugliosi, casting doubt on the official story of the 1960s' most infamous killing spree.

[02/21/25 - 08:00 AM]
"The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim" Begins Streaming Exclusively on Max February 28
Set 183 years before the events chronicled in the original trilogy of films, "The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim" tells the fate of the House of Helm Hammerhand, the legendary King of Rohan.

[02/21/25 - 12:01 AM]
Video: Netflix Unveils the Premiere Date and First Look of Dome Karukoski's "Little Siberia"
A pastor's faith turns upside down when a meteorite lands in his small Finnish town, its impact stirring up chaos and criminal intentions.

[02/20/25 - 04:01 PM]
Video: "When Life Gives You Tangerines" - Official Trailer - Netflix
In Jeju, a spirited girl and a steadfast boy's island story blossoms into a lifelong tale of setbacks and triumphs - proving love endures across time.

[02/20/25 - 04:01 PM]
Fremantle Announces "Neighbours" Will Be Resting from December 2025
"As this chapter closes, we appreciate and thank Amazon MGM Studios for all that they have done for 'Neighbours' - bringing this iconic and much-loved series to new audiences globally," said Jason Herbison.

[02/20/25 - 04:01 PM]
ESPN Statement on Decision to Opt Out of Major League Baseball Deal
"We are grateful for our longstanding relationship with Major League Baseball and proud of how ESPN's coverage super-serves fans," said the company.

[02/20/25 - 01:22 PM]
Lifetime Announces Two New Original Movies for This Spring
Look for "Taken at a Basketball Game," starring D.B. Woodside and Claire Qute, on March 15; followed by "Wife Stalker," starring Keshia Knight Pulliam, on March 29.

[02/20/25 - 01:01 PM]
Leighton Meester to Guest Star in "Nobody Wants This" Season 2
She'll be playing Kristen Bell's middle school nemesis who Joanne crosses paths with as an adult.

[02/20/25 - 12:30 PM]
Hulu Renews Hit Drama Series "Paradise," from Dan Fogelman and Starring Sterling K. Brown, for a Second Season
Following the season one finale on Hulu on March 4, "Paradise" will air a full first season run on ABC beginning Monday, April 7 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

[02/20/25 - 12:00 PM]
Feature Documentary on Popular Dutch Actor Rutger Hauer "Like Tears in Rain" Makes Exclusive US Debut Thursday, March 13, 2025 on Viaplay
Through private, never-before-seen footage and candid interviews with family, friends and colleagues, his goddaughter Sanna Fabery de Jonge uncovers his intimate world in the revealing, acclaimed documentary.