Today we’d like to introduce you to Marisa Munoz.
Hi Marisa, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started out in the Entertainment Industry as a Dancer. I went to Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, CA pursuing a major in Graphic Design while continuing my dance career on the side. I left college after 2 and a half years for a one year full ride scholarship at a prestigious dance studio in Los Angeles ( Dupree Dance Academy at the time). As soon as I was done with my scholarship I signed with LA Talent’s dance division and started auditioning and booking project worldwide as a Dancer as well as Choreographer. I taught dance classes too. . I soon realized my body was not going to survive being a professional dancer for the rest of my life so I had to ask myself…what’s next? What would make my heart happy?
While working at a Restaurant in LA I was introduced to many people in the industry from Producers & Film makers to Stylists and Set designers. It was then that I decided to ask some regulars ( who also became very dear friends) if I could come along and see what the industry was like from their perspective. I volunteered as a PA and quickly made my way up to being a talent Coordinator/2nd AD. I then assisted a Prominent Beauty & Lifestyle Photographer( Peggy Sirota) as well as a well known Commercial Director ( David Duchovny). I helped them predominantly with their casting as they did projects with large numbers of talent and needed a right arm in the process. It was then that the world of Casting presented itself. While working with Peggy Sirota on her “Guess Who” coffee table book I received my first Casting Director request for a print campaign working with celebrity beauty photographer Matthew Rolston. That’s when M Casting Worldwide came to life over 20 years ago.
Being in front of the camera gave me one perspective and being behind the camera gave me a totally different view. I realized so many thins I didn’t know when I was auditioning on my own. I think that helped me become a slightly different kind of Casting Director from the get go.
When I was dancing and auditioning, I never felt like I was given enough direction when I walked into the room. Most of the timeI would just wing it. I thought, I wish I would have known how things looked from this angle when I was in front of the camera!
Auditioning was/is hard! After being belittled and having my soul crushed in front of a room filled with peers, especially as a dancer, I made a promise to myself to always be constructive as a Casting Director and to not ever put anyone down. Being in this industry is a persons passion and it generally comes from deep in their soul. I told myself I would not project negativity onto anyone. There’s no reason for it. Everyone has a dream and I prefer to help build people up rather than tear them down. Something I pride myself on to this day.
I’m a people person! I love faces, personalities, people’s passions, their dreams and their who they truly are at their core. Being in the world of Casting brings so many beautiful walks of life into my world every single day. Something I’m truly grateful for.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s been a fairly smooth road along the way. I have to say. I started M Casting in Los Angeles. In LA I was thriving and had a constant heavy work flow. I decided to make a change on a personal level to find some work/balance for myself and made my way to Nashville over 13 years ago. It was nothing like the City it is now back then. ( I just sounded old saying that…lol) Coming from a big city with a major market to the South East, at the time, was a big change for me and probably my biggest challenge. . Life was slower, business was slower. Everything had a different feel and different pace. I loved it and needed it! I just had to adjust. I knew I had to go with the flow, settle in and let time open doors for me and that’s exactly what happened. I needed to enjoy the slower pace and find balance personally and appreciate not being a machine career wise.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We are a full service Casting Company and Talent Development team working Nationwide. We have a home base in Los Angeles, Nashville and Mexico yet offer our services worldwide. We work in all aspects of the casting process from initial creative to finishing touches specializing in Commercials, Print, Music Videos and Film. We work with top Tier Celebrity Talent down to finding true authentic real people talent to bring our clients specific visions to life. We are female owned, Minority owned, bilingual and have been thriving as a business for over 25 years.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
Hmmm…if sticking with my passion for dance I would have to say one of my favorite childhood memories was in my later childhood years. Each summer my dance teacher would pick a couple of girls from the advances classes and invite them to Los Angeles for a week long retreat to take Dance class at a professional studio to give us a taste of what it was like to be in the professional world of Dance. The first summer I went was pure magic! I was in classes with dancers who were in Flashdance and Footloose and it was like a dream come true!! That lit a fire in my and quickly made me realize I had to do something professional with my skills.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mcasting.com
- Instagram: @mcastinginc
Image Credits
Aña Monique
