Local casting companies vie for a shot at the big leagues
February 3, 2012By Barrie Cohen
Premier Casting CEO Leo Daniels has created a business designed to cast and manage extras for films shooting in the Wilmington area. A former video game champion, Daniels has earned his success as a talent scout for the eastern North Carolina region.
He has partnered with Ho Sung-Pak, a martial arts stunt guru, to collaborate on several martial arts-related projects. Sung-Pak has worked in the film industry for decades as a stunt coordinator, providing his talents on the sets of the Ninja Turtles 2 movie as well as lending his skills in the Mortal Kombat video games series.
Daniels may have some competition when it comes to casting extras for Iron Man 3 however. Several local casting companies are vying for the opportunity to have their name associated with a major film. Hollywood East Casting has set its sights on Iron Man 3, hoping to add to its long list of productions.
Director of casting David Schifter has casted extras for many commercials, television shows and feature length productions such as James Cameron’s Bismarck and The Apprentice.
“Iron Man 3 is going to be a monumental job. The producers will be looking for a casting company best suited for the project, one that has done a project of that size before,” Shifter said.
The Iron Man franchise will spend about $80 million in the Wilmington area and is slated to create over 1,000 jobs for talent in the area.
“Everyone wants to be a part of a big thing like this. It’s what we grew up with and people love the stars in the movies,” Shifter said.
It is still undecided as to which casting company will be chosen for the project. Iron Man 3 is set to start filming in early May.
