Industry Panel ▪︎ From Breakdown to Breakthrough: The Power of Casting in New York Film & Television

Your $20 Industry Panel Ticket also includes 1 Free Admission to an Almost Midnight Screening of your choice (subject to availability).

75 minutes @Asylum NYC

For the first time in Oscar history, casting directors will be formally recognized by the Academy Awards - placing a long overdue spotlight on one of the most influential forces in film and television. This timely panel brings together five of New York’s top casting directors to explore the power of casting within the city’s uniquely vibrant production ecosystem.

From discovering new talent and collaborating with filmmakers to navigating evolving industry models and the impact of streaming, the conversation reveals how New York–based casting shapes storytelling, careers, and culture across film, television, and theater. 

Stephen Battaglio ▪︎ Moderator

Stephen Battaglio writes about television and the media business for the Los Angeles Times out of New York. His coverage of the television industry has appeared in TV Guide, the New York Daily News, the New York Times, Fortune, the Hollywood Reporter, Inside.com and Adweek. He is also the author of three books about television, including a biography of pioneer talk show host and producer David Susskind.

Rori Bergman ▪︎ Panelist

Rori is a 7-time Artios Award nominated Casting Director for her work on projects that include FX’s The Americans, Tamara Jenkins’ Private Life, and Steven Spielberg’s The Post. Her film credits with longtime friend and collaborator Jeanne McCarthy include Nicole Holofcener’s You Hurt My Feelings, The Land of Steady Habits and Please Give and the Charlie Kaufman films I’m Thinking of Ending Things and Synecdoche, New York. Additional films alongside Jeanne McCarthy: Eileen, I Care a Lot, Rough Night, The Half of It, Begin Again, and Foxcatcher. Additional television credits: Power: Origins, The Hunting Party, The Last Frontier, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, Run the World, Living With Yourself, Strangers, and Baz Luhrmann’s The Get Down, among others. Select film credits: A Complete Unknown (NY Casting), Happiness for Beginners, Retribution, Turn Me On, The Young Wife, Come Play, Every Day, and the upcoming films You Deserve Each Other, Don’t Say Good Luck, and The Body is Water. Rori was born & raised in New Jersey, attended Cornell University, and resides in New York City. She is a proud member of Casting Society & Theatrical Teamsters Local 817.

Kate Geller ▪︎ Panelist

Kate is a NY-based Casting Director. Recent film credits include:  Oh, Hi! (with Molly Gordon and Logan Lerman, SUNDANCE 2025), Chili Finger (with Judy Greer, John Goodman, Sean Astin and Bryan Cranston), Into the Sky (w/Sam Richardson, Sofia Black-D’Elia, and David Cross),  Idiotka (SXSW 2025), Fucktoys (SXSW 2025), Omni Loop (SXSW 2024, Artios Nomination), Bob Trevino Likes It  (SXSW 2024 Narrative and Audience Award winner), Cold Wallet  (SXSW 2024), On the End (with Tim Blake Nelson), Barron’s Cove (with Garrett Hedlund), Cora Bora (with Meg Stalter, SXSW 2023), Molli and Max in the Future (SXSW 2023), The Good Half (with Nick Jonas, Tribeca 2023), The Secret Art of Human Flight (Tribeca 2023), Somewhere Quiet  (Tribeca 2023), The Front Room (A24), Drugstore June  (with Esther Povitsky), Materna (Tribeca 2020), Nine Days (Sundance 2020), and Shiva Baby (SXSW 2020, John Cassavetes Winner, Artios Winner)

Amy Devra Gossels ▪︎ Panelist

During Amy's 25+ years in the industry, she has cast more than 1500 commercials and has been the casting director, and in many cases a producer, for more than 100 film and television productions. Feature film credits include Nancy Meyers’ Something’s Gotta Give, Godfrey Reggio’s Visitors and Joe Maggio’s Milk & Honey, short films she has cast and/or produced include Student Academy Award winner and Sundance Honoree Zen and the Art of Landscaping and television credits include The Daily Show with Jon Steward and Trevor Noah, HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and Comedy Central’s Night of Too Many Stars. She’s also a passionate, highly sought after educator who regularly teaches sold out Masterclasses for prestigious organizations including the SAG-AFTRA Foundation and Conservatory and NYWIFT, as well as her own Signature On-Camera Intensive Series, which she offers a couple of times a year by invitation.

Gayle Keller ▪︎ Panelist

An independent New York casting director who has worked for the past 25 years casting television and film. Some recent film credits include - The Mastermind, Poetic License, Showing Up (2024 winner of the Independent Spirit award for Casting), Certain Women, The Big Sick, Hustlers ( Artios nomination for Comedy Feature Casting), First Cow, The King of Staten Island, The Bubble, Problemista, Please Don’t Destroy and Babes. Some tv credits include - Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Bored To Death, Louie (nominated for two Emmys), Inside Amy Schumer, At Home With Amy Sedaris, Crashing, What We Do In The Shadows (nominated for Emmy and won Artios for Best TV Comedy series), Betty, Flatbush Misdemeanors, Life & Beth, Big Door Prize,Fantasmas and The Chair Company. A proud member of CSA, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences,the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and Local 817.

Julie Schubert ▪︎ Panelist

Julie Schubert is an Emmy Award–winning and Artios-nominated casting director known for her keen eye for talent and her ability to assemble authentic, compelling ensembles across film and television.  Respected for her instinct and collaborative spirit, she is widely regarded as a trusted creative partner by filmmakers, producers, and networks.  Her credits include The Diplomat, Under the Bridge, House of Cards, which earned her an Emmy for Outstanding Casting, as well as Marvel’s Daredevil, Marvel’s Jessica Jones, Mindhunter, as well as features such as the award-winning Night Comes On, Fifty Shades Darker, Fifty Shades Freed and Confessions of a Shopaholic.   Julie continues to contribute to projects that prioritize originality, diversity, and powerful human stories and her work reflects a deep commitment to discovering emerging talent while also pairing established artists with roles that challenge expectations.  Julie was born in Philadelphia, attended New York University and currently resides in New York City.