CROSSING 23

The SURROGATE, an independent film budgeted at $650,000 starring John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, and William H Macy received a special prize for “Best Ensemble Cast”, and walked away with the “US Dramatic Audience Award” at this year’s 2012 Sundance Film Festival, and was purchased for $6 million by Fox Searchlight.  Ronnie has proven once again the importance of encouraging directors as well as actors to take creative risks.  The film is due to be released in October.

After several years of casting new York Theatre RONNIE made her way to LA in the late 80’s working initially as casting director for the innovative LA THEATRE CENTER, which led to offers to cast films and tv. RONNIE’S experience in casting has lead to some of the most revered films in cinema history, most notable Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. She has worked with the highest caliber of directors in the film industry including Ken Loach, Steven Soderbergh, Gary Fleder, William Friedkin, Forest Whittaker, Paul Schrader, David Goyer and Burr Steers. Some of Ronnie’s favorite films are Igby Goes Down, Hope Floats, The Surrogate, Bread and Roses, Waking The Dead, Permanent Midnight, Bean, Things To Do in Denver When your Dead. And many TV pilots too many to mention. She has been responsible for casting some of the most successful long-running series including Steven Bochco and David Kelley’s L.A. Law and Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. Ronnie has a number of films soon to be released including the perfect family recently at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival. The Man who Shook The Hand of Vincente Fernandez and Montana Amazon.

Ronnie Yeskel is partnered with Sharon Howard-Field, who came to the US from England in 1990, accepting a contract to work WITH Marion Dougherty (VP Casting) at Warner Bros STUDIOS in LA as Director of Feature Casting, CASTING a number of studio films As WELL AS OVERSEEING CASTING FOR WB’s international productions.

Sharon’s career began in England casting for the Royal Shakespeare Company and AFTER 6 seasons and the successful run of “Nicholas Nickleby” LEFT to form her own casting company FOCUSING ON FILM AND TV, which coincided with the launching of Channel 4 commissioning projects that could be exhibited theatrically prior to being shown on TV – launching the careers of many well-known AND eclectic British film-makers working today – THIS WAS THE BEGINNING OF the UK’s independent film industry.  Sharon also broadened her horizons overseas casting large-scale mini-series for NBC, CBS, ABC and PBS, requiring her to cast in UK, Europe, Russia and Asia to film (Peter the Great, Noble House, Rocket to the Moon).

Sharon has cast over 70 feature films and television projects and continues to work internationally, maintaining long-term working relationships with a number of directors and producers.  Favorite projects include The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover, Merchant of Venice, Mao’s Last Dancer, Yellow Handkerchief, Grumpy – and Grumpier- Old Men, Shine and Peter the Great which took her to Russia for 9 months.

Sharon and Ronnie have numerous films in development scheduled to shoot 2012/13 in the US as well as overseas.  They enjoy casting all genres of entertainment – drama, comedy, period, as well as improvisation, AND BOTH AGREE THAT when the script is good, finding the right actors to bring the characters to life is one of the MOST EXCITING and challenging jobs to have.