• by Larissa Faw , September 15, 2014

Ad agencies have a new resource to find talent for their TV commercials. Audio post-production company Sound Lounge has just launched Sidecar, an in-house, on-camera arm of Sound Lounge’s casting division focused primarily on the advertising industry.

Sidecar will serve as a one-stop shop for all casting needs—giving dedicated direction, hand-selecting talent and bringing a fresh perspective to the casting breakdown. Resources include an in-house chef (hey, you gotta eat), studios for client callbacks, and producers and staff. 

The unit will be led by newly hired on-camera casting director Anthony Pichette and Sound Lounge’s veteran voice-over casting director Carrie Faverty. Pichette’s experience includes casting for major brands such as Coke, Nintendo Wii, Olive Garden and Six Flags. Pichette also assisted in-house casting departments at networks such as Nickelodeon, Sci-Fi, Food Network, Spike and MTV. Meanwhile, Faverty has cast voiceovers for TV and radio commercials, web content and digital apps, as well as for webisodes, animated pilots, narrations, and promos.

“Given Sound Lounge’s larger role within the advertising community and the relationships we’ve cultivated throughout the years, launching Sidecar was the best way for us utilize our network and deliver the best talent to match our clients visions and needs,” said Faverty.

Although Sidecar is concentrating on advertising clients right now, it is likely the unit will eventually expand into TV and movie casting. "I have already been approached to work on two webisodes/online series," says Pichette. "I wasn't expecting it a first, but a couple of producers asked me if I would help them on their projects. I have helped cast for TV and film before and have found that knowing the commercial talent only increases the scope of actors you have access to for your audition. Many actors who you see in commercials are also in TV and film projects so the talent base overlaps significantly."