MEET
Our Team
With over 20 years of experience, Ilona's proven ability to discover rising talent, successfully book notable talent by leveraging good relationships with top agencies worldwide, negotiate and advocate for both productions and performers while remaining mindful of budgets and union rules, and neatly handle the tightest deadlines, has led to the successful casting of over 200 projects. As a regular guest speaker, Ilona has been able to share her experience in casting and entrepreneurship worldwide, and as a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion she has served as a mentor for the Reelworld Screen Institute’s Diversity Initiative and the Black Theatre Workshop Artist Mentorship Program. Ilona Smyth is a Casting Society of America member & Casting Director Society of Canada Executive Member.
Ilona Smyth, CSA
Casting Director, Founder & CEO
Kelsie developed a passion for film and television by experiencing the excitement of working on film sets through background opportunities provided by Smyth Casting, as well as attending multiple workshops with industry professionals. After studying Theatre at York University Kelsie realized that despite her love of performing, she was equally enthralled by the behind the scenes aspects of the film industry and made it a goal to delve more into it. Kelsie began working at Smyth Casting in 2018 and has been closely mentored by Ilona Smyth, CSA/CSC. Kelsie has assisted in both principal and background casting for dozens of film, television and commercial projects.
Kelsie Winsor
Background Casting Associate
A graduate of Algonquin College's Advertising and Scriptwriting programs, Matt's keen sense for storytelling artfully breaks down characters and scripts, and he has now assisted in both principal and background casting for over 100 projects. His experience in casting and communications keeps production partners and the Smyth Casting community informed as new challenges and opportunities arise in the industry. In between emails, you can find him rolling natural 20's at the D&D table or walking the parks of Ottawa with his dog Zuko.
Matthew Goudie
Principal Casting Associate
Cayden has always held a deep love for storytelling in all its forms from a young age and has explored a variety of mediums over the years. They have a degree in Film & Digital photography, Animation, Radio, TV Broadcasting, communications, and Cinema from CEGEP John Abbott College where they studied under award-winning directors, animators, and photographers. Prior to joining Smyth Casting they were a Programmatic Coordinator who worked on a variety of successful provincial and national marketing campaigns for multiple top companies. Since joining Smyth Casting in May 2024 they have assisted in background casting for numerous productions and have provided additional assistance with principle casting. Cayden is a proudly queer nonbinary person who believes in representation for all and is committed to diverse casting and increasing diversity in the film industry. They are always up for an adventure and if they are not at their desk casting you can find them running D&D games, exploring the Laurentians, catching a local Montréal or Ottawa concert, or hunting for the perfect thrifted piece in your local thrift shop.
Cayden Provencal
Casting Assistant
Following her art degree from Laurentian University, Kelly Lamb began her career in background casting. Her initial experience involved casting over 100 background performers for the feature film "Country Crush", which was partially filmed in Sudbury. In her early background work, Kelly also managed background actors on the television show "Hard Rock Medical". More recently, she contributed to the background casting for two feature films shot in Northern Ontario: "The Royal Chen Jones" filmed in North Bay, and "Rever En Neon" film in Sudbury. Kelly is pleased to offer her services in both English and French, as she is fully bilingual. Lastly, she has an office located in Sudbury where producers can meet and discuss their production needs in-person.
Kelly Lamb
Casting Director
Starting in Theatre as a child, the entertainment arts have always been a very big part of Rizzo's life. Fast forward some years and after starting a family, she realized something was missing in her life. She found her first film set in 2017 as a background performer and knew immediatley that she was "home". As her love of film and all things production flourished, she found herself becoming part of the crew. Background Wrangler, Set PA, 4th AD, Casting assistant, costumes, and even craft services are just a few of her titles. Consistantly proving herself an invaluable member of production, she is very well known in the Northern Ontario film crew family.
Rizzo Jeppesen
Casting Assistant & Background Liaison
With over 20 years of experience casting for film, television, & commercial, Smyth Casting has spent decades building connections with the world's top talent agencies and scouring for the best in upcoming talent — both in Canada and internationally.
With projects successfully cast from Toronto, to Albuquerque and Serbia, our expertise will build your perfect cast for projects of any size, every time.
OUR
Services
Principal Casting
Smyth casting has provided principal casting from lead roles helping to secure financing, to local actor roles and everything in between. Smyth has cast worldwide and is in good standing with all actor unions (ACTRA, SAG, UDA) and has a great working relationship with top agencies worldwide including CAA, WME, UTA, and more. Feature films, network TV shows, national commercials, corporate videos, and live events — we've done it all. If interested in booking and hiring us to cast your next project please contact us and we will be happy to quote you.
BOOK AN APPOINTMENTWorkshops
We provide workshop opportunities for advanced, intermediate and beginner actors, ranging from ages 6 and up. We have offered a variety of workshops all over the world including; Introduction to the business, Audition process for beginners, Dialect workshops, Introduction to acting for film and television for kids and adults, and Intro to the film business for parents.
VIEW WORKSHOPSCoaching
Ilona Smyth, CSA offers one-on-one coaching sessions via Zoom or in person. Ilona has coached many successful actors and helped them secure booking some of the largest roles in their career to date. Coaching includes character development, re-envisioning and breakdown of the sides, and aiding in making you feel more comfortable with your character choices. Coaching availability dependent on Ilona’s schedule and services do not guarantee booking. Smyth Casting does not offer coaching services to projects being cast by Smyth Casting. If interested, please visit the coaching tab or email coaching@smythcasting.com.
BOOK AN APPOINTMENTBackground Casting
Interested in working as a background performer in Ottawa and surrounding areas? You can sign up at backgroundwork.com* for access to all of our background casting breakdowns and more with the freedom to submit for roles on your own schedule. All opportunities are paid.
*Signing up at backgroundwork.com does not guarantee you work but does give you open access to apply.