Meet Leslie M. Greene of RtSE Casting Company in Downtown

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leslie M. Greene.

Leslie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have always wanted to work in film. When I was young, I would always see errors in movies, jump cuts, continuity issues, etc. My friends hated watching movies with me. Almost immediately, I knew that I wanted to work in film as an editor. I went to a state school in PA and got my BS in Mass Communications & PR and I loved every aspect of Mass Communications; radio, film and television.

I was hooked! I worked in television as a PA for a very popular television show at the time, but the entertainment industry in Philadelphia in the 90s was almost obsolete, so I went to NYC and applied and was hired at Merv Griffin Industries, but they didn’t pay enough for me to live in NYC at the time, so I left NY and returned to Philadelphia to work a normal job. I was miserable and I moved to Atlanta in 1996. I started connecting with up and coming artists, worked as an intern at Hot 97.5 under the leadership of Ryan Cameron, with Chaka and Chris Luva Luva, aka Ludacris.

During this time, I had a small marketing company, Raising the Standard Entertainment (RtSE) and I was working on major projects like Tyler Perry’s plays, Fantasia, Gerald Levert and many more concerts playing at the Fox and Civic Center. My work as a marketing professional got the ear of Rolling Out Magazine and they did a spotlight article on my company. While working in marketing, I was quickly able to amass an online database of more than 5,000 play and concert-goers.

I got a call from a friend who said that an indie film needed some extras and would I send the casting call out through my database. I said, “yes” and that led to me studying casting and opening the RtSE Casting Company in 2006.

Has it been a smooth road?
Although I absolutely love what I do, it hasn’t always been a smooth road, honestly, out of fear and lack of relationships, I got me a job and worked in corporate America full time and began casting film projects part-time. Over the years, my obstacles have changed. Initially, my challenges were indicative of lack of knowledge in the areas of casting, now they are more on the lines of “building great relationships” with in the industry.

To alleviate the concern for the lack of knowledge, I spoke with professionals in the industry and I enrolled in and graduated from the Master’s degree program at Full Sail University, where I majored in entertainment and minored in marketing. To alleviate the lack of relationships, I got more involved in local industry events, both in Atlanta and LA.

RtSE Casting Company – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My business is known for casting independent feature films, television pilots, commercials and so much more: Talent Booking, Producing, but at the end of the day, casting is my favorite.

I’m proud of so many things that relate to my company. The first being my stellar reputation from industry professionals, but what I am most proud of is the way my company is steadily growing and becoming not only more recognizable by actors and my peers. What sets RtSE Casting Company apart from others is our multi-diverse online talent database, our willingness and ability to teach and mentor talent and our unique and cool clothing line.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Atlanta is an amazing place for businesses like mine, as long as Georgia doesn’t eliminate or change the tax bill where it will hurt the influx of film and television projects. If someone were just starting out, I would definitely recommend them starting out here, but only if they had a plan and started working it before the made it to Atlanta.

I do believe that the city can work to help new business owners better maneuver and navigate the entrepreneur ecosystem better. Right now, I believe SCORE is an amazing resource.

Contact Info:

• Address: 400 West Peachtree Street
  Suite 4 – PMB 109
• Website: www.RtSECastingCompany.com
• Phone: 4049557807
• Email: rtsecasting@gmail.com

Image Credit:
The top 2 photos are credit @globalflopics

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