Joey Paul Jensen is an award winning Casting Director, Movie Producer, Acting Coach, Motivational Speaker, and Peak Performance coach. She has been a driving force working with talent in Hollywood for over 20 years.
Joey has appeared as a speaker on Dr. Phil, E Entertainment, TLC Network, Access Hollywood, and The Biography Channel as an expert on self image, acting and pursuing show business.
Joey is an American entrepreneur. She is president of Omnia Entertainment, part of Omnia Global with offices in Switzerland and Los Angeles. She is also the president of JP Casting, a movie and television casting company in Hollywood for over 20 years.
Joey just completed the movie ORPHAN HORSE staring Jon Voight. Most notably, Joey co-produced and cast, the award winning SONY release of “Soul Surfer”. It is the famous story about how Bethany Hamilton overcame the struggle of losing her arm to a great white shark. Joey received the prestigious Artios Award for Casting Disney Channel’s “That’s So Raven” along with 12 other nominations which also includes the movie “Soul Surfer”. JP Casting is a casting company with over 70 feature film credits and more than 16 television series.
Since 1994, Joey has cast live action and animated movies and series for Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Discovery Kids, Hallmark, Fox, CBS, ABC, PBS, Lifetime, Syfy, Universal, and Sony.
Joey is an inspiring and energetic speaker working with kids/teens and professionals about their impact on others, social and emotional awareness, and what motivates our behavior! What is driving us? Joey likes to make small thinkers or big thinkers into even greater thinkers and inspire them to grow in exciting and creative ways.
She is a graduate from Disney’s own California Institute of The Arts and has taught there as well.
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Lorenzo (Q): What is your current occupation? How long have you been in your current position?
Jensen (A): I do many things in my current career. I am a producer, raising money for movies and projects. I am a casting director where I cast some of the projects I may produce and others I don’t produce but may only cast for TV and Film. I am an acting teacher, speaker, and a coach. I have been casting for almost 25 years, teaching for that long, coaching for that long, and producing since 2010 .
Lorenzo (Q): How did you get started?
Jensen (A): I got started because I was an actor. I had been acting since I was a kid, and a few years after college I went to a casting director workshop where I met a casting director who hired me as an actor. We became friends and she asked me to help in her office for what I thought would be a brief period of time. The company got a huge contract to do 4 shows a week and move to Universal Studios. They offered me a full time position in casting and the chance to cast my own shows. I really loved what I was doing so I decided to accept it. The company was at Universal for 5 years. After that I went out on my own and have had my own company ever since. I have never looked back and I love what I do.
Lorenzo (Q): Did you have any mentors or someone guiding you along the way?
Jensen (A): Kim Dorr was a the casting director who was the beacon of light who shined this magnificent opportunity out there for me to see. She definitely guided me. Kathy Henderson was a great casting director who also guided me.
Lorenzo: I ADORE KIM DORR, SHE WAS ACROSS THE HALL FROM ME AT UNIVERSAL FOR YEARS.
Lorenzo (Q): How important is it to study and private coach for auditions?
Jensen (A): I believe you should be a student forever. I consider myself a student and I never stop learning. That’s the best way to stay fresh and inspired as an artist and a craftsman. Since I teach acting, I am always making class something to challenge actors and make them grow with whatever they need to explore in their work. I believe in coaching for auditions because I think actors need it to stay in top shape. They need it to have another pair of eyes see what they are doing, even if they think they got it down! It’s important to check yourself with what you do with another pair of experienced eyes. Sometimes I coach actors because they fully need total prep. Other times I coach just to check their work and maybe help to polish it a bit and add nuance.
Lorenzo (Q): With all the rejection this business has, what keeps you going for your clients? What advice do you give your clients as they experience rejection?
Jensen (A): Rejection is awesome! It’s part of life. It’s a global world and it’s all about competition so it’s a part of the fabric of being in business. I have rejection even in my casting business. Every “no” is one step closer to a “yes”. Some rejection may be major disappointment and it’s hard to wait for things to happen but it’s important to put it in proper perspective. An actor or anyone in this business needs to be well rounded, so even though someones life is all about the business, there needs to be other things to fill their life. That’s part of the journey. If a person succeeds at figuring that out, then they know that the business is a piece of their life, not the entirety of their life.
Lorenzo (Q): What advice were you given when you were starting out that you can remember and share?
Jensen (A): The journey is the destination. No one job is the be and the end all. Don’t be in a hurry. It’s truly a process for a lifetime if you fully embrace it and don’t put expectations there that can set yourself up for failure. Set reasonable expectations for your own journey. Find mentors and friends who believe in you.
Lorenzo (Q): What piece of advice do you have for those just starting out?
Jensen (A): All of the above. Plus…..take class…learn, be a sponge. Develop your observation skills about life and use it in your work. Learn about business and not just the craft so you can become a strong business person. Become an influencer to drive your own brand and your own career so you don’t wait for someone to make it happen for you.
Lorenzo (Q): What is the biggest pet peeve you encounter from brand new talent when you meet them?
Jensen (A): That they think they should be farther along than they are. They have not done their homework to really understand how the business works.
Lorenzo (Q): What can you say to parents of children just starting out in this business? Things that parents do that are helpful, and things parents do that are harmful?
Jensen (A): Parents should help to guide their kids. Research new opportunities, keep informed about the business, read the trades. Make sure your kids are training, coaching, and following advice of agents and managers. Find good mentors. Be supportive of your child but don’t be too pushy. Know when to back off. Let a strong coach be the tougher voice when necessary rather than the parent telling the actor how to prepare or what to do in certain circumstances. The worst thing a parent can do is bribe their kid to go to an audition or bribe them to be in the business. Unfortunately, I have seen that more than I have wanted to. Parents should not coach on acting at all. Parents who tell their kid they are the most amazing is also annoying. (They also tell everyone else too.) They only see their own child and not the thousands we see. Also, listen to the right people. Other parents are not necessarily the best source of information.
Lorenzo (Q): Any last word of wisdom or something you would like to leave us with that can help someone starting out or someone struggling to keep going in this business?
Jensen (A): Being in show business is a process of self discovery, creativity, and enrichment. Seek out good relationships with people you can trust. The best assets of the business are the memories you create. Some memories are from the shows, classes, auditions, coaches, experiences, and jobs you get. Some are from the people who become a part of your life along the way. Cherish those people. The jobs, class, auditions, and experiences come and go. The people you meet can be an amazing treasure that defines your life in the most special ways. Learning the craft is about understanding relationships. The business is about relationships. The key to great success and excellent memories is relationships. It’s something to remember.
Joes Links:
Website
IMDB
IG
Joey’s links are:
IMDB
YouTube:
Casting Directors Advice to Actors ~ Joey Paul Jensen CSA interviewed by Joe Lorenzo/ Society Entertainment Joey Paul Jensen is an award winning Casting Director, Movie Producer, Acting Coach, Motivational Speaker, and Peak Performance coach.
