Testimonials
“Working with Sophia allowed us to cast locally – something that was imperative to our story. She was able to utilize non-traditional casting call methods, evaluating students from schools and neighborhoods nearby the real facilities CHICKEN was based on. But above all, Sophia had a really good eye for identifying non-actors who had untapped potential. Especially during our callbacks, Sophia understood exactly which behaviors to watch out for and evaluate. The two young leads we ended up casting were both first-time actors, and Sophia’s comprehensive casting process ultimately allowed us to move swiftly and provided ample time for rehearsal. One of our leads even decided to pursue acting at NYU, later – a testament to the potential that she was able to identify in him, while he was in high school.”
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
— Josh Leong, Director of ‘Chicken’
“We were so very lucky to have Sophia cast our short film. She took initiative from the get-go and used her vast network to compile hundreds of self-tape auditions from both union and non-union talent to find us the best-suited performers. Handling a high volume of communication with the many actors, she then made it very easy to quickly schedule in-person auditions. Many of our film’s scenes were also only brought to life with the crowds of background actors she found for us, which she did facing very tight deadlines. With her network, organization, fast responses, and effort she pours into each casting, Sophia makes herself an invaluable asset to any project and we can’t wait to work with her again!”
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
— Jaap Deinum and Alex Rosales, Producer and Director of ‘Death of a Puppet’
“Sophia Hiller is a great casting director. I have now worked with Sophia on two short films, and she found the perfect cast members for each project. Her process is streamlined and her work is thorough. Sophia makes casting an easier process for directors and producers — she is detail-oriented and keeps every casting element organized in a project folder that is easy to navigate. Anyone can trust that with Sophia, every step of the casting journey will be smooth, allowing directors to focus on actors’ performances rather than logistics and allowing producers to focus on other areas of pre-production. She handles all of the communications with the cast, including posting casting calls, outreach, coordinating self-tapes, scheduling auditions, and offering roles, and she ensures all of the documents you need from your actors are received. She is also great at recommending actors and actresses for certain roles. Sophia is always a pleasure to work with, and I would highly recommend her to anybody looking for an experienced and dedicated casting director for their next project.”
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
— Maddy Freeman, Director of ‘He Made His Bed’
“Sophia is hands-down the best casting director I’ve worked with so far. Her professionalism and dedication in providing the best, as well as her unmatched intuition for picking the right person for the story makes her an extremely welcome addition to any creative team. Having her cast for my projects led not only to better crafted projects, but also the creation of life-long connections. Always available and always providing a vast number of options, Sophia is someone I would highly recommend for casting.”
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
— Bryan Yanbing Lee, Director of ‘Empathy Man’
“Working with Sophia changed the filmmaking experience for me. Casting is one of the most important aspects of directing, which can make it extremely difficult to find the right people. I’ve mostly cast on my own, but working with Sophia was such a professional, streamlined experience from casting leads to a large amount of extras. I’d definitely recommend working with her.”
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
— Camryn Garrett, Director of ‘Easy Way Out’
“Sophia Hiller’s work as the casting director for Irrational was invaluable to the film’s success. The project required a very large cast with very specific and unique talents, and Sophia was able to find a great fit for every role. She ran every audition smoothly and efficiently, communicated effectively with me as well as the actors, and provided valuable insights into which actors might be a good fit for each role. She was incredibly organized and professional, and I’ve never had a smoother or more successful casting process than when I worked with her.”
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
— Jake Wichansky, Director of ‘Irrational’
“Sophia dove into the casting process immediately and the ball was rolling. And after many successful auditions lined up by Hiller Casting, I was so happy to have found the perfect co-star to my film and so many fantastic ensemble cast members that stylistically met my world and were amazing to work with.”
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
— Natalia Ferrara, Director of ‘You Are Not a Bother Electric Woman’