Some people say casting is in their blood, but for Arizona casting director Bella Hibbs, that’s the truth.
The daughter of casting director Faith Hibbs-Clark, Bella followed in her mother’s footsteps and is now one of the biggest and most successful casting directors in the American Southwest. Her company, Good Faith Casting, specializes in commercial and print work, but she’s taking on more indie films.
As Arizona starts to attract more film projects, Hibbs is become a casting director to watch. One of the indie films she has cast, the based-on-a-true-story drama Another in the Fire, hits theaters on September 1. She spoke to us from her office in Phoenix.
Insights From Bella Hibbs
- Actors should focus on showcasing their unique qualities instead of trying to guess what casting directors or directors want.
- Building genuine relationships and being open to diverse roles can help actors stand out, especially in regional markets with smaller talent pools.
- Embrace local opportunities like indie films, commercials and print work to gain experience and get noticed by casting directors expanding in growing markets.
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How did you get into casting?
I’m a second-generation casting director, so I joke that I’ve been casting my whole life.
I’d often be in my mom’s studio doing homework while she conducted auditions. Then, in college, I had a job I hated, but I needed money, so I said, “Hey, Mom, can I come work at your office?”
It was supposed to be temporary, and then one day, we were doing a huge casting for Peter Piper Pizza, which is kind of like Chuck E. Cheese. My mom had to run down to the restroom, but didn’t want to disrupt the schedule. I told her I’d been in the studio listening, so I’ll just keep it going. I ran my first little audition, and she came back and said, “You know, if you want to do this, I’ll train you.”
That was 10 years ago, and now I’m the owner of Good Faith Casting.
What was it about casting that attracted you?
I love the creativity. Even when working with the same director or client, it’s constantly changing.
We’re discovering new faces and new talent, and now that I’ve progressed in my career, I love seeing actors make that big leap from starting in a local commercial to landing their first guest star or co-star role. It always amazes me when people truly pursue their dreams. When I see someone do that, I find it so inspiring.
I know you work on a lot of indie films in Arizona and New Mexico, but are most of your projects local commercials and productions?
Arizona is a lot more commercial and print. We’ve just received our tax incentives for film and television, but that’s a slow burn. We don’t have a studio yet, so most of our projects require filming on location.
Since half the year is extremely hot, we’re still experiencing some growing pains. However, as the studios are built, I see Arizona becoming a hub. Before, we were a flyover state, and people went to New Mexico with their incentive. That’s why we started casting out there, to get a piece of that action on the theatrical side.
Albuquerque doesn’t have a commercial market at all, whereas in Arizona, two hours north, you have snow mountains. Two hours south, you have the dunes and the border. We have quite a few large commercial clients choosing to film in Arizona, and we also host Major League Baseball for spring training.
Currently, we’re probably 70% commercial print and 30% theatrical, but hopefully, as the tax incentive matures, we’ll see more. Creatively, my heart is on the theatrical side, where I get to tell original stories.
I imagine there’s something comforting about being one of the bigger names in town, as the local circumstances change and more projects will start coming your way.
One hundred percent. Even with the pendulum swing of our industry as a whole, being a regional casting director, all I know is how to hustle. I’m doing short films. I’m working on indie projects because that’s where I’m able to discover new talent.
For many years now, when productions do come, especially from studios and networks, there’s a little trepidation about whether the local market can handle it. I was able to work on an HBO pilot, and they were wonderful, but the interview process was very long because they thought they might need to bring someone in from LA. Luckily, I was able to do it, and they were so happy.
Sometimes it’s having to show someone, “Hey, I’ve put the reps in. I’m ready for this.” Hopefully, as they arrive, they’ll see that and have confidence that not only can I deliver, but the talent here can too.
What are some challenges for a regional casting director that we wouldn’t necessarily think of?
Being in a regional market, we have a significantly smaller talent pool. When I cast in LA, I get the pick of whatever I want. I have backups upon backups. Not so much here, where I’m boots on the ground.
I’m going to the showcases. I go to pageants. I even go to dance competitions. I’m constantly looking for fresh, new faces and showing them a pathway into the industry.
In LA, I post a casting call and I’m going to get 3,500 submissions. In Arizona, the number is perhaps 300 or 400, depending on the role, and it’s 50/50 whether they have an agent, as they still have a day job and aren’t sure if they’ll pursue this full-time. For me, it’s building those relationships, and because of that, I get to know talent better.
Our second biggest challenge is when they hire an LA casting director to cast in a regional market because they are unsure if a local person can handle it or has the necessary experience. Sometimes it’s just about overcoming the fact that people don’t know we have talent here and showing them that we have a pretty good infrastructure. It’s smaller, but we still have it.
Can you tell me a little about the psychology of constantly being on that hustling hamster wheel? I imagine it’s exhausting.
Well, it is. (Laughs) However, because I originally thought I would go into advertising and marketing, which is kind of my superpower, I lean into it. I’m very active on social media. Some people might think I’m trying too hard, and I always tell them, “Yeah, I am.”
As a regional casting director, I sometimes feel like I’m doing more than a casting director in LA does, and no shame to them; It’s just a different market. I go out to LA and I shoot with LA photographers so that when people go to my website, it has an LA vibe. That way, clients already feel like, “Okay, there’s some professionalism here.”
I’m networking a lot. I’m planting seeds and attending events. I’m sending out mailers and cold calling. I created a brand video to show who I am and what I do. I am a professional. I’m here to work. Let’s get creative.
It’s very much a long game of building those relationships and nurturing them, so that way, once they do have something shooting locally, I’m hopefully at the top of their mind, and they know I’ll be able to do it.
Seeing so many people as you do, what piece of advice or wisdom would you give to somebody coming in to audition for you?
Stop trying to guess what casting wants. Stop trying to guess what the director wants, what the client wants, and what the ad agency wants and instead show us what you have to offer.
I think actors most often are coming from the opposite perspective of, “Oh my God. What does Bella want?” We don’t know. We have an idea sometimes, but on every film, I’ll have a director say they want X, Y and Z, and I’ll just bring in an opposite look, gender or ethnicity because this is a really good actor and I know they can do it. Nine times out of 10, they’re blown away.
When you’re trying to search for what someone else wants, you’re not showing us what you bring to the table, and that’s something that only that actor can do. That should be empowering for actors.
Final Takeaways
Hibbs is carving out a major presence in the Southwest film scene, blending her family legacy with a modern hustle. As the Arizona region grows its commercial and indie film projects, she’s proving the local talent pool is strong and ready for bigger opportunities. Here’s a quick look at her journey and insights on casting in a regional market.
- Bella Hibbs grew up immersed in casting, learning the craft from her mother and turning a temporary job into a successful career.
- Her company, Good Faith Casting, focuses mainly on commercial and print work but is expanding into indie films as Arizona’s market grows.
- Regional casting comes with challenges like a smaller talent pool and skepticism from studios, but Bella overcomes this by actively scouting and building relationships locally.
- She uses marketing savvy and constant networking to position herself and Arizona talent as professional and ready for bigger projects.
- Her advice to actors is to stop guessing what casting wants and instead bring their authentic selves to auditions, which often surprises and impresses decision-makers.
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