Casting Strategist

We're looking for a Casting Strategist to own the full talent sourcing and casting function for RYZE's paid ads team, with scope extending to the organic social and TikTok Shop teams. This is not a roster-filling role — you are building and maintaining a talent ecosystem that powers multiple departments. This is a strategic sourcing role in a direct response environment. Casting here is not about finding people who look good. It is about finding people who are credible, relatable, and capable of performing to a specific audience in under three seconds. You need to understand that distinction and source accordingly. You are expected to be proactive, invested, and strategic — not reactive. You watch what our ads are doing, you understand what is winning, and you bring talent to the table before anyone has to ask for it.

Responsibilities will include:

Talent Sourcing

• Source 15–20 new talent candidates per week (60–80 per month) across Instagram, TikTok, Backstage, Casting Networks, Billo, Collabstr, and any other platform where the right people live.

• Ensure at least 30% of sourced talent are UGC creators, niche voices, or non-traditional profiles — not just professional actors.

• Fulfill all talent requests from the paid ads team, organic social, and TikTok Shop as needed.

• Watch top-performing ads proactively and bring at least one unsolicited talent recommendation per week based on ad performance data and roster gaps.

Talent Pipeline & Testing

• Ensure a minimum of 40 talent complete testing per month across paid, organic, and TikTok Shop.

• Own all communication with approved talent from first contact through testing completion.

• Manage talent transitions from Growth House to Powerhouse status when performance criteria are met.

• Ensure no talent in the existing roster sits dormant without a reason — activate them or flag them for removal.

Roster Management

• Maintain a clean, organized, up-to-date talent roster that is accessible and usable across all three departments at all times.

• Tag and categorize talent by type, demographic, performance tier, and use case so they are findable without asking.

• Collaborate with project managers to ensure talent is properly briefed and set up for every shoot.

Relationships & Negotiations

• Build real relationships with talent — people should want to work with RYZE because of how you treat them.

• Negotiate with actors' agents to ensure the most favorable partnership terms for RYZE, with clarity on scope and duration.

• Assist in contract negotiations for Growth House testing as needed.

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience in talent sourcing, casting, or influencer recruitment — ideally in a direct response, DTC, or performance marketing environment.

• Demonstrated ability to source talent across multiple platforms: Instagram, TikTok, Backstage, Casting Networks, Billo, Collabstr, or similar.

• Understanding of what makes talent perform in paid social ads — credibility, relatability, and audience fit in under three seconds.

• Experience managing a talent roster or database at volume — organized, tagged, and usable across multiple teams.

• Comfortable managing all talent communication end-to-end: outreach, follow-up, scheduling, and testing coordination.

• Experience supporting or leading negotiations with talent or agents.

• Strong organizational skills — able to track 60–80+ candidates per month without dropping details.

• Comfortable working independently in a contract, part-time capacity (20 hours per week) with clear deliverables and accountability.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS

• Direct response casting instincts – You understand that casting for a paid ad is completely different from casting for content or entertainment. You know what makes someone credible and relatable to a specific audience in under three seconds.

• Strategic sourcing mindset – You are not just filling a quota. You watch what our ads are doing and think proactively about what talent profiles we need to test next. You bring ideas to the table, not just names.

• Platform resourcefulness – You know how to find people on Instagram, TikTok, Backstage, Casting Networks, Billo, Collabstr, and anywhere else relevant talent lives. When one source dries up, you find three more.

• Relationship-builder – Talent wants to work with you because you invest in the relationship. You follow up, you check in, and you treat people like collaborators, not transactions.

• Organized & ownership-driven – You maintain a roster that other teams can actually use — clean, up to date, and tagged so talent is findable by type, demographic, and use case. You own this without being asked.

• Hungry and proactive – You are always looking, always thinking, always asking what we should be testing that we haven't tried yet. You bring energy to this role because you genuinely care about finding exceptional people.

• Clear communicator – You are responsive and proactive with both talent and the internal team. When something comes up, you flag it without being asked. When someone asks a question, they get a real answer.

• Performance-aware – You watch the ads. You understand what is winning and use that to inform who you source next. Casting decisions are grounded in data, not just instinct.