Building Community, Equity, and Connection: Casting Director Shauna Earp-Ballinger on the Future of Colorado Film

A portrait of Shauna Earp-Ballinger

When Shauna Earp-Ballinger talks about her career, she rarely uses the language of transactions or competition. Instead, she returns again and again to one word: friends.

From her early days in New York City, where she found herself networking at the legendary Friars Club, to her present work as founder of S.E.B. Casting in Denver, Shauna’s career has been fueled less by contracts than by community. “You don’t walk away with a book of clients,” she says. “You walk away with friends. That’s the beautiful thing about this industry.”

From Actor to Casting Director

Earp-Ballinger didn’t start out in casting. She trained as an actor, landing in New York after college. By chance, a friend invited her as a plus-one to the Friars Club, a gathering spot for comedians and agents. That introduction opened doors to relationships with heavy hitters like Don Buchwald and Marty Fisher, giving her an inside view of both performance and representation.

Later, marriage brought her to Colorado, where she began working with Big Fish Talent and collaborating with local filmmakers such as Rick Ramage, Sarah Lyles, and Donna Dewey. When Annie Hamilton invited her to join Hamilton Casting, Earp-Ballinger had already built a reputation for her ability to bridge communities: comedians and actors, agencies and directors, old colleagues and new collaborators.

This spring, she launched her own company, S.E.B. Casting, after Annie Hamilton retired. Her mission: to create a more equitable, encouraging casting process while giving back to the community that has shaped her career.

Redefining the Audition Room

Casting, Earp-Ballinger insists, should not be about intimidation. She remembers well the dread many actors once felt walking into an audition. Changing that culture has been central to her work.

“I wanted it to become a positive experience for everyone,” she explains. “Now, people feel good going into the casting room instead of feeling dread.”

She applies the same philosophy to self-taping, a practice that became standard during the pandemic. While some casting offices burden actors with lengthy technical requirements, Earp-Ballinger keeps instructions minimal: “If I can see you and hear you, that’s enough. No actor should go out of pocket to audition.”

For seniors struggling with technology, she even offers to tape, edit, and submit auditions on their behalf—completely free of charge. “I don’t want anyone left behind,” she says.

A Commitment to Community

Earp-Ballinger also devotes time each month to giving back. She has spoken with senior centers, mentored teen filmmakers, and made herself available to grassroots projects without charge. For her, this isn’t charity—it’s part of what keeps the film ecosystem alive.

“Whether it’s teenagers just starting out or older actors who need a hand, I want everyone to feel supported,” she says.

Her vision for Colorado’s film community is expansive. She remembers the days when the Colorado Film and Video Association (CFVA) was the hub for crewing up and building relationships. She hopes to see that culture of camaraderie return. “That’s where the work happened—over a cocktail, in conversation, as friends. That’s what we need again.”

The Incentives Battle

Of course, building community is only part of the challenge. Colorado continues to struggle with attracting large-scale productions due to limited film incentives. For Earp-Ballinger, the issue is not only financial but cultural.

“It boils down to voters,” she says. Too many outside the Denver-Boulder corridor see film incentives as a “city thing,” disconnected from their rural lives. Changing that perception, she argues, requires storytelling.

She suggests a “trace a dollar” campaign: following one dollar through a production to show how it multiplies—funding local businesses, generating tax revenue for schools, and supporting entire communities. “It’s not us versus them,” she says. “Film benefits everyone.”

Lessons From Zoos and Storytelling

Earp-Ballinger illustrates her point with an unexpected metaphor: zoos. “Humans have a flaw: if we don’t connect with something, we don’t care about it,” she says. Just as a child might fall in love with gorillas after visiting the zoo, a community might begin to support film once it sees the real impact.

Her challenge to the industry is to help rural voters—“Farmer Tom,” as she puts it—make that connection. “Once they care, they’ll protect it. They’ll vote for it.”

Looking Ahead

With S.E.B. Casting, Earp-Ballinger is doubling down on her belief that equity, kindness, and connection will move Colorado forward. She envisions new ways for the industry’s veterans and newcomers to share knowledge, including a podcast she’s developing called The Green and the Gray, which would bring different generations into dialogue.

For her, the goal is simple but profound: “I want actors to know they earn their jobs. It’s not the casting director. It’s their talent, their bravery, their work. My role is to open the door and make sure the process is fair.”

Actors and filmmakers interested in learning more about S.E.B. Casting or in collaborating with Shauna can follow updates through the Colorado Film and Video Association and industry channels. And for those ready to engage in the larger fight for incentives, her message is clear: the time to connect—and care—is now.