Red Lobster x NowThis Media

The Challenge

Chances are you’ve seen a NowThis video on your social media feeds. When NowThis teamed up with the Red Lobster brand to create content featuring Tyrese Gibson, they chose LA’s iconic Venice Beach Boardwalk as the setting. In order to bring authenticity to the shoot and recreate Venice’s vibrant, diverse community, NowThis needed to fill 25 different roles - including many unique personas like Bucket Drummers, Tai Chi Gurus, Bodybuilders, Harajukus, Trendy Hijabis, all roles as varied as Venice itself - all with only 48 hours before filming began. Due to a scheduling conflict with the principal talent, the shoot was pushed back on short notice.

Our Solution

To streamline operations and track down unique personalities, NowThis brought on Castifi. With an active database of thousands of performers nationwide, Castifi leveraged its deep connections in the acting community to cast the best people for each role. To ensure realism on the shoot, we also visited Venice Beach to identify real people on the street who could participate too.

After many hours of reviewing video submissions, social media profiles, and reels, we were able to provide perfect matches for all of the specialized roles that NowThis needed. With only five days to cast the shoot, we relied on our strong talent database, quick notifications, and easy to use app to pull through for us. Plus, we needed to compile a strong standby list for each role, just in case someone couldn't make it on the day of. After a successful wrap, NowThis has continued to leverage Castifi’s unparalleled service and flexibility for future shoots.