Project Greenlight x Adaptive Studios

Grown, Season 1

The Challenge

Adaptive Studios, best known for producing Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s “Project Greenlight” on HBO, tells the story of two Haitian Americans growing up in the underbelly of Miami in the new digital series Grown. Adaptive Studios tapped Sawhorse Productions as the production company for Grown and tasked them with casting over 400 extras for a variety of roles across 28 days of filming. Castifi rose to the challenge, providing 100% of the background talent for Grown’s multi-week shoot.

Grown was shot in Miami in June of 2017. At the time, Florida had zero tax incentives for productions and Adaptive was filming during the summer, Florida’s most unpredictable season. Without a tax incentive, there was extra pressure on the production to cut costs and run lean. The largest hurdle that Sawhorse Productions faced? Many professional actors in Miami weren’t accustomed to the early call times, overnight shoots, unique wardrobe requests, and long days associated with background acting. Additionally, Sawhorse needed some very specific looks for realism, which meant diving deep into the local community to find authentic faces.

Limited Budget

a first season production

Specific Casting Needs

Haitians were needed for many scenes

Remote Location

Miami, FL does not have a very active acting network

Early Call Times

5:00AM on weekdays can be quite a challenge in Miami

Our Solution

To meet the challenge, Castifi launched a full scale real-people casting call in Miami two weeks ahead of the first day of shooting. Through calculated social media campaigns, outreach in the Haitian community, a partnership with the University of Miami, and a viral referral program, Castifi was able to source over 2,000 local actors in time for the first day of production. With Castifi’s platform, production was able to save countless hours on administrative tasks and paperwork processing.

Castifi handled talent release forms electronically, tracked time digitally, and paid out the actors within a 24-hour turnaround. The production was able to see an accurate amount spent on extras within 2 hours of wrap each day, allowing them to understand their budget immediately with zero paperwork. With Castifi’s help, Grown wrapped on budget and on schedule.

SAG Approval

below average SAG rates approved

Strong Partnerships

with local Miami organizations

Proprietary Casting

allowed us to cast quickly and diversely

Standby Lists

all documents were handled digitally

400+

Performers Hired

Including character doubles, Haitian elderly folks, and lots of hipsters.

100%

Success Rate

We delivered all requested talent and then some! Despite rain or shine, we had talent on set ready to go.

“Castifi's On Set app made it easy for our team to manage our extras, especially on a day where we had 85 people. The crew saved tons of time and loved not having to deal with paperwork.”
Nick Sala
Production Coordinator - CBS, "No Activity" Season 1