In Conversation with Casting Director Stevie Ray and Sophia Emberson-Bain

Host(s)

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  Stevie Ray

  Stevie Ray has worked in casting for the past 17 years with McGregor Casting. He has worked across all performance platforms – theatre, TV commercials, TV and web series, short and feature films. Some examples of his web and TV series work include the popular ABC series The Moodys, Here Come The Habibs for Channel 9, The Let Down, Diary of an Uber Driver & Troppo for the ABC and the AACTA nominated and multi-award winning web series High Life. His short film work includes the AACTA nominated film, You and Me Before and After, the AACTA winning and Oscar nominated film, The Eleven O’Clock, and he was awarded the Casting Guild of Australia award for Best Casting for a Short Film for Strangers. He has been an associate on a number of feature films including the AACTA nominated film Wish You Were Here, The Rover and San Andreas. He was casting director on the feature films Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan, Little Monsters, Penguin Bloom, 6 Days; won a Casting Guild of Australia award for Best Casting in a Feature Film for both Down Under and Babyteeth - for which he also won an AACTA award for Best Casting. You can currently catch his work in the feature film Transfusion, starring Sam Worthington and the series Wolf Like Me starring Isla Fisher and Josh Gad, both on Stan, the feature film The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race on 10Play, the series The Last King of the Cross, starring Tim Roth and Lincoln Younes on Paramount+, the series Colin From Accounts, starring Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall on Binge, the series Thai Cave Rescue starring Damon Herriman and Rodger Corser and the feature film Spiderhead starring Chris Hemsworth and Miles Teller, both on Netflix and the feature film The Fall Guy starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt. He is currently the treasurer of the Casting Guild of Australia.
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  Sophia Emberson-Bain

  Sophia joined MEAA in 2008, and served as a Section Delegate before going on to be Vice President of Queensland Equity. Sophia grew up in the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. She went to school in England before moving to Australia at the age of 12. In 2007, Sophia graduated from both the Actors Conservatory and the Jazz Music Institute in Brisbane where she completed an Advanced Diploma in Stage and Screen, and Jazz Improvisation respectively. She then went on to study a Bachelor of Laws degree at QUT. Sophia continues to balance her legal career with her acting. Sophia’s various high-profile film and television projects include Barrumbi Kids, which has been recognised as Children’s Production of the Year at the 2023 Screen Producers Awards; NBC's Joe vs Carole; Harrow; Darby and Joan; Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire; Aquaman and Foxtel's critically acclaimed The End. She has also worked on stage with La Boite Theatre in Closer and Prize Fighter, and with Queensland Theatre in School of The Arts. In 2020 & 2021 she produced the Northern Territory's first dedicated online news talkshow called The NT Recap.