Emmy® Award winner Niecy Nash-Betts has been named the host of the Casting Society’s (CSA) 39th Artios Awards in Los Angeles. In addition, award-winning comedian Alex Edelman will host the New York ceremony. The ceremonies will be taking place in their respective locations on Thursday, March 7, in addition to the London ceremony, with a host for the location to be named later. The annual awards celebration honors the contributions of casting professionals in film, television (scripted and unscripted), commercials and theatre.
Nash-Betts recently won an Emmy® for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for her portrayal of Glenda Cleveland in Ryan Murphy’s Netflix limited series, Dahmer-Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, based on the life of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. Her unforgettable role has also garnered her Critics Choice and NAACP Image Awards, as well as Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations. Nash-Betts currently stars in Ava DuVernay’s feature film, Origin, an adaptation of Isabel Wilkerson’s book, "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent." Nash-Betts is also the host of FOX’s game show Don’t Forget The Lyrics, which recently wrapped production on its third season, and lends her voice to the second season of Netflix’s Human Resources.
Edelman is a comedian, actor and writer who had his Broadway debut with "Just for Us" in 2023 which was recently seen at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles after sold-out runs Off-Broadway (Obie Award, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations), in Washington DC, Boston (his hometown), Melbourne, Edinburgh (Herald Angel Award) and London. He is known both for his solo shows – three, all award-winning, sell-out hits in London’s West End and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival–and for his TV writing. At the start of the pandemic, he served as the head writer and executive producer of Saturday Night Seder, a star studded 70-minute special, posted on YouTube, that has so far raised $3.5 million for the CDC Foundation (COVID-19) Emergency Response Fund.
“We are honored and excited to have Niecy as our esteemed host in Los Angeles. Her dynamic presence, charm, and boundless energy promise to infuse the evening with laughter and heart,” said Destiny Lilly, CSA president. “Niecy has consistently been a huge advocate for the work we do as casting professionals, so it’s a privilege to celebrate the most important night of the year for us with her. I’m also thrilled that Alex Edelman will bring his timely and innovative comedic voice as the host of our New York event.”
CSA previously announced that acclaimed writer, director and producer Ava DuVernay will be presented with the Lynn Stalmaster Award for Career Achievement during the ceremony and that Sharon Klein, head of casting, Disney Entertainment Television, will be presented with The Hoyt Bowers Award.
Additional honors to be presented at the Los Angeles, New York and London ceremonies include:
- The Marion Dougherty New York Apple Award will be presented to The Drama Book Shop. The annual recognition from the casting community is to individuals or organizations who have made a special commitment to the New York entertainment industry through their collaboration with casting professionals. Founded in 1917 by the Drama League, the Drama Book Shop became an independent bookstore in 1923 and since that time has been deemed a quintessential New York City cultural institution. Over the past 100 years, the Drama Book Shop has secured its reputation as the city’s best source for theatrical works, with over 8,000 plays regularly in stock.
- The Rosalie Joseph Humanitarian Award, given for outstanding contributions to humanitarian causes that have in turn supported the casting community, will be presented to Karlee Fomalont. Her career started at CBS and ABC in New York, then transitioned into independent casting, working on projects such as Baz Luhrmann’s Netflix series The Get Down, Steven Spielberg’s The Post (Artios Award nominee) and Tamara Jenkins’ Private Life (Artios Award nominee).
- The Associate Casting Director Spotlight Awards will be presented to Matthew Glasner and Josh Ropiequet. Glasner has worked alongside incredible casting directors and filmmakers on films such as the Academy Award-winning Spotlight, Girl on the Train, Little Women, and countless TV/limited series programs including The Staircase, The Sinner, and Servant. He will be accepting the award at the New York ceremony. Ropiequet’s work includes the breakout Showtime drama Yellowjackets, CBS’ So Help Me Todd and one of Norman Lear’s final projects, the upcoming Netflix series The Corps starring Miles Heizer and Vera Farmiga. Ropiequet will be accepting the award at the Los Angeles ceremony.
- The Capelier-Shaw Award for Excellence in Casting will be presented to Francesco Vedovati by the European Chapter Board of Governors. He has worked internationally with directors such as Danny Boyle (Trust), George Clooney (Catch-22), Antoine Fuqua (The Equalizer 3), Edward Berger (Conclave), Fernando Meirelles (The Two Popes), Mike White (The White Lotus) and Steven Zaillian (Ripley), among others. This award is named in honor of legendary European casting directors Margot Capelier and Rose Tobias Shaw, and is given annually in recognition of casting as well as unique contributions to the craft.
- The Creative Collaboration Award will be presented to the National Film & Television School (NFTS). The award, presented by the European Chapter Board of Governors, is given in recognition of significant and outstanding creative or professional contributions to the entertainment industry, including distinctive support of casting professionals and the art and craft of casting. The National Film and Television School (NFTS) is a renowned educational institution specializing in film, television and games. The NFTS Casting Assistant course was conceived and created in 2019 by Shaheen Baig and Jina Jay with an aim to diversify and nurture new casting talent behind the camera. The Casting Certificate is now in its 4th year and is led by Jane Arnell.
