MEET THE TEAM
MARK
MARK SUMMERS
CASTING DIRECTOR
Mark Summers, is one of six siblings born into an Indian Parsi/ Irish family, in West London. He grew up on both sides of the Atlantic, listening and dancing to the Motown records his Irish mammy played him that Mark credits for igniting his passion for music & the performing arts.
As a child, Mark was talent-spotted by agent June Collins (Phil Collins’ mum) & he went on to train at The Barbara Speake Stage School. Having worked consistently as a musical child actor, he started his first casting company from his dad’s spare room, at age 17.
Mark knows and understands the business inside and out, from both business & creative angles: he has over 15,000 casting credits to his name, including film, TV, music, promos, fashion, live tours, dance & Real People projects. He’s been fortunate enough to work with some of the world’s most creative individuals, from Marc Forster, David LaChappelle, Madonna, Metallica to Michael Jackson and Taylor Swift.
Direct & fun, Mark regularly passes on his knowledge and skills through master classes that are held across the world, & more recently on-line. With his insider knowledge, Mark believes that both artists and creatives should empower themselves to initiate & sustain a career in this competitive industry. He says, ‘We work in a fickle industry & sometimes people are not ready for your talent, no matter how amazing you are. Be patient and one day they will get it!’
As well as being nominated and winning industry accolades, Mark has also won awards for his tireless work in the community. He became a mentor and Patron of the Royal Academy of Dance Community Outreach Programme in 2012, and was honoured by Sir Paul McCartney at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA) and made a ‘Friend of LIPA’, one of the highest honours ever bestowed by the University in 2010.
Mark is a regular media commentator on all things casting-related with regular columns online and in print, for The Stage and Campaign amongst others. He has also hosted and appeared on many TV shows, including:
Move Like Michael Jackson BBC (UK)
Move Like Michael Jackson SBS6 (Benelux)
Britain’s Missing Top Model (BBC)
Bump and Grind (Trouble TV)
Make Me a Super Model UK (FIVE)
Pops Greatest Dance Crazes ( BBC3)
The Boss is Coming to Dinner (C5)
The Model Agent Ireland ( RTE)
Bust a Move UK (MTV Networks)
Bigger Than ….. (SKY)
Did you know…?
Mark Summers was the UK Casting Director on Michael Jackson’s ‘This Is It’ final tour. His favourite karaoke song is Wilson Phillip’s ‘Hold On’. Mark’s motto is ‘Don’t get bitter, get better.’ He once played Jesus in a film… don’t ask!?
His Director’s list includes:
David LaChapelle, Joe Pytka, Alek Keshishian, Frank Todaro, Edgar Wright, Tony Kaye, Sam Bayer, Jon Favreau, Paul Hunter, Scott Hicks, Anthony Hoffman, Michael Haussman, Matthew Rolston, Jesse Dylan, Sophie Muller, Bruno Aveillan, John Hillcoat, Ace Norton, Jake Nava, Little X, Tim Pope, Jonathan Glazier, Wim Wenders, Tim Godsall, Anthony Minghella, Marc Caro, Ringan Ledwidge, Allen Coulter, Diane Martel, Anthony Hoffman, Richard Curtis, Rankin, Erich Joiner, Fredrik Bond, Janusz Kaminski, Albert Watson, Jim Sheridan, Joseph Khan, Johan Renck, Jonas Akerlund, Rankin, Dave Myers, Steve Rogers, Chris Cunningham, Rupert Sanders, Jason Reitman, Marc Caro, Daniel Askill, Martin Campbell, Patrick Daughters, Scott Vincent, Michael Gracey, Christopher Bailey,
Alex De La Iglesia, Tim Pope, Traktor, Jesse Peretz, Kenny Ortega, Daniel Skoglund, Hughes brothers, Nima Nourizadeh, Marc Forster, David Sims, Cynthia Wade, Alex Gibney, Vaughan Arnell, Sara Marandi, Anthony Mandle, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Floria Sigismondi, Wendy Morgan, Saman Kesh, Darren Aronofsky, Funny Or Die and AG Rojas.
LOUISE
LOUISE MASON
CASTING DIRECTOR
Louise, aka Lou, has been Mark’s right hand for over 15 years now. Like Mark she started out as a child performer, and even met him unwittingly in an audition 5 years before she started working for him. Her first job, behind the scenes, was as an agent’s assistant for child performers. She went on to become an agent for commercial talent, & then set up the dancers’ agency at Mark Summers Management, before moving into casting.
Lou is direct, smart and compassionate which makes her the perfect liaison between directors, producers and artists. She loves the on-going challenges of new projects to scout and cast on a daily basis, and she has a soft-spot for the Real People she has often cast in recent years, saying ‘it takes real courage to attend a casting- even seasoned professionals find them daunting at times.’
Did you know…?
Louise is a country music fan. She loves pickles & Texas is her second home. At age 6 she thought she’d be a marine biologist. She is a dog-mum to Lottie & Lola, and if she won the lottery she’d set up an animal sanctuary, and not leave her job, of course…
KATIE
KATIE
HEAD OF MANAGEMENT
Katie heads up MS Represents, the sister company to Mark Summers Casting. She has had a wide range of industry experience before joining the Mark Summers team.
Katie looks after a variety of talented individuals, from dancers to models, actors and influencers, as well as being mother agent to a small selection of her clients. She says: ‘Managing talent doesn’t only mean booking them work, although this is important, but also offering support in all aspects of their life, often even on a personal level. On the flip side, I also act as an account manager to my clients, always striving to ensure both artists and clients are happy on every job.’
Katie adores scouting fresh talent, whether out & about, or on Instagram. Compassionate, fun, friendly & efficient, she enjoys nothing more than taking long walks with her 2 pooches Teddy & Tux, & watching Prison documentaries.
Did you know…?
Katie’s happy hour order would be Porn Star Martinis all the way. ‘Tattoo Fixers’- at a push- would be the reality show she’d be on, and she loves the Tarot & Astrology.
