It all began with an idea.
The gang's Owner and CEO, Kelley Allen has been casting your favorite reality, digital and development projects for over 15 years! The African American, Los Angeles native is no stranger to the entertainment industry; at the age of 9, she began working as a child background actor in movies like "Friday," "Devil In a Blue Dress," "Toys" and TV shows like "The Steve Harvey Show," "Moesha" and "The Jamie Foxx Show" just to name a few. She ultimately landed behind the camera where casting talent came natural to her. Casting projects like E! Network's hit show "Botched," Gordon Ramsay's: "24 Hours to Hell & Back," MTV's "Are You The One," OWN's "Ready to Love," Bravo's "Married to Medicine," and TLC's "Extreme Sisters", HBO Max’ “Sweet Life” and Netflix’ #1 hit, “The Ultimatum",” just to give you a slight range of Kelley's casting experience. Kelley often jokes about the fact that she has actually interviewed a Vampire! (He lives in Brooklyn, sleeps in a coffin & drinks blood!)
Coming from a troubled neighborhood in East LA, where street gangs were prevalent, she wanted to put a positive twist on the term “gang.” While in the hood, she gained the ability to become a chameleon, have thick skin and handle many personalities, which is why her interview skills are unlike any other. “I truly know how to connect with people from all walks of life.” Says the Girl Gang CEO.
The Girl Gang Casting Collective was an idea that came to Kelley because she has a fierce group of women, of EVERY color, that she relies on to get these projects completed. Often overlooked and underpaid, she wanted to offer her girls an opportunity to earn and learn when it comes to the casting industry. “I had a lot of girls tell me what they were being offered to work and I couldn’t believe it! I started to feel like I needed to take care of these girls, take them under my wing and teach them how to properly negotiate a reasonable rate and also learn the necessary skills to move up in this industry.” Says the Girl Gang CEO.
The casting collective, like all production and casting companies, hire according to the project's needs and budget. When a budget allows, Kelley will staff up the right girls for the job. From casting assistants, associates, coordinators, producers to editors- the collective can handle any size project and deliver optimal talent and premium edits for the network/executives to review. With so much combined talent, the only option for your project is the “Girl Gang Casting Collective.” While Kelley definitely collaborates with men from time to time, her go-to gang are indeed women and she wanted to have a company that focused on them. Let's hear it for the girls!
Kelley not only casts shows but also helps develop new show ideas. You can set up an intro Zoom with her by contacting us.
“My team can handle any project, from the simplistic to the impossible. ”