Alex Edelman to Host The 39th Artios Awards New York Ceremony

Alex Edelman will host the New York ceremony for the 39th Artios Awards, celebrating the contributions of Casting Professionals across theater, film, and television. The in-person ceremony will be held on Thursday March 7 at The Edison Ballroom. The 39th Artios Awards will also be produced in Los Angeles with host Niecy Nash-Betts at The Beverly Hilton Hotel and London with a host and location to be announced at a later date.

"I am thrilled that Alex Edelman will bring his timely and innovative comedic voice as the host of our New York event,” said Destiny Lilly, CSA President. “We are also excited to have Niecy Nash as our host in Los Angeles - her dynamic presence, charm, and boundless energy promise to infuse the evening with laughter and heart.”

As previously announced by CSA, Ava DuVernay will be presented with The Lynn Stalmaster Award for Career Achievement and Sharon Klein, who serves as the head of Casting for Disney Entertainment Television, will be presented with The Hoyt Bowers Award. They will both be recognized for their contribution to the casting profession at the ceremony in Los Angeles.

Additional honors to be presented at the New York, Los Angeles, 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 includingThe Staircase, The Sinner, and Servant among others. 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 & Vera Farmiga. He 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 renowned 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.

Alex 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. He stands out as one of the most acclaimed emerging talents in comedy, promising to infuse the night with an abundance of laughter that will make for an unforgettable night of celebration.

Niecy Nash-Betts

is a multi-talented Emmy Award®-winning actress and producer who continues to captivate audiences with her shining talent and infectious energy both in front of and behind the camera. 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 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. Released January 19, 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.

First held in 1985, the Artios Awards honors Casting Professionals in more than 20 different categories encompassing film, television and theatre. In addition, special honorees are selected for their contributions to the craft. Nominees and winners are voted on by members of Casting Society.

Presenters for the evening will be announced at a later date. A full list of previously announced nominees can be found here!

Photo credit: Jenny Anderson