Nancy Mosser’s favorite part of being a casting director is telling an actor they landed the job. “There is nothing better than that,â€? says Mosser, owner of a Pittsburgh company that casts actors and extras for film, television, commercial and corporate productions. Casting director Katie Shenot, her associate in Nancy Mosser Casting, agrees. “Hearing them scream with excitement on the other end of the phone never gets old,â€? Shenot says. “The more attention that we can bring to the talented actors that reside in Pittsburgh, the more productions that will come here to film.â€? The two women raised that attention to a new level in January by winning an Artios Award from the Casting Society of America for their location casting on the critically acclaimed independent film “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl,â€? which shot in Pittsburgh. The movie received the audience award and grand prize at the Sundance film festival last year. “Me and Earlâ€? director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon says the casting agency’s contribution was enormous. They “were fun to work with and so incredibly thoughtful and creative in (their) choices.â€? “It was thrilling, pure euphoria,â€? says Mosser of the award, which was handed out at a ceremony in Los Angeles. “When they announced our names, I jumped up and hugged the director who was sitting at our table, climbed over a chair and literally ran to the stage on my tiptoes.â€? It was exciting, she says, to be honored by her peers after 26-plus years in the business. Shenot agrees. “We are so used to being behind the scenes, so being honored by our peers for a movie that we had such an emotional connection to made it that much more special,â€? she says. From the beautiful and vibrant writing style of Pittsburgh native Jesse Andrews to the vision and passion of director Gomez-Rejon, Shenot says she and Mosser knew that they had something different on their hands with “Me and Earl.â€? “Alfonso trusted us and never doubted that we could find the faces and personalities which he had envisioned, and Nancy and I didn’t stop until we found the perfect actors for the project,â€? Shenot says. “This extends to the background players as well, as they toiled in the 90-plus degree summer heat in the former Schenley High School with no air conditioning. It was a passion project for everyone, and it certainly paid off.â€? They cast every face on the screen except for the leads. Dawn Keezer, director of the Pittsburgh Film Office, says the casting was superb. “Nancy is the consummate professional,â€? Keezer says. “She is one of the many reasons people like to film in our region. We are lucky to have her call Pittsburgh her home.â€? Directors are always pleasantly surprised at the depth of talent found in Pittsburgh, Mosser says. “I made sure in my acceptance speech that I thanked ‘the wonderful, talented actors of Pittsburgh, Pa.’ Otherwise, no one in the audience would have realized that ‘Me and Earl’ was filmed here,â€? she says. Jessie Nelson, director of “Love the Coopers,â€? thanked Mosser and Shenot for all they brought to his holiday movie, “from choirs and dogs, children and real families, my extras were spectacular, and that was no easy task,â€? he says. Ewan McGregor, director and actor of the crime drama, “American Pastoral,â€? which filmed here in the fall, gave the women a hearty “Bravo!â€? “You did a great job! I didn’t want casting to end,â€? he told them. Casting should not be a difficult process, Mosser believes, but exciting and inspirational. “You have to be able to recognize good talent and to help and to be collaborative with the director to make their vision come true,â€? she says. “There are times where you need to push for an actor to get a chance to read, but it is never our choice as whom to hire, and I’m fine with that.â€? When directors are happy, she says, that means she has done her job. Because of her production background, she always tries to stay one step ahead in anticipating the producer’s needs, “which really helps to take stress away from them,â€? Mosser says. Upper St. Clair native Stephen Chbosky, writer and director of the “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,â€? says Mosser was instrumental in his movie’s success. “She has a great eye for talent,â€? he says. â€?I will always look for ways to bring work home to Pittsburgh when I can.â€? Anita Harnish of Brighton Heights, a producer working in commercials primarily in the corporate field, uses Mosser for all of her productions requiring talent. “In casting sessions, I consider her a valuable voice in assessing the skill set and talent range of the actors I audition,â€? she says. Mosser loves life and people, says Harnish, her friend of more than 30 years. “She knows the acting community well. It is evident by the praise heaped on her whenever there is a local premiere. The extras love her. She loves them and knows them all by name. But it’s not just extras. She understands principal characters and roles. She can find talent for anything.â€? Her job, Mosser says, is to find local and regional actors. “On occasion, we have to reach out beyond our region to find just the right actor,â€? she says. “We are always striving for diversity in all of our projects. That is still a challenge in Pittsburgh, but it is getting better. “I’ve had to cast a newborn Michael Jackson, a naked body double for Isabella Adjani, Santa Clauses, dogs, strippers, bikers, prisoners, you name it,â€? she says. “We are always up for the challenge and can’t wait to see what’s next,â€? Mosser says. She is one of the reasons more productions are and should be coming to the area, says director Michael Killen, a founder of the Pittsburgh-based Animal Media production company. Mosser has cast hundreds of commercials for him and other directors at Animal. “Nancy is really great at finding new faces for us when we need it. I’m not sure how she does it,â€? he says. “She is great with the actors. They are treated with respect, which is important to us. Nancy has had to help us pull miracles off when suddenly the client doesn’t like an actor and the turnaround is impossible. She handles stressful moments with grace and intelligence.â€? Mosser believes that a good casting director needs to love actors and want them to do their best and be successful: “I respect what they do and how they have to work on their craft every day. I also admire their ability to take rejection and to keep striving to do what they love to do.â€? Mosser is first and foremost an artist, says film and television producer Brian Hartman, a partner at PMI Films, Pittsburgh. “She understands that her contribution is to help tell the story through characters and all of their sensitivities,â€? he says. They have collaborated on more than a dozen projects. “I always wanted to come home, and a resource like Nancy Mosser in Pittsburgh is one of the primary reasons I was able,â€? says Hartman, who spent many years in Los Angeles producing films. “I believe many major studios share in that sentiment. I consider her a local treasure.â€? Mosser grew up in the regional-theater environment in which her parents were very involved in Central Pennsylvania. Initially majoring in theater at Penn State, she quickly realized that she did not have the passion for acting that was needed to succeed. “However, I did have a passion for film and television, so I switched majors my sophomore year,â€? she says. “Now, I get to combine all of my passions in what I do. I get to work with actors, get to shoot and edit video and get to be an important part of television and film production.â€? She worked at WPXI (then WIIC), Pittsburgh, in production and on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhoodâ€? as a freelance assistant director before moving to Boston in 1986. Mosser returned Pittsburgh in 1989 and landed a job doing extras’ casting for the HBO film “Criminal Justice,â€? starring Forrest Whitaker, Rosie Perez and Jennifer Grey. “I’ve been working in casting ever since,â€? she says. Her most challenging assignment was the 1995 film “Sudden Death,â€? the action drama starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, set against the seventh game of the Stanley Cup playoffs at the Civic Arena. “It required 58 speaking roles and 10,000 paid extras,â€? she says. Mosser’s contributions to the film industry have been immense, says Shenot, who has considered her boss of 14 years her mentor. “I just love what I do,â€? Mosser says, “and because I have been doing this in Pittsburgh for so many years, I often am working with friends that I have known since I started in the business. We have lots of fun working together, and we get paid for it, too.â€? Rex Rutkoski is a Tribune-Review contributing writer. Details Mosser Casting's film work Here are just some of the movies Mosser Casting has been been involved with: 2016, "American Pastoral" (Jennifer Connelly, Dakota Fanning, Ewan McGregor) 2015, "Love the Coopers" (Diane Keaton, John Goodman) 2015, "Fathers and Daughters "(Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried, scheduled for April, 2016, release) 2015, "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" (Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, Olivia Cooke) 2014, "The Fault In Our Stars" (Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort) 2013, "Out of the Furnace" (Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Zoe Saldana) 2013, "The Lifeguard" (Kristen Bell, Mamie Gummer, Martin Starr, Sundance Film Festival selection) 2012, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" (Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller) 2012, "The Dark Knight Rises" (Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway) 2012, "Jack Reacher" (Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins) 2012, "One for the Money" (Katherine Heigl, Jason O'Mara, Daniel Sunjata) 2010, "Love & Other Drugs" (Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, Judy Greer) 2010, "She's Out of My League" (Jay Baruchel, Alice Eve, T.J. Miller) 2009, "The Road" (Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron, Kodi Smit-McPhee) 2009, "Adventureland" (Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds) 2008, "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" (Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Craig Robinson) 2008, "Smart People" (Dennis Quaid, Thomas Haden Church, Sarah Jessica Parker) 2008, "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh" (Jon Foster, Peter Sarsgaard, Sienna Miller, Nick Nolte, Mena Suvari) 2002, "The Mothman Prophecies" (Richard Gere, Laura Linney, David Eigenberg) 2000, "Wonder Boys" (Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire, Frances McDormand, Robert Downey Jr., Tobey Maguire, Katie Holmes) 1999, "Inspector Gadget" (Matthew Broderick, Rupert Everett, Joely Fisher) 1999, "Dogma" (Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino) 1998, "Desperate Measures" (Michael Keaton, Andy Garcia, Brian Cox) 1996, "Kingpin" (Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid, Bill Murray) 1996, "Diabolique" (Sharon Stone, Isabelle Adjani, Chazz Palminteri) 1995, "Sudden Death" (Jean-Claude Van Damme, Powers Boothe, Raymond J. Barry) 1995, "Roommates" (Peter Falk, D.B. Sweeney, Julianne Moore, Ellen Burstyn) 1993, "The Cemetery Club" (Ellen Burstyn, Olympia Dukakis, Diane Ladd) 1993, "Money for Nothing" (John Cusack, Debi Mazar, Michael Madsen) 1992, "Lorenzo's Oil" (Nick Nolte, Susan Sarandon, Peter Ustinov) 1992, "Bob Roberts" (Tim Robbins, Giancarlo Esposito, Alan Rickman) Source: mossercasting.com Email Newsletters TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox.