Now Casting Takes Over Academy Players Directory . after 70-Year Run

THE ACADEMY PLA YERS DIRECTORY, KN OWN casti ng process is that a number of for-profi t entities have throughout the en tertainment in dustry as the "casti ng entered t he fi eld in recent years. The Boa rd just wasn't bible," was taken over in July by Now comfortable with the idea that the Casting, I nc., and after nea rly 70 yea rs Academy, a not -for-profit, was Now Casting will as an Acade my pu bl ica tion, is now in esse nce competing with those continue to publish the known as si mply the Players Directory. companies Kei th W. Go nzales, editor of the printed version of the The Academy Players Directory and Players Directory for the pas t ten yea rs, Players Directory, but also Now Casting had been associated since co ntinues in th is capacity for Now will provide increasingly April 2005 in a prog ram that enabled Casting. He took with hi m some of t he sophisticated online PO subscri bers to post demonst ra tion Players Directory staff, and remaining products to actors sub­ ree ls with onli ne profiles on t he Now staff we re absorbed into other pos i­ scribing to the service. Cas ti ng Web site. tions at the Academy or moved on to First printed in January 1937, the other end eavors. Now Casting w il l Academy Players Directory was the co ntinue to publ ish the pri nted version of the Players ind ustry's oldest and best-known casting directory. The Directory, but also will prov id e increasi ngly sophisticated first issue was a 248-page publication listing 1,257 players, onli ne products to actors subscribing to t he service. includ ing Mae West, , Ge ne Autry, Bette "I t fee ls strange for us to divest ourselves of a fu nction Davis, Mary Astor and Gary Cooper. The most recent issue that the Aca demy has performed for nearly as long as the incl uded thousand s of listings, among them ma ny of organ ization ha s bee n in ex istence," sa id Academy today's best-known actors. Presi dent Sid Ganis. "For almos t all of that time we were For the past four years, the Players Directory had been the on ly ones providi ng that particul ar service. One side located at the Academy's Pickford Center for Motion effect of the increased influence of techn ology in the Pictu re Study in

Academy Grants $500,000 to Film and Cultural Organizations

THE ACADEMY FOUNDATION'S INSTITUTIONAL communities," explained Institutional Grants Committee Grants Program has awarded $500,000 to 60 film-related Chair Buffy Shutt. organizations in the United States, Canada, France and the Since the establishment of the grants program in 1968, United Kingdom. the Academy Foundation, the educational wing of the "The Academy's grants program is designed to advance Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, has distrib­ personal and professional interest in the motion picture uted over 460 grants to film-related nonprofi t organizations, industry and raise cultural awareness throughout our schools and colleges .

." . A complete list of ri~ipie~i in~i"itution"s is on the Academy's Web site at www.oscars.org/grants/institutional/institutional.~rants.html ". ~ " .. , <

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