Beau Bonneau Casting

I had a very pleasant experience working with Beau Bonneau casting agency. That was the first time I took part in the auditions. Luckily, I passed them and got the role in a commercial. Their cameraman is a very nice and encouraging gentleman, who explained carefully what I needed to do in front of the potential employers.
Apparently the place itself is quite little and they don’t have that many staff members. During the whole process of auditions I was contacted several times by the lady named Melanie, she double checked with me my available and made sure that I come on time to the castings. When I was approved for the role and she gave me a call, she congratulated me on passing for the commercial and made me feel very special, like if I was nominated for Oscar. Just kidding, but definitely the staff members are very polite and nice people to be around!
Also, there is another casting agency next door, so make sure you go to the right one. It’s located on the 3^rd floor and the entrance is like hole in the wall in the upbeat Financial district.
I believe it is worth mentioning that I got my check right away, according to the agreement I signed.
I know that they are doing a lot of extras for big screen movies, so if it is something you are looking for, I would strongly recommend sign up for their data base.

My kids did work through this agency years ago and never got paid.

Beau Bonneau is the best. I haven’t worked in film or television in years, and right from the start they were courteous, helpful, great personalities and sense of human. Communication on projects and getting information to me in a timely manner is outstanding. I’m awesomely glad to be associated with Beau Bonneau, I can honestly say I’ve worked more being apart of them than with any other agency.

These folks helped cast me as an extra for the movie «San Andreas» and it was a wonderful experience! The woman who called me to share the news & logistics re: the casting was super nice, cheerful, and considerate to my needs (even as a rando extra!). I think the world would be a better place if more employers treated people like how Beau Bonneau Casting treated me.

Very small place. There isn’t much to see and the service wasn’t very friendly. I had gone in to inquire about the talent process and the man was just staring and clicking away on his computer. He wasn’t informative and didn’t take the time to explain anything. There was no line or anyone else there, but me. Very disappointing for someone who is interested in the acting field with no support.

Fantastic casting agency in every respect! I’ve been registered with them for years and have never experienced any disappointment. I am constantly recommending them to others since I am confident that they will fulfill the desires and needs of striving actors.

I worked for them during the 90s during which time they got me 4 different background acting parts — two of which were on Nash Bridges. They were very professional, however I agree with Anjou K’s comments below: you will work hard, you will be paid to just wait around until they call you on the set, it is not particularly glamorous and they don’t want you to act like a primadonna. They do sort you out into waiting rooms by type or by scene — we’d go in and they’d say «punk rockers sit here» or «people for the café scene sit here».

BB is great! The staff in the BB office are courteous, professional and knowledgeable.
Sf casting does charge 99 cents per listing, but the more economical route is 5 dollars per month. If you are an actor, this is a nominal fee. They are running a business, so they need to charge for services.
If you don’t want to pay for it, you can go to craigslist and take your chances with the scumbags with videocameras.

I’ve been in Beau Bonneau’s files since the late 90’s when they were casting for the TV series Nash Bridges. Gosh that’s over a decade now. Everyone I know in the entertainment industry in the Bay Area is registered with them. Fast, easy and conveniently located. A lot of the castings that my agent will send me on are held in their offices.

It’s always a pleasure to come here for auditions. The staff at Beau are really friendly and personable. So much so that they’ll remember your name after you show your face a few times. They always create a comfortable environment in which you can feel great doing silly — I mean theatrical — things in front of the camera.

These guys are great!
Very professional, friendly, efficient. Both times I’ve worked with them have been utter pleasures…
Emphasis on FRIENDLY!
They’re always super busy yet they make sure every person working with them is treated like royalty.
I love these guys!

They have been GREAT and very professional. They have also been getting me work. I have spoken with a few people over the phone and all ways been really nice. Thanks Colleen and to everyone else !!!

I love and blame Bollywood for making me the delusional romantic that I am. My quest to match its unmatchable depth ensures that romance will never enter my real life, and I must continue to channel and process my emotions through cinematic voyeurism. It’s the hottest defense mechanism around!
I consider producer-​director Karan Johar to be the single most influential individual in fueling my Bollywood fantasies. His movies — especially when combined with the casting of Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol — delight, inspire, and to some extent enrage me all at once. I love that he very much keeps up with the times, and pushes the envelope in ways that are palatable to the mainstream and that maintain the integrity of the sappy/​entertaining Bollywood genre; plus, he is just so fabulous. I’ve spent countless hours in the past several years stalking Karan Johar.
One fine morning in June, I saw a Facebook status update from a friend mentioning that «My Name Is Khan,» directed by K Jo and starring SRK and Kajol, would be filming in San Francisco beginning the next day. «No fu*$ing way!» was my first reaction, and I gleefully commenced to stalk Twitter for any and all references to the film, the directors, and the actors, in conjunction with San Francisco. Some link from a link in that process led me to the casting call from Beau Bonneau to become an extra in the film!
The very next day, a friend and I did a photoshoot in Golden Gate Park and personally delivered our applications to the office. My sister and a couple other friends submitted applications as well. And lo and behold — a week later, we were called to appear in Novato and Sacramento the following week to work alongside our favorite dream merchants! Yes, not only would we get to stalk Karan Johar, but we would get *paid* to do it, and get to say that we worked with SRK & Kajol for Dharma (well, Karma in the US) Productions!
It’s hard to know which specifics to attribute to Beau Bonneau versus the production, which was our actual employer — but certainly the phone call from the office and the recording providing directions were thorough and professional. The logistics on-​site seemed a bit scattered and unorganized. On the Saturday in Novato, we were asked to report at 10:30am, and after several and confusing and failed attempts to have people line up and check in by name, we didn’t actually shoot until around 2, after being provided lunch. But hey, no complaints; we were just so excited to be on the set. Also, I think that other smaller shots were being completed in the meantime, and perhaps they wanted the full pool of people present in case they needed to pull anyone from it.
The operations in Sacramento were much more organized. After being bussed over from a designated parking area, there was a line set up in the morning to check in, and the shoot commenced in a more orderly fashion.
My one complaint comes from an interaction with one James, whom I believe works for Beau Bonneau. Granted, we arrived for shooting more than an hour after the report time for the second day in Sac, but when we ran into him and asked whether extras were still needed, he waved us off and said they had enough people. Besides, he added, they definitely didn’t want more South Asian people. «It’s beginning to look like Bombay. If anything, we’d want more Caucasian people.» :O He did not. And, if that was the case, why did one of us (South Asian people) just half an hour later, as we were heading back to the Bay Area, get a call from the Beau Bonneau office expressing a desperate need for 50 more extras?
Anyway.
Beau Bonneau brought one of my dreams to life, and for that it shall always be cherished.

UPDATE– I had another opportunity to work as a background artist through Beau Bonneau and found them to be very efficient, professional, and friendly. The production staff is a totally different story, and each time will be different.
Beau Bonneau Casting is a great way to land a role in film. They are connected and legitimate. However, don’t have delusions of glamour if you’re an extra; just be prepared to be treated like any minimum wage worker.
My experience below is based on only one film, and I was actually contacted by a staff member who apologized that we were treated this way. I think this goes to show that this company is very professional. I also was told that they people we interacted with in the narrative below were not Beau Bonneau staff, but production staff.
Day 1 on the set of the Bollywood film My Name Is Khan–
We park in what looks like the parking lot since several cars are stationed. We get out to stretch and drink our coffee. All of a sudden, someone runs towards us, arms flailing, screaming, «No, no, no!»
WTF? My friend was on his phone, and we wondered if we were being admonished for having a phone since we were given clear instructions about no photography, etc.
It turned out that we were just in the wrong parking area.
We were directed to this holding room, or holding cell, as we called it. This dude named James was trying to get all the people of color, who were to play the «Islamic supporters» on one side and all the white folks on the other side. «All of my people get on this side.»
Then he took attendance. He seemed really pleased with his ability to read South Asian and Arabic names. I have to admit he was better than a lot of people. «I apologize if I pronounce your name wrong. I think saying someone’s name correctly is a sign of respect.»
Then we were directed to go get our «burqas.» Then back to the holding cell. Then lunch followed by the shooting. There was lots of pushing and shoving as my fellow South Asians tried to push their way to the front to be on camera and take out their own cameras during the filming and document SRK, Kajol, and K.Jo.
I behaved myself. I did not take out my camera. I did not scream and run to the front. I was totally professional.
Day 2
Long, hot day in Sacramento. They paid us from 8:30am-8:30pm even though we were there longer because of the long inefficient line and buses back to the parking lot. We were herded to and from the site.
We were so over it. Still, we had committed to showing up the next day. We were over being herded and didn’t want to drive all the way back home, so we decided to be the diva extras.
Day 3–
We stayed in a hotel. We slept in. We ate breakfast. We showed up two hours late.
When we got to the site, we saw the James guy there. We asked him if he still needed extras. He rudely told us that they didn’t want any more South Asians because it just looks like a bunch of Shah Rukh fans. He seemed to think we were just SRK groupies.
OMG we totally got racially profiled! How ironic, since the movie is about a guy getting profiled for being a terrorist. The slogan on the T-​shirts is «My name is Khan, and I’m not a terrorist.
Hey James – My name is Anjali, and I’m not an SRK groupie!

They were our casting source for background and minor talent primarily in film and even advertising way back when. Met them through some indie film production on the crew and agency side. My brother and I happened to fit a look they needed and went on calls for fun.
My entire family used to get jobs through them as well — many times it would be a family member auditioning for a role and they’d wrangle the whole family in. The third generation of family will be hanging out with them soon…

This is a great casting and audition source. It’s cheap and it’s legit. The trick is to have a good picture. If your headshot looks professional, then you’ll get the calls. I had my info up there for about 6 months with some picture that didn’t really resemble a headshot and I got very few calls. Then I finally got my headshot updated and… like magic. I get an average of 2 auditions per week from this thing.

okay, so my hobby is ACTUALLY background acting.
For all the people (wanna-​be stars, actors, human-​shaped spawns of the devil) out there who are seriously looking for a casting agency without having SAG/​AFTRA — this is a great place to sign up. You pay a small fee per casting submission (.99) or $ 10 each month. Not bad when HP signs you up for a $ 400 print ad or you’re standing behind Will Smith in the «Pursuit of Happyness» (and being paid $ 100+).
That being said, shoots are long and can be really tedious but you meet lots of cool peeps and can tell all your friends you’re «that red shirt in the back, no the other one! yeah that speck!» next time you’re watching movies/​tv.

Wanna be in talkies kid? Sign on the dotted line and you’ll be a STAR!