Come August, the American Idol tour bus will be crisscrossing the country, seeking fresh talent for its ABC reboot set to air next spring. But as we mentioned already, the new iteration of the classic show will be utilizing casting companies to scout out hopefuls.
The Reality Blurred blog recently chatted with Doron Ofir, who heads the company responsible for casting Jersey Shore, Party Down South, RuPaul’s Drag Race, First Dates and more.
According to Reality Blurred’s piece, Ofir has “been tasked by Fremantle” to find “talent that may not ordinarily been able to be seen through the tour, or as shied away” from the typical audition process.
Ofir is looking for singers who perhaps “…don’t have the means to get to one of the audition locations, or they don’t feel worthy enough to audition. I’m here to help hold their hand.”
“The United States is a really broad and spectacularly large, vast network to cover. So what I’m doing is a lot of independent outreach” he told Reality Blurred. “I’m going through millions of different versions of YouTube video, Soundcloud, DJ services that use session singers—people that either felt that it was out of their grasp, wasn’t right for them, or didn’t even consider it for fear of the process. I’m trying to get to them directly and let them know that there is another chance of getting on, and I would love to hear from them, see what they are made of, and potentially throw their hat in the right as well.”
The casting agent couldn’t comment on how the hopefuls will eventually be presented. However, he seems to be keeping American Idol’s legacy as a competition that discovers new talent in mind as he searches for talent. The Voice, for instance, is a show known for giving talent that’s already been through the showbiz mill a second chance. It remains to be seen how the process will change the way the show is cast.
“One of the greatest things about American Idol across the board was the journey from literal home town obscure unknown to a world-wide platform, whether it was Kelly or Carrie, whether they were winners, runner-ups, or not, that show yielded the most extraordinary talent that has transcended and continued” on beyond the show, and more than “any other talent show in the history of television.”
Ofir added: “When American Idol started they didn’t have the opportunity to cast through those means or seek them out where they actually exist. And I think that’s one of my strong suits as a company is that I’m able to find undiscovered areas to be able to approach or invite” people to apply.”
