Meet Paul Sinacore | Owner of Paul Sinacore Casting, CSA Casting Director, Producer, SAG Actor, Pro Drummer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Paul Sinacore and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Paul, what role has risk played in your life or career?
The hardest thing for us to do as human beings is to change. We are creatures of habit. However we must grow, we must move forward, we must attempt to self-actualize, we must attempt to become the best versions of ourselves. In order to do this it requires us to change. Change requires taking risks as you step from the known into the unknown or as we would say in anthropology, from the familiar to the strange. The goal is to make the strange familiar or the unknown known. What we may not understand is that our biggest risk is the one that we don’t take. The one where you are on your death bed saying to yourself, “I wish I would’ve…” It was Thomas Jefferson who once said, “With great risk comes great reward.” In my experience this rings true. I took a risk when I was 18 and left my home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida traveling with a group of bandmates to Los Angeles following my dream of becoming a rock star as a professional drummer. Some of that dream came true as my band, East of Gideon, did get signed in 1991, recording an unreleased album mixed by Butch Vig, and playing shows with the now legendary rock bands Nirvana, Rage Against The Machine, and Tool. Even though I’m still a professional drummer in the Los Angeles circuit, that original dream with the band was short-lived, coming to an end after five years. Loving the feeling of entertaining people and performing, I took another risk and relied on myself and my own skills as I pursued a career as an actor. Becoming a SAG actor in 1996 and working regularly for over a decade, I earned a poverty line level living, but gained invaluable hands-on experience. After getting married to the love of my life, my wife Rebeca and I took another big risk and bought a home together in Altadena. We were urban pioneers and began renovating and fixing homes, flipping them as a way of earning income to sustain our creative and artistic nature. Again, all things change and I was forced to change as the housing bubble burst in 2006 and real estate values trickled to a new low by 2012. Our home remodeling business was gone. So, the next risk I took was a real game changer. I decided to return to higher education as a non-traditional 41-year old student. Earning four A.A. degrees at Pasadena Community College and a scholarship to UCLA , I graduated with a B.A. in Psychology and Anthropology with College Honors. Empathy is my area of expertise and research and I created a lexicon to discuss empathy across disciplines. I was accepted to grad school at USC to pursue a Master’s of Visual Arts in documentary filmmaking. At that point I was at a crossroads in my life. Looking for ways to pay off my student loan debt and pay for grad school, I was offered a position with a big company as a casting assistant. I was uniquely qualified to do the job with my background as a social psychologist and socio-cultural anthropologist who studied empathy and was truly a people person. I decided to take the risk, forgo grad school at USC and was drafted as a first round pick into casting where I excelled. I loved what I did, primarily finding talent and interviewing people on a deep personal level. I quickly moved from casting assistant to casting associate and was essentially the face of the company while logging 80-hour work weeks. Then, I reluctantly took the biggest risk of my life. Against all odds and all naysayers, I went into business for myself and launched my own company and brand, Paul Sinacore Casting, in Los Angeles where I have found success as a Hollywood Casting Director. At least success by my standards, which I operationally define as supporting my family, maintaining work-life balance, and nurturing my wellbeing. Taking that first risk at 18 set me on the path to Los Angeles where I met my beautiful wife of 20 years. Taking the risk of buying a home with her put me in the business of home remodeling. Taking the risk to return to higher education revealed my love for academia and enlightened me to a greater understanding of myself and the people and cultures that surround me. Taking the risk of going to work as a casting assistant and working 80-hour work weeks brought me to the realization that I had what it took to succeed as a casting director. Taking the risk of leaving steady and never-ending full time casting associate work to explore the unknown brought me to my own casting business, which is where I am today, working hard, thriving, living my best life, self-actualizing, and living the dream.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My life has always been about creativity through personal performance. I spent most of my young life performing music on stage as a pro drummer and on-camera as a SAG actor. As a lifelong performer I bring hands-on know-how experience, creativity, and understanding to front and center as a casting director who is also a social psychologist and sociocultural anthropologist. As an expert on empathy, real people casting and ethnographic person-centered interviewing I cast talent for film, television, commercials, and music videos. It is always about vision, creative vision, and understanding what that vision may be and how to communicate it with and to others. I’m excited about many things in my life at the moment. I just completed casting Volumes 3 and 4 of Unsolved Mysteries for Netflix. I’m casting a new television series for Discovery and several feature films with one specifically focused on diversity and inclusion. I’m heavily involved with CSA as we try to implement positive change and I continue to mentor students as a UCLA Alumni Executive Board Advisor. With my latest venture, Paul Sinacore Productions, I’m producing a historic rock documentary film about the Los Angeles music scene in the early 90’s that is targeted for release this year. I continue to play drums professionally and I’m looking forward to seeing my small role as the contractor Vinny in the miniseries Pam & Tommy on Hulu. However, what I’m most proud of is the launch of my company, Paul Sinacore Casting. This is where I really shine. I feel I have a unique brand because I am a unique person and have a unique background. I am my brand and my business model is me. I bring my personal experience, awareness, and sensitivity to casting. I connect directors to talent through the cultural lens of diversity and inclusion, and foster mutual respect and a level playing field while protecting the best interests of clients, studios, agencies, producers, production companies, directors, and talent alike. It was not easy to get to where I am today. It took years of prior experience in many different walks of life and along many different career paths. Many people told me that I would not succeed, or that it simply couldn’t be done. I overcame all those challenges, obstacles, and hurdles by remaining positive and goal oriented, never taking no for an answer, being persistent, loyal, and steadfast, keeping my integrity as a person of principle, following my heart, working incredibly hard, and above all, believing in myself. What I learned most is that in order to get to where you want to be you have to remain true to yourself and your dreams, and surround yourself with positive people who support you and what you are attempting to accomplish. This may come as a surprise to some just as it did to me, but I learned that there are many people in the world that truly don’t want you to succeed and will say you can’t do it, or will want to stand in your way or keep you down. In some instances they may even be the people you are closest to or that you consider friends. It is a hard lesson to learn, but it sometimes makes people feel good about themselves to feel they have control over you and your life. The manipulation is that they make you believe that it is somehow wrong to have your own ambition, goals, dreams, and desire to achieve something greater for yourself. In succeeding you somehow make them feel “less than.” It is easier said than done, but do yourself a favor and don’t let people stop you. I have found through difficult hardship and with great reluctance that it is best to not let toxic people occupy space in your mind or usurp your time and energy. When it comes to my life, I now choose to put my wellbeing first, disassociate with negativity, and disregard with the utmost respect the opinions and desires of others to somehow control me or my life. This is not an easy thing to do especially if you are a considerate, caring, loving, sensitive, and empathetic person. It is in your nature as a “good” person to want to do good for others, however it is detrimental to you if you do it at the cost of your own wellbeing or by sacrificing your goals and dreams. This is the way.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend was coming into town and I wanted to show them the best time ever for a week I would begin on Day One by taking them to Malibu and Point Dume State Beach where we would walk and lay on the beach, soak in the sun and then cap off the day with some seafood at Neptune’s Net. Day Two would find us taking in a bit of Hollywood on Sunset, checking out UCLA, and having lunch or dinner at Chin Chin on Sunset. Depending on the time of year we would catch a Bruin’s game at Pauley Pavilion or The Rose Bowl. Day Three would take us into Old Town Pasadena for some walking, shopping and eating. In the evening perhaps we would up in Glendale at The Americana to take in some Italian Food and catch a movie. Day Four would be an early morning hiking day on some local mountains near my home to take in the beauty of the landscape and enjoy the view. It is a great place to clear one’s mind and gather one’s thoughts. Perhaps enjoy lunch from In-N-Out Burger. We would wrap up the day with a tour through Descanso Gardens in La Cañada. Day Five, I assume is Friday, and we would take a drive to Venice and take in the culture there. It has changed over the years, but is truly a vibrant and unique place. That evening we would take in a Lakers game at Staples and root for LeBron James to will his team to victory. Of course we would want to say hello to Jack Nicholson and Flea as we make our way to our seats. Day Six finds us back in Malibu at The Getty Center or in Hollywood taking in an Immersive Art Experience like Van Gogh or checking out The Pink Floyd Exhibition. I couldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t take them to dinner at Versaille’s Cuban Restaurant in Encino. Finally, Day Seven, Sunday, starts out with breakfast at Roscoe’s House of Chicken ‘N Waffles in Pasadena and just gets better from there as we prep up to see the Los Angeles Rams at So-Fi Stadium from the 50-yard line. I would have to close up with a farewell meal at Mastro’s Steakhouse in Beverly Hills. Of course, this is just one possible itinerary… and a very expensive and busy week.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I dedicate this shoutout to those key individuals that have helped me get to where I am today. Firstly, a heartfelt thank you to producer Jeanne Knappmiller who gave me my start as a Casting Director, casting Unsolved Mysteries for Netflix. Without her it is likely that it may not have been possible to start my casting business, Jeanne believed in me, my integrity, and my work ethic as a casting professional. I owe her a debt of gratitude as my business continues to thrive and grow. Next, I would like to shoutout to Michael Sanford who introduced me to the world of casting through the eyes of the Casting Society of America (CSA). Michael felt that my experience was unique and after I joined CSA he encouraged me to take my empathy, my desire to help others, and my understanding of people, culture, and the entertainment business to help bring about positive change as a member of the Equity in Entertainment Committee, the Commercial Committee, and the philanthropic Casting Society Cares committee. Michael’s mentorship is invaluable as I navigate new horizons in the casting world and continue to grow, learn, and master my craft as a casting director. I would like to shoutout to George Brown, Director, UCLA Alumni Scholars Program, for believing in me while I was a student at UCLA, pushing me to become a leader of others, and inviting me back to be a UCLA Alumni Executive Board Advisor. George is always giving back to the students and community writ large and it is through his example that I also give back to the community and UCLA Alumni Scholars, mentoring students and sharing my own personal experience. Moreover, I would like to shoutout to all of my family and true friends that have stayed by my side and supported me on my life’s journey. Of course I would like to shoutout to my wife and staunchest supporter, Rebeca Cristian-Sinacore, who has put her trust and faith in me, loves me unconditionally, and has truly been my best friend in life. Finally, I would like to shoutout to my late parents, Paul and Carole Sinacore who both passed away in 2018, and are together watching over me. They told me to always follow my dreams, because that is where I would find happiness…

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