Casting calls in California: California is the largest casting market in the United States, and its film tax credit expanded to $750 million a year through 2030, which is actively pulling production back to Los Angeles. Union scale from 1 July 2026 is $231 per 8 hours for background and $1,283 a day for a speaking role. California is not a right-to-work state, so the union line matters more here than in Georgia or Texas.
California runs more casting than any other state in the country, and in 2026 it is actively winning work back. The state's film and television tax credit expanded to $750 million a year through 2030, and productions that had drifted to Georgia, New Mexico and the UK have been returning to Los Angeles because of it.
That matters to you in a specific way: more productions shooting locally means more background, more co-star roles and more commercial work booked from people who already live here, rather than flown in.
This guide covers which California cities actually hire, what casting calls in California pay in 2026, the state rules on minors and permits that catch families out, and how to tell a legitimate casting call from the scams that cluster around Los Angeles.
Where the casting work is in California
California is not one market. Treating it as one is why people apply to everything and book nothing.
Los Angeles
The deepest talent pool in the world, which cuts both ways: constant work, constant competition. Nearly every casting office, agent, manager and voice-over studio in the state is here, and it is where the scripted slate concentrates. HBO's Euphoria shot its third season in LA, The Pitt shoots on Burbank soundstages despite its Pittsburgh setting, and the DC series Lanterns shot at the Warner Bros. Burbank lot and in Piru. Amazon moved Fallout into the Los Angeles area for its third season and restarted Mr. & Mrs. Smith here specifically under the expanded tax credit. Disney shoots Wizards Beyond Waverly Place and the rebooted Mickey Mouse Club in LA.
Start with casting calls in Los Angeles, or go straight to extras work in LA, acting roles, commercials, modeling or music videos.
San Francisco and San Jose
Commercial, tech and corporate work rather than scripted drama. Brand shoots, product launches, corporate video and content-creator campaigns. If you read as a working professional rather than a performer, this is often better odds than LA. See casting calls in San Francisco and San Jose.
San Diego
Lifestyle, outdoor, military-adjacent and commercial casting, plus a steady stream of regional productions. A smaller professional pool than LA means a better ratio of roles to applicants. See casting calls in San Diego and San Diego extras work.
Sacramento, Fresno, Long Beach and the Central Valley
Regional productions, commercials, and background for shoots that travel out of LA for locations. Competition here is a fraction of what it is in Los Angeles. See Sacramento, Fresno, Long Beach and Hamilton City.
What do casting calls in California pay?
California productions of real budget are SAG-AFTRA signatory productions, which means minimums are set by contract. These are the rates in effect from 1 July 2026 under the 2026 agreement, which runs through June 2030 with 3% increases every July:
- Background actor — $231 per 8 hours. Special ability background $241; stand-ins and photo doubles $270.
- Day performer — $1,283 per day.
- Three-day performer (television) — $3,252.
- Weekly performer — $4,456 per week.
- Series regular, one-hour drama — $5,361 per week at the floor; leads negotiate far above it.
- Non-union work — varies. The effective floor in Los Angeles is the city minimum wage of $18.42 an hour.
Union days also carry time-and-a-half for hours nine and ten, double time beyond, meal penalties, and adjustments for wardrobe, period costume, extensive hair and makeup and bringing your own vehicle. Those bumps routinely add fifty to a hundred dollars that most performers never claim. Our guide to extras pay lists every adjustment in full.
California is not a right-to-work state. That is a real difference from Georgia, Texas and most of the South. The union line carries more weight here, which is why building toward SAG-AFTRA eligibility matters more in California than almost anywhere else.
What kinds of roles get cast in California?
Background and extras
The most accessible paid work in the state. No agent, no experience, no audition — you are cast from photos, measurements and availability. Central Casting is headquartered in Burbank and is the largest background casting company in the country. See open extras casting calls.
Commercials
California shoots more commercials than anywhere else, and commercial work pays well relative to the time it takes. See commercial casting calls.
Voice-over and animation
Los Angeles is the centre of English-language voice work. Because it is recorded, geography matters less at the audition stage than for on-camera roles. See voice acting auditions.
Modeling, dance and content creation
Fashion, lifestyle, music video and creator campaigns run year-round across LA and the Bay Area. See modeling, dancing and content creator casting calls.
Reality and unscripted
Competition formats, dating shows and docuseries cast nationally but shoot and interview heavily in California. Acting ability is irrelevant here; being watchable and specific is everything. See reality TV casting calls.
Popular casting categories in California
California rules that affect whether you can work
Minors need a Coogan account, a permit and a studio teacher
California's rules are the strictest in the country and they are not optional.
- Coogan account. The employer withholds 15% of gross earnings into a blocked trust account, generally within 15 days. The account must be at a California institution, and since 2000 the money legally belongs to the child, not the parent.
- Work permit. Valid for a period not exceeding six months, requiring school district verification that attendance and academic standing are in order. Renewal is the same process, and lapsed paperwork has cost young actors confirmed jobs.
- Studio teacher. Required on every call involving a minor from 15 days old to the 16th birthday, and for 16- and 17-year-olds when schooling is needed. The teacher also acts as a welfare worker.
- Hours. Ages 9 to under 16: up to 9 hours at the workplace, no more than 5 of them work on a school day. Ages 16 to under 18: up to 10 hours, no more than 6 work on a school day. Twelve hours must pass before the next call time.
If a production is vague about any of this, that is information. For how this plays out on a specific slate, see our guide to Disney casting calls for teens.
Charging performers upfront fees is illegal here
The Krekorian Talent Scam Prevention Act makes it unlawful in California to charge a performer an advance fee for auditions, representation or casting services. No reputable company does it anywhere, and in California it is a crime.
What's filming in California in 2026
The expanded tax credit is the reason to pay attention this year. Recent and current work includes Amazon's Fallout season three in the Los Angeles area and Mr. & Mrs. Smith season two, HBO's The Pitt on Burbank stages and Lanterns at Warner Bros., and Disney's Wizards Beyond Waverly Place and Mickey Mouse Club reboot.
For how each of those studios actually casts, see our guides to Netflix casting calls, HBO casting calls, Amazon Prime casting calls and Netflix extras casting.
How to spot a fake California casting call
You never pay to audition or to be considered for a role. Not a registration fee, not a "processing fee", not a mandatory photo shoot, not a workshop that promises a callback. In California, charging you is illegal.
The Federal Trade Commission published a consumer alert on virtual casting call scams in December 2025, describing unexpected texts from supposed talent scouts offering fast-turnaround auditions for real, recognizable titles that become sales pitches for photos or classes.
- Unexpected texts or DMs naming a real production. Legitimate casting does not cold-text strangers.
- Any request for money — auditions, registration, headshot packages, classes.
- Impersonation of real casting directors through lookalike domains and new social accounts. Verify through the casting office before replying.
- Requests for bank details or a Social Security number before a signed booking with a named production and payroll company.
- Guaranteed roles or guaranteed representation. Nobody can promise either.
Report suspected scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, forward scam texts to 7726, and contact SAG-AFTRA if the union's name is invoked.
10/15/20269/20/20269/16/20269/14/20269/4/2026Casting calls in nearby states and provinces: New Mexico · British Columbia · New York · Utah · Arizona · Nevada · Washington · Hawaii
Find casting calls in California on allcasting
allcasting is a casting marketplace: verified casting professionals post roles and talent applies directly. Applying is free, and nobody on the platform can promise you a part.
- Browse live Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Sacramento casting calls
- Start with extras and background work — no experience, no agent, no audition
- Move into speaking roles, commercials or voice-over as you build credits
- Keep current photos, accurate stats and real skills in one profile casting directors can search
For the broader career picture, see how to become a background actor.
How To
Decide Which California Market You Are Actually In
California is not one casting market, it is several, and applying as though it were one is the most common mistake people make here. Los Angeles is where the casting directors, agents, voice-over studios and the great majority of scripted work sit. San Francisco and San Jose skew commercial, tech and corporate. San Diego runs lifestyle, military-adjacent and commercial work. Sacramento, Fresno, Long Beach and the Central Valley fill regional and background needs for productions that come to them. Work out which of those your location, look and availability actually fit, then filter to that city rather than applying statewide and hoping.
- 1Build a Profile That Survives a Database SearchCalifornia casting directors search before they read. Add current headshots from more than one angle, accurate height, playable age range and sizes, your union status, your real location within the state, and every skill you could demonstrate on a set tomorrow — driving, languages, instruments, sports, dance training. In a market this deep, a thin profile simply never surfaces.Pro Tip: Put your actual neighbourhood or county in, not just “Los Angeles”. Productions shooting in Santa Clarita or Long Beach filter for people who can reach set without a hotel.
- 2Take the Background Work FirstBackground is the only category in California with no audition, no agent and no experience requirement, and it is how you learn how a professional set runs before it costs you a booking to learn it. Register with the background casting companies working your city, keep your photos current with each of them, and answer bookings fast — reliability is the entire reputation game in background work.Pro Tip: Three days of background work under a SAG-AFTRA agreement makes you union-eligible, evidenced by pay stubs rather than vouchers. In a non-right-to-work state like California, that eligibility is worth more than it is anywhere in the South.
- 3Apply Steadily, and Never Pay AnyoneBooking rates are low for everyone here, including working actors, so volume and consistency beat occasional bursts. Filter by your city and category, read the full breakdown including shoot dates before applying, and submit on a weekly rhythm. Then protect yourself: charging a performer an upfront fee is a crime in California under the Krekorian Talent Scam Prevention Act.Pro Tip: Treat any request for money as disqualifying, no matter how legitimate the production name sounds. Naming a real title is a documented scam tactic, not a credential.
Q&A
Are there real casting calls in California?
How much do casting calls in California pay?
Do I need to live in Los Angeles to get cast in California?
Do I need an agent to get casting calls in California?
Is California a right-to-work state?
What does my child need to work on a California production?
How many hours can a minor work on set in California?
Is it legal for a casting company to charge me a fee in California?
Ready to get discovered?
Join for free and start applying to casting calls today.
