Casting Calls in Washington: Seattle Auditions & Pay 2026

Casting calls in Washington are overwhelmingly Seattle casting calls, and the work is overwhelmingly commercial. Of the productions permitted in Seattle in 2025, 54% were commercials, while features and television series together accounted for 9%. Union background work pays $231 per 8 hours in 2026, and Seattle's minimum wage is $21.30 an hour against $17.13 statewide.

That shape is not a weakness. The city issued 360 master film permits covering 621 filming days in 2025, up 6% on the previous year, and 4,096 local cast and crew were hired. If you want to book regularly in Washington, commercial, corporate and branded work is where the bookings are.

This guide covers Seattle and Spokane auditions, what the work pays, the permit rules for child performers, and how to tell a real Washington casting call from a fake one.

Commercial and corporate casting in Seattle

This is the centre of the market. Seattle's film programme reports that at least half of permits in a typical year are commercial work, and that commercial production supports most local cast and crew. Named 2025 productions include a Rivian commercial shot on the Seattle Waterfront, a T-Mobile corporate production filmed at Seattle City Hall, and incentive-backed campaigns for Titleist, Providence and Ascent.

Washington opened its commercial incentive statewide in August 2025. Commercials previously had to film in a rural county to qualify. Now a commercial filming anywhere in Washington can claim up to 30%, rising to 40% with the uplift — a direct reason for more commercial casting across the state.

• Commercial casting moves fast. A notice posted Monday may audition Wednesday and shoot Friday.
• Real, specific skills book jobs here: cycling, kayaking, hiking, trades, healthcare roles, tech-worker looks.
• Conflicts matter. Once you shoot for one brand in a category, you are usually unavailable to its competitors for the term of the contract.

Film and television casting in Washington

Washington Filmworks runs the Motion Picture Competitiveness Program as the Production Incentive Program. It is a cash rebate funded by a business and occupation tax credit rather than a credit the production claims itself.

• Features: up to 30%, minimum in-state spend $500,000
• Episodic series under six episodes: up to 30%, minimum $300,000 per episode
• Episodic series of six episodes or more: up to 35%
• Commercials: up to 30%, minimum $150,000
• Plus up to 10% for filming in a rural county or telling the story of a historically underrepresented community

The fund is capped at $15 million a year and the programme sunsets in 2030. Recent incentive-funded work includes Train Dreams, the Joel Edgerton feature that premiered at Sundance and released on Netflix in November 2025 and used the rural-county enhancement, and the feature 213 Bones. Statewide, 149 projects completed in the 2025 fiscal year.

Spokane and Eastern Washington

Spokane has no local minimum wage, so the state rate of $17.13 applies. Eastern Washington is also where the rural-county uplift applies, which is a genuine reason for productions to shoot outside the Puget Sound corridor. Volume is far lower than Seattle, but competition for each role is lower too.

What does casting work in Washington pay?

Union scale, effective 1 July 2026

On a SAG-AFTRA production, background work pays $231 for an 8-hour day, with additional payments for overtime, meal penalties and wardrobe. Principal performers are paid under separate schedules. Commercials carry their own structure, including session fees and use payments, which is where commercial work can out-earn its day rate considerably.

Washington is not a right-to-work state. SAG-AFTRA's Seattle Local covers Washington, Alaska, Idaho and Montana.

Non-union and local rates

Non-union work is negotiated per job and must meet the applicable wage floor. In 2026 that is $17.13 an hour statewide and $21.30 an hour in Seattle. Several other cities set higher rates, including Tukwila at $21.65, Burien at $21.63 for the largest employers, Renton at $21.57, Everett at $20.77 and Bellingham at $19.13. Performers aged 14 and 15 may be paid 85% of the state rate, which is $14.56.

Child performers in Washington

Washington is one of the stricter states, and the obligation sits with the employer rather than the family.

• The employer must hold an active Minor Work Permit endorsement on its business licence before any minor works.
• A Theatrical Minor Variance must be obtained from the Department of Labor and Industries for a minor to work extra hours, earlier or later than normally allowed, or during school hours. The employer applies using form F700-186-000 with parent and school authorisation and proof of age for each minor.
• Minors under 14 do not need superior court permission, but the under-16 rules on hours, prohibited duties and breaks still apply.
• There is no Coogan-style trust account requirement in Washington.

If a production casting your child cannot tell you its permit endorsement status, that is a reason to pause. The requirement is on them, and a production working legitimately in Washington will know the answer immediately.

How to spot a fake Seattle casting call

Seattle's heavy commercial and corporate volume gives scammers a believable cover story: a "brand campaign" casting notice sounds entirely normal here. The warning signs are the same everywhere.

1. You are asked to pay to audition, to be submitted, or to be registered for a specific production.
2. A paid role is offered before any audition, from a photo and a message.
3. You are sent money first and told to deposit it and forward part of it. This is always fraud.
4. The audition is at a private address or a hotel room rather than an office, studio or secure self-tape platform.
5. A specific photographer is required before you can be considered.

Official sources: Washington State Department of Labor and Industries · Washington Filmworks · SAG-AFTRA Seattle Local

Casting calls in nearby states and provinces: British Columbia · California · Nevada · Alberta · Hawaii · Idaho · Alaska

Find Seattle casting calls 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 role.

• Browse Seattle casting calls, updated daily
• Go straight to acting roles or modeling work in Seattle
• Build on-camera credits with extras work, and check Spokane for Eastern Washington shoots
• Many Seattle-set series actually shoot north of the border — see casting calls in British Columbia

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