What Is My Casting Agency Worth?

Casting agencies are relationship-driven businesses at the intersection of production and talent. In Los Angeles, experienced casting directors with established studio relationships and a reputation for strong casting are in consistent demand across film, television, commercials, and new media.

Typical Valuation Ranges

Most casting agencies sell for 2x to 3.5x SDE. Agencies with recurring series work and multiple casting directors trend toward the higher end.

Factors that push toward the higher end:

• Recurring series casting assignments (multi-season shows)
• Multiple casting directors generating revenue independently
• Established relationships with major studios and networks
• Revenue above $500K with consistent year-over-year bookings
• Diversified across film, TV, commercial, and digital/streaming
• Strong database of talent and industry contacts
• Reputation for specific genres or casting specialties

Factors that push toward the lower end:

• Single casting director handling all projects
• Revenue concentrated in one studio or production company
• Inconsistent project pipeline with seasonal gaps
• No recurring series or ongoing relationships
• Limited to one format (features only, or commercials only)
• No proprietary talent database or casting systems

Key Value Drivers

Studio and network relationships are the foundation of a casting business. Being the go-to casting office for a showrunner, studio, or network provides recurring deal flow that buyers can depend on.

Recurring series work — casting an ongoing series provides predictable revenue season after season. A casting agency with multiple active series is significantly more valuable than one working project-to-project.

Casting director depth — if the founder is the sole casting director, the business has high key-person risk. Multiple casting directors with their own relationships and reputations reduce that risk.

Talent database — a well-organized, proprietary database of actors, their agents, audition history, and availability is a tangible business asset that supports efficient casting.

How to Increase Your Value

1. Develop additional casting directors. Associates who can lead their own projects reduce founder dependency.
2. Secure recurring engagements. Series work and ongoing production company relationships provide predictable revenue.
3. Diversify your project types. Expand across film, TV, streaming, commercial, and digital content.
4. Build your database. A comprehensive, well-organized talent database is a transferable asset.
5. Document your relationships. CRM records of studio contacts, producer relationships, and project history demonstrate the depth of your network.

Browse the valuation multiples guide for industry data, or schedule a free call for a confidential valuation.