Interview Date: January 26th, 2025

Episode Summary:

Rebecca Lampiasi, a dance agent at CESD in New York City. Rebecca shares her journey from growing up in a family of artists in New Jersey to discovering her true passion for supporting artists during her time at NYU Tisch. Initially involved in theater and acting, Rebecca shifted her focus to agency work, starting at a commercial casting office before joining CESD. She discusses her role as a dance agent, representing clients in theater, TV, film, and commercial work.

Rebecca explains how the dance industry in New York differs from the commercial scene in LA, emphasizing that New York’s work is more theater-focused, with significant opportunities in Broadway and national tours, while LA is known for its high volume of commercial work. She highlights the importance of building relationships and knowing your career goals when approaching an agent, and shares tips for dancers submitting to agencies, such as having a diverse dance reel and being mindful of social media presence.

Show Notes:

• (0:00 ) Introduction

• (3:30 ) Rebecca’s journey from theater to agency work

• (10:00 ) Transitioning to CESD

• (14:00 ) Differences between New York and LA dance industries

• (20:00 ) Tips for submitting to agencies

• (28:00 ) Building relationships with clients

• (35:00 ) Social media for dancers

• (42:00 ) Essential submission materials

• (50:00 ) Understanding clients' career goals

• (55:00 ) Q&A with Rebecca

• (1:01:00 ) Conclusion

Biography:

Rebecca Lampiasi is an agent in the Dance Department at CESD Talent, a NY-based department of the bi-coastal agency. She grew up in New Jersey, a theater nerd from day one, in a family of artists and art lovers. While attending NYU Tisch, she realized that her real love and talents lay in supporting other artists' journeys. After graduating with her BFA in Drama and a minor in Producing, she began working at a commercial and print casting office.

The experience taught her so much about the business of the arts, the process of booking a job, and what casting teams look for. The experience also taught her that while casting allows a CD to be artistically creative, her passion was in supporting individual artists. With that in mind, she made the move to CESD as an assistant in the Dance Department, where she has been and has grown ever since.

The department has an absolutely thrilling roster of talent across all media, including theater, tv/film, commercial, print and live events. CESD Dance is focused on individually tailored representation of each client as an individual - not just as an artist, but as a human being, and prides itself on open communication and intentional strategy.

Connect on Social Media:

https://www.instagram.com/rebeccalamps

https://www.instagram.com/cesdtalent

Website:

https://cesdtalent.com/