{{Short description|American casting director}}
'''Jennifer Venditti''' is an American casting director, filmmaker, and author. She was nominated for the inaugural Best Casting Oscar at the 98th Academy Awards for her work on the film ''Marty Supreme''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fleming |first1=Ryan |title=Oscar Nominees For New Casting Category Each See Their Actors Nominated For A Lead Acting Award |url=https://deadline.com/2026/01/oscars-casting-category-nominations-sinners-one-battle-1236692885/ |website=Deadline |date=22 January 2026}}</ref>
==Early life== Venditti is from Saint Paul, Minnesota.<ref name="Venditti">{{cite web |last1=Lowry |first1=Ryan |date=April 4, 2022 |title=Jennifer Venditti Will See You Now |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/04/style/jennifer-venditti-euphoria-casting-director.html |access-date=7 February 2024 |website=New York Times}}</ref> She began her career in the fashion industry, working with various brands and W Magazine.
==Career== Venditti started casting for fashion brands, including Versace and Yohji Yamamoto.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-04-05 |title=For Casting Director Jennifer Venditti, Finding Talent Is About Instinct |url=https://www.wmagazine.com/culture/jennifer-venditti-casting-director-a-24-book-interview |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=W Magazine |language=en}}</ref> Her significant opportunity came when photographer Carter Smith asked her to cast a shoot for W Magazine, which she described as the beginning of her career in casting.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-04-05 |title=For Casting Director Jennifer Venditti, Finding Talent Is About Instinct |url=https://www.wmagazine.com/culture/jennifer-venditti-casting-director-a-24-book-interview |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=W Magazine |language=en}}</ref> In 1998, she founded her casting agency, JV8INC, based in New York City.
Venditti's first feature documentary, Billy The Kid, was released in 2007.<ref name=":0">{{Cite AV media |url=https://mubi.com/en/de/films/billy-the-kid |title=Billy the Kid (2007) {{!}} MUBI |language=en |access-date=2024-09-02 |via=mubi.com}}</ref>
In 2014, actor and director Ryan Gosling hired Venditti for his directorial debut, ''Lost River''. Gosling praised her ability to find individuals with rich characters, which was essential for the film.<ref name="Venditti" />
Venditti's casting for ''American Honey'' (2016) involved scouting in locations like Walmart and dollar stores.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Davis |first=Allison P. |date=2016-09-29 |title=How 'American Honey' Got Cast |url=https://www.theringer.com/2016/9/29/16036904/how-american-honey-got-cast-d056f20d324f |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=The Ringer |language=en}}</ref> Her approach aimed to find authentic individuals fitting the roles.
Venditti gained recognition for her casting work on the HBO series ''Euphoria''. The diverse cast includes actors from various backgrounds, discovered through extensive searches on online platforms.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Hess |first=Liam |date=2022-04-05 |title=Meet Jennifer Venditti, the Street Casting Wizard Behind 'Euphoria' and 'Uncut Gems' |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/jennifer-venditti-a24-book-interview |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=Vogue |language=en-US}}</ref>
In 2019, she cast the crime thriller ''Uncut Gems'', directed by the Safdie brothers.<ref name=":1" />.
In 2025, she cast the sports comedy-drama film ''Marty Supreme'', directed by Josh Safdie. Venditti utilized both professional and non-professional actors in the film.
== Awards and nominations == Venditti received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series for her work on Euphoria in 2022.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Jennifer Venditti, CSA |url=https://www.emmys.com/bios/jennifer-venditti-csa |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=Television Academy |language=en}}</ref> She also won the Best Television Pilot and First Season award at the 36th Artios Awards presented by the Casting Society of America in 2021.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Pedersen |first=Erik |date=2021-04-16 |title='Trial Of The Chicago 7', 'Borat', 'Soul', 'One Night In Miami' & 'Minari' Take Film Prizes At Casting Society's Artios Awards |url=https://deadline.com/2021/04/artios-awards-winners-list-casdting-society-1234735147/ |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref>
Venditti's directorial debut with the documentary in 2007 entitled Billy The Kid<ref name="Venditti" /> won five awards, including Best Documentary at South by Southwest (SXSW) festival,<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Indiewire |date=2007-03-14 |title=SXSW '07 DAILY DISPATCH: "Billy The Kid" and "Itty Bitty Titty Committee" Win Top Jury Prizes At SXS |url=https://www.indiewire.com/news/general-news/sxsw-07-daily-dispatch-billy-the-kid-and-itty-bitty-titty-committee-win-top-jury-prizes-at-sxs-74980/ |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=IndieWire |language=en-US}}</ref> Best Documentary at Edinburgh International Film Festival,<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Eye For Film: Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007 |url=https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/festivals/edinburgh/2007 |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=www.eyeforfilm.co.uk}}</ref> Best Documentary Feature at Los Angeles Film Festival,<ref name=":0" /> Most Popular Documentary at Melbourne International Film Festival,<ref name=":0" /> and Outstanding Achievement in a Debut Feature Film at Cinema Eye Honors.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=Outstanding Achievement in Debut Feature Film |url=https://cinemaeyehonors.com/awards/debut-feature-film/ |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=Cinema Eye Honors |language=en-US}}</ref> She was also included on the 25 New Faces of Independent Film list in their 2007 annual survey of new talent.<ref>{{Cite web |title=25 New Faces - Filmmaker Magazine - Summer 2007 |url=https://filmmakermagazine.com/archives/issues/summer2007/25faces.php |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=filmmakermagazine.com}}</ref> {| class="wikitable" !Award !Year !Category !Work !Result !Ref. |- |Academy Awards |2026 |Best Casting |''Marty Supreme'' |{{Nominated}} |<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moreau |first=Brent Lang,Jordan |date=2026-01-22 |title=Oscar Nominations 2026: ‘Sinners’ Dominates With 16 Nods, ‘One Battle After Another’ Follows With 13 |url=https://variety.com/2026/film/news/oscar-nominations-2026-sinners-one-battle-after-another-1236632380/ |access-date=2026-01-23 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> |- |Primetime Emmy Awards |2022 |Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series |''Euphoria'' <small>(Season 2)</small> |{{Nominated}} |<ref name=":2" /> |- |Artios Awards |2021 |Best Television Pilot and First Season (Drama) |''Euphoria'' |{{Won}} |<ref name=":3" /> |- |South by Southwest (SXSW) |2007 |Best Documentary | rowspan="5" |''Billy the Kid'' |{{Won}} |<ref name=":4" /> |- |Edinburgh International Film Festival |2007 |Best Documentary |{{Won}} |<ref name=":5" /> |- |Los Angeles Film Festival |2007 |Best Documentary Feature |{{Won}} |<ref name=":0" /> |- |Melbourne International Film Festival |2007 |Most Popular Documentary |{{Won}} |<ref name=":0" /> |- |Cinema Eye Honors |2007 |Outstanding Achievement in a Debut Feature Film |{{Won}} |<ref name=":6" /> |}
== Publications == In 2022, Venditti published her first book, Can I Ask You a Question?: The Art and Alchemy of Casting, under A24.<ref name="Venditti" /> The book received the American Institute of Graphic Arts 50 Books 50 Covers award.<ref>{{Cite web |title=AIGA - Can I Ask You A Question? |url=https://50books50covers.secure-platform.com/a/gallery/rounds/310/details/60860 }}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links ==
* {{IMDb name}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Venditti, Jennifer}} Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people
{{Improve categories|date=September 2024}} Category:American casting directors Category:People from Saint Paul, Minnesota