One of the most significant parts of the Film Industry is casting. Everything depends on casting, and Casting Directors are the key. Anything created is not complete, or let us say, start until the Casting Director does the casting.

Thank you so much. Thank you for having me. I'm very good, how are you?

Please tell us about yourself, what do you do, what is your role?

I'm Ashish Vaishnav. I'm from Mumbai, but my Hometown is Wadiya Pali, Rajasthan. Currently, I'm residing in Mumbai as my work demands. I am a Casting Director based in Mumbai, and I completed my graduation in Mass Media from Mumbai University. I own a production house & Casting Agency named, NextScreen, Event Management Company- Far From Home, and an NGO called One Unity Foundation.

This is great! So good to hear this.

How did you develop this interest in the Film Industry, and for how long have you been active in this field?

 I wanted to — I was passionate about photography and wanted to enter the film industry field since my childhood. It's been six long years here in this industry, and now this feels great after all the hard work.

You mentioned photography. Do you still do photography?

Yes, I still do it, and I've also been awarded the Best Photography Award from Nehru Science Centre and Anubhav Mumbai. Today also I'm equally passionate about photography.

That is great! Would you please share your achievements in this field and some projects that you have done?

Of course, we have successfully cast for various brands like Realme, Dizo, Tiger Balm, World Gym, Astral Foundation, Zee Music, Saregama Music, Colour Marathi, BKT TIERS, Misfit Panda Etc. We have produced two short films: The Gift Bag with renowned artist Prthibha Ranta and Sammaditthi with Anushka Sen, an Award-Winning Short film. We have an upcoming 10 Ads Film Project in the pipeline.

Excellent! Best of Luck, Ashish.

We are currently going through a pandemic. Everyone has gone through their share of side effects. What were yours?

Due to the lockdown, as you know, life has flipped. During the initial phase of the lockdown, everything was stopped, including shooting and casting interviews. But as the government relaxed the lockdowns, it resumed. One thing that came into happening due to the lockdown is Online Casting. As a casting director, this was something very much required as we always have prior commitments. So, casting has to be done following COVID-19 protocols.

What else did you do during the lockdown, Ashish?

During the lockdown, everyone was devastated. My NGO One Unity Foundation worked for the need throughout. We reached out to needy people with rations, clothes, and all the other necessities.

We also helped struggling actors reach their homes and provided them with basic amenities during the hard times.

That is very kind of you, Ashish! You undoubtedly did the best thing.

What do you plan for the future, and do you plan to expand NextScreen?

Yes, I do plan to expand my business. In 2022, I wish to bring talented freshers into the industry solely based on their talent and present themselves without any bias. Even today, when we cast someone, we look for talent and not their status.

What else is NextScreen's coming with, anything significant?

Well, yes. Currently, we have ten or more upcoming Ads projects and a lot of things that I'll be updating on my Instagram soon.

Just out of curiosity, Ashish, how do you manage all these companies?

Well, I have a great team of talented people that help me in this. Though I started alone, but today, the team and My partner Hardik Shah, Janak Jain & Sagar Jain, and I stand together.

We wish you good luck, Ashish. Thank you for your time.

You can reach out to Ashish Vaishnav, founder of NextScreen via following links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashishvaishnavofficial

Instagram: https://instagram.com/ashishvaishnavofficial LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashish-vaishnav-6462701a1