Casting Director Yevheniia Melashenko

I’ve always been surrounded by creative people. My close friends worked in the film industry, so whenever we gathered, there were many amazing people from the film world, musicians too. I always enjoyed listening to what projects they were working on, what challenges or exciting tasks they were facing. I even visited sets to see the behind-the-scenes action. I read a lot, watched lectures, and went to the theater. But working in the industry just didn’t seem to be happening for me. I remember being deeply impressed by Steve Tribe’s book “Sherlock”, from the creators of the popular series. It describes the whole process of making the show: from scriptwriting to casting, incredible costume design, location scouting, and the challenges the team faced. I read it in one breath.

While working in PR for a designer clothing brand, I met the wonderful casting director Olya Klymenko. I remember we were selecting outfits for a film premiere, and I have such warm memories from that interaction. Maybe it was a sign, because soon after, I started working in film.

At first, I was an assistant to the casting department. It was a really cool experience. The film set is like its own little world, where everything is boiling with activity, people work in different conditions, and you get to see their true character. Then I moved into casting.

That’s how I entered the profession. I’ve been working in casting for 120seconds (advertising projects) and in film production for around four years now.

Oh, I’m so happy to be part of this amazing team! Every new project is always something bright, unusual, and dynamic.

I absolutely enjoy the process because everyone is on the same wavelength — everything is clear and well-coordinated. And I enjoy the results even more, along with the new connections I make with cool, creative, and talented people. I’m always on the lookout for interesting, charismatic faces of all ages. Even when I’m just walking around the city, I look at people differently — I instantly think, “Oh, what an interesting person, they’d be great for an ad or music video.”

As for memorable ad projects — it’s hard to pick just one. Every project is unique and cool in its own way. But I probably remember working on the Comfy Bosch and Huawei commercials the most.

РThe Huawei commercial was in a C-pop style. To find young, attractive, Asianlooking people who could dance, I went through all social networks and even searched in the Tchaikovsky National Music Academy — and I found them! It was a great experience. We had professional dancers, models, and even people who had never acted before. It turned out fantastic.

The Comfy Bosch commercial was like a fast-paced music video, and we needed to find someone extremely energetic and technically skilled. The actor had to match the reference both in appearance and personality. And we found him — Petya Rusanenko. I call him “the man of crazy energy.” He came in, and from the very first audition, it was clear he was the perfect fit. He impressed everyone — even the client remembered him and invited him back for other projects.

It depends, but generally I try to submit no more than 5–6 options per role. First, I gather a large pool of candidates, then I analyze and narrow it down to the best fits.

Ideally, the director’s and client’s visions match. But if there’s an agency involved too, you have to get three approvals. Ultimately, the client makes the final decision

Probably in marketing or event planning. I seriously considered it at one point. Maybe in the same creative industry, just in a different position. Or maybe I’d open a cozy little coffee shop and host creative evenings there.

I love traveling, especially around Ukraine. Thanks to my job, I discovered not only the beauty of our country, but also had the chance to travel for castings and meet amazing actors. I haven’t traveled much abroad, but I have big plans to change that. I’m in love with Budapest. One of my recent favorite trips was to Tallinn — such a beautiful city! I was there just after the filming of Christopher Nolan’s Tenet had wrapped. I got to see the locations where they shot, hear how the city was transformed, with many areas closed off and locals taking part in mass scenes. I also visited the abandoned Linnahall concert hall, which was portrayed as the Kyiv Opera House in the film. Trips like this really inspire me.

I’m also into psychology — I studied for a year at KIGIP (Kyiv Institute of Gestalt and Psychodrama), but due to personal reasons, I didn’t continue.

And of course, my work is my main passion — I’m deeply interested in everything connected to it.

I’m a huge cinephile. When I have free time, I watch a lot. There are so many good series nowadays. I really love French cinema. Among my favorites are La Belle Époque, La Belle et la Belle by Nicolas Bedos.

I also adored the series Call My Agent! — it’s about a French talent agency. I really like Julia Roberts and all her films.

For some reason, I dreamed of being a music video director. I remember lying down with my eyes closed, listening to music, and imagining music video plots. It was fun! Later, I wanted to be an actress — that profession always seemed so prestigious and exciting to me. In general, I loved everything related to creativity. But life had other plans — I ended up at a technical university. I studied at the Aviation University, majoring in “Chemical Technology of Fuels and Hydrocarbon Compounds.” Yep, I graduated as a specialist in quality control of petroleum products. But even among chemistry and advanced math, I searched for something creative — for example, I was the editor of the student newspaper.

Yes, I have, though “acted” might be too strong a word. I’ve done it just for fun — small roles here and there. I could probably make a showreel of nurses, doctors, and lab technicians (laughs).

I do enjoy acting, but I’m not trying to build a career in it. It was a childhood dream, but now I’ve grown up and see things differently.

Not growing. I’m always learning something new. I don’t want to be afraid of anything. I believe we attract what we think about, so it’s better to focus on what you can do to improve yourself and help others, rather than dwell on fear.