Company History
Established in 2005, Uni-versal Extras is a leading casting agency in the UK and Ireland. Over the past decade we have worked on a wide range of award-winning productions including major Feature Films, TV shows, music videos and commercials. Our head office is based at the very heart of the UK film industry at Pinewood Film Studios. But how did it all start?
Company founder Wayne Berko’s lightbulb moment came whilst working as a part-time film Extra to support his undergraduate studies. He realised that productions shooting in multiple locations across the UK would benefit from having one single Extras agency that they could rely on to deliver all their casting needs.
Using a cutting-edge website to register new members and store the information required to cast them as Extras, Wayne quickly grew a unique nationwide database of supporting artists. Offering well-paid, part-time and local work in interesting roles proved to be an instant success with the general public.
Uni-versal Extras’ first ever job was to supply German speakers for a National Geographic documentary about the Hindenburg disaster. As they say, “the rest is history!” After landing on our feet, it soon became apparent that we needed to harness not only the looks of our Extras but also their skills – people of all ages and from all backgrounds are required to deliver the first-class service we are renowned for today.
Since moving to the prestigious Pinewood Film Studios in 2009, Uni-versal Extras has moved from strength-to-strength, working on the UK’s biggest and best productions.
The Team
With a dedicated and experienced staff of over 20 professionals, Uni-versal Extras continue to push boundaries in Extras casting. Behind the scenes our teams work closely together to deliver the first-class service that members of Uni-versal Extras have come to expect.
Artist Support assist new members with registration and also support our existing extras. If you are new to Uni-versal Extras, you should begin your registration online. Artist Support will review and process your application to ensure that you have not only provided the information we require to cast you, but also to check that your online profile will give you the best chance of securing work.
Our Casting Team is at the very heart of what we do at Uni-versal Extras – they work tirelessly to find our registered Extras suitable roles based on the needs of our production clients. They take great pride in matching you with well-paid and exciting part-time roles.
Once you have secured work our Accounts Team are here to make sure you get paid promptly for the work that you have completed. This is obviously key to our service as an Extras agency!
The dedicated Chitless Team supports Uni-versal Extras’ new paperless service which digitises paperwork and invoicing to make your on-set experience smoother and more enjoyable. This also has an important environmental impact. Our other departments include Operations and Marketing.
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