Many casting directors find actors. Some discover stars. A very small number help shape the culture by recognizing talent before the rest of us can see it.
Rick belongs in that last category.
When I created E-Ring for NBC and Warner Bros., a drama inspired by my years in special operations, intelligence, and the shadow world where national security decisions are made far from public view, I needed a casting director who understood something deeper than résumés and headshots. I needed someone who could recognize authenticity.
Rick did.
He met my standards and then exceeded them.
What began as a professional relationship quickly evolved into something more valuable: trust.
Anyone who has spent time in special operations understands that trust is not given lightly. It is earned through competence, judgment, discretion, and consistency. Those are the same qualities that made Rick successful in one of the most competitive professions in entertainment.
Over the course of a remarkable career, Rick has cast more than ninety films and worked alongside some of the most influential filmmakers of our era, including James Cameron, Kathryn Bigelow, Oliver Stone, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Gus Van Sant, and David E. Kelley. His television credits include The Blacklist, 24, and Picket Fences. He later stepped behind the camera himself to direct Ten Tricks.
That résumé is impressive.
What impresses me more is the man behind it.
Hollywood is often described as a business of relationships. That is true. It is also a business of pressure, ego, uncertainty, ambition, disappointment, reinvention, and survival. In that respect, it is not nearly as different from special operations as many people might imagine.
Both worlds operate behind closed doors.
Both are driven by personalities.
Both involve extraordinary stakes.
Both require reading people accurately.
Both reward judgment and punish mistakes.
Both contain more complexity than outsiders ever see.
Today, Rick and I find ourselves in an unexpected second act.
We are now fellow writers on Substack, each opening a window into worlds that are usually opaque to the public.
My work explores intelligence, national security, diplomacy, and the machinery of power.
Rick's Substack, Notes from the Borderlands, explores the equally fascinating terrain where art, storytelling, casting, creativity, and human nature intersect.
The title is perfect.
The borderlands are where the interesting things happen.
They are where certainty ends and discovery begins.
Rick writes from decades of experience inside rooms most people never enter, conversations most people never hear, and decisions that often shape the films and television shows that become part of our collective culture.
What makes the newsletter valuable is not simply his access. Plenty of people have access.
What makes it valuable is perspective.
Rick understands people.
After a lifetime of evaluating talent, personalities, motivations, dreams, fears, ambitions, and performance, he has developed the kind of observational wisdom that cannot be taught and cannot be faked.
Readers of Notes from the Borderlands are not simply getting stories from Hollywood.
They are getting lessons about judgment, creativity, leadership, risk, perseverance, and the strange human dynamics that exist whenever talented people attempt difficult things together.
In intelligence work, we often say that information is abundant but insight is rare.
The same is true in entertainment.
Rick provides insight.
If you care about storytelling, filmmaking, television, casting, creativity, leadership, or simply understanding how extraordinary careers are built, I strongly recommend subscribing to Notes from the Borderlands.
I trusted Rick when the mission was building a network television series.
I trust him now.
And after reading his work, I suspect you will understand why.
— Ken Robinson Creator, E-Ring, and Condor, Former Special Forces, Military Intelligence, and National Security Analyst CEO, Soft Power, Inc.
Wow. That is some fine things you’ve said. I really appreciate your thoughts and compliments on my career. I’m so glad that you read this piece, maybe in particular because I put a lot of time into it, knowing I had to find a way to entertain while making my points.
If you’ve read any of my other posts, then you know that I’ve relocated to New York, my home town, and have a wife and a 14-year-old son. Loving it here, and I’m in a rock band! Playing keyboard, and even drums on a few songs. I’m sorry to say that the casting business is suffering for many people; even my partner Debi Mankiller, who has two (count’em TWO EMMMYS) doesn’t get called by the studios anymore. There’s an ageism in Hollywood that really sucks—just when we get really good at our jobs, they don’t want us anymore. But I’m doing fine. And so is Deb.
Please let me know if you’re ever visiting New York. Would love to grab a meal with you. My number’s the same as always. Hugs to you and yours.
Rick Pagano occupies a rare place in Hollywood.
Many casting directors find actors. Some discover stars. A very small number help shape the culture by recognizing talent before the rest of us can see it.
Rick belongs in that last category.
When I created E-Ring for NBC and Warner Bros., a drama inspired by my years in special operations, intelligence, and the shadow world where national security decisions are made far from public view, I needed a casting director who understood something deeper than résumés and headshots. I needed someone who could recognize authenticity.
Rick did.
He met my standards and then exceeded them.
What began as a professional relationship quickly evolved into something more valuable: trust.
Anyone who has spent time in special operations understands that trust is not given lightly. It is earned through competence, judgment, discretion, and consistency. Those are the same qualities that made Rick successful in one of the most competitive professions in entertainment.
Over the course of a remarkable career, Rick has cast more than ninety films and worked alongside some of the most influential filmmakers of our era, including James Cameron, Kathryn Bigelow, Oliver Stone, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Gus Van Sant, and David E. Kelley. His television credits include The Blacklist, 24, and Picket Fences. He later stepped behind the camera himself to direct Ten Tricks.
That résumé is impressive.
What impresses me more is the man behind it.
Hollywood is often described as a business of relationships. That is true. It is also a business of pressure, ego, uncertainty, ambition, disappointment, reinvention, and survival. In that respect, it is not nearly as different from special operations as many people might imagine.
Both worlds operate behind closed doors.
Both are driven by personalities.
Both involve extraordinary stakes.
Both require reading people accurately.
Both reward judgment and punish mistakes.
Both contain more complexity than outsiders ever see.
Today, Rick and I find ourselves in an unexpected second act.
We are now fellow writers on Substack, each opening a window into worlds that are usually opaque to the public.
My work explores intelligence, national security, diplomacy, and the machinery of power.
Rick's Substack, Notes from the Borderlands, explores the equally fascinating terrain where art, storytelling, casting, creativity, and human nature intersect.
The title is perfect.
The borderlands are where the interesting things happen.
They are where certainty ends and discovery begins.
Rick writes from decades of experience inside rooms most people never enter, conversations most people never hear, and decisions that often shape the films and television shows that become part of our collective culture.
What makes the newsletter valuable is not simply his access. Plenty of people have access.
What makes it valuable is perspective.
Rick understands people.
After a lifetime of evaluating talent, personalities, motivations, dreams, fears, ambitions, and performance, he has developed the kind of observational wisdom that cannot be taught and cannot be faked.
Readers of Notes from the Borderlands are not simply getting stories from Hollywood.
They are getting lessons about judgment, creativity, leadership, risk, perseverance, and the strange human dynamics that exist whenever talented people attempt difficult things together.
In intelligence work, we often say that information is abundant but insight is rare.
The same is true in entertainment.
Rick provides insight.
If you care about storytelling, filmmaking, television, casting, creativity, leadership, or simply understanding how extraordinary careers are built, I strongly recommend subscribing to Notes from the Borderlands.
I trusted Rick when the mission was building a network television series.
I trust him now.
And after reading his work, I suspect you will understand why.
— Ken Robinson Creator, E-Ring, and Condor, Former Special Forces, Military Intelligence, and National Security Analyst CEO, Soft Power, Inc.
Ken.
Ken.
Wow. That is some fine things you’ve said. I really appreciate your thoughts and compliments on my career. I’m so glad that you read this piece, maybe in particular because I put a lot of time into it, knowing I had to find a way to entertain while making my points.
If you’ve read any of my other posts, then you know that I’ve relocated to New York, my home town, and have a wife and a 14-year-old son. Loving it here, and I’m in a rock band! Playing keyboard, and even drums on a few songs. I’m sorry to say that the casting business is suffering for many people; even my partner Debi Mankiller, who has two (count’em TWO EMMMYS) doesn’t get called by the studios anymore. There’s an ageism in Hollywood that really sucks—just when we get really good at our jobs, they don’t want us anymore. But I’m doing fine. And so is Deb.
Please let me know if you’re ever visiting New York. Would love to grab a meal with you. My number’s the same as always. Hugs to you and yours.