TURNING
NOVEL IDEAS
INTO
REALITY
ABOUT NOVEL
NOVEL is a full-service casting and development house dedicated to finding undiscovered talent and untold stories for all media platforms.
Our team has more than a decade of experience casting, developing and producing for some of the largest
television networks, production companies and online platforms in the world.
We offer a range of services that cater to your casting
and development needs.
No project is too big - too small - or too obscure.
THE FOUNDERS
LAUREN BISSETT
Co-Founder
Lauren Bissett is originally from London and has a BA in Creative Writing and Theatre Studies from the University of Roehampton. She began her TV career working on entertainment shows including "Britain's Got Talent" and "The X Factor," before securing a position at Studio Lambert, one of the industry’s leading independent production companies.
In 2010, she moved across the pond to Los Angeles to work on Lifetime's version of Channel 4’s documentary series, "The Fairy Jobmother." Since being in the US, Lauren has cast and produced shows including AMC’s "The Pitch," ID’s "Murder in the Heartland," Bravo’s "The People’s Couch," multiple seasons of "Undercover Boss" and the UK's hit structured reality series "Made in Chelsea: LA." She was also responsible for casting and producing the pilot episode of "Thanks a Million," a concept later picked up by Quibi and Jennifer Lopez.
Her well-rounded resume also includes casting development and pilot projects for both the US and UK as well as leading teams as a Supervising Producer. She’s also been enlisted to produce new groundbreaking concepts including Pivot’s self-shot series, "Secret Lives of Americans" and TNT’s live medical show, "Chasing the Cure with Ann Curry."
Lauren has an empathetic approach to producing and believes in searching high and low for untold stories and unearthed talent.
JEANETTE RILEY
Co-Founder
Jeanette Riley is a Seattle native with a BA in Broadcast Journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She began her career as an on-air broadcast reporter in Billings, Montana. As a reporter, Jeanette honed her interviewing skills and developed the ability to tell concise, compelling stories.
After leaving news, Jeanette began her producing career in Chicago at Intersport, a sports marketing and production company. She had the unique opportunity to work on a combination of sports productions including: live sports segments, integrated marketing spots and heartfelt sports features including the CBS Special, “Courage in Sports.”
Since moving to Los Angeles in 2014, Jeanette has continued to expand her career as a television producer. After working both in the field and in post-production at the NFL Network, Jeanette seamlessly transitioned into casting using her mind for story and sharp interviewing skills. She's cast multiple seasons of CBS’s "Undercover Boss," ID’s “Murder in the Heartland” and numerous development projects and pilots. Most recently, she was the senior producer on Lifetime’s reboot of the hit show “Supernanny.”
Jeanette has a talent for discovering compelling characters and stories for green-lit series, pilots and development concepts in all genres of unscripted television.
WHAT WE DO
NOVEL will hone in on your casting and development needs.
We pride ourselves on delivering premium results for every project.
UNSCRIPTED TELEVISION
We provide full-service casting for green-lit series and pilots.
We have an innate knack for finding non-actor talent & hosts, as well as captivating contributors with compelling stories.
We pride ourselves in our skillful, in-depth interviewing and abilities to create high quality casting edits and materials for every project.
Our experience spans across all genres of unscripted television including: documentary, docu-series, business, dating, sports, structured-reality, lifestyle, real estate, medical, true crime, entertainment, self-shot,
news, kids/tweens and teens.
DEVELOPMENT
We are passionate about
finding undiscovered talent and untold stories.
If you have a fresh, unique or ‘NOVEL’ idea - we promise to make it a reality. Simply put - it’s what we do best!
We are adept at finding unknown talent, contributors and stories that will not only elevate but bring your idea to life.
We’re experienced with bringing ideas from concept
to pitch to commission.
From intensive research to creating premium treatments, sizzles and even shooting and producing interviews in the field - we’re able to cater to any of your development needs.
SENSITIVE SUBJECT MATTER
We specialize in producing sensitive subject matter.
Over the years we have built a skillset that caters to
true crime, crime adjacent and more complex genres like: religion, sexuality, medical issues and race.
We have a track record for uncovering, developing and
finding new angles for intricate crime-based stories,
as well as gaining access to police departments, attorneys and other key storytellers.
We offer extensive research abilities and empathetic producing skills to help gain access to other delicate stories and subject matters.
EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
&
BRAND PARTNERSHIPS
We use an innovative casting approach to partner clients with the perfect candidates that will exemplify their brand and enhance their viewership.
From digital campaigns, social media content, television commercials to experiential marketing events - we will find you the ideal influencers, ambassadors and talent.
OUR WORK
We've had the pleasure of casting, developing and producing a wide range of unscripted series and concepts.
Check out some of the projects we've worked on over the years.
CONTACT US
If you have a 'NOVEL' idea - we'd love to work with you.
OR
If you are interested in joining our team - we'd love to hear from you.