Northern Ontario shows its talent: talent agency helps northern actors find film work.

• Author: Kelly, Lindsay
• Position: NORTH BAY

As the popularity of North Bay as a prime filming location increases, so too do the opportunities for local actors to make their mark. And that's where Jim Calarco comes in.

A veteran actor of theatre, film and television, Calarco is the founder and owner of North Star Talent, which is based in North Bay and is the largest talent agency in Northern Ontario.

Calarco started acting in the 1970s, but it wasn't until he retired from his work as a drama teacher that he got into the industry full time. He's now been at it for 18 years, and counts among his television credits a recurring role in Hard Rock Medical, as well as roles in the films High Chicago and Edwin Boyd. He's also the writer and producer of the award-winning short films That Was Easy, The House, One Wish and Strangers.

In the late 2000s, after the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp. (NOHFC) introduced financial incentives to lure film companies north, Calarco recognized a need for a made-in-the-North firm that would put the interests of local actors first.

"There weren't a lot of professional actors, and to get a job in a movie, you had to go to Toronto and audition, and that was kind of a pain in the neck," Calarco said.

"When they started handing out grants to shoot in Northern Ontario, the companies started to come north, so I decided there was a vacuum there. I started an agency, and it really worked out well for us."

By 2010, he had launched North Star Talent, with just 10 clients. Today, he represents 90 actors across a range of ages, 70 of whom are members of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) union.

As a talent agent, Calarco liaises between his clients and casting directors. Potential clients submit head shots, resumes, and tapes, and Calarco tries to find them work.

"Once they're in the agency, we send them out for auditions," Calarco said. "I'll get a casting director who will send me a breakdown which has all the roles in it that they want to cast in Northern Ontario, and then I will match up my people with particular roles."

As actors land more parts, they increase their reputation in the industry and can work toward an ACTRA membership, which guarantees them better pay and safe working conditions, Calarco noted.

Several of Calarco's clients have been successful in building their resumes in the North, most recently landing roles on the crime drama Cardinal and the recently shot series Carter, featuring American actors Jerry...