Arab American Casting HAMZAH SAMAN Hamzah Saman Ego-Driven Bizarre Casting Director Los Angeles Internet
I was invited to audition for a student film by "Arab American Casting," which is owned by Hamzah Saman. When I arrived to the film school, I noticed an overweight, Middle-Eastern looking man smoking a marijuana pen outside of the facility. The only reason why I knew it was marijuana was because of the smell... Anyways, after I went inside, up the eleavtor, I was asked to sign in and waited alongside other actors/actresses for approximately 45 minutes. Yet, the same man who was smoking outside was walking in and out of the audition room. Hamzah Saman was the casting director for the project.
Although this audition experience was a while ago, I have had other actor/actress friends audition for him via self tapes or in person for Los Angeles based student films, short films, feature films, and commercials. One actress friend of mine mentioned he video taped her performance during an audition- which is unjust and arguably illegal, but she was afraid to speak up about it because he is social media verified casting director. We spoke about his company and a few friends from my film school have worked as production crew members for certain films that he was working on as well...
What is bizarre about this casting director is that he advertises his company, Arab American Casting, as a non-profit organization. Below is his Facebook page:
Now, what I thought was odd was that while I was waiting in the audition room, I overheard some of his conversations with several other actors he invited to audition for the film. I wasn't sure if they were his friends or if he was being superficial. Through his word of mouth, he was advertising his company and Facebook page/website. He mentioned people had to pay a membership fee online to join. Below are his statuses which can be found on his Facebook page:
July 3 Facebook Status by Hamzah Saman:
"No more student films unless the student willing to pay my actors and myself before the even hiring us."
Arab American Casting
I'm new to acting and the city of Los Angeles, so after the audition I spoke to him about his experience in the industry. I also googled his name and saw his TV interviews. After speaking to several other actors that left the audition, we all came to the conclusion that he is ego-driven and perhaps an individual with sothiopathic tendencies. Our theory is that he created a platform, Arab American Casting, to attract a following of actors, producers, filmmakers, etc. with the intention of having them "build his empire" that will continue to reach out to him for casting help or give him an acting role in their films. If you look at his Facebook page, he posts unusual statuses: