Weekly Portrait of a Natural Beauty – Jennifer Schram Maxwell

I have known Jennifer for what seems like eternity. I believe we first met on a job for Glamour magazine either in Santa Barbara, CA or the Florida Key’s. Either way I have such clear memories of them both and the laughter and smiles she always brought to a shoot and ultimately to my life. She has one of the best eye’s in casting and for sure the best laugh.

“Even back in the 90’s, when I was casting exclusively for print and runway, I was always drawn to what lies beneath the surface of individuals. Having had the good fortune of working with highly talented and celebrated designers, photographers and directors, I’ve always been in the presence of beautiful and interesting faces – both models on the cusp of stardom and the amazing superstars of the fashion world.  But regardless of their often awe-inspiring beauty, it was often their emotional selves and their individual stories that drew me in. It just required a closer look, a little sensitivity and empathy.   I approached each casting with that sensitivity and sometimes hit the jackpot by discovering an outwardly beautiful person who (sometimes with a gentle nudge) revealed an even more compelling and dynamically beautiful inside.  And these were the gems who, upon first glance, may have seemed shy or flat, but who would light up in front of a camera.”

“A “Real Person” is the official term for someone who is not represented by an agency (or manager) and hasn’t had professional experience in front of the camera. Over the years and when the right project presented itself, I could sometimes add some “real people” into the mix in a casting presentation for a fashion or beauty client.  And once in a while these clients would select one or more of these “real people” because their untapped and unique beauty.”

“In the mid-90′s I worked in-house at TSE when the great and legendary Bruce Weber was hired to shoot several of the campaigns. We booked up-and-coming model, Guinevere van Seenus, to be featured in the ads.  She was exquisite with her milky-white skin and otherworldly features.  She seemed to come from a different place and time and possessed a certain fragility that drew you in and made you want to know her inner workings. So much more than just a beautiful face…Interspersed between fashion campaign and runway show projects, I dabbled in real people casting, working on public service announcement campaigns and TV promos and projects. And in 2007 I had another opportunity to work with Bruce, this time on a massive launch project for the joint venture between Ralph Lauren and JCP – American Living. For me, this was the ultimate casting opportunity because Bruce truly gets and appreciates the “inside” of people and enjoys creating relationships and families to tell a story. It was an incredible undertaking and one that lasted several months, to cultivate an amalgam of “characters” comprised of actors, models and real people – from babies to older folks, from all backgrounds and types. Despite the long days (and the fact that I was very pregnant), it was pure joy to work alongside Bruce, who has a 6th sense about people and who appreciates taking a closer and more thoughtful “look”. And it motivated me to pursue more real people projects.”

“For almost a decade, I’ve been casting “real people”, projects ranging from straight print or commercial advertising to documentary-style and often cause-related pieces.  I bring a lot of passion to these projects because I love all aspects involved – the research and pursuit, the community outreach, the interviews and getting-to-know people, the identifying of “gems” and of course the acquisition of all of these incredible and unique people for our vast database.  Oftentimes given the nature of our work, I will form meaningful and lasting relationships with these people and I often reach out to them for future appropriate projects.   I’m constantly being educated, not only by the client who is often producing this cause-related campaigns, but also by the people we find, who are often involved in extraordinary work or who are telling stories, rich with details about subjects that never cease to fascinate me.”

- Jennifer Maxwell

jsmcasting

www.jsmcasting.com

www.facebook.com/jsmcasting

Name: Jennifer Schram Maxwell

What do you do? Casting Director and mom of 2 girls.

Who are you? Schrammy, Mom, Jenny, dependent on who you ask.

Where are you? NYC.

How we met? We most likely met on a trip to the Key’s shooting Glamour magazine around 1994.

Something that no one knows about you? Well some people know but not many. I was President of the Donna Summer fan club-NJ Chapter in the early 80′s, plaque and all.

What is your most marked beauty secret? That I don’t know how to put on makeup.

What is your idea of earthly happiness? For all human beings to respect one another and the earth.

I don’t leave home without? My phone.

Dream Job? Any project that connects me with unique and inspiring people like Nautica’s Ocean2Ocean www.360blog.nautica.com/ocean2ocean/ and logo’s Real Momentum Profiles www.logotv.com/documentaries/realmomentumprofiles/

Who are your beauty icons? Christy Coleman who taught me to pluck my eyebrow’s without overplucking.

What quality do you most admire in a woman? Fearlessness.

Morning glory or night owl? Can pull off either but probably the morning’s nowadays.

Family beauty secret? Vitamin E on everything.

Vegetarian or carnivore? Either, dependent on my mood.

What is your signature style? Jeans and a tank top.

What Country would you most like to live?Happy where I am at the moment but I have a strong list of places I’d love to visit. South of France wasn’t too shabby.

Favorite color? Purple.

Favorite flower? Cherry blossoms on the tree.

What Natural/Green/Organic beauty product can’t you live without? Vitamin E, Squalene, water and green tea.

Mascara or lipstick? Either, dependent on mood.

Shower or bath? Shower for cleaning off, bath for relaxing (epson salt’s incuded).

What is your favorite part of your Body? Egads! A tough one, arms?

Vogue or New York Times? NYT Magazine,

Favorite blog? Not much on blogs but I do love yours – www.christycoleman.com

What is the best part about your beauty routine? SLEEP!

What is your beauty motto? Less is more.

One wish right now…… I wish I was on the beach with my family.