Founded in 2022 and the subject matter of a Reuters short film, The Animal Talent is a casting agency placing animals for film, television, print editorials, marketing and social media. We are based in London and have team members specialising in a huge variety of species including dangerous wild animals (DWA license holders), reptiles, birds, small mammals, farm livestock, domestic pets (such as cats and dogs) and exotics. Utilising the latest technology in telemetry tracking, radio communications, gps locators and handling equipment, we are at the forefront of the industry. 

Established by the team behind star dog model @Lilliput.the.maltese, labelled in the press as The Canine Kate Moss, the agency benefits from unique connections, industry knowledge and influence. 

Ethos

We believe the set should be a positive and fun place for an animal. It’s inevitable that this will ultimately show in their performance on camera.  So, for us, it’s essential that the wellbeing of our talent comes first. We achieve this by ensuring brand partners and pet parents are accurately informed on how to set up their animals for success; to understand the process of selecting, training, working with and thinking like them. Seeing things from our talents’ perspective is worth this small effort and can also result in the saving of time (and money) for the entire production.

History

The Animal Talent is led by Paula Stewart, who began her career working as a celebrity and music agent. It was in this capacity, while assisting production companies, advertising firms, media houses and all major television and radio channels, that she established long standing industry relationships and an unrivalled contacts book.

Having migrated into the animal casting sphere several years’ ago, Paula has acquired substantial specialist knowledge and experience in the handling and casting of pets. Previous professional clients include Disney, Vogue, Tesco, Louis Vuitton, RSPCA, Aldi, Gucci, River Island, MSGM, Good Housekeeping, Reuters, Ford Motors, Warner Bros, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, NowTV and more.

Vet on set

Although not yet a legal requirement, we can provide an on-set vet for your shoot. This helps ensure that the animals remain healthy and comfortable at all times. We strongly encourage anyone working with animals to secure a vet in attendance, just as a first-aider is always in situ for the humans.

Lights Camera Action!

We are proud of our reputation within the industry as being the ones to nail your brief and to work promptly and professionally at all times. 

If you have any questions or queries, please do Contact Us. We’d be delighted to assist you in selecting, training and filming the right animal talent for your particular brief.