Stephen Salamunovich CSA, Master Media and Live Performance Coach

Stephen Salamunovich brings a diverse background that uniquely informs his work as a master presentational and live performance coach. He began his professional life as a musician performing and recording as a vocal soloist with such groups as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the San Francisco Opera Company, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the soundtrack of “The Godfather” and the Disney recording of “It’s a Small World”….designated by the Library of Congress in 2022 as Landmark recording worthy of preservation. As a studio drummer, keyboardist and vocalist he has worked and recorded with numerous artists including contemporary jazz artists Gerald Albright, David Benoit, Peter White, renowned bluesman Doug MacLeod, Taylor Mesple’, “The Voice” sensation, Mycle Wastman, Doug Brons and can be heard on the last four releases by Michael Tomlinson with whom he worked for some 20 years. In 1984, he was offered an opportunity to work for the seminal, Los Angeles casting firm, Anderson, McCook & White and what began as a part-time interest became a full-time passion. After a five-year apprenticeship under Nancy McCook and Catherine White, he moved to Seattle, Washington in an effort to embrace a better quality of life and founded Complete Casting while still maintaining his musical career.

Stephen has worked with such Academy Award-winning directors as Milos Forman and Bernardo Bertolucci. His television credits number well over three thousand projects including numerous features for television, the series Simon & Simon, Ferris Bueller and In Living Color, as well as literally thousands of commercials and industrials and feature films. He has worked with noted actors like Bryan Cranston, Jennifer Anniston, Laura Linney, Cuba Gooding Jr., Paul Giamatti and Chris Pratt . He is the winner and a three-time nominee of casting’s highest honor, the Artios Award© given by his peers in the Casting Society of America©. He holds the distinction of being the first and one of only three Lead Casting Directors to win the award outside of New York or Los Angeles. He is a frequent guest speaker and facilitator to numerous professional groups and acting workshops and has made many appearances on television and radio as an industry expert. Salamunovich was asked to serve as the LA City Attorney’s expert witness in their landmark, three-year casting workshop scam prosecutions and the Geoffrey Rush “Me Too” case in Australia. He has served on the boards of the IFP and the Centerstage Council of the Seattle Theater Group and is a strong advocate for arts education and outreach programs that support the involvement of youth in the arts. He officially ended his casting career on May 19th, 2016 after 31 years.

As an accomplished presentational and media coach, he has prepared many public and private figures for appearances on such shows as Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, The Today Show and The Tonight Show. He has worked with companies like The Westin Hotels, The American Cancer Society, The Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, Sycamore Partners Management, LP, Kaiser Permanente and Campfire USA. He has helped professional athletes like Kareem Abdul Jabbar attain celebrity, endorsement deals and has assisted CEO’s, political figures, trial attorneys, chefs, best-selling authors, entrepreneurs and sales teams on communicating from the energetic place that is far more impactful than the mere words used. His work is based on cutting-edge neurology, authenticity, transparency and the harnessed energy of both speaker and audience, as fundamental cornerstones for personal expression and communication. He is at work on an upcoming book based upon the revolutionary techniques he’s successfully helped his clients to master. He lives in Seattle with his wife Sheila where he roots for the Seahawks and also the Mariners…. except when they occasionally play his hometown Dodgers.  Book Stephen now.