Elizabeth Boykewich has been upped to senior vice president, Casting and Talent, at Freeform, it was announced today by Karey Burke, executive vice president, Programming and Development, Freeform, to whom she reports. Boykewich is responsible for overseeing all casting and talent deal negotiations for the studio and network's original programming including movies, pilots, live action series, animation, alternative and reality programming.
"Elizabeth has an eye for talent, a head for negotiations and a heart for teamwork," said Burke. "If an actor has 'it,' Elizabeth knows first and has the ability to close deals and make them feel like a part of our family."
Under Boykewich's leadership, the network has created an environment that continually identifies the next millennial star and develops talent to become a part of the Zeitgeist. Series under her oversight include multi-award-winning hits "Pretty Little Liars," "The Fosters," "Switched at Birth," "Shadowhunters," "Stitchers," "Baby Daddy," "Young & Hungry" and "Monica the Medium." She also oversaw the casting for Freeform's newest, groundbreaking summer series "Guilt" and "Dead of Summer."
Her passion for finding rising stars and casting diverse talent has won the network critical acclaim, along with countless awards, including an unprecedented 30 nominations for the 2014 Teen Choice Awards, People's Choice Awards, NAACP, GLAAD, Imagen, Saturn Awards and Television Critics Association.
Having joined then
ABC Family in 2005 to lead the department, she was also integral in the series "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," "Bunheads," "Melissa & Joey" "Greek" and "10 Things I Hate About You".
A native of New Jersey, Boykewich attended Ohio University's prestigious Professional Actor Training Program on a talent scholarship. During an internship at New York's Circle Repertory Theater Company, Boykewich's talent and passion for working with actors so impressed the theater administration that she made the unprecedented leap from casting intern to casting director. When Boykewich branched out into film and television work in New York City, she quickly developed a reputation as the go-to person for talent searches. She finished her tenure in New York as casting director for "Late Night with
CONAN O'Brien."
During her first years in Los Angeles, Boykewich worked on a string of feature-film hits in every genre: "Fifty First Dates," "Anger Management," "X-Men," "X2," "Big Daddy," "Deeds," "The Animal," "Fifty First Kisses," and many others. In 2004, Boykewich moved to the executive suite at Paramount Television and helped oversee Paramount's 2004 pilots, including "NUMB3RS," "Medium," and "Second Time Around."
Boykewich holds a master's degree in spiritual psychology from the University of Santa Monica and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre arts from Ohio University. She is a member of the Casting Society of America, Academy of Television Arts & Science, Women in Film, Step Up Women's Organization, and HRTS.
About
FreeForm Part of the Disney|ABC Television Group,
FreeForm is distributed in 94 million homes. The network connects to audiences and goes beyond entertainment with bold original programming and immersive social engagement. The network delivers a unique mix of quality original and acquired series, plus fan favorite movies and the holiday events "13 Nights of Halloween" and "25 Days of Christmas." The
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Photo credit: Freeform/Michael Rozman*
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