CW Head of Casting Lori Openden to Retire, Dana Theodoratos Named Successor

The CW’s head of casting, Lori Openden, is retiring this month after spending 40 years working in television. Dana Theodoratos, the network’s senior vice president of talent and casting, will take over the department as her successor, overseeing casting on all series, pilots, and original scripted digital programming. Together, Openden and Theodoratos have been the team behind The CW’s casting since 2006, having both joined from the network’s predecessor, UPN. The pair have worked on popular series including “Gossip Girl,” “Riverdale,” “All American,” “The Game,” “Girlfriends,” “90210,” “The Vampire Diaries,” and “Jane the Virgin,” the last of which earned the network its first major acting award through star Gina Rodriguez’s Golden Globe win. “Under Lori and Dana’s guidance, discovering and showcasing rising new talent has been a hallmark of The CW brand since its inception, providing this network with a proud legacy of launching breakout stars that is second to none,” said Mark Pedowitz, chairman and CEO of The CW. “With her vast experience and so many memorable casts and credits to her name, Lori has left an indelible mark on both this network and this industry, and we cannot thank her enough for all of her contributions. And as everyone here at The CW wishes Lori all of the best, we are extremely pleased to have Dana taking the reins and leading our casting efforts going forward, ensuring The CW’s tradition of assembling dynamic casts and breaking new talent will continue.” At UPN, Openden worked on “Veronica Mars,” “Everybody Hates Chris” and “Kevin Hill.” Before that, she worked in NBC’s casting department, where she supervised the casting of pilots and series including “ER,” “Friends,” “Seinfeld,” “Frasier,” “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “Will & Grace,” “Homicide: Life on the Street” and “West Wing.” As an independent casting director, she also worked on “Cheers” and “8 Simple Rules.”