CHICAGO TALENT DIRECTORY®
What is Chicago Talent Directory®?
Chicago Talent Directory® is an online platform created exclusively to serve Chicago and Illinois talent and the film, media, casting, and production communities that work here.
With film and media as its first focus, Chicago Talent Directory® will feature FREE, location-verified talent profiles with NO paid profile levels or paid priority positioning.
Chicago Talent Directory® also includes services, talent representatives, casting professionals, events, auditions, opportunities, and related creative communities serving Chicago and Illinois.
Chicago Talent Directory® began in 1985 as a print directory serving Chicago’s talent and production communities. Its purpose is to make local talent and industry resources more visible, searchable, location-aware, and connected. The online platform is being built in stages.
Chicago Talent Directory® was officially recognized by the Illinois Film Office in 1991 for its contribution to the Illinois film industry.
Will talent profiles be free?
YES. TALENT PROFILES ARE FREE.
THERE ARE NO PAID PROFILE LEVELS OR PAID PRIORITY POSITIONING.
Chicago Talent Directory® is committed to profile visibility based on fit, qualifications, location, and search criteria — not on who spends the most money.
All talent profiles are free and location-verified. Talent may also be welcomed and encouraged to purchase optional advertising, just as other professionals and businesses do, but advertising is not required for a verified talent profile and will not affect profile eligibility, placement, search results, or access to profile features.
If talent or a business purchases advertising, does that affect search results?
No. Search results are always based on fit, qualifications, location, and search criteria only — never on whether someone has purchased advertising. This applies to every listing type on Chicago Talent Directory®, now and in every future phase.
Advertising does offer real value: it gives visibility through the ad placement itself — for example, being featured in an ad space or linked directly to a profile or listing. That visibility is the benefit of advertising. It simply never changes where someone ranks or appears in search results.
What does “verified” mean?
For Chicago Talent Directory® , verification is intended to confirm eligibility and profile completeness.
It does not mean Chicago Talent Directory® is verifying professional status, union status, skill level, experience level, employability, or talent quality.
Current planning centers on Illinois residents and talent within approximately 50 miles beyond the Illinois border who actively participate in the Illinois market.
Does Chicago Talent Directory® book talent?
No.
Chicago Talent Directory® does not book talent, cast projects, act as an agency, negotiate employment, or participate in hiring decisions.
Chicago Talent Directory® is a directory and resource guide. Its role is to help people find information, evaluate options, and connect with appropriate professional resources.
Is Chicago Talent Directory® a talent agency or management company?
Chicago Talent Directory® is not a talent agency, management company, casting office, employer, booking service, or union-clearance authority.
Who is Chicago Talent Directory® for?
Chicago Talent Directory® is intended to serve talent, talent buyers, casting professionals, producers, agents, industry organizations, and talent-related professional resources.
Is Chicago Talent Directory® only for actors?
No. Chicago Talent Directory® is not only for actors.
Chicago Talent Directory® will feature the same core talent categories as the original print editions — actors, models, voiceover talent, and entertainers — and will also include services, talent representatives, and casting professionals serving Chicago and Illinois.
What areas does Chicago Talent Directory® serve?
Chicago Talent Directory® has its roots in Chicago, but the relaunch is focused on Illinois’s broader Talent, Film, Theatre & Media Production community.
Regional resource planning may include:
Chicago
Collar Counties
Northern Illinois
Central Illinois
Southern Illinois
What happened to the original Chicago Talent Directory®?
Chicago Talent Directory® was originally published in print editions beginning in the 1980s and was officially recognized by the Illinois Film Office in 1991. In the years that followed, a similarly named directory entered the Chicago market, creating confusion about which was the original, independent Chicago Talent Directory® — during a period when the trademark registration for Chicago Talent Directory® was still pending. Around the same time, a broader digital transformation was reshaping the film, media, and production industry as a whole — a period of disruption that affected the entire field, not just Chicago Talent Directory®.
Chicago Talent Directory® found itself caught between two significant challenges at once: market confusion from a similarly named directory it had no trademark protection yet to address, and that broader digital transformation reshaping the entire industry. Chicago Talent Directory® chose to pause rather than compete on both fronts at once, protecting its history and trademark while waiting for the right digital tools to rebuild.
The current relaunch builds on that original history and trademark while bringing Chicago Talent Directory® fully into the digital era.
Why is the current site not fully mobile-friendly?
The current Chicago Talent Directory® website is a legacy site. It remains online to preserve its history, trademark continuity, archive material, and relaunch information while the next-generation Chicago Talent Directory® platform is being planned.
How can people contact Chicago Talent Directory® ?
Use the Contact page for questions, corrections, resource suggestions, or interest in future participation.
FAQ
© 2026 Chicago Talent Directory®. All rights reserved.
Chicago Talent Directory® is a publication of Chicago Talent Enterprises Inc.
Chicago Talent Directory® is a federally registered trademark owned by Nanci T. Ponne'
Published by Nanci T. Ponné, Founder / Publisher.
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GENERAL FAQ
Last updated: July 2026
Chicago Talent Directory® is being rebuilt as a directory and resource guide for Illinois talent, film, theatre, and media production communities. The first planned functional feature is a free, location-driven talent profile system,
followed by talent-related marketplace resources, auditions, events, education, and professional tools in later phases.
This FAQ answers general questions about the purpose, history, audience, policies, and current relaunch of Chicago Talent Directory®.
For questions about future phases, planned features, verified talent profiles, and site development, please see the Roadmap FAQ.
OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED BY THE ILLINOIS FILM OFFICE --1991