Ep. 159- Julie McDonald

Topics covered in this episode: 

• inevitable transitions in a dance career and how she chose to be an agent

• Advice for those wanting to come to LA and starting their career

• The competitive realities

• Choreographer working to be respected and receive the acknowledgments they deserve

• How Canadians and International dancers can come to work in LA

Julie McDonald is co-owner of McDonald Selznick Associates (MSA). She is the pioneer in the field of dance and choreography representation, having formed the first talent agency in 1985 devoted exclusively to dance.

While breaking ground by representing her clients across all mediums of entertainment, she became an advocate for better terms and working conditions for dancers and choreographers and devoted herself to raising the visibility of the art and craft of commercial dance and especially choreography. In 2000 she and Tony Selznick formed McDonald Selznick Associates. (MSA). Their clients represent a who’s who in the world of dance and have been nominated for or have won numerous Emmy, Tony, and MTV awards. MSA clients have directed and/or choreographed Las Vegas spectacles, Broadway productions, television prime time dramas and sitcoms, awards shows including the Emmys, Grammys, and Oscars, and numerous films spanning the past three decades.

Ms. McDonald co-created the American Choreography Awards (1994-2004), an event honoring choreography achievement in media. She was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Choreographers Carnival and Dance under the Stars Choreography Festival for pioneering the representation of dancers and choreographers. She is on the Board of American Dance Movement a funding organization that builds healthy communities by expanding access to dance and movement. She is also on the Boards of Center Dance Association at the Music Center, and Dance Magazine.