Meghan Barry ‘00 Makes Her Career a Reality

Meghan Barry ‘00 is not a reality TV star—but she is the one who casts them.

“I started watching 'The Real World' in high school, and I would say to my parents, ‘It must be someone’s job to find these people,’” Barry recalls of MTV’s first reality TV show. “I didn't know it was called ‘casting.’ Then I realized that I could go to college for TV production, and it all started from there.”

She earned that very degree at Quinnipiac University, headed to Los Angeles, and began working as a production assistant on “Making Menudo” (chronicling the iconic Latin boy band) on MTV Tres. Next, she was a personal assistant for actor Scott Baio on the show “Scott Baio is 46 and Pregnant.” 

It was 2008 when Barry landed her first “real casting job” and “never turned back.” She worked through the ranks to casting director and, in 2021, launched Meg Barry Casting, Inc. 

Among her casting credits: “Big Brother,” “Project Runway,” “Supernanny,” “Beyond Scared Straight,” “Catfish,” “Married at First Sight,” “Top Chef,” “Below Deck,” “Real Housewives of New York City,” and “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.”

Barry attributes much of her success to her gift of gab. “I knew at a young age that my ‘talent’ was talking,” she says, laughing. “GDA let me be me. Mike Mullins ‘00 and I got ‘loudest’ for our superlatives in the yearbook, and I think that started me on the career path I’m on today. Talking and being loud and energetic is part of my job every day.”

More specifically, she adds: “I’m not afraid to get in there and ask questions that some people would be scared to ask.”

Her work motto? ABC: always be casting. “I will be anywhere—at a bar, restaurant, store—and if I see someone interesting, I always approach them and let them know what I do to see if they’re a potential fit.” 

Barry also leverages social media. “With people putting their lives out there so much on TikTok and Instagram, it makes it a lot easier for us to identify who could possibly be good for TV.

“At this point, I can tell after talking to someone for one minute if they are going to be good for the show I’m casting. You can just tell when someone has a spark and can tell a story because that’s really what reality TV shows are about: telling a story.”

Remembering Some Govs Moments

Doing skits and our full class sleepover on the lawn at Chewonki at the start of senior year; being the first freshman girl to sing at The Guild, hanging out in the French Building and having the best grilled bagel ever; doing the musical in the winter with Mr. Wann; and field hockey pre-season when we would have to run ‘the short loop’ and I would hide in the woods because running wasn’t quite my thing.