Hayley Blain-Weinstein ’91
From Love Connection to Extreme Makeover to My Feet Are Killing Me, Hayley Blain-Weinstein ’91 has met many kinds of people in her reality television casting career. Who would live on a remote island or race around the world for a cash prize? Who has a rare illness in need of treatment? Who would look for love in front of millions of viewers? Blain-Weinstein’s job has been to find people who fit those bills.
These days Blain-Weinstein works as a head contestant producer for the Daytime Emmy Award-winning The Price Is Right, the longest-running game show in U.S. television history. Blain-Weinstein grew up adoring the show. One day she mentioned in a Facebook group that it was her dream to work there, and someone from the show saw her post.
“Right when I made that comment, the producer who had been doing what I was doing was retiring after 30 years,” said Blain-Weinstein. “The stars collided.”
Now in her dream job at The Price Is Right, Blain-Weinstein selects the contestants to “come on down” and guess the prices of retail items for a chance to win prizes and cash.
“It’s a wholesome game show that’s been around forever,” said Blain-Weinstein. “I love working with real people who win cars and prizes and trips. I get joy from it. When they win their brand-new car, it makes me so happy.”
Blain-Weinstein started as a personal assistant on a TV pilot and eventually progressed to casting assistant, casting producer, and then casting director jobs. Her first game shows included Chuck Woolery’s Greed and Ryan Seacrest’s Click in the 1990s. Since then, she has watched unscripted and reality television explode in popularity. Blain-Weinstein also experienced success when she was nominated for the Casting Society of America’s Artios Award for her work on Intervention.
Her advice to anyone interested in the entertainment industry is to never give up. According to Blain-Weinstein, moving up requires networking and a strong work ethic.
“If you’re starting as a casting PA, do the best job,” said Blain-Weinstein. “Make connections, and they’ll hire you on the next project. Be willing to start at the bottom. You have to learn all aspects before you can produce your own film.”
Blain-Weinstein is no stranger to tenacity. Since the media studies major didn’t exist yet when she was a Pitzer student, she created a self-designed major in language, culture, and communications. Pitzer also enabled her to take a semester off to study abroad for a program she was interested in for her entertainment career.
“Pitzer gave me the people skills, creative skills, and a foundation to speak my voice and not give up,” said Blain-Weinstein. “Pitzer is very behind you in whatever road you want to take.”
