SAG-AFTRA Comedy Pilot 'Leila' Begins Casting in Los Angeles Ahead of November 2026 Shoot

A new half-hour comedy pilot called Leila is moving through casting and pre-production ahead of a five-day shoot in Los Angeles this November, and it is the kind of project that deserves a closer look from crew and performers working the indie and short-form space. The project centers on an ambitious Iranian female film student navigating two enormous obstacles simultaneously: breaking into Hollywood as a writer and director while racing to convince U.S. immigration authorities to let her stay long enough to do it. The premise is sharp, timely, and personal, and the team assembled around it reflects a production driven by genuine creative investment rather than formula.

Writer and director Mojdeh Ghanbari is carrying dual responsibilities on this one, serving as both the creative voice behind the script and the producing force keeping the project moving forward. Taking on the writer-director-producer role on a self-generated pilot is a significant lift, and it signals a deeply personal project built from the inside out rather than developed through a traditional studio process. Executive Producer Bavand Karim rounds out the producing leadership alongside Co-Producer Paneez Kosarianfard, giving the project a producing team with clear cultural investment in the story being told. Casting Director Jaime Gallagher is attached and actively working the project, which is meaningful news for talent and their representatives: if you are a performer or an agent repping actors who fit this world, Gallagher is your point of contact to pursue.

Behind the camera, Director of Photography Alejandro Maytorena is set to shoot the pilot, and the presence of an Intimacy Coordinator, Julia Jayne, on a half-hour comedy pilot speaks well of the production's commitment to on-set safety and performer care, particularly for a project with a female-driven story at its center. Line Producer Donovan Jones is managing the physical production, which means the logistics of the shoot are in professional hands. For day players and below-the-line crew exploring short-form and indie work, Jones is the likely conduit for crew inquiries as production ramps up.

Leila is being released to YouTube under the SAG-AFTRA Short Project Agreement, commonly known as the SPA. This is an important designation for performers and union crew to understand. The SAG-AFTRA SPA is a low-budget, union-covered agreement specifically designed for short-form content, covering projects with budgets that qualify under the agreement's thresholds. It allows union talent to participate in independent and digital-first projects that would otherwise fall outside standard union jurisdiction, which opens the door for SAG-AFTRA members who want to support emerging voices without jeopardizing their union standing. For non-union crew, it is worth noting that the SPA governs the talent side specifically, so crew should confirm their own agreements directly with the production.

Principal photography is scheduled across five specific shoot days in November 2026: the 7th, 8th, 13th, 14th, and 15th. The production films in Los Angeles and surrounding areas, which means the local Los Angeles crew base is squarely in play. LA is, of course, one of the most crew-dense markets in the world, and productions of this scale typically draw from the large pool of experienced local talent working the indie and digital short-form circuit. There are no location tax incentives driving the choice here in the way you might see with a production relocating to Georgia or New Mexico. This is an LA story being told in LA, full stop. For local crew looking to fill their calendars around existing commitments, the non-consecutive shoot days across two weeks in November offer genuine flexibility.

At a glance, this is a compact, union-covered, indie comedy pilot shooting on a tight schedule with a culturally specific and commercially viable premise. The short-form digital landscape has proven increasingly fertile ground for projects that punch above their weight class, and Leila has the kind of specific, character-driven premise that travels well. For crew and performers interested in getting in early on a project with real creative purpose behind it, the window to pursue this one is open now. Production is actively casting and building out its below-the-line team with cameras rolling less than six months out.

ProductionList.com carries the full listing for Leila, including production contacts, office details, and crew information as it is updated through the pre-production period. If you are a performer, day player, or department crew working the Los Angeles market and looking for SAG-AFTRA short-form opportunities this fall, this is a listing worth bookmarking and checking regularly as the November shoot dates approach.

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