Wedding dash for Emmy-nominated casting director

A casting director from Kidderminster is facing a race against the clock to get from his sister's wedding in Worcester, to the Emmy awards in Los Angeles.

Matt Lander, who left his hometown aged 18 to pursue a career in the US, has been nominated for an Emmy for the casting of the drama miniseries, All Her Fault.

Before he heads back to the US, Lander will be helping his sister, Emma, celebrate her wedding on Saturday.

He plans to leave the celebrations early on Sunday morning, taking a 04:00 BST car to London before catching an 08:00 flight from Heathrow to LA. If all goes to plan he will arrive about two hours before the awards begin.

"Family is everything to me. My sister, this is her first marriage. I really want to be there for her," he said.

He also plans to support his dad, who has dementia and may be unable to fulfil some of the traditional roles expected of a father of the bride.

Lander's sister said she was "absolutely proud" of her brother, describing him as "a fundamental part of the family".

"He flew in last November and spent three days trudging the Midlands to help me find my dream dress, and he even bought that for me," she said.

Brenda Lines, who was Lander's teacher at King Charles I School in Kidderminster, said she was not surprised by his success.

She remembers him as a popular and articulate pupil who was keen to get involved in school life.

"He was driven to be successful and that sort of made him stand out in the crowd," she said. "You knew when you met him that he was going to go places."

Lines said he was always interested in other people, a quality she believes suits his career as a casting director.

"Having the role he has in America is probably quite fitting," she said.

She added that his Emmy nomination was a source of pride for his hometown.

"News like this puts Kidderminster on the map."

Despite the Hollywood lifestyle, Lander said returning to Kidderminster was "really grounding".

"When you grow up here it's some of the most formative years you have," he said.

"I've always had a little bit of imposter syndrome, so when people say congratulations, when people say well done, in my head I'm always feeling like I need to be a step further along."

He said he moved to the US because he wanted to "do something different, experience something new", rather than because of a specific ambition to work in Hollywood.

After studying at an American college, he took various jobs in the industry before finding his way into casting.

He said the job required an "encyclopaedic memory for actors" and a "good sense of people".

All Her Fault has seven Emmy nominations including Lander's, which is for outstanding casting for a limited or anthology series or movie. Another series he worked on, Margo's Got Money Troubles, has eight nominations.

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