Castmaster hopping

Frog net's Letterie pads up to exec veepee

By MICHAEL SCHNEIDER

Letterie

Kathleen Letterie -- the woman responsible for discovering many of the hot, young thangs who have populated the WB's primetime series -- has been upped to exec VP of talent and casting at the Frog net.

Letterie, who oversees all of the netlet's casting and talent activities, most recently served as senior VP. Exec's casting coups include the cast of "Dawson's Creek" (such as Katie Holmes and Josh Jackson), "Felicity" (Keri Russell, Scott Speedman, Scott Foley and Tangi Miller), "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and "7th Heaven" (Jessica Biel).

Letterie's latest finds include "Smallville" star Tom Welling, "Maybe It's Me" star Reagan Dale Neis and Oliver Hudson of "Young Person's Guide to Becoming a Rock Star." Letterie also helped select the Eden's Crush bandmates on "Popstars."

"Kathleen is the most influential voice for young talent in Hollywood," said WB Entertainment prexy Jordan Levin. "Her instinct for finding and grooming potential stars, many of whom have used the WB as a launching pad for a theatrical career, has given us a unique, coveted identity as a television network."

Letterie joined the WB from her own casting company, where she helped populate series such as "The John Larroquette Show" and the feature "Encino Man," starring Brendan Fraser.

The exec also served as director of talent at Warner Bros. Television in the mid-1980s.