Tony Selznick

Tony Selznick, scion of the legendary Hollywood Selznick family, has been in the business of dance and choreography for more than 20 years. In his role as Founder and Senior Agent at McDonald Selznick Associates, Tony has been instrumental in the career development of some of the most sought-after film, television and stage choreographers in the world. Working with his partner Julie McDonald, he has helped their clients bring movement to life in popular culture. Tony's devotion to dance started early. My brother Albie took me to my first dance class when I was 14, he says. I was a typical teenager scared of dance and thought that I had better face my fear. After a few classes with my teacher, Russell Clark, I began to excel, and within a few years I was teaching classes. Tony's classes became packed and he remained a teacher in Los Angeles for 15 years. I felt that I was a good teacher because I wasn't a born dancer and had to learn literally one step at a time. This gave me the ability to teach other non-dancers. Tony's first big break was as a dancer in the 1980 motion picture Xanadu starring the legendary dancer-choreographer Gene Kelly (choreographed by MSA client, Kenny Ortega and Russell Clark). After numerous appearances in music videos, television shows and feature films, he began choreographing. At age 21, he became the associate choreographer to his mentor, the late Russell Clark, on Steven Bochco's critically acclaimed television show Cop Rock. In 1993 Tony was the dance casting director for the nationally syndicated show Star Search. In 1994, Tony created Winners Dance Competition, a national talent search performance event that discovered promising young dancers and gave them a chance to secure professional talent representation. In 1995, he expanded the competition to Japan. Additionally, he co-executive produced and co-directed the First Annual American Choreography Awards. Most recently, he was the American Judge on Superstars of Dance, NBC's international dance competition. Tony, along with business partner Julie McDonald, was a consultant for Step It Up and Dance on Bravo and for Live to Dance on CBS, featuring Paula Abdul. Every day he works to give back to the craft that has nurtured him for so long, by pairing his clients with the producers who need their talents.