HUBackstage is a new online organization run by students at Hofstra University that aims to connect different departments for creative and professional opportunities.
The club was co-founded by Anastasia Manouvelos, junior public relations major, and Miles Martin, sophomore film studies and production major, and was established in May 2025.
Manouvelos said the goal of HUBackstage is to make creative opportunities more open and available to Hofstra students.
“We’re a hub for connecting Hofstra students on campus with creative opportunities across the campus and in the local Long Island and New York City areas,” Manouvelos said. “Our main goal is to unite the student body and help them find more creative opportunities because oftentimes, things are spread through word of mouth, but we’re trying to make it more fair and open to other students.”
Manouvelos and Martin said they’ve gotten the largest pull from students within the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication and Hofstra’s Drama department. Many film students need actors for their projects and HUBackstage is a platform that serves to connect these students with each other.
“One of our big goals right now is trying to unite the drama and communications departments because they mesh so well when it comes to projects,” Manouvelos said. “In reality, there’s not as much open communication right now and we’re trying to bridge that gap.”
Martin said much of this communication between departments is possible through the posting of casting calls.
“We’re a platform to connect the communications and drama departments, as well as the music department in Hofstra. We do this through casting calls,” Martin said. “We’re trying to bring the model of ‘Backstage’ to Hofstra.”
Backstage is a well-known nationwide online casting platform. Martin said the name HUBackstage was inspired by this platform.
“We wanted our name to be something people could recognize, and Backstage is so famous for doing casting, which is the same thing we’re [going to] do,” Martin said. “We decided that relating our name with Backstage, even though we’re not affiliated with that group, would be a good idea so students can read our name and know exactly who we are and what we’re trying to do.”
Manouvelos said the organization has been making its presence known to students through their social media.
“Recently, we’ve been doing a lot of promotional social media campaigns, and we’ve actually had people from other colleges find out about our account and reach out,” Manouvelos said. “Further down the line, we’re looking to connect with local programs in the Long Island and New York City area that need help with staffing their projects.”
As a film and production major, Martin said he has gained an understanding of what film students often need when working on major projects.
“My major in film helps me with knowing the market or knowing our audience,” Martin said. “Since I’ve worked with so many film and [television] students in projects my freshman year, I was able to learn a lot about what film students need.”
Additionally, Martin said HUBackstage met with other Hofstra organizations including Hofstra Filmmakers’ Club, “Up All Night” and Darkroom, to figure out what students need and what their organizations can bring to the table.
Along with connecting students with one another and opportunities, Manouvelos said one main goal of HUBackstage is to help students build their portfolios for future professional opportunities and job searches.
“The creative opportunities help students build their portfolios so when they are applying to internships or getting a job as a post-graduate, they have something for recruiters to look at and benefit them in their job search,” Manouvelos said.
To build these resumes, Manouvelos and Martin said they are currently working on an official HUBackstage website for students and recruiters to access.
“We have a website in the works. It’s going to make it so that instead of just the people seeking an opportunity [by] reaching out to the opportunist, the people who need staff can look on our website and see portfolios to pick people,” Manouvelos said. “So, it goes both ways.”
HUBackstage posts casting calls and further information on their Instagram @hubackstage.