Rival casting services prepare for battle.

From behind the scenes, Gary Marsh is one of Hollywood's most powerful influences when it comes to finding work for actors.

Twenty-five years ago, he created an entirely new industry - providing script summaries to talent agencies and casting agents - by launching Breakdown Services Ltd.

But now Marsh and his Los Angeles-based company are facing serious competition for control of this little-known industry.

In a classic Hollywood grab for power, upstart Star Caster Network plans to dethrone Marsh and rule the industry he created.

The ultimate winner will likely be the one that can be the first to wire Hollywood for the information age.

"They are going for the same customers, in the same town, with similar ideas about using technology," said Karen Stewart, executive director of the Association of Talent Agents. "The question is - is this town big enough for the both of them?"

No way, say both Star Caster and Marsh.

"You can't operate in this town without ruffling some feathers," said Steve Brauner, the software developer who created the Star Caster system in alliance with Microbyte Inc. "After 25 years of a monopolistic enterprise, there's time for a change. One will emerge, not two."

Since the days when Louis B. Mayer and Jack Warner ruled the studios, the casting business has changed little. Casting directors put the word out to talent agencies, who read the scripts and begin submitting actors for the parts. It's a time-intensive process.

But in 1971 Marsh found a way to squeeze himself into that process. Breakdown Services hires writers to "break down" soon-to-be-produced television or movie scripts into descriptions of their individual characters, allowing agents to see quickly what roles are out there for the actors they represent.

Now talent agents can focus on evaluating the parts and sending their clients out on casting calls for the best ones.

Marsh has spent decades building his reputation and contacts in "Hollywood circles. And in his specialized Hollywood niche, he has the market cornered - with all 230 registered talent agencies under contract.

"The fact is that Gary Marsh controls this side of the business," said one talent agent, who recently received a demonstration of Star Caster's new competing system. "It's like David and Goliath between these two systems. And, fact is that people are going to stick with Gary because he's been doing it so long, and will be around a long time."

Enter Star Caster Network, through which creator Brauner and President Sylvio Pennucci hope to take the "break down" process online, and add additional services.

"There are more than 30,000 pieces of paper that are wasted every day - and we've come up with a completely paperless system," said Pennucci.

Using a private computer network, Star Caster electronically transmits break downs of upcoming movie and TV roles to talent agents. Then talent agents can use the Star Caster system to electronically pitch their clients for particular roles, sending digital head shots and resumes of their actor clients to casting directors via computer.

Those directors, in turn, can then use the system to notify the agents of actors they've chosen and make audition appointments - all without shuffling papers, hiring messengers or picking up a phone.

The Star Caster's creators are confident that this new technology will revolutionize Hollywood - and are also aware that Marsh's long-held grasp on the industry is their biggest hurdle.

The company is currently testing out its system in 25 talent agencies and 25 casting agencies in Los Angeles and New York.

"Casting agents want more, faster - so by pushing a button someone in New York can get a picture, and you can discuss it on the phone," said Michael Hirshenson, partner in The Casting Co., a top agency that has worked on such films as "E.T." and "Jurassic Park," and who helped develop the software used in Star Caster's system.

Marsh admits the Star Caster system is impressive. In fact, he said, Star Caster officials two years ago approached him about becoming a strategic partner with Breakdown Services.

However, Marsh turned them down - saying there wouldn't be enough interest in the market.

"It may look nice, but is it functional?" he said. "It's got to work in the real world, and an agent likes to work the phones. ... They like to make decisions intuitively. Very few casting directors or agents even have computers."

Yet Marsh seems to be hedging his bet. Last year, Breakdown Services entered into a partnership with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences to develop an online version of the "Academy Players Directory," the organization's publication of on-camera talent that is known as an industry bible.

The Players Directory has more than 16,000 union actors in its database. From an Internet site, agents can search through head shots and resumes - as well as view break downs that Marsh puts out each day.

One major difference between the two is that Star Caster operates its own private computer network - through which agents link into via modems.

Marsh operates his system on the Internet, saying it gives every subscriber access and the ability to download pictures - no matter whose computer they are using. With Star Caster, users must use the computer provided by the company - because it has thousands of actor head shots already loaded into its hard drive.

The main threat to the ultimate survival of both online systems seems to be the industry's resistence to the digital age.

"Maybe the younger ones, but most of us in the industry like to put our hands on the picture so we can organize it the way we want," said Dan Goldman, whose Danny Goldman Casting is testing both Star Caster's and Marsh's new systems. "There's a real shootout between these companies. But, I'm not sure that this (electronic process) is actually going to go into total usage."

On the talent side, agents share the same concerns.

"We have the Star Caster computer in here, and it has sat in this room for a month and nobody's used it," said Debra Manners of Stone Manners talent agency in Los Angeles. "There could be a lot of good things, but as far as I'm concerned, calls, pictures and (paper) resumes will never be taken away."