Reject, Repeat.

Keli Lee was following her parents' advice to become a lawyer when a funny thing happened on the way to law school.

She was hostessing at a New York comedy club to earn money for school when a comedian introduced her to Phyllis Huffman, a Warner Bros, executive and casting director who offered her an internship videotaping auditions. Lee was hooked.

Before long, Huffman — known for casting many of Clint Eastwood's films — hired Lee as her casting assistant on Unforgiven.

The full-time college student began simultaneously working full-time, moving from Warner Bros, to ABC. There she rose from casting assistant to manager of casting by 22 and, at the same time, graduated from New York University.

Until recently, as executive vice-president of casting for the ABC Entertainment Group, she has overseen casting for the network and ABC Studios as well as negotiations for all talent deals. In a newly created post — managing director of international content and talent — she is now relocating to London, where she will expand her focus to include writers, directors and program formats,

"My goal is to find the best talent, anywhere," says Lee, whose family emigrated from Seoul, South Korea, when she was two. "I learned about American culture by watching TV. I want to see faces reflecting all viewers, We have a diverse line-up with shows like black-ish, Fresh Off the Boat and Modern Family, and that will continue."

Fourteen years ago, Lee created ABC's Talent Showcase to identify, mentor and provide opportunities for diverse actors (it added writers and directors in 2013).

"Through the showcase, we found Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o [12 Years a Slave], Gina Rodriguez [Jane the Virgin], Randall Park (Fresh Off the Boat) and more,"

Lee notes. "Casting is about what the talent brings to the role, not what we look for. I'm really proud of the job my team has done in finding diverse talent.

"Everyone gets rejected every day," she adds. "Actors don't get roles. The actors we pursue reject us. I tell everyone, if you're passionate about something, you've got to keep fighting and working at it. Never stop."