First Refusal Podcast

All actors start out “green,” or having little experience, but this hasn’t stopped actress Rachel Aspen from rapidly making her mark. Springboarding from the stage at Rutgers University, Rachel dishes on her projects in independent film, livestream hosting, vertical short form, and her break on the #1 Netflix series Tires. In addition to touching on the challenges of self tapes and self doubt, Rachel reveals the one dish that turned her into a literal food critic.

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Actor Bob Heath shares stories from his 40 years of experiences on the stage and screen, including how his career began on a dare while stationed in Germany in the 1980s, studying under William Hickey in New York, the Seattle film scene of the 1990s, reflections from the sets of Political Animals and Veep, and a tale about actress Sigourney Weaver that has to be heard to be believed.

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Actor Robb Del Casale is the voice of the iconic Gus The Groundhog from the Pennsylvania Lottery. For nearly 10 years he has voiced the mascot in dozens of ads. We take a deep dive into how Robb auditioned for and got the part, and how the role came at a time when he was considering leaving the business. In addition, we touch on Robb’s beginnings in theater at Upper Darby’s Summer Stage, bloopers, celebrity sightings, and guest hosting at QVC, tennis, pearls of wisdom, and much more.

Instagram: robbdelcasale

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Actress Sarah Lynn Dewey joins us for episode nine. She talks about what it’s like to be the weird theater kid in a one-stoplight town, the importance of classical voice training, literally falling off the stage, wardrobe malfunctions, how no one is the villain in their own story, luck, when not to tell the whole truth, what it’s like to be a Phanstormer, and what keeps an actor going when there’s no waves to ride. Sarah is an accomplished veteran of the stage and screen, and our conversation is informative, funny, and heartfelt. 

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Talent Agent Peter Coe takes us into the world of actor representation, including how performers can find an agent, the balance of selecting actors on need versus talent, what it’s like to be the champion of an actor, and negotiating rates. We also cover the state of job opportunities, self tapes, artificial intelligence, comic cons, and more. Pete even lets us in on what happens when he experiences unbridled fandom.

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If you’re looking to make a movie, this is the episode for you. Actors, writers and producers Dennis Jeantet and John Giordano are here to tell us about the making of their award-winning short film Another Man’s Trash. They cover it all: ballooning budgets, fundraising, wearing multiple hats on set, getting an actor with name recognition, the truth about film festival submissions, getting the film on a streaming service, and more. It wasn’t easy, but these two made their vision a reality, and helped a worthy cause in the process. 

Watch Another Man’s Trash on Amazon Prime: https://www.amazon.com/Another-Mans-Trash-John-Giordano/dp/B0CW6KLVF2

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Instagram: jg122film

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Actor, model, writer, and combat athlete Chadwick Rawlings joins us for episode six. We cover the fine line between life and art, the addiction of acting, how test footage mysteriously became a credit on IMDB, what inevitably happens when you decide to take a break from acting, navigating the fast-paced sets of series television, Wawa commercials, and why kindness is king. Paul even reveals his secret to the fountain of youth!

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Veteran theater actor Scott Langdon joins us in this edition. Among many things, we discuss photography, boxing, the parallels of church and the stage, how to discover yourself by portraying other people, how being a part of a rock band can take you around the world, and how approaching Patrick Stewart inspired Scott to single-handedly take on A Christmas Carol. We also get deep, reflecting on the seasons of life, and how we can understand what is truly real.

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Actress, figure skater, and former NFL cheerleader Snow Feng discusses how to not meet family expectations, how long lost special skills come in handy, as well as her journey on landing upon a number one Netflix show.

Paul reveals how he let go of a 9 to 5 job to become the full time actor he is today, how upgrades on a set can happen, as well as outgrades, and much more.

Instagram: _snowfeng_

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We have in this episode a true and accomplished character actor, Damian Muziani. We discuss stage fright, community theater, the realities of reality television, accepting your type and when it’s time to change your type. We also delve into how an audition became the catalyst for Damian’s award-winning personal project Hindsight Tonight, and more.

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