First Refusal Podcast

Actor, writer, and sometimes singer Chris Gross knows to always be ready. He’s studied and practiced his craft from Los Angeles to New York, and has gathered stories, credits, and connections along the way. He tells how waiting tables led to getting a manager, which led to booking the Showtime series Roadies , and why its creator Cameron Crowe should have given him a writing credit. In addition to...

In addition to having a long-standing presence on QVC, actress and model Staci Dickerson has amassed many credits on the runway and in print, commercials, television, and film. In our conversation she dishes on working on Song Sung Blue with Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, as well as Law & Order , and her origins of getting started as a model with no experience. We also touch on the blessing and...

Filmmaker Christian Jude Grillo’s latest project is the sci-fi/horror feature Intruder — a movie in which the First Refusal Podcast host Paul Monte is happy to be in. In this conversation that independent filmmakers and cinephiles will enjoy, we cover many aspects of moviemaking: budget, rehearsals, distribution, gear, and in Intruder ’s case, lots, and lots, and lots of blood. Christian touches o...

Baltimore-based actress, model and host Amy Gamper does what it takes to elevate her image. After a rainout in the northeast canceled a photoshoot, she decided to go to Florida, hop in a sprinter van with a photographer and makeup artist, and in one day capture multiple looks in multiple locations in a lifestyle shoot that refreshed and expanded her branding. It’s an example of the lengths one can...

Actor and model Albert Davis found his funny bone during the pandemic, and has been killing on stages as a stand-up comedian ever since. He has embraced the style of building tension with his audience, only to twist and release a premise with humor. In this informative and occasionally raunchy conversation, we discuss first gigs, working with your real family, the high of getting laughs and the ho...

Widely regarded as Florida’s premier casting director, and host of the Casting Confidential Podcast, Rose Rosen is known for going above and beyond to find the right talent for the job. She regales with adventures that may or may not include hanging in bars after hours, as well as her insightful reasons for why she doesn’t miss being in the room for traditional casting. We discuss the relentless p...

Jason Loftus is an award-winning casting director and partner of Heery-Loftus Casting, one of the top casting companies on the east coast. In this wide-ranging conversation, he offers insights that actors need to hear. From self-tape dynamics to globe-trotting local hires, and the ominous rise of AI, Jason provides no-nonsense and eye-opening guidance on the state of the industry. We talk about wh...

Aaron Marcus is an exemplification of success for regional actors. He’s acted over 40 years, appearing in around 1,300 projects, most recently with Tom Hanks in the movie A Man Called Otto . What’s more impressive than the length of Aaron’s resume is the wealth of knowledge he offers fellow actors as the founder of The Actor Career Center (howtoactandmodel.com). We talk about how he sustained his...

Actor and model Kevin Towell knows his lane — it’s comedy, preferably full of energy and antics. He also knows it’s okay to start out not knowing what you’re doing, but to just put yourself out there. Kevin talks about his early days in showbiz, and how he turned his experiences working with children and mugging for his friend’s camera into acting and modeling gigs, including a role on a popular P...

Allyson Malandra is an all-encompassing creative. As an actor, teacher, and business-owner, she combines performing, voice coaching, and running a social media management company into creative and professional fulfillment. Ally takes us into the tapestry of her life. She talks about her training days that took her from England to Iowa, her notable theater and film roles, including Dry Land at the...

In this episode We're not talking with an entertainment industry professional, but our conversation is vital for actors, creatives, and frankly, anyone. Manifestation coach and podcast host Jennifer Coffey is here to explain the Law of Attraction and how examining our mindset can transform our careers and lives. She draws on her own remarkable story of manifesting a QVC Program Host position despi...

Actor, spokesperson, entrepreneur, producer and documentarian Rich Henkels is an example of how it’s never too late to begin an acting career. At 55, he began his “third act” after careers in broadcasting and business. His silver fox look has landed him dozens of commercials, industrials, and spokes jobs, along with co-starring on Blue Bloods , FBI , and Law & Order . As a producer, Rich talks...

After making his mark in dance and music, Matt Chua has his sights set on acting. After crashing his first audition with the help a friend, Matt went on to book commercials for Pepsi and Wawa, and landed his first dramatic role for the History channel docuseries The Food That Built America . He tells us about this latest passion, the filipino martial art Balintawak, what superhero he wants to port...

Rachel Nielsen is an actress who’s found her performing tribe, having appeared in several feature films for writer-director Dan Lantz, including a starring turn in the action-fantasy feature Alpha Rift with Lance Henriksen. Rachel takes us into the experience of working on these independent features. We also talk about special skills, kindness, relaxation, artistic connection, fake eating, the cha...

Actress, model and “momager” Amy Garber is a shining example of a performer who succeeds in balancing show business with the demands of a young family. We get into how she gravitated to acting, her early break on the Chapelle Show while she was still in nursing school, how it took ten years for her hobby of show biz to become her profession, and the awkwardness of being featured on WikiFeet. Amy t...

Actor and model Nic Detorie has been dubbed a man of many faces and a chameleon. Rightfully so. His extensive commercial and print portfolio features a diversity of characters few performers can match. He also knows how to treat entertainment as a business. We go into Nic’s extensive national representation, how to cultivate casting relationships, when it’s wise to take a gig for the connection ra...

Phil Nobile, Jr., Editor-In-Chief of Fangoria , joins me for all things horror. We cover a lot of ground: How Phil took the helm of the magazine, the renaissance of the horror genre, newsstand covers and subscriber covers, content curation, producers and contractual credits, the pitch and production of Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror , the Cursed Films series, and how we are wired to make...

We're grateful to have actor Brian Anthony Wilson, stalwart of the Philadelphia acting scene and beyond, on the show. He talks about his big breaks — The Postman with Kevin Costner, and the acclaimed HBO series The Wire where he portrayed detective Vernon Holley. We hear about how sometimes you ride in a limo, and sometimes you sleep on a floor, the challenges of working as a local hire, and t...

We’re proud to present our most informative episode yet. Acting coach Bryan Fox is here with non-stop wisdom on the craft and the business of show. He counsels everyone from green teen performers to seasoned veterans killing it at the box office. He traces his journey through classes, gigs, and production work in New York and L.A., providing insight into showbiz dynamics, knowing your energy, serv...

Actor Bruce Clifford is here to give us a read on the entertainment industry climate in Los Angeles, how varying perspectives can augment or shrink the prospects of acting work, and why it’s important to not wait, but to create. We dive into artificial intelligence, and how text prompt video rendering is getting scary good, as well as Bruce’s run on a military series that helps veterans. We also t...

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, Ra...

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. paulmontejr....

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,...

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...

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 experienc...