What does it take for a stand-up comic working the clubs in New York City to transition to a career in acting? What does it take to get up on stage and tell jokes to an unknown crowd every night of the week? What happens if you bomb? What happens if you book? What is the meaning of this life?! In this bonus episode of Big Break Pod, Thomas tackles all of these questions—and a few more existential ones—with Alec Tracey, a friend and stand-up comic who haunts the funny halls of the Big Apple. Alec shares his journey into comedy, his path to sobriety, and how he's thinking about his future in the big city. Thomas lays down some real talk about the highs and heartbreaks of auditioning in one of the world's most competitive markets. Alec is a comic who wants to be an actor. Thomas is an actor who wants to be a comic. What could possibly go wrong? (Spoiler: Absolutely nothing. This episode is awesome!) Find Alec Tracey on IG @alectttown.

Entirely not due to popular demand, but rather Thomas' own selfish interest in talking shop with his brother, we're dropping this BONUS EPISODE from Season 1 featuring Kris Eber, Emmy-award-winning producer! The topic of this episode is safety on set—specifically, how risk is calculated and managed by attentive producers. The role of a producer is multifaceted, but chief among their responsibilities is managing the investment a studio makes in a production, which inherently involves managing risk. At the time this episode was recorded, actor Alec Baldwin's trial for the accidental shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins had just been dismissed on technical legal grounds. It was the first major on-set death in a studio production in decades. If you're interested in the organization, management, and behind-the-scenes work of filmmaking, this is a great episode for you!