Today’s episode is pulled from one of the 10,000 NOs Insiders Community’s monthly VIP Industry Guest Zooms. Actor Pej Vahdat, whom I overlapped with on City on a Hill while he was simultaneously shooting The Old Man with Jeff Bridges as well as Dynasty, has some great stories. He tells us why he went by “Jason Vaughn” early on (it’s a hilarious story that involves him selling airplane parts and creating an agency with his friend just to get themselves auditions).

As with most of our guests who have, by now, found a foothold in this industry, hearing Pej’s warmth, humility and grit is refreshing and yet another reminder that we are not alone in our struggles to get to the point where we are being paid to work on great material with great collaborators in this game of professional make-believe.

10,000 NOs podcast is now in it’s 2.0 phase: after a long pause from late 2021 to late 2023, it has returned in a more raw format: shorter episodes, like the Monday Morsels of yesteryear (they may be short, solo riffs by Matt on central themes of the pod, excerpts from Matt’s 10,000 NOs Insiders Community Zooms, or excerpts from Insiders VIP sessions with VIPs from the entertainment interview and beyond). Be on the look out as, every now and then, we will likely drop some old school, long-form, classic 10,000 NOs interviews as bonus episodes.

The intent of this podcast is to remind people that they are not alone in their struggles. We aim to educate & inspire you with stories and conversations with others who have traveled a path that may look enviable now, but it was not always that way.

It is not the critic who counts. If you’ve been knocked down... get up, dust yourself off, and get back in the arena. If you want to give back, share this with someone who could use it and leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen, so more people find this show and benefit from these conversations.

If you dig the show, CLICK HERE to learn how you can make this experience 3D by joining our 10,000 NOs Insiders Community: access to a members-only Facebook group, intimate, weekly Live video calls with Matt, including monthly drop-ins with some of his badass past-guests & VIP friends and more.

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