This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Jason A. Coombs: So you really want to make a podcast?

[0:02] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, what if we just sang our music?

[0:04] Jason A. Coombs: Maybe we should get some real music, Samantha.

[0:06] Samantha Tuozzolo: The podcast came.

[0:07] Jason A. Coombs: Are you still recording?

[0:10] Samantha Tuozzolo: Survival Jobs is a podcast spotlighting artists, their side hustles, and their passion.

[0:15] Jason A. Coombs: Hosted by Samantha Tuozzolo and Jason A. Coombs.

[0:18] Samantha Tuozzolo: Boom.

[0:20] Jason A. Coombs: Sweet.

[0:21] Samantha Tuozzolo: Okay. Love it.

[0:22] Jason A. Coombs: All right. Hi, Jason.

[0:25] Samantha Tuozzolo: Hi, Samantha Tuozzolo.

[0:27] Jason A. Coombs: Exciting.

[0:29] Samantha Tuozzolo: Coomzies.

[0:30] Jason A. Coombs: Our first ever episode of Survival Jobs: A Podcast.

[0:35] Samantha Tuozzolo: For sure. Thanks for like doing this with me.

[0:38] Jason A. Coombs: Listen, I am nervous, so I have a full glass of rosé right here because you are like the podcast king.

[0:46] Samantha Tuozzolo: You know what you're doing. I'm over here just drinking and hoping that I make some kind of sense.

[0:53] Jason A. Coombs: So this is my second podcast, but I'm a podcast king.

[0:56] Samantha Tuozzolo: I'm on hiatus from the other one.

[0:58] Jason A. Coombs: Well, that's okay. Maybe we'll collaborate.

[1:01] Samantha Tuozzolo: Maybe we'll combine the podcast one day and have just this glorified gigantic podcast network, and then we can have a Coomzi Tuozzolo production podcast company.

[1:11] Jason A. Coombs: That's a big add it to the list.

[1:14] Samantha Tuozzolo: Add it to the vision board.

[1:16] Jason A. Coombs: Exactly. Uh, let's talk about—oh, sorry.

[1:19] Samantha Tuozzolo: No, go.

[1:20] Jason A. Coombs: Well, I was gonna say I wanted you to talk about why we're doing this podcast, right?

[1:24] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, like hello to everyone tuning in, number one. Thank you. This is history right now.

[1:33] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, so you know, Jason, I know that you and I both know the struggle of dreaming and living in New York City pre-pandemic, right?

[1:44] Samantha Tuozzolo: And having to figure out a way to just live to be able to dream, which it sounds really sad when you say it like that, but it's true.

[1:53] Jason A. Coombs: You know, you know. It's so hard to first of all, uh, have a dream that's so difficult to succeed at, right? Because everybody wants to do it, and then make enough money to support yourself, but not only support yourself, but also support your craft and headshots and classes and all of that.

[2:10] Samantha Tuozzolo: Um, and so I know for us, right? Which we'll get into later, that we've both worked, uh, some really interesting, shocking, funny, scary survival jobs, and we're not the only ones, so you know I just thought it might be fun to tap into artists and see what happened prior.

[2:35] Jason A. Coombs: What were their first jobs like and you know how they got out of them, if they did, or if they're still in them and still, you know, doing their art. So I just thought it'd be interesting and fun.

[2:46] Samantha Tuozzolo: So it'll be fun, but we should also say, like, how we know each other, which is from West Con. Take it away.

[2:52] Jason A. Coombs: Samantha and I went to college together, maybe about a decade ago.

[2:59] Samantha Tuozzolo: No, not maybe, fully. We graduated a decade ago.

[3:03] Jason A. Coombs: Lord of mercy.

[3:04] Samantha Tuozzolo: Lord of mercy is right. Um, but yes, people, Samantha, I remember you were so kind to, uh, because I transferred into West Con in the middle of the year, the middle of the semester, and Samantha planned a birthday party for me that I didn't show up to.

[3:20] Jason A. Coombs: This is right, I did.

[3:22] Samantha Tuozzolo: He had a birthday right in one of the, uh, snow days.

[3:27] Jason A. Coombs: Wow, that's nice.

[3:28] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, I—I don't know, my—what year did you transfer in?

[3:33] Jason A. Coombs: Uh, it was 2010.

[3:34] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, I was there for two years.

[3:35] Jason A. Coombs: Was that when you were doing The Tempest and where I called you Sicaraxe because this is one of my first Tempests, but I didn't go to the party because I was just—I transferred in. I think it was like the second day.

[3:48] Samantha Tuozzolo: I don't think we had classes yet. They had to say move my stuff in, and then my friends helped me move in, and then it was like a big snowstorm.

[3:54] Jason A. Coombs: They had driven all the way to Danbury, and I was like, oh, I don't know what's going on.

[3:58] Samantha Tuozzolo: You're like, I don't know these people. This crazy girl is telling me—

[4:01] Jason A. Coombs: No, I even know that I know there was a party. They were just like, oh, come, it's all good.

[4:05] Samantha Tuozzolo: We're still here 10 years later.

[4:06] Jason A. Coombs: Here we are.

[4:07] Samantha Tuozzolo: And you're still calling me Sicaraxe.

[4:10] Jason A. Coombs: Um, yeah, so we're both theater arts majors at West Con, actors at heart. Guess we can talk about our bios, right? A little intro about ourselves. Go ahead.

[4:19] Samantha Tuozzolo: Um, I should do yours, right? I should tell people about—

[4:22] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, you talk about me and I'll talk about you because that'll be weird if we're like, hey, let me talk about myself and tell us all the things about me and my art.

[4:31] Samantha Tuozzolo: Exactly. So I guess Samantha is an equity actress who's been beating the pavement for almost 10 years in New York City before the pandemic happened.

[4:43] Jason A. Coombs: And she's currently writing her first pilot because she's obviously a multi-hyphenate, very, very talented. She's performed in a bunch of independent films, shorts, web series, and she even dabbled in a little bit of stand-up comedy, which I'm sure you'll tell us about if you liked it or not.

[4:59] Samantha Tuozzolo: Before I bombed.

[5:02] Jason A. Coombs: I think everybody has to bomb in stand-up, but Samantha also, she just started her own catering business right before the pandemic started because she was trying to line her pockets with some money and her own business while trying to make her dreams come true as a performer.

[5:15] Samantha Tuozzolo: You know, she didn't want to keep working for other people. She wanted to be her own boss, which I commend 1580,000 percent. Be your own boss, people.

[5:24] Jason A. Coombs: Um, and last thing I know about you, Samantha, is that you love— you love Mariska Hargitay.

[5:30] Samantha Tuozzolo: I do, and I'm just gonna put this out there that you're gonna be on that show one day. Like, I just feel it in my blood that you're gonna be a lead on SVU.

[5:39] Jason A. Coombs: You know, I was on it if we're talking—

[5:41] Samantha Tuozzolo: Like you were, but I just sat in the chair.

[5:45] Jason A. Coombs: Um, but you know, I did do a lot of background work back in the day.

[5:51] Samantha Tuozzolo: Did you ever do background work? I don't know this.

[5:54] Jason A. Coombs: Um, I did a little bit of background work, but I hated it.

[5:58] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, it's tough, but it like it made me feel like I could dream whatever.

[6:03] Jason A. Coombs: So you know that you would call in the night before and they'd be like, numbers one one to 175 report at 9:30. And the day I did this background work on SVU, I had my own number.

[6:17] Samantha Tuozzolo: I thought I had made it.

[6:18] Jason A. Coombs: It was like—I wish I remembered the number, that would be cool. No idea. It was like number 75. And I thought I was like, oh my god, I'm a goddamn star.

[6:30] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yes, that's amazing.

[6:32] Jason A. Coombs: Thanks. That was a nice bio. You know, I love you.

[6:35] Samantha Tuozzolo: I love you too.

[6:37] Jason A. Coombs: All right, so now it's your turn.

[6:40] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh boy. So, like Jason said, you know, we did meet and both have theater degrees from Western Connecticut State University.

[6:48] Jason A. Coombs: Uh, and Jason moved to New York City in 2011 or 12.

[6:53] Samantha Tuozzolo: Which one is it?

[6:55] Jason A. Coombs: Like 2013.

[6:57] Samantha Tuozzolo: Okay, 2013. Um, but I mean, really, Jason, I'm gonna talk to you about your bio because I just do admire you so much because you know, you are so multi-talented, and no matter where you are, or like what job you have, or how many roles you don't get, and how many auditions you go to, you never stop.

[7:16] Jason A. Coombs: Like you're an actor, you're a writer, you are a director, you are a filmmaker, you always have an idea, you're always doing something.

[7:24] Samantha Tuozzolo: You know, I do love Shaw: The Series. Uh, hello people, check it out. Shaw, S-H-A-W, The Series.

[7:32] Jason A. Coombs: Is that how you spell it?

[7:34] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, perfect. On Sika TV.

[7:37] Jason A. Coombs: You're so kind. Thank you.

[7:38] Samantha Tuozzolo: Sika, everyone, tune in. Um, no one, you're so great.

[7:43] Jason A. Coombs: Uh, by the way, especially in that—didn't you win? You won the Best Actor at Story of Film Festival, and it won Best Web Series. Like that is a great accomplishment.

[7:53] Samantha Tuozzolo: And you know, I'm so happy to be working with you because you know, we have worked many a survival job together, and no matter what's happening around you, you always never lose sight of the goal and the dream, and you work very hard towards that.

[8:09] Jason A. Coombs: Thank you. You know, we're both from Connecticut, so we have that Connecticut hustle.

[8:14] Samantha Tuozzolo: Um, yes, and you are such a talented actor. Everything I've seen you do, it's just incredible.

[8:20] Jason A. Coombs: And by the way, and listeners, Jason writes a page every single night.

[8:27] Samantha Tuozzolo: Is that true, or did I make that up?

[8:29] Jason A. Coombs: I try, it depends on the week.

[8:30] Samantha Tuozzolo: It depends like how much, um, seasonal depression I have.

[8:34] Jason A. Coombs: Well, let's hope we're coming out of it. I feel like we sort of are coming slowly out of it.

[8:40] Samantha Tuozzolo: And by the way, everyone, if you want to see Jason in something else, you can go to Amazon Prime and stream an independent movie that he was in called The Pretenders.

[8:52] Jason A. Coombs: Yes.

[8:53] Samantha Tuozzolo: Um, you know, my bio for you and my intro for you, Jason, is yeah, sure. Maybe you have two survival jobs at once. Yeah, sure. Maybe the pandemic sent you back to Connecticut and you know, put a big pause.

[9:06] Jason A. Coombs: But even so, hello, we're in a pandemic still, by the way. Happy one year anniversary pandemic life, everyone.

[9:12] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yes, today.

[9:14] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, we're in a pandemic, and Jason is literally booking meetings with people about a pilot he wrote.

[9:20] Samantha Tuozzolo: Is it a pilot or a movie? I'm so sorry to not have—

[9:22] Jason A. Coombs: A pilot about a pilot he wrote. He also has an internship.

[9:30] Samantha Tuozzolo: I'm sorry, what is it?

[9:32] Jason A. Coombs: An internship.

[9:33] Samantha Tuozzolo: He is an artist who ran his residency, by the way, and it created an entire film festival in Bridgeport, Connecticut that did not exist before, you know.

[9:42] Jason A. Coombs: So a lot of help with—

[9:42] Samantha Tuozzolo: A lot of help.

[9:46] Jason A. Coombs: Yes, but you're the mastermind and the captain of the ship making it run.

[9:51] Samantha Tuozzolo: So, you know, I'm just so excited to be doing this thing with you.

[9:54] Jason A. Coombs: Me too.

[9:56] Samantha Tuozzolo: I know we've been planning it for a couple weeks now, and now we're here in our virtual studio.

[10:02] Jason A. Coombs: I feel like we've been planning it for months.

[10:05] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh yeah, it's been—yeah, it's been like at least two and a half months.

[10:08] Jason A. Coombs: It has, right?

[10:09] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, which is, by the way, everyone, the original name of the podcast was called Arts Podality because it was the same concept about artists working only in hospitality.

[10:23] Jason A. Coombs: But do you guys get it? Arts pod, like a podcast.

[10:24] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, but then we, we, uh, nixed that kind of quick.

[10:31] Jason A. Coombs: It was just really hard to say.

[10:32] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, I don't know. It looked weird. It's like also then not limited our guests.

[10:37] Jason A. Coombs: By the way, we have a beautiful list of guests coming up this—

[10:37] Samantha Tuozzolo: We do.

[10:44] Jason A. Coombs: Season.

[10:44] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, you do.

[10:42] Samantha Tuozzolo: Do you call a podcast a season?

[10:45] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah. We're in season one of Survival Jobs.

[10:48] Jason A. Coombs: Exactly. You have so many amazing people that are coming.

[10:51] Samantha Tuozzolo: But this first episode, we wanted to just talk about each other, let everybody know about us.

[10:56] Jason A. Coombs: We want to interview each other because of course we know each other, but we don't know everything about each other.

[11:00] Samantha Tuozzolo: So it'd be nice to speak, and you guys get to learn about us as well.

[11:04] Jason A. Coombs: Right. Get to know your hosts, you guys.

[11:06] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yes.

[11:07] Jason A. Coombs: All right, Jason. I do have a big question to start out with for you.

[11:11] Samantha Tuozzolo: Sure. Give it to me.

[11:12] Jason A. Coombs: As we've mentioned in your bio, you are an incredibly talented artist in many ways, and you've had many survival jobs. So what was your best survival job and what was your worst survival job?

[11:24] Samantha Tuozzolo: Well, in New York City or not in New York City, and whatever.

[11:27] Jason A. Coombs: Well, can I first say that, um, in New York City, Samantha's gotten me like all my survival jobs?

[11:31] Samantha Tuozzolo: I feel like it's true.

[11:34] Jason A. Coombs: She's been my plug for work.

[11:37] Samantha Tuozzolo: It's true. I do feel like I employed a lot of people that we went to college with.

[11:43] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, she's at the job fair of West Con.

[11:47] Samantha Tuozzolo: How did that happen?

[11:48] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, I know how it happened because I was sleeping with the general manager of the first job we had.

[11:55] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah.

[11:56] Jason A. Coombs: So it's pretty easy to get all your friends' jobs when you're boning the boss.

[12:02] Samantha Tuozzolo: And then from there, I don't know what happened. I just continued to get the jobs.

[12:07] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, I just turned really red.

[12:10] Samantha Tuozzolo: Okay.

[12:15] Jason A. Coombs: Um, best and worst. That's just a hard question because, well, I mean, I can definitely tell you. Well, one of them I had for a day.

[12:22] Samantha Tuozzolo: It was actually when I first went to another college back when I was very, very young, and I went to Pace University for a year.

[12:30] Jason A. Coombs: Um, I had got a job in somewhere like downtown somewhere.

[12:36] Samantha Tuozzolo: I can't even tell you where, but it was like hanging on the corner and hanging out flyers to people to go to some department store.

[12:44] Jason A. Coombs: And I swear to god, and I worked that job. I went there because I used to work at The Gap, right? I was in high school and whatever, and I was like, okay, I'm gonna get a job. Like I have some retail experience. I can work at a store in New York City.

[12:55] Samantha Tuozzolo: So I go there for an interview, and they're like, oh yeah, well, we have this, we don't have any retail positions, but we have this other thing, and they tell me what it is.

[13:03] Jason A. Coombs: I'm like, okay, I guess I can stand on the corner and hand out flyers for a couple hours. That's not terrible, I guess. I did that shit for two hours, and then it was like it was my 15-minute break, and I said, I'm sorry, but I'm not coming back.

[13:16] Samantha Tuozzolo: And I gave them the flyers and I left.

[13:18] Jason A. Coombs: That is good.

[13:20] Samantha Tuozzolo: Horrible. People were just so rude to you. I mean, it's New York City, so people were rude to you. No one wants to freaking flyer.

[13:24] Jason A. Coombs: Um, while they're trying to like live their best life in New York City, like no one wants to go to some shitty department store no one's heard of.

[13:32] Samantha Tuozzolo: So I mean wait, what was the month that you had to stand outside and do this?

[13:36] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh, it was September, it was like late September, so it wasn't cold yet, thankfully.

[13:39] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, but I was over it.

[13:41] Samantha Tuozzolo: I literally was over it. I was like, I'm not doing this.

[13:44] Jason A. Coombs: Um and your best.

[13:46] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh, I mean, I like I feel like most of my jobs had so many good perks to them. Like, even if I didn't like the job, yeah, like like Highline, right? We both work the Highline ballroom.

[13:55] Jason A. Coombs: Um R.I.P., by the way.

[13:57] Samantha Tuozzolo: Is that okay to say on that?

[14:01] Jason A. Coombs: I think so. I mean, it no longer exists, so I'm not sure anymore.

[14:06] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, pre-pandemic, Highline didn't exist. They closed. I went, I got totally tanked at like one of the last nights they were open. Sorry, everyone, but I did. And I think I went into the back sterile and cried and was like, I feel like I grew up here.

[14:23] Jason A. Coombs: That's hilarious.

[14:24] Samantha Tuozzolo: Okay, sorry, please gonna do that.

[14:26] Jason A. Coombs: No, but I was just saying, like, you know, that job obviously wasn't perfect or anything, but I got so many great opportunities. I met so many incredible people. I was I did co-check and I also was a host. And I think I served at drag brunch a couple times, whenever they need someone. So yeah, I mean, I had a good time, like you know, hanging out with drag queens and uh with some celebrities here and there, um, being some cool bands.

[14:49] Samantha Tuozzolo: Who was your favorite celebrity from Highline that you met?

[14:52] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, uh, I mean, probably uh Sarah Michelle Gellar. Um, I love Buffy, and they told me she was gonna be there, and I was very calm the first time I saw her. I was like, Hello, Miss Gellar. You know, very cool, calm, collected. And also Bill Clinton was there that night, but I was not even caring about Bill Clinton at all. It was all about SMG.

[15:13] Samantha Tuozzolo: And wait, which show were they at?

[15:15] Jason A. Coombs: Which was like some Billy Clinton at it was a private event, part event, yeah. For anyway, and then I'm like, you know, hanging out, and all of a sudden SMG like taps me on the shoulder, asks me a question, and I'm just like, Oh my god, like I wasn't expecting her to like talk to me, and uh, you know, she was like leaving trying to find the exit because no one can find the exit in that place. Um, and she's like, she's like leaving, and I'm like, just gotta tell you, like, I love you so much. And she's like, Oh, thank you. But what about my husband? I was like, Well, I love him too, you know, Freddie for Junior, obviously. So that was like one of my favorites. Tyler Posey, which I love from Teen Wolf was was also one of my favorites.

[15:53] Samantha Tuozzolo: Wow, Gail, Oprah's best friend Gail was there. Jason, I feel like you stayed at Highline for years after I had left. And like if Gail rolled up in there when I was there, I would have I would have loved to see Gail.

[16:06] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, I was so close to Oprah, you guys. I was one step away from Oprah because Gail is there.

[16:12] Samantha Tuozzolo: Um you're basically Megan Markle.

[16:16] Jason A. Coombs: So close to Oprah. Yeah, yes. That was just Leonard DiCaprio was at Highline.

[16:23] Samantha Tuozzolo: The biggest twice.

[16:25] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah. The first time I wasn't like getting talked to him. The second time it was private party. He came in and he talked to us. And even our manager, your the buddy you boned, even he was starstruck. J-Lo, Rihanna, Little Kim, all these really cool people that you otherwise growing up and you get to see them. So it's really fun.

[16:44] Samantha Tuozzolo: There were a lot of celebrities in there.

[16:48] Jason A. Coombs: Wow. Highline.

[16:54] Samantha Tuozzolo: Artists I would never have discovered, like musicians I would never have discovered.

[16:57] Jason A. Coombs: That's the same with me with Highline. I have literal CDs still from when I would be serving there. Before I by the way, just to go back a minute, when you said it was a private event, I got full shivers through my body because I cannot think of private events in that place. It gives me.

[17:13] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah. I got instant anxiety and instant stress.

[17:17] Jason A. Coombs: What a shock. Um, but anyway, when I was serving and I used to be the hospital server, meaning like I would go take care of the green room and the people who were playing. I used to get the CDs all the time for free.

[17:30] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah. By the way, I cannot think of this man's name, and it's on the tip of my tongue, but he was actually, I don't want to say a nobody when he came and now Andy Grammer.

[17:39] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, really?

[17:40] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yes. He wasn't a nobody, but he wasn't like famous or like super well known. And I was just chilling with him in the green room, and we were just chatting and he gave me a CD and he signed it. And so like things like that, when you look back, it's so cool. I don't cool is a silly word to use. I feel like there's much better word, but it is.

[18:02] Jason A. Coombs: No, but it was cool.

[18:03] Samantha Tuozzolo: And like all my friends, you know, I would get my friends into shows on the guest list. Yeah, get on the guest. And they you know, they feel special. Like one of my friends had a I forgot what birthday it was, maybe like 30th birthday, and like Salt-N-Pepa performed. You remember that night? And like, you know, Salt-N-Pepa was like a group we grew up with, you know, as kids. Like we had the whole balcony to ourselves, like a little section balcony, and we were just like all together, like all my friends, they all got in for free, you know. Yeah, bottle service, yeah, right. You know, just stuff like that though. It was like really cool. And um, that's nice. It's a good experience.

[18:35] Jason A. Coombs: Highlight ballroom was your best survival job, it sounds like.

[18:35] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, I mean, also, you know, I did uh work at a school, an acting performing school that was um really awesome as well. That met so many cool people and had so many great opportunities from um like networking and professionally acting wise, so that was amazing as well.

[18:53] Jason A. Coombs: Wait, what was the school?

[18:54] Samantha Tuozzolo: I have no idea about Studio Four. I worked at um it was James Franco's acting and film school, and I was the um wow, yeah. I was the see guys, we don't know each other, yeah. We know each other, but look, I'm learning. I didn't know about this.

[19:09] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, I was doing that while I was doing a Highline. Yeah, I always had like multiple jobs at once, you know. Have to artist life, yeah.

[19:17] Samantha Tuozzolo: Um yeah, so I mean I've just been very fortunate that I've been able to do things that weren't as soul crushing as other people's survival jobs, maybe I should say. How about you? I feel like I'm talking a lot.

[19:26] Jason A. Coombs: No, I I truly during your Highline memories, was like visioning the Highline ballroom, like my eyes were closed and I could see it. Um yeah, no, I I feel similarly about Highline, but I think from my serving days before I before I went into the private events department, um yeah, you just got to meet so many cool people and and and and they were always so kind. And I speaking of Mariska Hargitay, which I feel like I'm gonna talk about a lot of her on this podcast, but yeah, she was at Highline, exactly.

[20:04] Samantha Tuozzolo: This is an iced tea, ice teas it.

[20:07] Jason A. Coombs: The whole cast was there.

[20:08] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, exactly. This is exactly what I'm gonna say. I was serving, and this was right before I went into the private events department, and I was serving, and it was like iced tea made a documentary or something, right?

[20:20] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, and it was a private event, and the entire cast had come, and I was like, Oh my god, if Mariska rolls in here tonight, I will be okay, but also weird. Um then she was, and I didn't say anything to her because I don't like I don't know, I just didn't, but I did talk to her husband, I was like passing or d'oeuvres, and he came and I know to my tray and got like a crustini of like fig jam and goat cheese.

[20:48] Samantha Tuozzolo: Don't tell me you don't remember eating fig jam and goat cheese.

[20:51] Jason A. Coombs: We stole the food all the time, all the time in the back hallway, nasty hallway, like gross.

[20:57] Samantha Tuozzolo: And so I said to him, I Peter, uh, I know it's weird, but like I'm just such fans of you and Mariska. Like, thank you for your work, thank you for whatever. Like a little I was like 22, a little weirdo, and he was so nice and very tall, and I I remember when they were leaving the event, he found me and was like, bye, Samantha. And I thought I had made it.

[21:21] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, that's really cool.

[21:23] Samantha Tuozzolo: That's really freaking cool. It was cool. You know, I probably I I had already done background work in SVU and I talked to Mariska Grand background work, and I remember saying to her, like, I hey, I know I'm should not be talking to you. And she was like, No, talk to me. She was so nice. And I told her, you know, I'm an actor, and you're I really admire you and your words and your work and everything that you do. And she was so kind, and she said to me, and I will never forget. She said, first she goes, Do you want to take a selfie? And I said, Yeah, yeah, I guess I'm available. And then she said, Read Larry Moss's book, The Intent to Live, which I have read multiple times and never give up.

[22:10] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, so those words are sticking with me.

[22:10] Samantha Tuozzolo: I am so off of topic of the question.

[22:15] Jason A. Coombs: No, it's great though.

[22:15] Samantha Tuozzolo: But yeah, I mean, it's great when you like meet people that you admire, and then they're nice people, like you know, because nice. I've met, I'm sure you both have met like many celebrities who weren't the nicest. You never know people, but like when they are your people you admire and they're kind and generous and awesome, just really sticks with you.

[22:32] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, especially like we're on set, we're breaking for lunch. She's the literal number one on the call sheet for the show, literal star. And I'm like this little background actor. Hi, let me know you.

[22:47] Samantha Tuozzolo: Wow, you know, I never looked at until this conversation, I never looked at background work as a survival job, but I now speaking, and I I'm gonna go ahead and say that that was my best survival job.

[22:58] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[22:59] Samantha Tuozzolo: Uh because it I eventually stopped because it does get to you, as you know, it's like when you have something in you and you you want to create and emote, and you're just like, you know, crossing the street or sitting at the cafe, which is awesome, but you want to do more. So eventually I left. But at the time it it was so great for me. I was 20, 21, 22, just moved to New York, had all these dreams, didn't know much about like TV film set life. And so I remember one time I was called into Blue Bloods, and I I never watched the show, I don't know, but Tom Selleck is on it, right?

[23:35] Jason A. Coombs: And he's pretty, you know, a pretty established actor.

[23:40] Samantha Tuozzolo: They never used me the whole night.

[23:42] Jason A. Coombs: I never was in really yeah, which is fine because I we were in some high rise looking over the entire series, gorgeous. Like wow, I don't know. I was by the way, dressed as a server. What full circle?

[23:58] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, um, I was standing next to the director and overheard a conversation with him and Tom Selleck, the director and Tom Selleck going over like the intention for the scene and like the blocking or whatever. And so for me, like that was my best survival job, right? Because you by the way, we made no money doing that. It was non-union, yeah.

[24:19] Jason A. Coombs: Not even makes nothing, but you didn't 80 bucks.

[24:24] Samantha Tuozzolo: I think I made every time, unless we went into overtime, which was overtime. Overtime is not the right word. We're not playing football. Um, yeah, overtime. Oh yeah. Is it? Yeah. Okay, fine, but even then, overtime happened after 12 hours or something, whatever. So that that I would say was my best survival job, and then my worst. Can I say one thing about before you go to your worst?

[24:50] Jason A. Coombs: Uh, was just that because I did background, not as much because I didn't like it for up for many reasons, but it was such a learning experience. I did my first background actually here in Connecticut. They were doing a lot of filming back in like 10 years ago. Background for this movie called Made for Each Other, which I never seen. And I remember like being on set for the first time, and like the actors were talking to each other like this, like very quiet intimately. And because I had a theater background, I was like in my head, I didn't say this out loud, obviously, but I was like, why aren't they projecting? Why can't I hear them? Like, you know, because in theater, you have to project, right? You have to use your voice, they always tell you, but like I didn't realize that they're all mic'd up, they don't need to be projecting, and like that was one of the first lessons I learned about being on set, and it was because I was in background.

[25:36] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, my worst survival job. I I probably could talk about a few, but I am gonna talk specifically about working as a bottle server at Highline.

[25:45] Jason A. Coombs: Oh and I sure I was making a lot of money, um, but it was miserable for me.

[25:53] Samantha Tuozzolo: It's not like that was not what I wanted to be doing. I was up until six, seven in the morning, you know, popping bottles with sparklers. I truly was taking like shots of oh fireball all night just to like get through the shift, and I did it every Friday and Saturday for almost two years.

[26:16] Jason A. Coombs: And it's so loud.

[26:18] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh my god, it's so loud. Listen, I was so grateful for the opportunity. Like, I had no place being a bottle server, by the way, you know what I mean?

[26:29] Jason A. Coombs: Like, I am no model over here, which is great.

[26:33] Samantha Tuozzolo: So I was like grateful for the opportunity. By the way, came from you know, boning the manager for going back to shop. Wow. So many things are coming back to that. How embarrassing. It just was so so crushing. But I couldn't walk away from it. It was so so money was good. I'm sure he was sometimes I walked out of there $700, $1,000. And we weren't even making like that was nothing compared to bottle girls at like one oak or the like high end club. So it was so tough to leave that job because the money was great.

[27:10] Samantha Tuozzolo: But by the way, like I was young. Um, and wouldn't I wish I had a smarter brain to like save that money or start paying off my student loans. Instead, I was like going to dinners, picking up drink tabs at the bar, like so stupid. But yeah, look at that New York life. Yeah, I definitely cried in the bathroom during that shift a few times. It's tough. Wow, that just got really dark.

[27:38] Jason A. Coombs: No, I mean I can relate. I mean, I wasn't making as much as much as you were after doing coach, but yeah, it was thinking the same Friday, Saturday night, and you're making all this you hate it, right? It's like the worst thing because it's like in a club, people are drunk as fuck, people are obnoxious, and you're but you're making all this money. So you're like, Oh, I'll put up with this, but it's horrible, horrible, yeah.

[28:01] Samantha Tuozzolo: So that's my worst. Wow. I don't know, I'm so happy we started sharing about Highline. I really had some great feelings. Like my mind went to it. I feel back 2013. It is Thursday, so hey.

[28:17] Jason A. Coombs: It is Thursday. I have a question for you now. Okay, we talked about like our survival jobs, but like, why did you choose to be an actor, like an artist? Like, why put yourself through all we put ourselves through, right? To create, you know, like why do you spend all the money on the headshots and take their classes and get the thousand rejections for one yes?

[28:40] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah. You know, like why do you go to logicians into porn rain and Chelsea Pierce? You have to tell that story. You have to tell that story.

[28:51] Jason A. Coombs: I won't, but I want to hear, I want to hear about you.

[28:56] Samantha Tuozzolo: Um, I don't know that like it was a choice. I know that sounds really corny. No, but I remember at such a young age, just always performing, always acting, always needing to be the center of attention, always like pretending with my Barbie dolls. And so I was eight and my parents we had just moved homes, and there was a local community theater, and my parents had asked me, did I want to oh, because at first I thought I wanted to be a professional swimmer. So they asked me if I wanted a pool or to go to you know, this acting class, and it wasn't really a class. You like sign up and you do the show, whatever. And I picked acting, and my first show was Cinderella, and I was like, I came home and I remember telling my mom, like, I'm gonna be the stepmother.

And she said, Samantha, you know, it's your first show. Maybe you're gonna be a mouse. Like, don't get your hopes up. And I said, Nope, I'm gonna be the stepmother, I'm gonna get the part. And I fucking, I got the part eight years old as the stepmother in Cinderella in cigar, sick or axe forever. Um and I don't know, just from that moment, it's just like was an instant like bug. And I got that role. I memorized the entire script. I still will watch Cinderella. Like, I actually recently just watched the brandy Cinderella, it's on Disney Plus. So good. I watched it like twice. It's so good. Yeah. The script we had was very similar to that one. So I used to watch that one a lot. And I'm watching it now at 30 years old.

And I know the I know almost every single line because I was so immediately into it. And I don't know. And and I just never stopped. And there's never ever been anything else that has fulfilled me, or like if I dream and like go into my head and la land of these things, the happiness I feel of like what could be, and when I am acting, or there's and I and I know you get it, and I know a lot of other artists get it, whatever form your art may be. There's nothing comparable to that feeling.

[31:07] Jason A. Coombs: Um for a while, I was I used to go to acting coaching once a month, right? Just to keep up with my monologue. Hello. Yeah, we'll talk about her one day, get her on here, maybe. And I would like leave these sessions in Brooklyn, and well, it's this is sounds so corny, but it's just my truth. And I would walk around Brooklyn just like cry like and I would cry because it just felt so good just to work. And like, if you can't get it and you're not understanding um a piece, and then you do get it, you know what I mean? Like, you can't get it, you don't understand what is the intention, what is my and then you get it. It's like what it nothing feels as good as that for me so yeah that is why I continue to choose to be an artist it sort of happened to me as a child and i continue to choose it what about you why i mean that's pretty much the same like i feel like we have very similar stories and i remember i remember being a kid and i loved teenage mutant ninja turtles was like my favorite thing in the world i loved i was obsessed i had like the contra dvds i had all the toys i had the acid figures i had the freaking turtle van i like had the cartoon i did had everything in turtles and like i would like to just be in my room like pretending to be Michelangelo because i love michaelangelo um and then i started loving leonardo um but i would like act out with my toys and i remember like doing little skits like writing my own version of like the movies and then i remember another pivotal moment in my childhood which was watching it's so cheesy but watching the bodyguard with whitney houston which i probably shouldn't have been watching at like six or seven years old but i just remember just like falling in love with her i want to make people feel the way that she made me feel like after i was thinking at like six years old i was like i'm gonna be on tv and i'm gonna do that and like that's literally been my dream since i was six years old was because heuston i was like i'm going to be on tv um and then you were is i mean a couple of times.

[33:18] Jason A. Coombs: There's literally nothing else i'd rather do. I feel like every other thing that i enjoy still has a bit of that. So like writing, right? I love writing. I love creating worlds. I love creating characters. That's that's part of you know being an actor because I love saying the words out loud. I'm like, okay, I want to write stuff that an actor would love to say and perform. Do being a teaching artist, you know, that's like the only other things I would want to do. Like I don't ever want to do anything else besides act and direct and make make worlds, make dreams come true, you know.

[33:48] Samantha Tuozzolo: I love that.

[33:49] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[33:49] Samantha Tuozzolo: So this is gonna like sort of bleed into what you just said, but why haven't you given up? And like, and why won't you or will you? Like, in other words, will you ever come to a point in your life where you come and you're like, hey, this is I am too old, I need a corporate job, I need stability? Will you and why won't you?

[34:13] Jason A. Coombs: Right. So I yeah, I always like I don't want to be like sets down and judgmental because I don't really judge other people, but I'm always like I never understood why people quit. You know, I'm like, if you have this dream, if you have this passion, like why would you not do it until you get there? But when you start working as an actor, you know, and I and I had a manager for a while, and I was getting all these, like nothing huge. I was getting like you know, co-star, co-star um auditions, um, which is usually like under five lines, you know, on different TV shows and independent films or whatnot for like six years, you know, which is not a long time, but like it feels like a long time and you're like doing it pretty consistently.

And I I remember I think I told you this like going into the SVU office and like how cool that is, right? You're like, I wasn't auditioning for SVU, I was auditioning for something else in the same office, but it's like, oh my gosh, like this is amazing. I'm living my my dream, my purpose. But like, you know, after you get multiple rejections back and the back to back to back to back, you have a thousand no's before you get a yes. And I remember just one day, you know, having to leave my apartment in Astoria to get to Chelsea Pierce, leaving, you know, over an hour, giving myself enough time, but you know, the trains are running slow. And then it was like rain was like massive rain, and then I couldn't catch the bus to get to the freaking west side, and then you you're like soaking wet, and then you get there and you like you try to dry off in the bathroom, you try to make yourself look presentable, and then you go in there and your mind can't even be focused.

Yeah, but then you finally do, right? Yeah, but then you find you know, if you if you can sometimes you get it together, you're like, I got this, I got this, and you go into that room and you deliver your one line, right? Your one freaking line, whatever that one line is, and you're just making count. You make it count, right? And you just say thank you, and then you're just like that's it, like you don't want me to do it again. I can't even do it like one more time, like and then that's it. And you're just like, wow, like I just did all that, like I'm doing this all the time. And then you know, you feel that kind of that weight of like how heavy it is, right? And then, like, you want people want stability, people want to be able to have a family and to have a savings account, right?

To not have to spend six hundred dollars on headshots and like all these classes. So I get it, but for me, I know like I'm not going to give up because I know what's meant for me, which kind of sounds like maybe a little conceited or whatever, but I just know what my goal is, and like I feel like what's stopping me from getting there is only gonna be me. Yeah, it could happen for anyone else, anyway, happen to me, you know, and it's all about who you know, like it's about having the talent, but you never know who you may meet who can be that life-changing person or thing in your life. So, why give up? It is, it's like that. It's like that lady when Lady Gaga was interviewing for Star Trek was like a thousand people in a room, but one, and it's so true.

[37:00] Samantha Tuozzolo: It is true. Wow. Wow, Jason, that modeling you just gave really got to me. It's true. Like what like what's stopping me and you from being like Lupita Niango or Issa Ray or like the only noise in our head and our they didn't give up and our own insecurities. And um, I'm gonna jump in on this question too, if I may.

[37:21] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah. Um, it's it's it's like really hard. And I don't know if you feel this too, but growing up in the suburbs in Connecticut and you know, friends and their homes and their families and their salaries, it's like very hard. Especially sometimes when people don't understand, right?

[37:38] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah.

[37:39] Jason A. Coombs: Um and so you just have to block off the noise. You know you know, you know your dreams. Well, you know, uh, will I have to do survival jobs for a long time more? A long time more. Is that a proper English sentence?

[37:58] Samantha Tuozzolo: It is today.

[38:00] Jason A. Coombs: Um, yeah, sure, but like it the goal is worth it. And then you know, I always have these thoughts of like, well, what if it never happens? And what if I spend all these years? Well, then if it never happens, then you tried. And it by the way, nothing is never gonna happen if you do the work and you create like things will happen. Maybe you're not gonna be nominated for an Emmy or walking down a red carpet or have millions of dollars in three homes, but you're going to be fulfilled, and that's most important to me.

[38:30] Samantha Tuozzolo: For sure, I think. And I mean, also like re like, yeah, reevaluating what making it means to you, right? Because making it for me is different from making it to you versus making it to other people. There's so many working actors who you may not know their name, you may not know most of them.

[38:48] Jason A. Coombs: You don't know their name.

[38:49] Samantha Tuozzolo: Exactly. But they're they're living their purpose. They're you know, they're working, they're getting work as actors or as writers or whatever they do, and they're they're doing it. So, like, what's stopping me from just doing the same thing, you know? Like, it would be nice to be wealthy and have three houses or whatever, but like that's not my goal. My goal is to be able to wake up every day and get to create art, whatever that may be, and not have to be like beholden to a survival job, right? I want my survival job to be my dream, right? Turning my dream into reality. So, like, that's kind of what the big thing about this past year, like that the pandemic has done for me and for most people, it's just to reprioritize what makes or like what you want to accomplish and what you're not gonna do, what you're not gonna put off anymore, you know.

[39:33] Jason A. Coombs: It kind of like that was like my big thing. I'm like, did we make a podcast? We should have made an inspirational talk podcast because I feel like we just went in.

[39:44] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, well, true, because why being fulfilled is um gonna keep you alive longer than what's in your bank account, right? We're all gonna die anyway, like you know, no, I'm serious. Like, I think people have to do what's best for them, you know. Like, have sometimes having the house and having a family is best for them, and that's totally fine. Like, I'm not here to judge other people, I don't want anybody judging my choices, but I think we have to figure out what's best for us, and like if you're an artist, you know, you may feel like this life, as hard as it may be, it's gonna be the most fulfilling for you because at the end of the day, you're gonna die. You can't take the money with you, you can't take the success with success with you. So, like, why am I trying, you know?

[40:25] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, I love that.

[40:26] Samantha Tuozzolo: No, I feel I'm I'm like right there with you for all of it. I love it. I love it.

[40:31] Jason A. Coombs: Yes, I know we've been talking for we've been talking for a long time.

[40:35] Samantha Tuozzolo: I know, right?

[40:36] Jason A. Coombs: It doesn't feel like a long time.

[40:37] Samantha Tuozzolo: No, it doesn't. I don't even remember anything I said, and it's not because of the wine, it's because I just like went in.

[40:43] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, gosh. Should we you have one more question? You have one more question. Maybe I was gonna say three things, but maybe just give me one thing that you really want to accomplish that's related to your art by 2025. So I'm giving you four years. So, number one, realistic is to write my pilot is written, and you know this, Jason. About me, that I am not, I don't call myself a writer, writing is not easy for me. I have the ideas in my head, but then once I sit to write, it's like, how do I get this thing out of my head on a piece of paper? So um, my pilot, um, which is about bar regulars that was highly influenced from a survival job that we both worked at together. Um I want that to be in drafts sent out to people, in collaboration with people, and maybe maybe already filmed a little.

I want that to be elevated in some way, and I don't know how, but yeah, I I need to stop being so mean to myself when I write and and thinking like, oh, I'm I can't write. This is sucks, this is not good, nobody's gonna care. Um, because I care, and so that's all that matters. So I want to be kinder to myself with my writing and get that out there, and then like my dreamy life is like something I want to accomplish related to my art, is like get the goddamn agent and get on a television show. There's no reason, yeah. And if it's SVU, then it's even better.

[42:11] Jason A. Coombs: Yes. What about you? I think the big thing is is uh be able to be working on a show that I wrote, you know, and I I have had a production company either buy it and want to put it on. You know, I want to keep the I want to keep my intellectual property. So like I want to be working with a company to have my show about to be on the air, if not already on the air.

[42:34] Samantha Tuozzolo: Perfect. I'm just gonna say that it's gonna be on the air in twenty by 2025, giving myself that.

[42:40] Jason A. Coombs: I love that. What's gonna happen? So we're gonna come back here and then the podcast will be running still.

[42:46] Samantha Tuozzolo: We'll be entering we'll be interviewing Viola Davis at this point.

[42:52] Jason A. Coombs: Right 2025.

[42:54] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, dream big people.

[42:56] Jason A. Coombs: No, I love it. We are. I think everybody needs to dream big.

[42:59] Samantha Tuozzolo: All right, Jason. Let's play. Let's wrap this up. Let's play a quick fun game.

[43:04] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, yes, the game. Going off of our survival jobs. Now, I don't know. I feel like I don't know if we talked a lot enough about our survival job. We talked about Highline and stuff, but we didn't really touch on our serving together. And so Jason and I we served together. You know, our last job, well, my last job sort of left, sort of left, really left. Um we both we both were servers and managers and whatever else we did at a at a Tex Mex restaurant. And so I thought it'd be fun to do a little pop quiz on each other about serving and hospitality to see how good we were at our jobs, or were we just faking it to get by? I mean, I'm just gonna tell you I was faking it to get by. So uh hello. I don't even know how I managed I managed that place for four years, four and a half. So here's the game. You want me to ask you questions for you?

[43:58] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yes, I'll take the first question.

[44:00] Jason A. Coombs: Okay, I have two questions, and then I have a quick rapid fire question game, I guess. I don't know what you call it. Okay, Jason. Your server in a restaurant. What are the first two steps of service?

[44:13] Jason A. Coombs: Um touch the table with like water, right? Okay, and number two. I mean greet them, be like, hey, I am Jason. You're very good. Oh menus? Oh, menus, right? The menus?

[44:25] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah. Was that was that it? The menus. Well, from the website that I found this question on, from at like hospitality101.com people. Yeah, it was like greet guests and take the drink order. So you were pretty close.

[44:40] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, okay. Okay, because at our restaurant, we had to we had to give them the chips and salsa and the water. I don't think I ever did that.

[44:50] Samantha Tuozzolo: Well the bus was your poster, but then I feel like sometimes staging and um I never did. I was like, hey everyone, chips and saucer on the way. Um my name is Samantha. And uh one time I cried at a table. We'll tell that another day.

[45:06] Jason A. Coombs: Oh my gosh. Okay, next question. Here's my problem. I can never stay on topic. Next question. You're working a private event and you're handed a B E O. What does B E O stand for?

[45:19] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, that's like the paper. I know what it is. It's like the paper of all the information about the guests, yeah, and like what they need and like the times and everything. What does it stand for?

[45:28] Samantha Tuozzolo: I don't know what it stands for. Do you want to take a guess?

[45:35] Jason A. Coombs: I can't even think. Like end of shift, no end of B-E-O? I don't know.

[45:39] Samantha Tuozzolo: Banquet event order.

[45:42] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, yeah. Dang. Really close.

[45:46] Samantha Tuozzolo: Alright. And for my third game question for you, I'm gonna throw like four or five like hospitality terms at you quick.

[45:55] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[45:55] Samantha Tuozzolo: And tell me what they mean quick.

[45:57] Jason A. Coombs: Okay.

[46:02] Samantha Tuozzolo: Did you just hear my voice crack? All right, ready? Mod.

[46:05] Jason A. Coombs: Manager on duty.

[46:07] Samantha Tuozzolo: Great. 86.

[46:08] Jason A. Coombs: I mean it doesn't exist. We don't have it.

[46:10] Samantha Tuozzolo: Well drinks.

[46:11] Jason A. Coombs: Wait, well drinks?

[46:12] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah.

[46:13] Jason A. Coombs: The cheap liquor.

[46:14] Samantha Tuozzolo: The cheap, the cheap, the cheap stuff.

[46:17] Jason A. Coombs: In the weeds.

[46:17] Samantha Tuozzolo: In the weeds is like uh you need help, right?

[46:20] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, turn and burn.

[46:22] Samantha Tuozzolo: Turn and burn. Uh oh, I don't know if that turn and burn. Um, I don't know. Turn and turn.

[46:26] Jason A. Coombs: Turn and burn, like get them out of here.

[46:28] Samantha Tuozzolo: Like, oh, oh yeah, no, yeah, yeah. Turn the table. Get more covers in. Get that table out of the room. Turn the tables around.

[46:30] Jason A. Coombs: Yep. And last one. Fifo.

[46:35] Samantha Tuozzolo: You're not gonna F-I-F-O.

[46:39] Jason A. Coombs: Finish for everyone.

[46:43] Samantha Tuozzolo: First in, first out.

[46:45] Jason A. Coombs: Oh. I knew I I wanted to stump you on when I knew you're gonna check it out.

[46:48] Samantha Tuozzolo: Five.

[46:50] Jason A. Coombs: Five foot.

[46:52] Samantha Tuozzolo: That mile, that mouse? It's like uh when the health department comes and they check the fridges. You everything needs to be uh yeah rotated order or whatever, and so they called it fivefold, like when you're behind the bar. Whew, that was fun.

[47:08] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, I was so nervous because I'm so competitive and I hate losing it. But I was like, I don't know.

[47:11] Samantha Tuozzolo: No, you didn't get BEO, you did lose. Sorry.

[47:15] Jason A. Coombs: Sorry. I feel like that wasn't like I feel like they only called it a BEO.

[47:20] Samantha Tuozzolo: Like if they've never called it the banquet.

[47:21] Jason A. Coombs: Yes, and order. Correct. And like what's that thing that we I hated doing? We used to have to go to like the lunch thing.

[47:33] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh, you hated doing the cater.

[47:35] Jason A. Coombs: Oh my god. Everybody hated that one.

[47:40] Samantha Tuozzolo: No one liked that.

[47:41] Jason A. Coombs: No, it was horrible. Horrible. Wow, I just got I just started sweating thinking about that.

[47:48] Samantha Tuozzolo: Alright, my questions are basic as fuck. You're gonna get them all.

[47:50] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, I hope so. If I don't, then how far I have one multiple choice and then one is open-ended, and then one's just a guest. How many degrees is a steak cooked to be considered rare?

[48:01] Samantha Tuozzolo: Steak.

[48:02] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, it's multiple choice. Yes. Steak? Okay, okay. I'm so sorry. I'm ready.

[48:11] Samantha Tuozzolo: Okay, A, 100 degrees to 110 degrees. B 120 to 130 degrees. C 140 to 150 degrees. And D 170 to 180 degrees.

[48:26] Jason A. Coombs: Rare. We need it to be rare. Yeah. A.

[48:30] Samantha Tuozzolo: No, B.

[48:31] Jason A. Coombs: B. Final answer.

[48:32] Samantha Tuozzolo: B, 120 to 130.

[48:34] Jason A. Coombs: I my brain is flatlining. I used to know the temperatures of like the health department. I picked B.

[48:40] Samantha Tuozzolo: Correct. Good job.

[48:42] Jason A. Coombs: Wow. That really shocked me.

[48:44] Samantha Tuozzolo: Okay. Wow. Good job. Thank you so much.

[48:47] Jason A. Coombs: Okay. What does it mean to pre-bus a table?

[48:51] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh, for example, the table is still dining, they're eating. Maybe their appetizer plate is cleared and you clear the appetizer plate, but leave the entrees and their drink half full. And then you go back and you take some more.

[49:05] Jason A. Coombs: Yep.

[49:05] Samantha Tuozzolo: Alright, and the last thing, if a guest's meal is delayed, you should like.

[49:12] Jason A. Coombs: Um, a couple of things. First, maybe say, hey, guys, guests, I'm so sorry. The kitchen's just a little backed up. Your food will be right out. Can I comp you a round of drinks while you wait?

[49:25] Samantha Tuozzolo: Wow.

[49:26] Jason A. Coombs: That's what I would do. And you know, maybe not blame the kitchen, but that's what I always did. The kitchen's really backed up. Even if I fucked up and forgot to bring it in. And then I'd be like yelling at the the line, like fire ticket 45. Um, hey guys, the kitchen's really slammed. Somebody called out today. Your food's using me another 10 minutes. Can you say three people in the restaurant? They're like, Yeah, that's happened to me though. Truly.

[49:53] Samantha Tuozzolo: Like somebody called out, and then I start crying, and it's gonna be fine. I've got always comp drinks. If they're drinking comp drinks, if they're not drinking, you're fucked. That's the story.

[50:04] Jason A. Coombs: How'd I do?

[50:05] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, that was a hundred. I said, yeah, that answer was given an accurate estimate of when it should arrive.

[50:10] Jason A. Coombs: Oh wow.

[50:11] Samantha Tuozzolo: So I don't think you're supposed to blame the kitchen, but or comp drinks.

[50:16] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, by the way, the drinks were $15 and it costs us like three.

[50:20] Samantha Tuozzolo: Not even.

[50:21] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, not even, right?

[50:23] Samantha Tuozzolo: Well, Samantha.

[50:25] Jason A. Coombs: Well, this was fun.

[50:26] Samantha Tuozzolo: That was fun. Our first one. I was so nervous.

[50:30] Jason A. Coombs: You were so was I though. Thank you for guiding me. You're such a good guider.

[50:36] Samantha Tuozzolo: Thanks for inviting me to be on this.

[50:38] Jason A. Coombs: So what do we have next week?

[50:40] Samantha Tuozzolo: Okay, so our you know, your first episode was meeting your hosts, but our first ever guests is going to be Robin De Jesus.

[50:51] Jason A. Coombs: He yells at me. I've got three-time nominee for the three. Three time Tony Award nominee.

[50:56] Samantha Tuozzolo: Wow. I've known him for years, and he always tells me I don't say his name right. It's Robin de Jesus.

[51:01] Jason A. Coombs: De Jesus.

[51:03] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yes. We'll ask him to clarify when he comes on.

[51:06] Jason A. Coombs: Oh Lord, I'm gonna Google it.

[51:08] Samantha Tuozzolo: No way you have to ask him because he has a certain inflection, he puts yeah.

[51:14] Jason A. Coombs: So yes, our next guest is Robin De Jesus, which is gonna be fun.

[51:19] Samantha Tuozzolo: I'm excited to talk to him because I know firsthand about he has had about he has had many survival jobs, but he has he's had a lot of survival jobs that we're gonna have so much fun talking about.

[51:33] Jason A. Coombs: I know I'm really excited for that.

[51:34] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, so that's gonna be our next one. Um, before we go, Samantha though. Like, what are you working on right now?

[51:40] Jason A. Coombs: What am I working on right now?

[51:41] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, besides the podcasting just on the podcast.

[51:45] Jason A. Coombs: I love it. Um the podcast, that's what we're gonna ask our yeah, yeah.

[51:48] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, right now I'm really you know, dropping all my eggs into this podcast.

[51:48] Jason A. Coombs: All my eggs.

[51:56] Samantha Tuozzolo: Um, yeah, and you know, I always am writing my pilot, right? This is something I started uh in 2019, and I it's just like a I write when I can and I write when I feel like it, not when I feel like it, but when I'm inspired to, so that's always what I'm working on. But right now I'm really excited to see what's gonna happen, Jason, and who we're gonna get and who we're gonna talk to, and yeah, what we're gonna do.

[52:21] Jason A. Coombs: I love it. And what about you? The festival, right? Is really oh yes, I'm I I'm having literally, I'm not even exaggerating. I have like three or four meetings almost every weekday about this festival.

[52:33] Samantha Tuozzolo: That is lucky.

[52:34] Jason A. Coombs: That is lucky to have meetings a year into this pandemic. People really wanna support this, so yeah. Um, you know, we're putting together a film festival in my hometown of Brisport.

[52:45] Samantha Tuozzolo: So yeah, we talk about that more.

[52:47] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, we have to shout that out and promote it.

[52:49] Samantha Tuozzolo: And so everyone can yeah, it's gonna be the same. Is it gonna be all virtual or is it gonna be some in-person?

[52:54] Jason A. Coombs: It's a hybrid festival, so it's gonna be in person and virtual.

[52:57] Samantha Tuozzolo: Fun.

[52:58] Jason A. Coombs: We're we're doing some stuff. Listen, cater agent will do the caterings for the event. Don't even worry about it. We need it. Come on, collaboration. More hello. That's what we're doing.

[53:10] Samantha Tuozzolo: Wow. Alright. Well, I love you so much.

[53:12] Jason A. Coombs: And love you so much.

[53:14] Samantha Tuozzolo: Love our audience so much. We gotta tell them we go.

[53:18] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, I'm so embarrassed. I told you guys he's the king of the podcast. I'm just over here, we just have to tell them to like and subscribe and to follow and to tell people about the podcast.

[53:28] Samantha Tuozzolo: So we have listening right now. Please like, subscribe, and follow to Survival Jobs, a podcast. Spread the word, follow us on the gram at Survival Jobs Pod.

[53:40] Jason A. Coombs: Yes, and you'll see a very beautiful cartoon of Jason and I.

[53:45] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, shout out to our friend who signed it. Lizzie Garcia, the one and only. Follow her, please too at Art by Lizzie Trigga.

[53:54] Jason A. Coombs: Awesome. Until next time, y'all. Thank you so much for listening.

[53:59] Samantha Tuozzolo: Thank you. Enjoy the rest of your days.

[54:01] Jason A. Coombs: And to meet the love.

[54:03] Samantha Tuozzolo: Love you too. Happy April Fools.

[54:03] Jason A. Coombs: April Fools.

[54:09] Samantha Tuozzolo: Fun.