Why I‘ll Never Make It

By: Patrick Oliver Jones
  • Summary

  • The actor’s journey is one of occasional highs and frequent lows. It is a path riddled with self-doubt and frustration as we question our career choices, wondering if we’ll ever really ”make it.” But it is those few moments of glory on stage or screen that can sustain us through all the setbacks and challenges. On this award-winning podcast, New York actor Patrick Oliver Jones invites fellow creatives to share three stories that offer a behind-the-scenes look at the creative life rarely seen in the glitz and glam of this industry. These conversations remind us we’re not alone in this often bumpy and winding journey of the performing arts.
    ©2024, WINMI Media
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Episodes
  • Patrick Oliver Jones Joins StoryBeat with Steve Cuden
    Sep 11 2024
    At the beginning of this season, I spoke with writer and producer Steve Cuden about his early collaborations with composer Frank Wildhorn. He gives us the real story behind the creation of the Jekyll & Hyde musical, which differs from the way Wildhorn tells the tale. We also get into his other writings and how he transitioned into teaching and also podcasting. A few months after his interview with me, he brought me onto his own podcast called StoryBeat, where I discussed my own ups and downs in this career as well as how I approach auditions and performances. So today I’m sharing our conversation where the microphone and questions are turned around on me, and I share more my own story, giving you a behind the scenes look at my own and even this podcast. --- Support Why I’ll Never Make It and find previous episodes by going to whyillnevermakeit.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 11 mins
  • FINAL FIVE with Dominic Thrasher, Actor and Writer
    Sep 4 2024
    In the previous episode you heard from actor and writer Dominic Thrasher as he shared how a diagnosis of ALS has dramatically changed his life and career. We also discussed how writing has given him a new focus for his energies and creativity. Well, now Dominic is back to talk playing one of his dream roles as well as share more lessons he’s learned from his terminal illness by answering the Final Five Questions in this bonus episode of Why I’ll Never Make It. ---------- To listen to bonus content like Auditions Stories and get early access to these full conversations ad-free, become a subscriber by going to whyillnevermakeit.com and click Subscribe. Podcast intro music created by host and producer Patrick Oliver Jones. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    16 mins
  • Dominic Thrasher Slowly Loses His Ability to Perform and Finds Another Meaning of Success
    Aug 28 2024
    In the year before the pandemic, I was on a contract with Norwegian Cruise Line performing the musical Footloose. In past seasons you’ve heard me speak with some members of that company (Megan Hoxie, David Ruttura, Eric Jordan Young) And in today’s episode I’m bringing on another one of the people that I met through that show, Dominic Thrasher, one of the ones who I grew closest to during that contract who was actually in a cabin just a couple of doors down from my own. But just as the world was coming out of the pandemic, getting back to a somewhat normal life, Dominic was diagnosed with ALS, similar to Broadway actor Aaron Lazar. We talk about his very difficult journey of realizing and accepting his own illness and how he is choosing to live the remaining months and possibly years that he has left. And if there’s anything you take away from this very heartfelt and thoughtful conversation, I hope it is a sense of both gratitude and persistence in your own life: being grateful for what you have, even the most basic of things, and a drive to continue to pursue the things that you want. It is a lesson that Dominic has carried with him his whole life and is now being put to the test in a way he never thought or imagined. ----- (And with this episode Why I’ll Never Make It begins its new release day of Wednesday instead of Monday. This is mainly to adjust to my touring schedule with Beetlejuice, as the weekends are full of shows and Tuesdays give me more time to produce these episodes each week.) ---------- Subscribe to get early and ad-free access to the full conversation with each guest, which includes the auditions stories that are only available to subscribers. You can also donate to WINMI and help further podcast production with a one-time or ongoing contribution. If you'd like to support WINMI but have limited funds to do so, then contact me directly for reduced-price or even free access to the bonus content. Follow WINMI: Website | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube Why I’ll Never Make It is an award-winning, Top Theater Podcast with actor and singer Patrick Oliver Jones and is a production of WINMI Media. Background music is by John Bartmann and Blue Dot Sessions and is used under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 5 mins

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