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A job can end fast. Identity usually doesn’t. That tension sits at the center of my conversation with Steve Stan Toulus, a Staten Island native whose path runs through the NYPD, performance, Hollywood sets, independent filmmaking, podcasting, and private investigation work. His story isn’t about chasing fame. It’s about what you do after the plan breaks, and how you turn real-life experience into something you can build on.

We talk about growing up in a family where becoming a police officer felt inevitable, then living a double life that sounds impossible today: policing by day and performing at night, before social media made everyone’s side hustle public. Steve shares what people get wrong about that world, and how those years quietly sharpened skills that later mattered in acting and producing.

From there, we get into the hard truth of entertainment: access can vanish overnight. Steve explains how he went from unexpected opportunities on major sets to having to rebuild the “slow way” with classes, reps, and self-made work. He also breaks down the business side of independent film, including why action and horror often travel better internationally than comedy, and how making your own projects can be the difference between waiting and moving.

We close on entrepreneurship and staying driven: building podcasts for love and networking, creating a PI and security company for stability, and choosing action over fear of failure. Subscribe, share this with someone in a career transition, and leave a review if it helps. What would you rebuild first if your main job disappeared tomorrow?

Stories of Service presents guests’ stories and opinions in their own words, reflecting their personal experiences and perspectives. While shared respectfully and authentically, the podcast does not independently verify all statements. Views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the host, producers, government agencies, or podcast affiliates.

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