What happens when the roles you’re given don’t fully satisfy the artist you want to become?

On this episode of Next Act with Jeff Ornstein, Jeff sits down with actors, filmmakers, and Dirty Coffee Pictures co-founders Luke Tennie and Noam Shapiro for a conversation about acting, filmmaking, collaboration, and the power of creating your own opportunities.

Luke and Noam share how their friendship at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy evolved into a creative partnership and eventually Dirty Coffee Pictures. They discuss making their award-winning short film Jade, learning filmmaking on the fly, and why surrounding yourself with talented collaborators can be just as important as mastering every part of the process.

They also explore the realities of being typecast, what makes a performance feel authentic, and why actors can’t always depend on someone else to provide artistic fulfillment. For Luke, creating his own work allows him to explore characters outside the roles Hollywood typically offers him. For Noam, writing has become another powerful extension of his passion for storytelling.

From acting and writing to producing and directing, this conversation is a reminder that a creative career doesn’t have to follow one path. Sometimes the next act begins when you stop waiting for permission and start making the work you want to see.