First Act Break

Jiayang Liu and Yunqi Richard Li

Insights on finding success in the film industry — by young filmmakers, for young filmmakers. Hosted by USC film directors Jiayang Liu and Richard Li.

  1. 11/22/2025

    The Emmy-Winning Composer Behind the NFL, NBA, FAZE, and Kai Cenat. | Mic Ferrante

    Welcome to episode 30 of The First Act Break podcast, the show where we dive into the art, business, and hustle of breaking into the film industry, and help you build a career doing what you love. Today, we bring on Mic Ferrante, an Emmy-Winning composer who's scored for the NFL, NBA, FAZE Clan, Kai Cenat and many more. He shares his experience going to music school and his recent career as a newly graduate pursing the composing dream. Timecodes: 00:00 Intro 00:01:58 Falling in love with scoring 00:05:26 First real paycheck as composer 00:06:28 Getting paid through commercial work 00:07:15 How composers actually get hired 00:08:59 Marketing yourself as a composer 00:09:27 Biggest thing directors should know 00:10:45 Working with big brands (NBA, USC) 00:12:17 How people find him for gigs 00:14:23 The USC “Among Us” horn 00:15:40 Writing for narrative vs commercial 00:18:52 How themes and melodies are born 00:20:01 Why melody matters so much 00:22:58 Writing personal music outside film 00:23:40 Studying great music 00:27:06 Do directors need “good taste”? 00:27:59 Temp scores: helpful or cheating? 00:30:07 Is there a “career path”? 00:31:31 How composers actually break in 00:33:59 Diversify or starve in music 00:34:59 Balancing creativity and mental health 00:35:12 Is music / film school worth it? 00:36:59 USC: connections vs. classes 00:38:02 Mozart vs. modern composers 00:40:46 Money stress after graduation 00:41:40 How much do gigs pay? 00:44:33 Learning when to say no 00:47:00 Will AI take composer jobs? 00:48:59 How he’s future-proofing with AI 00:50:00 Using AI in music workflow 00:50:36 Handling jealousy and comparison 00:51:57 Scoring for different directors’ styles 00:53:35 Worst kind of project experience 00:54:38 Running live sessions, leading people 00:55:51 How to get good at piano 00:58:17 Breaking down our scores together 01:02:22 Melodies of War breakdown 01:03:22 Love themes, character themes 01:04:48 How sets actually work (drama) 01:07:34 How we pulled off the musical 01:09:35 Writing songs fast for production 01:10:24 Question from last guest 01:11:20 Freelance goals (director POV)

    1h 14m
  2. 08/15/2025

    What it takes to be a Hollywood Actor | Phinehas Yoon

    Welcome to episode 25 of The First Act Break podcast, the show where we dive into the art, business, and hustle of breaking into the film industry, and help you build a career doing what you love. Today, we bring on Phinehas Yoon, a professional actor with a recent lead role in a SXSW feature film. He shares his experience breaking into Hollywood. We discuss the what it takes for an actor to succeed in the movie business and the path that led to him starring in multiple high profile movies. Timecode: (00:56) - SXSW (01:48) - How We Met (04:51) - Beginnings (08:40) - Child Acting (09:51) - Asian American Actors (11:03) - Filmmaking & Acting (15:17) - Action Short (21:12) - Biggest Short Film (31:03) - Casting (33:30) - SXSW Film “It Ends” (39:20) - Financing & Casting the Film (45:00) - Rejection for Actors (51:02) - Is Acting Professional Lying? (53:23) -Breaking into the Industry Today (55:18) - Do YOU Need to be in LA? (57:16) - Getting an Agent/Manager (1:00:08) - Why Pursue this Path? (1:01:09) - Financial Security in Entertainment (1:02:16) - How to Adapt to Rapid Change (1:05:36) - Dream movie for $4mil (1:09:32) - Audition Opportunities (1:12:31) - Stereotypes in Asian American Screen Presence (1:14:36) - Getting Better Performances (01:19:20) - Trust Between Director and Actor (01:20:40) - Looks (01:30:29) - Question (01:34:01) - $6mil dream movie (01:35:08) - Sperm Race (01:36:56) - Deep Question (01:40:14) - What’s Next

    1h 41m

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Insights on finding success in the film industry — by young filmmakers, for young filmmakers. Hosted by USC film directors Jiayang Liu and Richard Li.