WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.520 Welcome to the Deep Dive. This is where we really 00:00:02.520 --> 00:00:04.580 tear into the sources you give us. We pull out 00:00:04.580 --> 00:00:06.860 the key insights, the stuff that surprises you, 00:00:06.940 --> 00:00:08.900 maybe makes you think a bit differently. Today 00:00:08.900 --> 00:00:10.660 we're looking at Rick Glassman. He's a comedian, 00:00:10.919 --> 00:00:14.759 actor, writer, director, a multi -hyphenate really, 00:00:14.900 --> 00:00:17.500 and his career path is fascinating. It's kind 00:00:17.500 --> 00:00:19.239 of a roadmap, isn't it? From stand -up ambition 00:00:19.239 --> 00:00:22.839 to these really personal and acclaimed acting 00:00:22.839 --> 00:00:25.760 roles. Absolutely. Glassman's journey is, well, 00:00:25.839 --> 00:00:27.500 it's all about the pivots. You know, it kicks 00:00:27.500 --> 00:00:29.660 off with that classic comedy dream, then moves 00:00:29.660 --> 00:00:32.079 into the whole network sitcom world. But then 00:00:32.079 --> 00:00:34.520 things take this really profound turn after a 00:00:34.520 --> 00:00:37.539 personal diagnosis he received as an adult. So 00:00:37.539 --> 00:00:39.659 our mission today in this deep dive is basically 00:00:39.659 --> 00:00:42.539 to track that evolution. How did that self -discovery 00:00:42.539 --> 00:00:45.119 shape his work? How did it lead to these incredibly 00:00:45.119 --> 00:00:47.000 authentic roles in Hollywood? It's like he turned 00:00:47.000 --> 00:00:49.119 this private knowledge into a real professional 00:00:49.119 --> 00:00:51.859 advantage. Yeah. And we've got a good stack of 00:00:51.859 --> 00:00:54.119 sources here. Lots of biographical stuff, career 00:00:54.119 --> 00:00:56.719 milestones, press coverage, especially around 00:00:56.719 --> 00:00:59.320 those big recent roles on Amazon and ABC. We're 00:00:59.320 --> 00:01:01.159 not just making a timeline, though. It's more 00:01:01.159 --> 00:01:03.729 about looking at how his mindset. which seems 00:01:03.729 --> 00:01:05.790 kind of strategic, almost entrepreneurial from 00:01:05.790 --> 00:01:08.569 early on, helped him grab onto every creative 00:01:08.569 --> 00:01:10.750 chance he got. Right. So let's just lay out the 00:01:10.750 --> 00:01:12.469 basics first, get everyone on the same page. 00:01:12.629 --> 00:01:16.689 Rick Glassman, born July 23, 1984. That makes 00:01:16.689 --> 00:01:19.629 him 41 now. American comedian, actor, writer, 00:01:19.810 --> 00:01:21.890 director. You probably know him from Undateable, 00:01:21.930 --> 00:01:24.230 playing Burowski. But maybe more recently, his 00:01:24.230 --> 00:01:26.930 roles in, as we see it, as Jack Hoffman. Incredible 00:01:26.930 --> 00:01:29.689 performance. And Edward in Not Dead Yet. Okay, 00:01:29.750 --> 00:01:32.030 so we're going to unpack that whole journey right 00:01:32.030 --> 00:01:34.310 from the start. in Ohio through the comedy scene, 00:01:34.450 --> 00:01:36.769 the sitcoms, and then really dig into how that 00:01:36.769 --> 00:01:39.569 personal diagnosis intersected with his art and 00:01:39.569 --> 00:01:41.730 led to this focus on authenticity on really big 00:01:41.730 --> 00:01:44.090 platforms. Okay. So to really get Glassman, you 00:01:44.090 --> 00:01:46.530 got to look at where he started, those foundations. 00:01:46.810 --> 00:01:49.730 He's got those solid Midwest roots, the source 00:01:49.730 --> 00:01:51.569 to say born in Shaker Heights, which is, you 00:01:51.569 --> 00:01:54.099 know. Pretty well -known Cleveland suburb. But 00:01:54.099 --> 00:01:55.920 he actually grew up right next door in Orange, 00:01:56.120 --> 00:01:58.920 another suburb. It might seem like a small detail, 00:01:59.000 --> 00:02:02.079 but that specific regional background often fosters 00:02:02.079 --> 00:02:05.780 a certain kind of resilience, maybe a practical 00:02:05.780 --> 00:02:07.980 approach to things. Yeah, and that practicality, 00:02:07.980 --> 00:02:09.800 that kind of business sense, seems like it might 00:02:09.800 --> 00:02:11.939 run in the family. His background's diverse, 00:02:12.219 --> 00:02:15.180 father's Jewish, mother's Italian descent. But 00:02:15.180 --> 00:02:17.400 let's talk about his dad, Steve. There's an interesting 00:02:17.400 --> 00:02:20.139 detail in the sources about his career. He started 00:02:20.139 --> 00:02:22.539 out as a restaurateur, right? before switching 00:02:22.539 --> 00:02:25.219 gears in the late 90s, became part owner of a 00:02:25.219 --> 00:02:27.759 carpet store, Marshall Carpet One and Red Gallery 00:02:27.759 --> 00:02:30.139 in Mayfield Heights. Exactly. And look, that 00:02:30.139 --> 00:02:32.020 carpet store detail, it sounds like just, you 00:02:32.020 --> 00:02:34.520 know, trivia. But stick a pin in that because, 00:02:34.599 --> 00:02:37.680 as we'll see way later on, that specific family 00:02:37.680 --> 00:02:40.000 business, it actually weaves directly back into 00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:42.340 his creative work now out in L .A. It suggests 00:02:42.340 --> 00:02:44.879 he had this early exposure to an owner's mentality, 00:02:45.240 --> 00:02:47.759 maybe not just doing a job, but like owning the 00:02:47.759 --> 00:02:49.900 whole thing. OK, interesting. Now, education. 00:02:50.960 --> 00:02:54.780 This period seems full of, well, not contradictions, 00:02:54.780 --> 00:02:57.719 but interesting paths not taken, right? Before 00:02:57.719 --> 00:03:00.620 he fully committed to comedy, he graduated from 00:03:00.620 --> 00:03:03.620 Orange High School in 2002. And here's one of 00:03:03.620 --> 00:03:05.659 those amazing little details you find digging 00:03:05.659 --> 00:03:08.159 through sources. He played high school basketball. 00:03:08.340 --> 00:03:10.639 Which is cool, yeah. But the really wild part 00:03:10.639 --> 00:03:12.680 is who his team played against. They competed 00:03:12.680 --> 00:03:15.659 directly against St. Mary High School. And who 00:03:15.659 --> 00:03:18.419 was leading that team at that exact time? LeBron 00:03:18.419 --> 00:03:20.689 James. That's incredible. It's such a great image, 00:03:20.770 --> 00:03:22.090 isn't it? You've got this guy who's going to 00:03:22.090 --> 00:03:24.289 become known for this very self -aware kind of 00:03:24.289 --> 00:03:26.710 awkward observational comedy. Yeah. And he's 00:03:26.710 --> 00:03:28.949 on a basketball court facing off against like 00:03:28.949 --> 00:03:31.090 the most hyped high school athlete maybe ever. 00:03:31.270 --> 00:03:34.090 It really highlights that early mix of, I don't 00:03:34.090 --> 00:03:35.990 know, competitiveness maybe. Right. And this 00:03:35.990 --> 00:03:39.090 eventual path into art that really values vulnerability. 00:03:39.469 --> 00:03:42.060 Totally. But the path wasn't straight to comedy, 00:03:42.219 --> 00:03:44.180 not at first. He went to Kent State University, 00:03:44.580 --> 00:03:47.680 graduated in 2006, got a degree in marketing, 00:03:47.879 --> 00:03:50.539 which, you know, that's about as practical and 00:03:50.539 --> 00:03:52.539 business oriented as you can get. It's the safety 00:03:52.539 --> 00:03:54.819 net degree. But hold on. So he's got the marketing 00:03:54.819 --> 00:03:56.759 degree sorted, maybe picking up business vibes 00:03:56.759 --> 00:03:59.780 from his family. And yet the sources say he was 00:03:59.780 --> 00:04:02.520 also taking theater classes while he was in college. 00:04:02.960 --> 00:04:05.319 So what happened right after graduation? That 00:04:05.319 --> 00:04:07.300 must have been a key decision point. It really 00:04:07.300 --> 00:04:10.080 was. And the choice he made was, well, pretty 00:04:10.080 --> 00:04:13.439 bold, risk -taking. Our sources confirm it. After 00:04:13.439 --> 00:04:15.919 getting that marketing degree, he seriously considered 00:04:15.919 --> 00:04:18.879 law school. Wow. Law school. Yeah. The ultimate 00:04:18.879 --> 00:04:22.639 stable, respectable path. Right. But instead 00:04:22.639 --> 00:04:25.300 of hitting the LSAT books, he dives headfirst 00:04:25.300 --> 00:04:27.920 into stand -up. Did his first official gig at 00:04:27.920 --> 00:04:30.540 the Cleveland Improv in 2007. That's a massive 00:04:30.540 --> 00:04:33.319 pivot. Like the complete 180 from law school. 00:04:33.459 --> 00:04:36.100 It really suggests that maybe the creative or 00:04:36.100 --> 00:04:38.519 entrepreneurial drive was just stronger than 00:04:38.519 --> 00:04:41.680 the desire for security. But that marketing degree 00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:43.939 probably wasn't wasted, was it? That knowledge 00:04:43.939 --> 00:04:47.300 about branding, audience. That must have come 00:04:47.300 --> 00:04:48.959 in handy later when he started producing his 00:04:48.959 --> 00:04:50.819 own stuff. He knew how to sell himself, presumably. 00:04:50.980 --> 00:04:53.079 Oh, absolutely. That strategic thinking definitely 00:04:53.079 --> 00:04:55.379 plays a role later. And that self -marketing 00:04:55.379 --> 00:04:58.720 needed a bigger platform pretty quickly. So 2008. 00:04:59.209 --> 00:05:02.029 He makes the move. The classic comedian pilgrimage 00:05:02.029 --> 00:05:05.730 to the West Coast lands in Los Angeles. And, 00:05:05.870 --> 00:05:07.629 you know, moving to L .A. is one thing, but actually 00:05:07.629 --> 00:05:09.930 getting stage time and building a reputation 00:05:09.930 --> 00:05:12.550 is tough. He managed it, though. Started performing 00:05:12.550 --> 00:05:14.509 regularly at the Comedy Store. Right. And for 00:05:14.509 --> 00:05:16.250 anyone listening who doesn't know the L .A. scene, 00:05:16.470 --> 00:05:19.029 the Comedy Store isn't just some random club. 00:05:19.519 --> 00:05:22.319 It's legendary. It's intense. It's where you 00:05:22.319 --> 00:05:24.220 really have to prove yourself. Getting regular 00:05:24.220 --> 00:05:26.620 spots there means you're in the mix. You're getting 00:05:26.620 --> 00:05:28.939 seen by industry folks. You're honing your act 00:05:28.939 --> 00:05:31.019 under pressure. You have to figure out your voice. 00:05:31.670 --> 00:05:34.870 And that work, that honing, it definitely paid 00:05:34.870 --> 00:05:37.350 off. 2013 was a big year for him. He got invited 00:05:37.350 --> 00:05:40.230 to the New Faces Showcase at the Just for Laughs 00:05:40.230 --> 00:05:43.329 Comedy Festival in Montreal. Now, for people 00:05:43.329 --> 00:05:45.410 outside the industry bubble, this isn't just 00:05:45.410 --> 00:05:48.110 another festival gig. This is the showcase. Yeah, 00:05:48.170 --> 00:05:50.189 it's basically the industry saying, OK, pay attention 00:05:50.189 --> 00:05:52.949 to these people. Every agent, manager, casting 00:05:52.949 --> 00:05:55.269 director, producer, they're all watching New 00:05:55.269 --> 00:05:58.089 Faces. Getting picked means you're officially 00:05:58.089 --> 00:06:00.610 on the radar. You're tapped as someone likely 00:06:00.610 --> 00:06:03.709 to. break into TV and film like imminently. Yeah. 00:06:03.769 --> 00:06:05.870 It's a direct line from the club stage to the 00:06:05.870 --> 00:06:08.269 casting office. So, yeah, that new faces spot 00:06:08.269 --> 00:06:11.370 was the rocket fuel, really. If part one was 00:06:11.370 --> 00:06:13.250 about, you know, finding his feet on the comedy 00:06:13.250 --> 00:06:16.170 stage, part two is where he lands professionally 00:06:16.170 --> 00:06:18.290 in Hollywood, gets that foothold in the very 00:06:18.290 --> 00:06:20.870 competitive network sitcom world. And it happened 00:06:20.870 --> 00:06:23.149 pretty quickly after Montreal with the NBC show 00:06:23.149 --> 00:06:25.410 Undateable. OK, let's unpack this Undateable 00:06:25.410 --> 00:06:27.449 breakthrough because the way it happened is kind 00:06:27.449 --> 00:06:30.029 of cool. It shows the power of just being seen. 00:06:30.560 --> 00:06:32.779 Right. It wasn't like a huge cattle call audition 00:06:32.779 --> 00:06:35.639 process. The sources say Bill Lawrence, you know, 00:06:35.639 --> 00:06:38.139 the creator of Scrubs, Ted Lasso. Huge name. 00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:41.000 He actually saw Glassman and Brett Morin performing 00:06:41.000 --> 00:06:43.220 live. Yeah, just saw their set at the Hollywood 00:06:43.220 --> 00:06:45.199 Improv. And apparently, right then and there, 00:06:45.319 --> 00:06:47.540 invited both of them to audition for Undateable. 00:06:47.660 --> 00:06:50.360 Wow. And they both got it. Landed series, regular 00:06:50.360 --> 00:06:52.740 roles. They joined a pretty solid cast, too. 00:06:53.180 --> 00:06:56.319 Chris Delia was in it, Ron Funches, David Finn. 00:06:56.399 --> 00:06:59.060 Glassman played Burski. He was one of the regulars 00:06:59.060 --> 00:07:00.879 at the bar that Brett Morin's character owned. 00:07:01.000 --> 00:07:04.480 He was on for all 36 episodes from 2014 to 2016. 00:07:04.920 --> 00:07:06.899 And something really interesting about Undateable. 00:07:06.889 --> 00:07:09.589 which maybe gets forgotten, is that final season. 00:07:09.889 --> 00:07:11.550 Season three, they did the whole thing live, 00:07:11.629 --> 00:07:14.459 right? Yeah, they did. Which is crucial, I think, 00:07:14.480 --> 00:07:16.920 for understanding Glassman's skill set. Doing 00:07:16.920 --> 00:07:20.439 a multi -cam sitcom live, week after week, that's 00:07:20.439 --> 00:07:22.980 intense. It's like theater discipline meets stand 00:07:22.980 --> 00:07:25.360 -up timing and improv skills. You need serious 00:07:25.360 --> 00:07:28.220 confidence chemistry with the cast. Skills he'd 00:07:28.220 --> 00:07:29.959 definitely been sharpening at the comedy store. 00:07:30.040 --> 00:07:32.399 It was basically performance boot camp. But here's 00:07:32.399 --> 00:07:33.980 where it gets really interesting, where you see 00:07:33.980 --> 00:07:36.939 that, maybe that marketing degree and that creator 00:07:36.939 --> 00:07:39.300 impulse kick in again. He didn't just settle 00:07:39.300 --> 00:07:42.399 into being Borowski, the sixth lead on the call. 00:07:42.569 --> 00:07:45.910 While Undateable was still on the air, he actually 00:07:45.910 --> 00:07:48.629 pitched an idea back to Bill Lawrence. And that 00:07:48.629 --> 00:07:52.170 idea became its own thing. An NBC -produced web 00:07:52.170 --> 00:07:55.149 series spinoff called The Sixth Lead. Yes. This 00:07:55.149 --> 00:07:57.769 is such a key moment. He goes from being an actor 00:07:57.769 --> 00:07:59.829 in the show to being the creator of a related 00:07:59.829 --> 00:08:01.970 show. He didn't just wait for the next acting 00:08:01.970 --> 00:08:04.170 gig. He literally created one for himself and 00:08:04.170 --> 00:08:06.850 one where he had total control. He wrote it, 00:08:06.889 --> 00:08:09.629 he directed it, and he starred in it. All eight 00:08:09.629 --> 00:08:12.129 episodes. And the concept was pretty meta, wasn't 00:08:12.129 --> 00:08:14.470 it? The sources describe it as being about his 00:08:14.470 --> 00:08:17.050 fictionalized day -to -day life as the sixth 00:08:17.050 --> 00:08:20.829 lead, dealing with the relative obscurity of 00:08:20.829 --> 00:08:23.589 being the lowest -billed guy on a hit show and 00:08:23.589 --> 00:08:25.649 the style they compare it to. Curb your enthusiasm. 00:08:26.069 --> 00:08:28.970 That tells you a lot, right? Self -deprecating, 00:08:28.970 --> 00:08:31.730 awkward, observational. Totally. It's brilliant, 00:08:31.829 --> 00:08:33.750 really, as a career move. It shows he understands 00:08:33.750 --> 00:08:36.169 how to take a potentially frustrating situation 00:08:36.169 --> 00:08:38.529 like maybe nobody recognizes you from the promo 00:08:38.529 --> 00:08:41.690 photos and spin it into gold. Into content. Pure 00:08:41.690 --> 00:08:44.389 meta comedy. But OK, doing a show about being 00:08:44.389 --> 00:08:46.889 the least important guy on the main show. Did 00:08:46.889 --> 00:08:50.070 that cause any weirdness, any friction with the 00:08:50.070 --> 00:08:52.029 rest of the undateable cast? It seems like it 00:08:52.029 --> 00:08:54.220 was the opposite, actually. Like it was an inside 00:08:54.220 --> 00:08:56.080 joke. They were all in on Bill Lawrence himself 00:08:56.080 --> 00:08:58.240 appeared in it. Other undateable cast members 00:08:58.240 --> 00:09:00.879 popped up. Zach Braff was in it as himself. They 00:09:00.879 --> 00:09:02.919 all played versions of themselves kind of reacting 00:09:02.919 --> 00:09:06.480 to Glassman's characters, you know, ego or anxieties 00:09:06.480 --> 00:09:09.179 about his status. It almost validated him within 00:09:09.179 --> 00:09:11.440 that NBC world as someone who could create his 00:09:11.440 --> 00:09:13.679 own buzz. And it wasn't just an inside joke. 00:09:13.820 --> 00:09:16.679 He took that web series, edited it down into 00:09:16.679 --> 00:09:19.759 a short film, and it won Best Short Film at the 00:09:19.759 --> 00:09:22.529 IFS Festival in 2016. That's the Independent 00:09:22.529 --> 00:09:26.820 Filmmakers Showcase in LA. That award feels significant. 00:09:26.919 --> 00:09:29.500 It's external validation. He wasn't just the 00:09:29.500 --> 00:09:31.799 funny guy from the sitcom. Now he's an award 00:09:31.799 --> 00:09:34.700 -winning writer and director. Exactly. That win 00:09:34.700 --> 00:09:36.639 coming right off the back of the sitcom really 00:09:36.639 --> 00:09:39.500 cemented him as a proper multi -hyphenate, someone 00:09:39.500 --> 00:09:42.120 who could generate his own material, direct it, 00:09:42.159 --> 00:09:44.659 star in it, and get recognized for it. Okay, 00:09:44.679 --> 00:09:47.100 before we move into the next big phase, we should 00:09:47.100 --> 00:09:49.080 quickly mention he was also starting to stretch 00:09:49.080 --> 00:09:51.039 into different kinds of acting roles around this 00:09:51.039 --> 00:09:53.460 time, too. Show me more range. I did guest spots, 00:09:53.620 --> 00:09:55.929 right? Adam Devine's house party, the comedians. 00:09:56.250 --> 00:09:58.769 Yeah, but the really notable step, I think, was 00:09:58.769 --> 00:10:01.370 playing Harold Ramis. That was in the 2018 Netflix 00:10:01.370 --> 00:10:04.490 movie, A Futile and Stupid Gesture, about the 00:10:04.490 --> 00:10:06.850 founding of National Lamboon. Playing Ramis, 00:10:06.870 --> 00:10:10.009 I mean, that's comedy royalty, a legend known 00:10:10.009 --> 00:10:12.730 for being this quiet intellectual force. Taking 00:10:12.730 --> 00:10:15.409 on that role was a big leap. It moved Glassman 00:10:15.409 --> 00:10:18.090 beyond the kind of self -aware comedy of Berthuiski 00:10:18.090 --> 00:10:20.190 or The Sixth Lead. It showed he could handle 00:10:20.190 --> 00:10:22.509 dramatic weight, portray a real complex person. 00:10:22.649 --> 00:10:25.549 It proved he had those dramatic chops. Okay, 00:10:25.610 --> 00:10:28.639 so we've traced the path. Right. Stand up sitcom 00:10:28.639 --> 00:10:32.080 success, even directing wins. He hit those conventional 00:10:32.080 --> 00:10:34.659 markers of success in Hollywood. But the thing 00:10:34.659 --> 00:10:36.399 that seems to have really catalyzed the next 00:10:36.399 --> 00:10:39.080 stage of his artistic evolution wasn't another 00:10:39.080 --> 00:10:41.360 role or another show. It was something deeply 00:10:41.360 --> 00:10:44.860 personal, a moment of self -discovery. Yeah, 00:10:44.919 --> 00:10:46.940 this is where the story takes that profound turn 00:10:46.940 --> 00:10:48.919 we mentioned earlier. The professional arc kind 00:10:48.919 --> 00:10:51.139 of gets reshaped by the personal one. In the 00:10:51.139 --> 00:10:53.759 late 2010s, so well into his adulthood, Glassman 00:10:53.759 --> 00:10:56.259 was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome. Our sources 00:10:56.259 --> 00:10:58.299 consistently categorize him now as an artistic 00:10:58.299 --> 00:11:00.879 actor and American autistic person. Getting a 00:11:00.879 --> 00:11:04.039 diagnosis like that as an adult, after you've 00:11:04.039 --> 00:11:07.019 spent... Decades just navigating the world without 00:11:07.019 --> 00:11:09.500 that specific framework. Yeah. It must be incredibly 00:11:09.500 --> 00:11:11.220 clarifying. He actually spoke about it really 00:11:11.220 --> 00:11:13.399 powerfully. Told Forbes the diagnosis brought 00:11:13.399 --> 00:11:16.980 this immense clarity. He said all of these seemingly 00:11:16.980 --> 00:11:19.379 unrelated obstacles became patterns that made 00:11:19.379 --> 00:11:22.519 sense. And importantly, he added, it's something 00:11:22.519 --> 00:11:25.370 that I was and I'm proud of. Right. And what's 00:11:25.370 --> 00:11:27.710 so compelling here is how quickly he seemed to 00:11:27.710 --> 00:11:30.070 integrate that new self -understanding into his 00:11:30.070 --> 00:11:32.470 professional life, into his art. You know, for 00:11:32.470 --> 00:11:34.909 a lot of adults who get an autism diagnosis later 00:11:34.909 --> 00:11:37.690 in life, it helps explain maybe why certain social 00:11:37.690 --> 00:11:39.590 things felt harder or why some work environments 00:11:39.590 --> 00:11:41.649 were challenging. For Glassman, it seems like 00:11:41.649 --> 00:11:43.730 it also unlocked this deep artistic insight. 00:11:43.789 --> 00:11:45.629 It gave him the language, maybe the internal 00:11:45.629 --> 00:11:47.990 permission to tap into something really specific 00:11:47.990 --> 00:11:50.409 and authentic for his characters. We should probably 00:11:50.409 --> 00:11:52.269 just quickly touch on the terminology for listeners. 00:11:52.669 --> 00:11:55.139 The diagnosis mentioned was Asperger syndrome, 00:11:55.460 --> 00:11:58.639 which under current diagnostic standards falls 00:11:58.639 --> 00:12:01.200 under the umbrella of autism spectrum disorder 00:12:01.200 --> 00:12:05.039 or ASD. So in discussions about his work now, 00:12:05.120 --> 00:12:07.259 you often see him referred to as an autistic 00:12:07.259 --> 00:12:10.440 actor. And this clarity he gained, this self 00:12:10.440 --> 00:12:12.799 -knowledge, it became a strength, something he 00:12:12.799 --> 00:12:15.460 could actually use in his work. And he applied 00:12:15.460 --> 00:12:18.259 it almost immediately and with huge impact. In 00:12:18.259 --> 00:12:21.840 2022, he starred in that Amazon Prime video series. 00:12:22.480 --> 00:12:24.980 as we see it oh yeah great show really great 00:12:24.980 --> 00:12:27.759 show based on an israeli series called on the 00:12:27.759 --> 00:12:30.320 spectrum it follows three roommates who are all 00:12:30.320 --> 00:12:33.200 autistic navigating work friendship love and 00:12:33.200 --> 00:12:36.539 the casting for as we see it was a big deal wasn't 00:12:36.539 --> 00:12:38.840 it because they made a point of casting autistic 00:12:38.840 --> 00:12:41.620 actors to play the autistic main characters which 00:12:41.620 --> 00:12:43.419 brought this incredible layer of authenticity 00:12:43.419 --> 00:12:46.080 glassman played jack hoffman one of the roommates 00:12:46.080 --> 00:12:49.330 a series regular for all eight episodes Exactly. 00:12:49.370 --> 00:12:51.389 And his performance as Jack, who's written as 00:12:51.389 --> 00:12:54.509 highly intelligent, very logical, but also quite 00:12:54.509 --> 00:12:58.129 rigid socially. It was widely praised. Critics 00:12:58.129 --> 00:13:00.370 singled it out for feeling so real, so grounded. 00:13:00.570 --> 00:13:03.230 This was a huge departure from, say, the broader 00:13:03.230 --> 00:13:05.590 comedy of Bratuski on Undateable. Now, he was 00:13:05.590 --> 00:13:08.090 working with such specificity, such nuance. He 00:13:08.090 --> 00:13:10.169 was clearly drawing on his own perspective, his 00:13:10.169 --> 00:13:12.549 lived experience to build that character. And 00:13:12.549 --> 00:13:14.889 it wasn't just a one time thing. This focus on 00:13:14.889 --> 00:13:17.730 authentic roles quickly became central to his 00:13:17.730 --> 00:13:20.210 public identity as an actor. It led directly 00:13:20.210 --> 00:13:22.529 to his next big network role, didn't it? On the 00:13:22.529 --> 00:13:25.190 ABC sitcom Not Dead Yet, which started in 2020. 00:13:25.389 --> 00:13:27.470 That's right. In Not Dead Yet, which starred 00:13:27.470 --> 00:13:30.370 Gina Rodriguez, Glassman played Edward. And Edward, 00:13:30.509 --> 00:13:33.009 his character, was also explicitly written as 00:13:33.009 --> 00:13:35.710 autistic. He was the roommate of Gina Rodriguez's 00:13:35.710 --> 00:13:38.070 character, a series regular again. The show ran 00:13:38.070 --> 00:13:40.809 for two seasons, just wrapped up in 2024. So 00:13:40.809 --> 00:13:44.309 when you connect those dots, as we see it, and 00:13:44.309 --> 00:13:47.340 then Not Dead Yet. The pattern is really clear. 00:13:47.460 --> 00:13:49.500 He goes from playing more general characters 00:13:49.500 --> 00:13:52.659 to taking on these two major high profile roles 00:13:52.659 --> 00:13:54.940 where the character's identity is explicitly 00:13:54.940 --> 00:13:57.679 autistic, mirroring his own recent diagnosis. 00:13:57.960 --> 00:14:01.000 But I wonder, is there a risk there? The risk 00:14:01.000 --> 00:14:03.419 of being typecast, maybe playing two prominent 00:14:03.419 --> 00:14:06.080 autistic characters back to back? How does an 00:14:06.080 --> 00:14:08.840 actor balance that kind of authenticity with 00:14:08.840 --> 00:14:11.320 wanting artistic range? That's a really valid 00:14:11.320 --> 00:14:13.259 question. It's something actors who find success 00:14:13.259 --> 00:14:15.399 playing very specific types always have to navigate. 00:14:15.620 --> 00:14:18.220 But the sense you get from the sources and from 00:14:18.220 --> 00:14:20.419 how he talks about it is that for him right now, 00:14:20.519 --> 00:14:22.899 the importance of owning that narrative, of pushing 00:14:22.899 --> 00:14:26.220 for authentic representation, that seems to outweigh 00:14:26.220 --> 00:14:28.360 the fear of being pigeonholed. You could argue 00:14:28.360 --> 00:14:30.440 that by being an openly autistic actor playing 00:14:30.440 --> 00:14:32.620 these roles, he's actually redefining what rainy 00:14:32.620 --> 00:14:35.019 means for him. His range isn't just about accents 00:14:35.019 --> 00:14:37.279 or genres. It's about the incredible depth and 00:14:37.279 --> 00:14:39.220 honesty he brings to representing a community. 00:14:39.879 --> 00:14:41.879 his unique perspective as his primary acting 00:14:41.879 --> 00:14:44.899 tool. That's a powerful way to frame it. He basically 00:14:44.899 --> 00:14:47.080 took something personal, something maybe seen 00:14:47.080 --> 00:14:49.539 as a challenge, and turned it into the absolute 00:14:49.539 --> 00:14:52.259 core strength of his most visible work. That's 00:14:52.259 --> 00:14:54.360 taking self -knowledge and making a professional 00:14:54.360 --> 00:14:57.279 asset. Right. And while those big acting roles 00:14:57.279 --> 00:15:00.519 on Amazon and ABC give him that mainstream visibility, 00:15:01.019 --> 00:15:03.539 we also see Glassman, the creator, the entrepreneur, 00:15:03.899 --> 00:15:07.019 still very much at work controlling his own platform, 00:15:07.240 --> 00:15:09.940 which brings us to his podcasting work. This 00:15:09.940 --> 00:15:11.940 is where those directing and production skills, 00:15:12.120 --> 00:15:14.360 the ones we saw emerge with the sixth lead, really 00:15:14.360 --> 00:15:16.279 continue to shine. Yeah, let's talk about Take 00:15:16.279 --> 00:15:18.519 Your Shoes Off, or TYSO. That's his podcast, 00:15:18.679 --> 00:15:21.460 started in 2019. On the surface, it's interviews, 00:15:21.639 --> 00:15:24.259 right? Mostly long -form chats with comedians, 00:15:24.279 --> 00:15:27.259 people in the industry. It is, but it's how he 00:15:27.259 --> 00:15:30.179 does it that's so unique. He completely refuses 00:15:30.179 --> 00:15:33.980 to just do the standard podcast format. You know, 00:15:34.000 --> 00:15:36.720 two people, two mics, maybe a static camera shot. 00:15:37.139 --> 00:15:39.940 This is where his comedy timing meets those directing 00:15:39.940 --> 00:15:42.539 and editing chops he honed. The sources point 00:15:42.539 --> 00:15:45.590 this out. Often, right in the middle of a conversation, 00:15:45.830 --> 00:15:48.629 he'll suddenly cut away. He'll superimpose these 00:15:48.629 --> 00:15:51.850 bizarre digital animations or cut to these highly 00:15:51.850 --> 00:15:55.289 stylized, almost surreal dramatized scenes featuring 00:15:55.289 --> 00:15:57.610 him and his guest. Right. It's not just like 00:15:57.610 --> 00:16:00.269 adding a funny sound effect. It's way more elaborate. 00:16:00.370 --> 00:16:01.950 Like if a guest says something that confuses 00:16:01.950 --> 00:16:03.909 him and something kind of weird, he might suddenly 00:16:03.909 --> 00:16:06.269 cut to this short animated sketch where they're 00:16:06.269 --> 00:16:08.490 like in a spaceship arguing about it. Or maybe 00:16:08.490 --> 00:16:10.750 it's suddenly film noir lighting and he's interrogating 00:16:10.750 --> 00:16:12.450 them. It's a total commitment to the bit, whatever 00:16:12.450 --> 00:16:14.399 that is. bit is. It makes the show stand out 00:16:14.399 --> 00:16:16.899 visually and tonally in the, let's face it, very 00:16:16.899 --> 00:16:19.370 crowded podcast space. Totally. It elevates the 00:16:19.370 --> 00:16:20.909 whole thing. It's not just a recorded conversation. 00:16:21.169 --> 00:16:23.509 It's a produced piece. It reinforces that identity. 00:16:23.610 --> 00:16:25.889 We talked about the creator who demands full 00:16:25.889 --> 00:16:28.610 control over the style and the edit. And it goes 00:16:28.610 --> 00:16:30.690 back to that strategic mindset, too, right? He's 00:16:30.690 --> 00:16:35.269 making content that's memorable, shareable, distinctly 00:16:35.269 --> 00:16:37.809 his. And speaking of branding and strategy and 00:16:37.809 --> 00:16:40.049 things coming full circle, this is where we get 00:16:40.049 --> 00:16:42.809 that amazing connection between part one, his 00:16:42.809 --> 00:16:45.820 early life. and this current creative work. His 00:16:45.820 --> 00:16:48.919 podcast, TYSO, features advertisements that he 00:16:48.919 --> 00:16:51.220 directs himself. From Marshall Carpet One and 00:16:51.220 --> 00:16:53.840 Rug Gallery. Yes, this is the detail we flagged 00:16:53.840 --> 00:16:56.399 earlier. That is the exact same carpet store 00:16:56.399 --> 00:16:59.720 co -owned by his dad, Steve, back in Ohio. It's 00:16:59.720 --> 00:17:01.899 incredible. It's such a fascinating, deliberate 00:17:01.899 --> 00:17:04.839 link. Think about it. This guy starred on NBC, 00:17:05.160 --> 00:17:07.819 starred on an Amazon drama, won awards for directing 00:17:07.819 --> 00:17:10.200 his own spinoff, and he's also serving as the 00:17:10.200 --> 00:17:12.000 creative director, basically, for his family's 00:17:12.000 --> 00:17:14.000 local carpet business back in Mayfield Heights, 00:17:14.180 --> 00:17:16.880 making their commercials. It perfectly merges 00:17:16.880 --> 00:17:19.299 the marketing degree with the directing talent. 00:17:19.799 --> 00:17:22.359 He's using his L .A. platform, his skills, his 00:17:22.359 --> 00:17:25.980 name recognition to make high quality ads for 00:17:25.980 --> 00:17:28.259 the very business that maybe gave him his first 00:17:28.259 --> 00:17:31.579 glimpse of entrepreneurship. It closes this professional 00:17:31.579 --> 00:17:34.599 loop in a way you rarely see from people who 00:17:34.599 --> 00:17:37.259 found success in Hollywood. He really does seem 00:17:37.259 --> 00:17:39.849 to have that. owner's mindset about everything 00:17:39.849 --> 00:17:42.210 he does. Absolutely. It shows he operates with 00:17:42.210 --> 00:17:44.630 this fierce independence. Doesn't matter if the 00:17:44.630 --> 00:17:47.309 platform is huge like network TV or loose like 00:17:47.309 --> 00:17:50.549 a podcast or even a local business ad. He's controlling 00:17:50.549 --> 00:17:52.509 the creative. He's generating different revenue 00:17:52.509 --> 00:17:54.869 streams and he's keeping that connection to his 00:17:54.869 --> 00:17:57.890 roots alive. So just to round things out. Yeah. 00:17:57.930 --> 00:17:59.730 What else has he been up to lately on screen? 00:17:59.910 --> 00:18:01.869 He's still taking on interesting supporting roles, 00:18:02.009 --> 00:18:04.930 right? Like in that Netflix movie, Old Dads from 00:18:04.930 --> 00:18:07.829 2023. Yeah. Played Hunter Lewis. Yep. And he 00:18:07.829 --> 00:18:10.150 also had a role as Nico in an episode of that 00:18:10.150 --> 00:18:12.549 2024 show, Nobody Wants This. But, you know, 00:18:12.549 --> 00:18:14.589 adding to the list of unexpected income streams, 00:18:14.849 --> 00:18:17.329 we can't forget the McDonald's commercials. Right. 00:18:17.410 --> 00:18:19.349 Our sources mentioned six McDonald's commercials 00:18:19.349 --> 00:18:22.599 he was involved with. Six of them. Mostly. Voiceover 00:18:22.599 --> 00:18:24.759 work? Five voiceovers, yeah, and one where he 00:18:24.759 --> 00:18:26.740 actually appeared on camera. That's just the 00:18:26.740 --> 00:18:28.680 reality of the working actor, the working multi 00:18:28.680 --> 00:18:30.420 -hyphenate, isn't it? That kind of consistent 00:18:30.420 --> 00:18:32.720 commercial work, it provides the financial stability 00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:34.839 that lets you take risks on the more personal 00:18:34.839 --> 00:18:38.420 passion projects like 2YSO or those deeply authentic 00:18:38.420 --> 00:18:41.180 roles like Jack Hoffman. It all fits together. 00:18:41.660 --> 00:18:44.759 Hashtag, hashtag, hashtag, outro. Okay, so let's 00:18:44.759 --> 00:18:46.900 try and synthesize all this. Great. What's the 00:18:46.900 --> 00:18:49.759 big picture takeaway from Rick Glassman's career 00:18:49.759 --> 00:18:53.039 so far? We started with this young guy in Ohio, 00:18:53.480 --> 00:18:55.740 you know, maybe thinking about law school, then 00:18:55.740 --> 00:18:58.299 boom, sharp pivot into standup comedy, grinding 00:18:58.299 --> 00:19:01.119 it out in Cleveland, then LA, finds that big 00:19:01.119 --> 00:19:03.819 break on a network sitcom, undateable as the 00:19:03.819 --> 00:19:06.339 quote unquote sixth lead. But then crucially, 00:19:06.400 --> 00:19:08.539 he doesn't just ride that wave. He immediately 00:19:08.539 --> 00:19:11.059 uses that platform to write, direct, and star 00:19:11.059 --> 00:19:13.539 in his own award -winning meta series, The Sixth 00:19:13.539 --> 00:19:16.779 Lead. He takes control. Right. But the biggest 00:19:16.779 --> 00:19:19.809 transformation. The real hinge point wasn't professional. 00:19:19.950 --> 00:19:21.829 It was personal. It was that adult diagnosis 00:19:21.829 --> 00:19:23.710 of Asperger's syndrome, understanding himself 00:19:23.710 --> 00:19:26.950 as autistic. And instead of seeing that as, I 00:19:26.950 --> 00:19:29.789 don't know, a barrier or something private, he 00:19:29.789 --> 00:19:32.849 integrated it directly into his work. That self 00:19:32.849 --> 00:19:36.089 -knowledge became the bedrock for his most powerful, 00:19:36.250 --> 00:19:39.210 most acclaimed roles to date on major platforms 00:19:39.210 --> 00:19:41.730 like Amazon and ABC. It wasn't a limitation. 00:19:41.750 --> 00:19:45.099 It was his unique strength. Exactly. So the thread 00:19:45.099 --> 00:19:47.019 running through it all, I think, is this power 00:19:47.019 --> 00:19:49.200 of knowledge and control, whether it was the 00:19:49.200 --> 00:19:51.400 market knowledge from his degree or the stage 00:19:51.400 --> 00:19:53.859 knowledge from stand -up or ultimately the self 00:19:53.859 --> 00:19:56.240 -knowledge from his diagnosis. He consistently 00:19:56.240 --> 00:19:58.359 takes insight, personal or professional, and 00:19:58.359 --> 00:20:00.559 applies it directly to create something tangible, 00:20:00.779 --> 00:20:03.680 something uniquely his. His path really underscores 00:20:03.680 --> 00:20:05.819 the value of embracing your whole self, complexities 00:20:05.819 --> 00:20:07.980 and all, as your most valuable asset in whatever 00:20:07.980 --> 00:20:10.779 you do. Yeah, that journey from playing basketball 00:20:10.779 --> 00:20:14.220 against LeBron in high school to eventually directing 00:20:14.220 --> 00:20:17.000 commercials for his dad's carpet store, all while 00:20:17.000 --> 00:20:19.940 starring in these really significant representation 00:20:19.940 --> 00:20:22.980 -pushing dramas based on his own experience. 00:20:23.319 --> 00:20:25.480 It's a remarkable story of creative ownership. 00:20:25.859 --> 00:20:28.319 Which leads us to maybe a final thought for you, 00:20:28.380 --> 00:20:30.839 the listener. To chew on. We've seen how Rick 00:20:30.839 --> 00:20:33.680 Glassman's diagnosis, something unexpected discovered 00:20:33.680 --> 00:20:36.539 in adulthood, brought this immense clarity and 00:20:36.539 --> 00:20:38.940 directly fueled his most distinctive work recently. 00:20:39.200 --> 00:20:42.319 So the question is, how might you or how might 00:20:42.319 --> 00:20:45.019 others leverage your own deeply personal experiences? 00:20:45.440 --> 00:20:48.319 Maybe obstacles you've overcome, unexpected insights 00:20:48.319 --> 00:20:50.640 you've gained about yourself, passions you thought 00:20:50.640 --> 00:20:53.420 were unrelated to your real job. How could that 00:20:53.420 --> 00:20:55.339 kind of unique self -knowledge be channeled to 00:20:55.339 --> 00:20:58.180 create completely new, maybe more authentic and 00:20:58.180 --> 00:21:00.339 powerful? opportunities in whatever field you're 00:21:00.339 --> 00:21:01.539 in. Something to think about.