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Next Act with Jeff Ornstein
A designer exploring a new path in acting and Hollywood. Join Jeff Ornstein as he shares personal experiences, lessons learned, and conversations with others making big career shifts in the entertainment industry. Practical insights, honest stories, no fluff, just the journey of breaking into a new world.
Next Act with Jeff Ornstein
Jeff Ornstein – Actor & CEO, J/Brice Design
In this debut episode of Next Act with Jeff Ornstein, host Jeff Ornstein introduces the podcast’s mission: to celebrate remarkable individuals who are stepping into new projects and roles that could define their legacy. Drawing on over four decades of experience as a global hotel designer - working with brands like Hilton, Marriott, Kempinski, and IHG, as well as private clients including royal families and world leaders - Jeff shares how his journey into acting parallels his design career.
From creating immersive hotel experiences to embodying characters on screen, Jeff explores the intersection of talent, vision, and opportunity. This episode lays the foundation for Next Act, highlighting the power of ambition, curiosity, and resilience, and why the best is always yet to come for those who pursue it.
00:00:00 – 00:00:24
Jeff Ornstein:
Hi everyone, and welcome to Next Act with Jeff Ornstein. I am your host, Jeff Ornstein. Next Act is a podcast and web series where I'll be chatting with people who have already achieved remarkable things and are now stepping into projects, roles, and moments that could define their legacy. Folks who are on the cusp of greatness based upon their commitments to their craft and recognition by their peers.
00:00:24 – 00:00:47
Jeff Ornstein:
The sum total of their efforts, creativity, and commitment. I've spent over four decades as a hotel designer, directing projects more than $5 billion on five continents for brands like Hilton and Marriott, Kempinski, and IHG, as well as private clients including royal families, prime ministers, presidents, and a few global developers whose names would be pretty well known to the common man.
00:00:47 – 00:01:13
Jeff Ornstein:
Now I am exploring a new parallel path: acting. The dynamics I'm learning use my storytelling skills that shape spaces to embody characters on screen, and it has been a fascinating journey. It has taught me that whether you are designing a hotel or establishing a role, it's all about creating an experience that envelops and moves people. And fortune favors the bold.
00:01:13 – 00:01:40
Jeff Ornstein:
On this podcast, I celebrate people who are building on that past success while pursuing what is next. We talk about their current projects and what they've learned along the way, and the career-defining opportunities they are chasing. And the best is yet to come. For those who truly deserve and are on that resolute part of their journey, we explore what drives them, what surprises them, and what extraordinary things happen when talent, vision, and opportunity intersect.
00:01:40 – 00:02:08
Jeff Ornstein:
I'm also speaking with those who support and inspire them—casting directors, acting coaches, producers, and other creatives who help shape these pivotal moments. There are some crazy and unexpected breaks that people come upon as they traverse the path of career development. And it is in those moments that decisions can make or break you. Stories like these also remind us why ambition, curiosity, and resilience matter.
00:02:08 – 00:02:22
Jeff Ornstein:
They show us that no matter what you have accomplished, there is always a next chance to make an impact. Tell your story and step into greatness, even when that may be least expected. Though thoroughly deserved.
