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Shane Jacobson

Shane Jacobson

Actor, Writer, & Comedian

1 episodeApr 2020
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About Shane

Shane Jacobson - Actor, Writer, & Comedian

Shane Jacobson is one of Australia’s most loved actors, presenters and entertainers. Shane starred in, co-wrote and produced Kenny, for which he won the AFI Award for best lead actor. Shane has also appeared in Charlie & Boots alongside Paul Hogan, whilst also starring in Beaconsfield and Top Gear Australia.

Shane has also written a best-selling bio 'The Long Road to Overnight Success' and, explored his life as a motoring tragic in Rev Head.

Shane on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theshanejacobson/

Shane's website: http://shanejacobson.com.au

In Shane’s words

Verbatim from the transcripts — each quote links to the moment.

“So I always say, if you can enjoy that time on the plane as well as when you get to Paris, you're going to enjoy 2 more days of a 2-week holiday, you know. So you've got to enjoy the process, I think.”
Ep 693▶ 22:05
“I'm Mazda'd.”
Ep 693▶ 24:30
“That depression is not a choice.”
Ep 693▶ 47:09
“Entertainment unfortunately has the highest suicide rate by 3 of any other industry on the planet.”
Ep 693▶ 47:09
“it is so much better to be remembered for something you've done than forgotten for everything you've tried”
Ep 693▶ 56:42
“I've always said getting a film up in Australia is like trying to raise the Titanic on a mouthful of air.”
Ep 693▶ 59:14

Shane’s advice on the show

What should someone in entertainment do during an industry shutdown or downtime?

Use the time to expand your knowledge base — take online courses, research how film budgets and production roles work, watch and read scripts, and start writing your own material rather than waiting idly for work to return.

Ep 693▶ 15:50

Is there job security in an acting or entertainment career?

There is no stability — like professional sport, you have to practise constantly (perform, busk, audition) without guaranteed pay, and only pursue it if you genuinely love the craft itself, not just the idea of success.

Ep 693▶ 19:19

How should you think about pursuing a long-term creative career or goal?

Focus on enjoying the journey, not just the destination — like enjoying the flight to Paris as much as the holiday itself — because fixating only on the end goal makes the inevitable setbacks harder to endure.

Ep 693▶ 22:05

How can you learn a skill or trade without formal training?

Ask people who do the job lots of questions — most people love explaining their expertise, and Shane says he became a lighting designer and eventually a university lecturer in it purely by asking endless questions on set.

Ep 693▶ 32:05

Stories Shane told

Forgetting to thank the investor and his brother at the AFI Awards

Ep 693▶ 7:36

After winning an AFI Award for Kenny, Shane thanked many collaborators but forgot to mention the investor who funded the entire film and his brother, who wrote, directed and produced it.

Crediting the wrong pyrotechnics company

Ep 693▶ 7:36

Shane accidentally credited a rival company, AV FX, instead of Show FX (run by his late mentor Des Lawton) in the Kenny film credits, realising his mistake only as the giant letters scrolled past on the cinema screen at the premiere while sitting with the Show FX team.

The West Gate Bridge bet

Ep 693▶ 12:30

Shane won a slab of beer after a mate wrongly claimed Brisbane's Story Bridge was bigger than the West Gate Bridge, deepening his lifelong attachment to the West Gate's story.

The puppy and the veggie garden

Ep 693▶ 35:12

During lockdown, Shane and his wife built a large vegetable garden, only for their new puppy to dig it up, drawn by the smell of manure in the soil mix.

Mistaken for being in a 'porn film'

Ep 693▶ 54:03

A fan recognised Shane from The Bourne Legacy at an airport, but his girlfriend misheard 'Bourne film' as 'porn film,' leading to an awkward, memorable exchange.

Funding Brothers' Nest by going around distributors

Ep 693▶ 1:06:16

Clayton Jacobson devised a financing model where independent cinemas invested directly in Brothers' Nest in exchange for guaranteed screenings and premiere appearances, bypassing major distributors and cinema chains entirely.

Questions these interviews answer

Drawn from the episode transcripts.

What happened when Shane Jacobson won his AFI Award for Kenny?

He forgot to thank the investor who funded the entire film and his brother who co-wrote, directed and produced it, and separately had the credits list the wrong pyrotechnics company (AV FX instead of Show FX) at the premiere.

From episode 693→
How did COVID-19 affect Shane Jacobson's work and income?

His MCing, acting and touring work stopped entirely, reducing his income by '100%'; he responded by self-funding a documentary on the West Gate Bridge collapse and converting spare film-industry trucks into a new transport and logistics company, FTA Transport Logistics.

From episode 693→
What is Shane Jacobson's West Gate Bridge documentary about?

It commemorates the 1970 West Gate Bridge collapse, Australia's largest industrial accident, which killed 35 workers; Jacobson is self-funding it ahead of the 50th anniversary on 15 October, partnering with his company Had to Be Told Productions and production house WTFN to find a free-to-air broadcaster.

From episode 693→

When Shane came up

Mentioned on 12 episodes Shanewasn’t on.

Tommy's friend whose weight-loss story was used in a Lite 'n' Easy ad campaign about fitting into a racing car.

Ep 987▶ 12:35

Josh suggests borrowing Shane Jacobson's old fitted-out tour bus (used also by Hamish and Andy) for a show trip.

Ep 946▶ 29:54

Australian actor who appeared in a mask-promoting ad and faced online abuse afterward.

Ep 835▶ 23:03

Mentioned as having a personal bus with recliners, referenced in a tangent about buses.

Ep 742▶ 25:27

Referenced for a metaphor about public criticism of creative work (building a house vs people yelling from the street).

Ep 695▶ 53:29

Mentioned as a recent guest on the show, recalled meeting him at the Logies.

Ep 694▶ 16:50

Announced as the guest for the next day's episode.

Ep 692▶ 47:58

Josh cites him as a celebrity who is reportedly the same person off-camera as on, used as a comparison point for Jase's authenticity.

Ep 401▶ 1:20:35

Josh recounts a story about Shane Jacobson emceeing an event and unknowingly making an insensitive comment to a man who had cancer.

Ep 265▶ 11:24

Mentioned alongside Sam Mack in relation to the Full Monty TV special.

Ep 140

Tommy mentions being friends with Shane Jacobson, who knows Paul Hogan.

Ep 19

Suggested by Josh as a possible notable guest for the podcast.

Ep 15

Episodes with Shane

Every episode featuring Shane Jacobson on The Daily Talk Show.

Shane Jacobson On Australian Film, Family & Mental Health
EP 693
88:11

Shane Jacobson On Australian Film, Family & Mental Health

Shane Jacobson joined Tommy Jackett and Josh Janssen on Episode 693 (21 April 2020) — "Shane Jacobson On Australian Film, Family & Mental Health". Shane Jacobson - Actor, Writer, & Comedian Shane Jacobson is one of Australia’s most loved actors, presenters and entertainers. Shane starred in, co-wrote and produced Kenny, for which he won the AFI Award for best lead actor. Shane has also appeared in Charlie & Boots alongside Paul Hogan, whi...