My Dad’s in Jail, My Girlfriend Left Me, and I Became a Comedian: The Arturo Vaca Story
Release Date: 02/25/2026
Chef Steve Samson on Rosso Blu, Bologna, Gnocchi, and the Real Cost of Running a Restaurant
Drinking During Business Hours with Sarah Halstead and Rich Chassler | Where comedy & fine wine meet!
Chef Steve Samson on Rosso Blu, Bologna, Gnocchi, and the Real Cost of Running a Restaurant The Italian Food Secret LA Has Been Hiding This week on Drinking During Business Hours, Sarah Halstead and Rich Chassler sit down with Michelin-recognized chef and restaurateur Steve Samson for a rich, hilarious, and deeply personal conversation about Italian food, the restaurant life, and what it really takes to build something lasting in Los Angeles. Steve is the chef and co-owner of Rosso Blu in downtown LA, a Bolognese-inspired restaurant that Rich and Sarah recently visited and could not...
info_outline
Apparitions, the FBI and a Bottle of Chardonay with Jennifer M Shaffer
Drinking During Business Hours with Sarah Halstead and Rich Chassler | Where comedy & fine wine meet!
Jennifer M Shaffer Talks Apparitions, the FBI and a Bottle of Chardonay Comedians Sarah J. Halstead and Rich Chassler pop a 2021 Gentleman Farmer 100% Chardonnay and pour it out with Jennifer M. Shaffer internationally recognized intuitive, spiritual medium, medical intuitive, and former stockbroker-turned-triathlete who’s worked with the FBI, U.S. Secret Service, and Dark Web Division. They cover ADHD-approved Chardonnay, 800 bottles stashed in kitchen drawers, the secret to a 30-year marriage, why Jennifer never watches the news, the French Bulldog bedspread that cracked an FBI fentanyl...
info_outline
Keith Reza on Comedy, Fame, and Never Giving Up
Drinking During Business Hours with Sarah Halstead and Rich Chassler | Where comedy & fine wine meet!
Keith Reza on Comedy, Fame, and Never Giving Up This week on Drinking During Business Hours, Sarah Halstead and Rich Chassler sit down with comedian, actor, writer, and podcaster Keith Reza for a funny, candid, and inspiring conversation about building a career in comedy, staying persistent in entertainment, and carving out your own voice in a brutally competitive business. With roots in stand-up, a long-running podcast of his own, and years spent learning from the legendary Norm Macdonald, Keith brings the kind of behind-the-scenes perspective comedy fans love. From the grind of live comedy...
info_outline
Inside Darren Carter's Laugh Factory Slot 19 Strategy
Drinking During Business Hours with Sarah Halstead and Rich Chassler | Where comedy & fine wine meet!
Inside Darren Carter's Laugh Factory Slot 19 Strategy Comedian Darren Carter joins Sarah Halstead and Rich Chassler for a coffee-fueled masterclass on building a stand-up career in the social media age. Carter pulls back the curtain on nearly four decades of comedy, from his Fresno forensics team days to headlining the Laugh Factory, Comedy Central, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and booking a Showtime special after landing a Miller Beer national commercial as only his third audition. The trio dives into his headshot story (shot by a Fresno photographer who drove a van down to LA to shoot...
info_outline
David Leaf on Brian Wilson, SMiLE & The Beach Boys
Drinking During Business Hours with Sarah Halstead and Rich Chassler | Where comedy & fine wine meet!
David Leaf on Brian Wilson, SMiLE & The Beach Boys In this episode of Drinking During Business Hours, Sarah Halstead and Rich Chassler welcome back acclaimed writer, filmmaker, and UCLA professor David Leaf for a funny, wide-ranging, and surprisingly moving conversation about music, storytelling, teaching, and his deeply personal friendship with Brian Wilson. What starts with mocktails and comedy banter turns into a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at Pet Sounds, SMiLE, The Beatles, and what it really means to devote your life to great art.David shares how he moved to Los Angeles...
info_outline
Lesley Wolff on Hollywood Casting, Comedy & Acting Careers
Drinking During Business Hours with Sarah Halstead and Rich Chassler | Where comedy & fine wine meet!
Lesley Wolff on Hollywood Casting, Comedy & Acting Careers In this episode of Drinking During Business Hours, Sarah Halstead and Rich Chassler sit down with casting director, producer, teacher, comedian, and actor Lesley Wolff for a fast, funny, insider-heavy conversation about casting, stand-up, commercials, creative survival, and how the entertainment business really works. The episode starts over a Michigan rosé and quickly turns into a candid, hilarious talk about commercial auditions, stage moms, acting insecurity, networking, comedy culture, and why visibility can matter as much as...
info_outline
Mateen Stewart Gets Real on Comedy, Rejection & Bigger Doors
Drinking During Business Hours with Sarah Halstead and Rich Chassler | Where comedy & fine wine meet!
Mateen Stewart Gets Real on Comedy, Rejection & Bigger Doors In this episode of Drinking During Business Hours, Sarah Halstead and Rich Chassler welcome comedian, actor, and producer Mateen Stewart for a hilarious and wide-ranging conversation over BuzzBox cocktails. The episode kicks off with sports fandom, Detroit pride, Knicks talk, and the emotional damage of being a lifelong Lions fan before shifting into Mateen’s path through acting, theater, summer camps, and eventually stand-up comedy. As the conversation unfolds, Mateen shares how a simple goal to try three minutes at an open...
info_outline
She Did Fallon While Raising Twin Boys?! | Jessica Keenan on Comedy, Motherhood & Chaos
Drinking During Business Hours with Sarah Halstead and Rich Chassler | Where comedy & fine wine meet!
She Did Fallon While Raising Twin Boys?! | Jessica Keenan on Comedy, Motherhood & Chaos In this episode of Drinking During Business Hours, Sarah Halstead and Rich Chassler welcome comedian, writer, actress, mother, and now homeowner Jessica Keenan for a hilarious and refreshingly honest conversation about stand-up comedy, motherhood, ambition, marriage, wine, and trying to keep your identity intact while juggling all of it. The episode opens with a playful conversation about launching the show on YouTube, dealing with comments online, and a passionate breakdown of the featured wine before...
info_outline
We Launched Our YouTube Channel | Comedy, Champagne, New York Stories & Married Life
Drinking During Business Hours with Sarah Halstead and Rich Chassler | Where comedy & fine wine meet!
We Launched Our YouTube Channel | Comedy, Champagne, New York Stories & Married Life In this episode of Drinking During Business Hours, Sarah Halstead and Rich Chassler catch up on everything happening behind the scenes from the launch of their new YouTube channel to comedy shows, New York stories, burnout, voting, marriage, taxes, and of course, what they’re drinking. Over a bottle of Andre Delorme Blanc de Blanc, the conversation bounces from hilarious married-host banter into a genuinely interesting deep dive on sparkling wine, including champagne history, aging on the lees, riddling...
info_outline
Bob Kushell on The Simpsons, Stand Up, and Starting Over in Hollywood
Drinking During Business Hours with Sarah Halstead and Rich Chassler | Where comedy & fine wine meet!
Bob Kushell on The Simpsons, Stand Up, and Starting Over in Hollywood What happens when a veteran TV comedy writer steps away from the writers’ room and starts over in stand-up? In this episode of Drinking During Business Hours, hosts Sarah Halstead and Rich Chasler sit down with legendary television writer, producer, showrunner, and comedian Bob Kushell for a funny, candid, and deeply personal conversation about comedy, Hollywood, reinvention, and finding your voice again. Bob Kushell shares stories from his incredible career writing and producing some of television’s most iconic shows,...
info_outlineMy Dad’s in Jail, My Girlfriend Left Me, and I Became a Comedian: The Arturo Vaca Story
In this fresh and funny conversation, hosts Sarah J. Halstead and Rich Chassler welcome rising comedian and viral content creator Arturo Vaca for an honest, hilarious deep-dive into the unlikely road from the Valley to the comedy stage. Born and raised in Van Nuys, Arturo’s path to stand-up wound through teenage delinquency, a short-lived skateboarding career, two years of MMA fighting (including a trip to Thailand), and the kind of hard family circumstances that either break you or become your best material. In just two years back at the mic, Arturo has amassed over 83,000 Instagram followers, is headlining his own shows, and is dipping his toes into acting all while using his grandfather’s house as his production studio. Raw, relatable, and refreshingly humble, this episode is a masterclass in grinding with nothing to fall back on.
GUEST
Arturo Vaca is a 27-year-old Van Nuys-born stand-up comedian, viral content creator, and aspiring actor who has taken the LA comedy scene by storm in just two years. Inspired by Kevin Hart’s ability to turn a dark childhood into unforgettable comedy, Arturo mines his own turbulent upbringing, a father incarcerated for drug trafficking, teenage struggles, a brief MMA career, and a staph infection scare for material that is equal parts gut-punch and gut-laugh. Currently headlining his own shows and growing rapidly across all social platforms, Arturo is one of the most exciting emerging voices in comedy today.
Connect with Arturo:
-
Instagram: @arturo.vaca
-
TikTok: @arturovacacomedy
-
YouTube: Arturo Vaca Comedy
BEVERAGE OF THE EPISODE
-
Arturo: Coke Zero
-
Sarah & Rich: San Benedetto Flat Mineral Water
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction
03:00 The Comedy Scene and Personal Background
05:52 Early Life and Family Dynamics
09:04 Transitioning to Comedy and MMA Background
11:50 Content Creation Journey
15:11 Social Media and Audience Engagement
17:49 Finding Humor in Personal Struggles
21:11 The Importance of Consistency in Comedy
23:58 Future Aspirations and Upcoming Shows
FOLLOW US ON SOCIALS!
Sarah
IG @sarahhalstead https://www.instagram.com/sarahhalstead/?hl=en
FB @sarahjhalsteadcomic https://www.facebook.com/sarahjhalsteadcomic/
X @sarahjhalstead https://twitter.com/sarahjhalstead
Rich
IG @richchassler https://www.instagram.com/richchassler/
FB @chasslerfans https://www.facebook.com/Chasslerfans/
X @richchassler https://x.com/richchassler
📧 Email: drinkingduringbusinesshours@gmail.com
⭐ Rate & Review on all podcast platforms — it takes one second and means everything!
#DrinkingDuringBusinessHours #ArturoVaca #StandUpComedy #ContentCreator #VanNuys #MMA #RisingComedian #LaughFactory #Flappers #ViralComedy #ComedyPodcast #NewComedy #LAComedy