Welcome to Episode Six of the Off Duty Actors podcast with Actress Christina Sankari! Christina is a true creative, exploring all areas of her craft and finding ways throughout her life to pursue creativity in any manor of ways. Christina’s face would be familiar in any Aussie household for the many commercials and tv shows she’s starred in, including but not limited to, Operation Buffalo (Netflix), Locked in (Flickerfest Premiere) and starring as co-lead in my show Flawsome: Sex, Drugs and Recipes. We talk about her journey as a creative kid coming from Greece to Australia, her comedic inspirations and advice on choosing the right representation for you. We reminisce about Flawsome (how could we not?) and her experience on Operation Buffalo.

I would recommend this episode for actors who need a reminder that everything is relative and to celebrate your fellow creatives, because a win for one of us is a win for us all. So please enjoy this episode with actress enthusiast Christina Sankari! 

You can watch Christina as ‘Katy’ in ⁠Flawsome: Sex, Drugs & Recipes here⁠

Follow us on Instagram & TikTok, this episode is available on Spotify, iTunes and Substack. Hosted by Rachel Di Renzo, music is One Woman Band by Grace Mesa and sourced from Premium Beat. A special thanks to Guy Gross at Church Street Studios for giving us the space to record this episode! 

Like, subscribe and share if it tickles your fancy. This podcast is brought to you by me, Rachel Di Renzo, actor, screenwriter, producer and now, podcaster. Thankyou from the bottom of my heart for listening to Off Duty Actors, now go make the thing.

Welcome to Episode FIVE with Director, Actor, Writer and Producer Claudia Dzienny (previously Claudia Pickering).

Claudia is the ultimate indie filmmaker, her problem solving and can-do attitude are second to none. She burst onto the Australian scene with her indie feature film Frisky and then went on to do shows such as Google’s Resting Pitch Face, Wanderbust, Cheetah Airways, Wentworth,  Flawsome: Sex, Drugs & Recipes (our show) and her most recent film Zombucha! Just premiered at MIFF. We talk about the making of Frisky, we go down memory lane on all the ups and downs of making Flawsome: Sex, Drugs & Recipes and navigating making this comedy during lockdowns and floods.

We chat about the important stuff too, like respecting and listening to your crew, handling triggering moments on set and the magic triangle that make people want to work with you again and again. Enjoy this absolute yap sesh with Claudia Dzienny! 

You can check out Claudia Dzienny here

Our favourite editor Julien de Benedictis

You can watch Flawsome: Sex, Drugs & Recipes here

Follow us on Instagram & TikTok, this episode is available on Spotify, iTunes and Substack. Hosted by Rachel Di Renzo, music is One Woman Band by Grace Mesa and sourced from Premium Beat.

Like, subscribe and share if it tickles your fancy. This podcast is brought to you by me, Rachel Di Renzo, actor, screenwriter, producer and now, podcaster. Thankyou from the bottom of my heart for listening to Off Duty Actors, now go make the thing.

Welcome to Episode Four with Director Benjamin Ryan!

Benjamin is an all-rounder, having made it his mission to work in all crew departments so that he can do his job as a Director with skill and ease. He’s worked in commercial land whilst also creating his own work, directing shorts like his most recent film, 'No Feedback', which premiered at Cinefest OZ and garnered a Best Short Film Finalist Nomination.

We chat about film school, self confidence, gorilla filmmaking, trusting your actors and the relevance of opinions. Benjamin’s experience as a Director and as an all rounder on-set speaks volumes. As someone who has watched his career and confidence as a Director grow, I can safely say he is one to watch. So enjoy this chat with Benjamin Ryan! 

You can check out Benjamins work here: https://www.benjaminryanfilm.com/

Award Winning Short Film 'Loud Thoughts': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE8_R5rr7A8&t=521s

Huge thanks to Church Street Studios for hosting the ODA podcast and making this recording possible! You can check them out here: Churchstreetstudios.com.au

Follow us on Instagram & TikTok, this episode is available on Spotify, iTunes and Substack. Hosted by Rachel Di Renzo, music is One Woman Band by Grace Mesa and sourced from Premium Beat.

Like, subscribe and share if it tickles your fancy. This podcast is brought to you by me, Rachel Di Renzo, actor, screenwriter, producer and now, podcaster. Thankyou from the bottom of my heart for listening to Off Duty Actors, now go make the thing.

Welcome to Episode Three of ODA with actor Duncan Fellows! Talking to Duncan is talking to a jobbing actor who has a wealth of experience and understanding of the in’s and outs of the tv and film industry. Duncan’s resume ranges from a travelling kids theatre show, BBC's CBeebies, Home and Away, All Saints, The Letdown, Deadlock, We interrupt this broadcast, the list goes on. We chat about contracts, nudity clauses, intimacy co-ordinators, special effects make up, last minute character changes on a HUGE Hollywood production and how ridiculously beautiful David Corinswet really is up close.

It was a pleasure to see Duncan again after not working together since 2014 on the set of the kid's show CBeebies when he was hosting and I was just an intern... It goes to show how important it is to leave a positive and kind impression on the people you work with... So, enjoy this chat with Duncan Fellows!

Follow us on Instagram & TikTok, this episode is available on Spotify, iTunes and Substack. Hosted by Rachel Di Renzo, music is One Woman Band by Grace Mesa and sourced from Premium Beat.

Like, subscribe and share if it tickles your fancy. This podcast is brought to you by me, Rachel Di Renzo, actor, screenwriter, producer and now, podcaster. Thankyou from the bottom of my heart for listening to Off Duty Actors, now go make the thing.

Welcome to Episode two of the pod! We are chatting with the absolute force that is award winning actor, screenwriter, director and producer Francisca Braithwaite.

We get deep and fiery in this episode (a Chilean and an Italian what do you expect?) as we talk about Francisca's newest AACTA short film contender 'Safe Haven' and how it's seemingly being shunned by festivals. We chat about why Fran became an actor, what her purpose is in this industry, the moment she won the 2024 AACTA short film award and what's next for this Screen NSW Emerging Producer?

VOTING FOR THE AACTA SHORT FILMS CLOSES OCT 6th!

See below the links for all of Fran's shorts and I encourage AACTA members to watch Safe Haven and form an opinion.

SEVEN STAGES: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/516062354
FINDING ADDISON: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/850388337/0be79d19f9
SAFE HAVEN - AACTA AWARDS: https://tv.aacta.org/film/safe-haven/

BLUE SPARROW - Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/@BlueSparrowEntertainment

A special thank you to an absolute champion of creatives, Guy Gross at Church Street Studios, who gave us the space to record this episode. You can check out Church Street Studios here: https://www.churchstreetstudios.com.au/

Follow us on Instagram & TikTok, this episode is available on Spotify, iTunes and Substack. Hosted by Rachel Di Renzo, music is One Woman Band by Grace Mesa and sourced from Premium Beat.

Like, subscribe and share if that tickles your fancy This podcast is brought to you by me, Rachel Di Renzo, actor, screenwriter, producer and now, podcaster. Thankyou from the bottom of my heart for listening to Off Duty Actors, now go make the thing.

Welcome to Episode One of the ODA podcast! Today I'm chatting with actor Ryan Bown a.k.a Sonny from Home and Away about his 'break' into the industry, the London hustle and what it's like being back in Australia to star as Summer Bay's 'Sonny'. Who needs a back-up plan when you have charisma and talent coming out your eyeballs? Enjoy this banter-worthy chat with Ryan-Freakin-Bown!

Follow us on Instagram & TikTok, this episode is available on Spotify, iTunes and Substack. Hosted by Rachel Di Renzo, music is One Woman Band by Grace Mesa and sourced from Premium Beat.

Like, subscribe and share it that tickles your fancy. This podcast is brought to you by me, Rachel Di Renzo, actor, screenwriter, producer and now, podcaster. Thankyou from the bottom of my heart for listening to Off Duty Actors, now go make the thing.

Who the f**k is Rachel Di Renzo? Welcome to the intro episode to ODA pod, I’ll tell you a little bit about myself and a little bit about why I wanted to create this podcast.

Here are some links mentioned in this podcast, some ‘show notes’ if you will:

The show I created, wrote, produced and acted in: Flawsome: Sex, Drugs & Recipes streaming link

The incredible organisation bringing acting and screen/play writing to people who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity: Intermission Youth:

Thank you for listening!

I hope this podcast can bring you a bit of inspiration by listening to a creative community that love collaborating and having a good chat.

Follow us on Instagram & TikTok, this episode is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Substack. Hosted by Rachel Di Renzo, music is One Woman Band by Grace Mesa and sourced from Premium Beat.

Like, subscribe and share if it tickles your fancy. This podcast is brought to you by me, Rachel Di Renzo, actor, screenwriter, producer and now, podcaster. Thankyou from the bottom of my heart for listening to Off Duty Actors, now go make the thing.