Unique Lens - The Podcast

This episode was a beast to edit but here it is! On March 31st, 2026 Tania Nolan aka Dr Crane arrived on Shortland Street and garnered an unexpected international audience! I chat to composer William Philipson about Crane’s arrival and the score he composed for her. In this episode I also breakdown the genius of 2 pivotal scenes share some of ‪@tanianolancoaching‬ brilliant 2hr live (check out her YouTube channel Tania Nolan Coaching for the full video). I want to thank the whole Shortland Street team for their continued commitment to LGBTQ+representation! The Craeve storyline is one for lesbian representation history - truly. Thanks also to Craeve Committee Lena for her brilliant edit over Crane’s leitmotifs kindly shared by Philipson for this podcast. Find her on Instagram and TikTok.

I do not own any of the Shortland Street clips: South Pacific - Shortland Street clips: © 2026 South Pacific Pictures Limited. All Rights Reserved.

Cast:
Jess Sayer - Maeve Mullens
Tania Nolan - Sophia Crane

Clips from Shortland Street episodes:
Episode 8290 (Written by Kalyani Nagarajan, Directed by Amanda Tito)
Episode 8298 (Written by Janaye Henry, Directed by Mia Blake)

For this episode I take a deep dive into the representation and storytelling in Shortland Street and the arrival of Dr Crane, played by Tania Nolan. I call out it's insane international appeal and the reasons why I think this is.

I catch up with Shortland Street composer William Philipson who shares his insights on writing music for Crane. And shares her leitmotifs.

Craeve Committee account owner Lena will impress you all with the gorgeous edit she has laid over Philipson's score.

In this episode, I chat to my friend and playwright extraordinaire Amy Dellagiarino about her journey from acting to writing, her creative process, and the life of a playwright.

I join Emma and Mark Cameron the filmmaker couple behind the John Hughes inspired teen flick Detention. We discuss shooting in Washington, writing, music, and much more.

Detention stars an incredible young cast, Emma Cameron as their Saturday detention therapist. Elizabeth Mitchell provides the pathos and depth we expect from her. I cannot recommend finding a screening near you enough!

Yes, my accent is a hot mess.

In this episode of Unique Lens, I sit down with Claire Sara of @themcsaras who started a content about IVF with her wife that has turned into a safe space for queer people.

Thanks to the programming team at Frameline 50, I sit down and chat with writer director Xiaodan He about her latest and truly heartwarming film Montreal, My Beautiful (Montreal, ma belle). We talk about being multi-lingual, immigrants, and the incredible Joan Chen who leads this film.

In this episode of Unique Lens: The Podcast, I am joined by my friend and programmer extraordinaire Kathleen Mullen to discuss the incredible line up of Frameline 50. The San Francisco LGBTQ+ film festival is celebrating its 50th year. Kathleen and I look back at some of our favorites and discuss the festival's legacy and line up.

After technical issues and a loss of voice, here is episode 1 of Unique Lens: The Podcast where I chat with two brilliant new filmmakers - Megan Rico and Kade Atwood - about their debut film Edie Arnold is a Loser. Catch this film at a festival near you.