BREAKING CHARACTER: and being yourself - a conversation with friend of the show, Rachel Romu

You can call Rachel Romu a musician, activist and model, yet they are so much more. They’re a friend, confidant and true trailblazer in every definition of the word. This summer, Accessible Media Inc. launched an incredible documentary series called Breaking Character, following the journeys of six performers with disabilities as they hustle to make their mark on the stage, screen and runway. Rachel is one of the featured subjects and shares their story with authenticity, intention, and impact. We dove deeper with Rachel at a screening party of the series, and a special chat between them and I followed.

THE DEPANNEUR: A Catchup on CommUNITY, Cuisine, Culture and a Cookbook!

What an honour to be in The Fold and close out the CommUNITY Catchup series with Len Senater, Owner + Founder of Toronto's The Depanneur, and Photographer, Food Stylist and Chef, Ksenija Hotic, who has been involved with The Dep for 7 years. Len and Ksenija joined me for the final convo of 2020 to discuss bringing people together through food, how small businesses can be a mode of activism, food security and support systems, and how compassion, empathy and dialogue really make for a great recipe.

LIZ LOKRE: a Catchup on igniting the FIRE that fuels CommUNITY

A CommUNITY Catchup with Toronto Artist + Activist Liz Lokre about her new EP - FIRE - and how she has been using this element to fuel the EP and other facets of her life and career through heritage, community and collaboration.

ALFRED NOMAD: a CommUNITY Catchup on Music + Mental Health

A CommUNITY Catchup with Los Angeles-based artivist Alfred Nomad on his new album, Everything Will Be Alright, the inspiration behind the project, how he has grown as a person and multidisciplinary creative, his incredible initiative to offer mental health and wellness resources to artists, LxVE Fest, collaboration and more.

ANTHONY SIMAS: Accessing CommUNITY - with heART

Anthony Simas is Toronto born and raised and wears many hats – with roots in athletics and work as an electrician, Anthony’s life changed after enduring a spinal cord injury during a getaway at his family cottage, leaving him a quadriplegic. His MO, turning negatives into positives, is fueled by sharing his story with others, where he is able to be a voice for others who live with disabilities, eradicating stigmas that surround their lives to remove the dis and capitalize ABILITY. We discuss disability awareness, wheelchair tips, mindfulness, the communities he has cultivated and those he thrives in through his big contributions.

SAMBARANTHONY: a CommUNITY Catchup on thriving with the arts

Rhandy Adolphe, Founder and lead Photographer of SambaRanthony, is an incredible purveyor of the arts and multimedia creative I met at a podcast program last year. In addition to being an incredible photographer that captures many subjects and themes in an array of settings, Rhandy has his own podcast and media platform, Lupinore, which showcases Canadian lifestyle and social movements through art and music, and in discussion via the Just Facts Podcast where Rhandy and his partner, Yene, dive into happenings and roots of Toronto’s arts scene through candid, engaging conversations. As well as a branding team member of Toronto-based LOUD.army collective. Rhandy does SO much for his community and beyond, so I brought him into The Fold to discuss what has been keeping him inspired + creative and how he has been adapting his platform model in a meaningful way.

LAYLOW BREWERY: a CommUNITY Catchup on brews, beats and best friends

Laylow Brewery Co-founder/Co-owner, Dan Boniferro, and Ola get into #TheFold to discuss Toronto’s smallest brewery with big impact. We chat Hip-Hop, merchandise with commUNITY in mind, being for the people, collaboration, brews, humble beginnings and creative adaptations.

EMILY O'BRIEN OF COMEBACK SNACKS: a CommUNITY Catchup on sustainable business

Comeback Snacks Founder, Emily O’Brien, and I delve into the company’s evolution since launching, what she has learned through community connection at this time more than ever, how she has grown as a person, why it’s important to listen to and work with the needs of underrepresented and marginalized communities and all of the good things in development.

Companies, InterviewsOla MazzucaSeptember 13, 2020Emily O'Brien, Comeback Snacks, Inclusion, Local Business, Creative Business, CommUNITY CatchupComment

DANIELLE GRISCTI: a CommUNITY Catchup about support on two wheels

Danielle Griscti is a real gem in my life, and for those who know her and are in the chat, I’m sure you feel the same. She’s the Founder and Creative Director of her own photography brand and company, Fixed In Silver, a talented writer and music journalist – which is where I met her via Hellbound.ca. She’s been an Outreach Coordinator, a Youth Worker, involved in serious roles in the Tech Industry, and is an active volunteer, always helping others. AsShe is actively involved with The Bike Brigade, made up of over 600 volunteers, and is completing hundreds of FoodShare box deliveries, prepared meals, and grocery shopping for vulnerable individuals all over Toronto. Beyond all this and more, she’s an awesome being and that’s why she joined us on CommUNITY Catchup, so let’s bring Danielle into the Fold.

NABEEL PERVAIZ: (high)lighting the commUNITY from his lens

In this episode of The Fold Podcast, Toronto-based Photographer and CommUNITY cultivator Nabeel Pervaiz unfolds to share insight about his life and career to date, the inspiration that drives his work, being rooted in many communities, and the inherent values and intention he has to shape them with conscious compassion and fresh ideas.

ESIE MENSAH: A CommUNITY Catchup on Movement(s)

A conversACTION on the many movements @esiemensah makes through her powerful work. We discuss her new project @thebentway, her powerful acclaimed dance theatre production #Shades, allyship over appropriation in the arts and dance communities, support systems, ancestral guidance and more. Thanks to Esie for taking the time to share with us!

Artists, Companies, InterviewsOla MazzucaAugust 1, 2020Esie Mensah, Dance, Choreography, Movement, Connection, Creativity, Activism, ArtivismComment

MELISSA HAUGHTON: A CommUNTY Catchup on Identity

Melissa Haughton is a writer, content creator and podcast producer I truly look up to (I urge you to listen to her array of series and docs, all exceptionally well produced and full of insight) but those three titles barely sum up the greatness. In addition to Melissa’s latest series, So What Are You?, highlighting our complicated and evolving relationships to cultural identities, we discussed her past and present projects and various endeavours, and how they have always, and continue to be, action methods to inspire change.

NORA RAHIMIAN: A CommUNITY Catchup on Art as Activism

A CommUNITY Catchup with Los Angeles-based Creative Consultant Nora Rahimian about her current work, how she has pivoted her services over the last few months, methods for artists to use their platform to continue conversations and shift cultural/ political paradigms and why it’s more than cool to create your own lane, and cultivate a values-based CommUNITY.

ELIS ORIGINAL + TBX STUDIO: A CommUNITY Catchup on Allyship

On June 10, I met two incredible pals - Lee Skovsgaard of @elisoriginal and Tanisha Blake (@iamtanishablake) of @tbxstudio for a #CommUNITYCatchup to discuss supporting independent businesses, cultivating creative communities, active allyship, wellness and more.

MARIE ALCOBER | DUAL CITIZEN: CommUNITY Catchup for the Diasporas

I caught up with my dear friend and colleague , Marie Alcober - Founder + Producer of Dual Citizen Series and friend of #TheFold (Episode 4!), to discuss how Dual Citizen (a doc series highlighting the eureka moments of the Filipinx Diaspora) has evolved and adapted during this time and since their move to the UK, recent episodes and collabs, how we can establish and strengthen allyship in our own communities, places that help us unfold + connect and more.

Communities, InterviewsOla MazzucaJuly 3, 2020Dual Citizen Series, Dual Citizen, Diaspora, Filipinx

DJ SPIN SO NICE | RECORDS WITH MY DAUGHTERS: A Song For George Floyd

Friend of #TheFold (Episode 18!), Joe G, aka DJ Spin So Nice and Founder of Records With My Daughters, connected for a Friday edition of CommUNITY Catchup to send us into the weekend through song. We discussed his new mix, A Song For George Floyd, and the powerful array of tracks selected, keeping your spirits elevated through family and community, in addition to other resources and ways we can engage. Visit Sonic Fold's Anti-Racism Resources page here. Listen to A Song For George Floyd here.

SUPERDRAMAGO!: A CommUNITY Catchup on Artistry, Change, Compassion and Action

SUPERDRAMAGO! shares perspective, resources and insight after the JUSTICE FOR REGIS RALLY, as well as supportive tools, including his latest track, When You Smile. He waxes poetic on the power of community, his collaborations with local artists and collectives, his experience as an essential frontline worker and how that has impacted him at this time, and how he is carrying a torch powered by resilience, mastery and triumph, passed through family lineage, shaping the incredible person he is today.

SARAH JANE RIEGLER: A CommUNITY Catchup on the healing power of culture and curation

On May 25, my pal Sarah Jane Riegler, joined me for a #CommUNITYCatchup to discuss the power of curation, and what opportunities for healing can occur through artistic connection, events and collaboration, how this work is done via her inclusive series and spaces @afrohausto + @hausorpheus, Sarah’s vast experience as a percussionist and work in ethnomusicology (S/O @johnorpheus), learning about other cultures and identity through collaborative projects, new mixes and what’s in the works. NOTE: The video cut off mid-way - please excuse any technical difficulties.

SYZYGY TORONTO: A CommUNITY Catchup on pause, transitions, and evolution

Syzygy Toronto Co-Founder, Marijke Large (shoutout co-founder Kailah Bharath!) hopped on the line from California to discuss where Syzygy is at today and how they’ve evolved from a thoughtful pause, what diversity, equity and inclusion means in online spaces + workplaces and it’s importance (especially now).

THE [204] DESIGN COLLECTIVE: A CommUNITY Catchup on navigating space

The [204] Design Collective’s Toronto-based crew, Cait Brock and Gaby Perezanta, hop on #CommUNITYCatchup to discuss what the collective has been up to, what has changed for them, and how they are adapting to space and time by bringing The [204] to an expanded, accessible digital realm and what we can stay mindful of when it comes to our environment and design. Much love to the other half, super sisters, Sameera and Saira Abdulrehman who represented via London, UK!