Erica D’Arcangelo is a storyteller, author, and content creator with a passion for weaving narratives that reflect her Italian heritage and cultural roots. In August 2024, Erica published her debut book, A Story About Pizza, a historical fiction novel that delves into the life of her grandfather, an Italian immigrant ... more
Warhola...Warhola...why does that ring a bell? Well, tune in to find out as I interview the great Jay Warhola who founded Warhola Video Productions, Inc. in 2001. Spoiler alert: Jay is also a cousin of Andy Warhol and we have some great conversation about a lot of topics! This is a don't miss episode. For more in... more
Francesco and Chrissy Pircio are a husband-and-wife duo that are passionate about their Italian culture and heritages, striving to create ways to help others who share the same passion. In this interview we talk Italian citizenship, Italian language, and their thoughts on what it means to be Italian. They have two pr... more
This week I interview the great actor/filmmaker Joe Puglisi. His interest in acting began in earnest in 2012 and he has since appeared in both commercials and films. In 2017 he formed Little Italy Productions, LLC with his business partner and they wrote, acted in and produced their first film entitled "That's Amore" ... more
Happy New Year! And what a great way to start with an incredible guest, Margaret Fontana! Margaret is a first generation Italian and a highly accomplished media executive renowned for her extensive expertise spanning various industries, including nonprofit, healthcare, film, media, television, technology, and digital... more
Who said Italian American youths weren't interested in social organizations? In fact, this week I am joined by Andrew Speicher who helped start a new Italian-American organization called La Prossima. This is a group dedicated to rejuvenating the Italian culture here in American, specifically in Columbus Ohio, among y... more
This week's guest is the very talented Vinny Fasline. Vinny is a quasi-Pittsburgh guy. He has been seen touring with comedians Dane Cook, Nick Swardson, Michael Rappaport, Drew Lynch and Jamie Kennedy. He Has performed at the New York Comedy Festival, Cabo Comedy Festival, Just For Laughs tour, and seen on ABC Fabli... more
This week I interview the online sensation Elijah Santoro. Elijah is a very popular social media personality who is also moving up fast in the entertainment industry. Elijah and I talk the importance of following your dreams, staying faithful to your beliefs, and just being a good person because it will come back to ... more
This week's guest is the great Toni Colella! Toni is the author of "Now We’re Talking … The Story of Theodore W. Case and Sound-on-Film”. A wonderful and fascinating story about Ted Case and his impact on the movie industry as we know it today. Of course, Toni and I also talk a few things about Italian tradition. T... more
The never dull Jimmy Denova is my guest this week and him and I have an absolute great time talking everything from Italian families to parking tickets! Jimmy is a very interesting personality from Pittsburgh who worked for years managing various foundations. This is an absolutely entertaining episode with some incre... more
Award winning author Karen Haid is back! In this week's episode we talk about Karen's books, Calabria: The Other Italy and Basilicata: Authentic Italy, as well as her incredible knowledge of Italian culture. Karen is well traveled and her passion for southern Italy is unmistakable. This is a fantastic episode for an... more
This week I interview Pittsburgh's own, Michael Muto! Michael and I reflect on a topic near and dear to our hearts, Pittsburgh's Little Italy. Why do we still cal it that? Hmmm... Lots to unpack in this episode! Then we switch gears and talk cyber. Michael is an expert in cybersecurity and we talk about something ... more
This week's guest is Italian director, actor, filmmaker, and teacher, Luca Guardabascio. An award winning talent, Luca discusses his work and the passion he puts into all aspects of the film process. He has traveled the world showing his films which often focus on very difficult social issues but always leave us with... more
This week I interviewed the great Gino Pesi! Gino is an actor/director/producer but currently works as the Film Commissioner, Executive Director, at the Pennsylvania Film Office. Gino is working tirelessly to support the film industry here in Pennsylvania and in this interview, we talk about a lot of benefits which a... more
This week I interview a very talented up and coming member of the entertainment industry - and his last name should ring a bell - Vincent Ruggieri! We talk everything from making films to a more serious topic of mental health. Proud of his Italian heritage, Vinny is a great guy who has been through a lot and shows ju... more
This week we flip the script a little. Payton Hostetler, the editor and one of the cameramen on the set of Fedeltà Soldati. Prigionieri, is in the studio to interview me at the same time I am interviewing him! It's a great time and we get to finally sit down and ask each other some good questions on the overall exper... more
This week I interview the great voice over actor, Tony Ruggieri. Tony is coming off of his most recent production as the narrator for the international documentary, Fedeltà Soldati. Prigionieri. In this episode, Tony and I talk all things Italian as well as Tony's career and desire to continue his dream of acting. T... more
This week I interview Paolo Saltarello. We have a spirited conversation about everything from immigration to celebrating Columbus day. He hosts the Carosello Italiano Podcast with Paolo which offers a variety of Italian American melodies and classic American songs in Italian along with sharing information on Italian ... more
This week I interview the great Anthony Giacchino! Anthony is an Oscar® & Emmy® award winning filmmaker living in Brooklyn, NY. His film, COLETTE, won Best Documentary Short Subject at the 2021 Academy Awards. We have a wonderful discussion on why and how Italian-American film makers can reshape America's perception... more
This week's guest is the great Joe Ingrassia! Joe is an Executive Board Member at the Columbus Piave Club, where he plays a vital role in welcoming new members and organizing memorable events. An avid foodie, Joe has a passion for culinary adventures, always on the lookout for new flavors and experiences. He's also a c... more
This week I had the privilege of interviewing Stephen Riggio. Stephen is the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Barnes & Noble (2002-2012). For over forty years he was a key leader transforming the single flagship New York location into a national retailer that expanded into e-commerce and book publishing. He h... more
In this episode, I had the chance to interview one of the greats in Italian-American radio: Mr. Tony Marotta! Tony and I had a great conversation on everything from family to Italian music. Tony has been on the radio for decades, operating out of Cleveland. Tony knows what it takes to last in radio and having star... more
This week I am joined by Chris Vaccaro. Chris is a journalist, an author of 10 books, a professor, a two-time Emmy Award winner and nine-time Edward R. Murrow Award winner. In this episode, we discuss the importance of Italian culture and how Chris rediscovered his roots and made it a priority to instill those Italia... more
This week's guest is David Sciamanna. David is on the Board of Directors for the Historic Letterkenny Chapel and Franklin County Veterans and 9/11 Memorial Park Foundation. (https://www.veterantrailpa.org/) David and I discuss the story of the Letterkenny chapel in Chambersburg, PA. Built by Italian POW's during the... more
This week we interview the very talented, Danielle Pastin, both an accomplished opera singer and business owner. We talk to Danielle about how her Italian roots and upbringing shaped her career choice. Coming from a military and musical family that was very close, Danielle developed her passion for music and love for... more