Jenni Ruiza is a Goddess. She has her finger on the pulse of where life and the meaning of art crash. She does it all. Write. Act. Produce. LIVE. And she does it not only to thrive as a creative, but to challenge the world and herself.

Fearless. Funny. Flawed. Complicated. Passionate. What more do you want? Grab a cool drink in this summer heat and listen up. Jenni has a few things to say and you're definitely going to want to soak it all in. And as always follow the #TheUnusualCreatures

Jenni Ruiza is a Puerto Rican writer/actress from The Bronx, who thrives on telling stories that explore the concept of being comfortable with being uncomfortable. The world around her is diverse in color, thought, and purpose and she’ll be damned if her characters don’t reflect that. The kind of content that resonates deeply with Jenni explores mental health, grief, and self-inflicted toxicity by way of intergenerational trauma—all grounded in humor. Jenni is no stranger to comedic commentary, producing segments on ABC/Fusion’s “Come Here and Say That” with Alicia Menendez and appearances on Buzzfeed, Funny or Die, and TBS’s “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee”. Jenni's writing credits included Fitz Games’ ¡Dios Mio!, co-writing the main, sucia, and holiday decks and solo-writing their “Puertorriqueña” deck, a fantastical journey of resurrecting the spirit of Vanessa Gomez’s dead abuela via ash-ridden blunt with Maydé Alpi, called “Smoking Abuela” and “Lovexes”, a story about a woman who needs to decide between her job and her sanity at a chaotic NYC love tech startup. You can find Jenni in the upcoming films, “Playing Sam” and “Honey” and on HBO’s “Fantasmas” with Julio Torres. 

www.jenniruiza.com 

Trailer for feature film "Playing Sam" (producer/co-writer)

An op-ed I wrote for Syndrome Mag on mental health, familia, and Bustelo

Who is Thomas Dane? The Unusual Creatures take their interview pod and turns it on it's head, with one of their illustrious hosts being interviewed by Jenny and Season One guest extraordinaire, Kim Berrios-Lin. We dig into Tom's tumultuous journey (and who's journey isn't) and learn why he has always stayed with the arts. Against all odds.

Thomas Dane is an actor, writer, pod host, visionary, dog daddy, unabashed homosexual, producer, soap opera fan and dancing-enthusiast human. He is an in tune Sagittarius who loves Blood Orange Cosmos. His go to Karaoke song is ‘Purple Rain.’

Thomas was born in Astoria, Queens, and then spent many formative years in West Palm Beach, Florida being raised by a steel-strong single mother. For his studies he attended the International Fine Arts College with thoughts of becoming a film director. That focus changed on his first film set when he realized the camera was not on him. Not because he needed the attention, but because he realized the kind of storyteller he wanted to be - which was a human chameleon. Acting is something he loves deeply and has brought him great healing and pain. He has performed extensively in NYC and premiered original work in Amsterdam.

Some of his favorite roles include Marc Antony (Julius Caesar), Hal (Proof), Berdine (Psycho Beach Party), Pontius Pilate (The Last Days of Judas Iscariot), Sebastian (Raised in Captivity). He has also starred in the internationally awarded and viewed film ‘CAKE’ by Anne Hu, a film in which you can observe his naked rear end. Later, he realized his joy and gift for writing. His one act play ‘Scrambled’ has been performed nationally and he writes on the daily for ‘The Social Edge and GeorgeTakei.com”. Thomas has found that this crazy world of art and storytelling seems to be his calling and dark mistress. Which is why when his best gal pal, ride or die, bad influence, Jesus to his Judas, Jenny Gomez called to host a podcast, he jumped at the chance.

Let’s discuss it all. Art. Creativity, Pain. Frustration. TRIUMPH! The journey. The success, the perceived failures. In the end, he wants to be a better person through his art. Maybe it’s the dreamer’s way. Maybe it’s the harder, more weathered road. But it’s his.

So get ready. Because Thomas is ok taking all the world with him in any direction. XO

There is no clear path when one embraces their journey of being a creative. As an artist, well as a human really, one of our most over looked lessons is the need to learn... the Pivot. You have to be limber enough to pivot. There will be no straight line in any life. Nothing is fair and nothing will ever go exactly as planned. And that's ok. So we keep learning and growing and following our passions. And nobody understands that lesson better than this week's guest. Unusual Creatures... please welcome, Sean Tyler Foley. 

Sean Tyler Foley is an accomplished film and stage performer and has been acting in film and television since he was 6 years old. He has appeared in productions including Freddy Vs Jason, Door to Door, Carrie, and the musical Ragtime. Tyler is passionate about helping others confidently take the stage and impact an audience with their stories. He is currently the Managing Director of Total Buy In and author of the #1 best-selling book The Power to Speak Naked. Visit his website at https://www.seantylerfoley.com/about

As Summer 2022 takes it's bow, take a listen to Sean. He has navigated his way through ups, downs and sideways and learned that using one's own voice will always lead us to where we need to be. And stay until the end and learn how to get his bestseller. 

Thank you of tuning in and enjoy our Season 1 Finale.