Labour of love

A new podcast series celebrating the glitz, glamour and innovation of classic Hollywood has launched online.

Co-hosted by filmmaker and Torquay local Mia de Rauch, and actor Cassidy Krygger, Hollywoodland – The Podcast aims to share captivating stories from the golden age of cinema, and in doing so, ensure they endure.

“You [can] just really get lost in these stories,” de Rauch said.

“The 1920s were such a time of excess and glamour and beauty and even into the 1950s we’re talking these beautiful classic Hollywood cinema screens.

“It was such a big deal, and it was seen as so glamorous, and I think that’s still appealing to people.”

It was after meeting on the set of de Rauch’s short film Barwon Mansion last year that the duo bonded over their shared love of classic Hollywood.

At the time, Krygger was running an Instagram account called Hollywoodland Photos that had amassed more than 150,000 dedicated followers.

Inspired by its success, the pair decided to turn the idea into a podcast.

“All we really want to do is create a community of people who love classic Hollywood and want to delve into the stories of it,” de Rauch said.

“Being an actor and a filmmaker, we’re giving not only the screen side of things, but the behind the scenes of how things were shot, the technology behind it and what was really going on.”

The duo’s inaugural 10-episode season is called The Powerhouse Women of Hollywood and serves as a tribute to the influence wielded by female pioneers of the silver screen.

“We’re very much focused on trailblazers; the ones that made change,” de Rauch said.

“We’re talking Anita Loos who was the first female scriptwriter; Dorothy Arzner who was the first female director and the one who invented the boom mic; through to Lauren Bacall and the amount of influence that she had on acting techniques and fashion.

“I’m just a feminist that absolutely loves watching women do incredible things.”

And fans of the podcast won’t have to wait long for the release of its second season, with episodes planned for the summer.

“Next season we’re actually going to go into more of the curious, harrowing stories behind the scenes of Hollywood,” de Rauch said.

“We’re going to be talking about ‘Fatty’ Arbuckle and his hidden murder charges and some true crime within classic Hollywood.

“So, if you have a thing for history and for Hollywood, we’re very easy to listen to.”

Hollywoodland – The Podcast is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

New episodes of the podcast drop weekly.