Dani Pagliarello
- Actress
- Writer
- Director
Dani Pagliarello is an award-winning director and actor and two-time Canadian Screen Award nominee based out of Toronto. She has written, directed produced and starred in three comedy series: Food n' Money, Shitty Roommate, and The Drop, where she also served as showrunner.
After being accepted into York University's acting conservatory and graduating with a BFA, Dani dove head first into Toronto's theatre scene, garnering notable accolades for her work including being the first woman ever recorded to have played the titular character of Ui in Bertolt Brecht's "The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui", a role which also landed her a My Theatre Award nomination. She has also appeared in multiple TV shows, and features including "The Handmaid's Tale" and "Luckiest Girl Alive".
Dani made her digital debut with the comedy series "Food n Money". The show was met with praise, and has been referred to as 'Broad City on acid'. Her next series "Shitty Roommate" further showcased her burgeoning talents in all aspects of the film industry.
Her work on her third comedy series THE DROP which premiered at Hollyshorts, a prestigious Oscar-qualifying festival, has secured spots in 15 festivals so far. Notably, Dani clinched the 2023 Best Comedy Director accolade at Rio Web Fest and scored victories such as Best Toronto Series at T.O. WebFest. Her prowess also drew multiple nominations for Best Lead Actress in a series. Along with one other series, THE DROP leads the Canadian Screen Award digital nominations in 5 categories, including Best Series and Best Lead Performance for Dani.
After being accepted into York University's acting conservatory and graduating with a BFA, Dani dove head first into Toronto's theatre scene, garnering notable accolades for her work including being the first woman ever recorded to have played the titular character of Ui in Bertolt Brecht's "The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui", a role which also landed her a My Theatre Award nomination. She has also appeared in multiple TV shows, and features including "The Handmaid's Tale" and "Luckiest Girl Alive".
Dani made her digital debut with the comedy series "Food n Money". The show was met with praise, and has been referred to as 'Broad City on acid'. Her next series "Shitty Roommate" further showcased her burgeoning talents in all aspects of the film industry.
Her work on her third comedy series THE DROP which premiered at Hollyshorts, a prestigious Oscar-qualifying festival, has secured spots in 15 festivals so far. Notably, Dani clinched the 2023 Best Comedy Director accolade at Rio Web Fest and scored victories such as Best Toronto Series at T.O. WebFest. Her prowess also drew multiple nominations for Best Lead Actress in a series. Along with one other series, THE DROP leads the Canadian Screen Award digital nominations in 5 categories, including Best Series and Best Lead Performance for Dani.
