We’re thrilled to announce the talented creatives selected for the 2026 Parramatta Creative Lives Podcast Series: Alex Stefan, Charnel Rizk, Magdalene Konneh, Valerie Chidiac, Samira Farah, Prab Juneja, and Sandra Abela.
Over the coming months, the participants will engage in professional production support, and meet local artists, creatives, collectives and creative spaces, developing original interviews and audio stories along the way.
We can’t wait to hear the stories they uncover and celebrate the creative voices of Parramatta. The podcast series will be developed throughout 2026, with stories released in early 2027.
The Parramatta Creative Lives Podcast Series is an extension of StoryCasters and has received support through a City of Parramatta 2026 Creative Projects Grant. Diversity Arts Australia proudly receives core funding from Creative Australia and Create NSW.
Meet the 2026 Cohort
Alex Stefan
Alex Stefan is a young multidisciplinary artist from South Western Sydney with an Assyrian Indigenous Iraqi background. He advocates for heritage activation, urban planning and greater investment in Western Sydney. Alex studies Business and Marketing at Western Sydney University and Human Resource Management at TAFE NSW. He recently completed PYT Fairfield’s Ensemble program and is passionate about strengthening Western Sydney’s arts ecosystem.
Charnel Rizk
Charnel Rizk is a Lebanese-Australian multidisciplinary artist from Western Sydney and Creative Director of Parramatta Actors Centre. She is the creator and host of Art Talk Out West, a podcast spotlighting Western Sydney artists. Also a speech pathologist, her creative and clinical practices are connected by communication, storytelling and human expression.
Magdalene Konneh
Magdalene Konneh is a Sierra Leonean-Australian Freelance sports journalist, writer, radio host, DJ, community podcaster, social work student and specialist gender-based violence caseworker based in Mays Hill NSW, she uses media and advocacy to amplify African voices, support refugees/asylum seekers and women, celebrate culture, and share compelling community and sports stories with diverse audiences worldwide.
Prab Juneja
Prab Juneja is an emerging writer, storyteller and performance artist based in Sydney. Her work explores identity, culture and lived experience through writing and live performance, with a focus on creating honest, engaging stories that connect with audiences. Her recent work was presented at Riverside Theatres Parramatta, marking an exciting step in her developing practice.
Samira Farah
Samira Farah is a creative producer, broadcaster and community worker. Her work is focused and interested in the deep and rich history and relationship between the Black African diaspora in Australia and globally with an explicit interest in visual and media arts.
Sandra Abela
Sandra Abela is the Founder of West’n Creative Hub, a community-led enterprise connecting creatives through collaboration and opportunity. Drawing from lived experiences of disability, neurodivergence, and lived experiences through adoption, Sandra uses creativity to help people feel seen, connected and empowered to find their voice and place.
Valerie Chidiac
Valerie Chidiac (she/her) is an emerging writer and actor born in Beirut, Lebanon and raised across Bidjigal, Gadigal and Wangal land. Her creative practice is based around memory and navigating the infinite space between reality and escapism. In her spare time, she is a reviewer, interviewer and budding zinemaker.