Montreal Marketeers Episode 35 – Anthony & Nonna Maria

Discover how creator and storyteller Anthony Imperioli brings the beloved “Nonna Maria” persona to life by blending Italian family roots, sharp observational humour, and a filmmaker’s eye for detail. In this heartfelt episode of the Montreal Marketeers Podcast, Anthony shares how his passion for cinema and character-driven storytelling evolved into viral content, live collaborations, and a growing community that sees themselves in Nonna Maria’s antics.

With a deep interest in cinema, Anthony has always focused on crafting and delivering great stories that feel both entertaining and authentic. Years spent working in visual effects, across both pre-production and post-production, shaped his understanding of the creative effort required to take a project from concept to final product, and that discipline now fuels everything from Middle Kid Productions to his online sketches.

Surrounding himself with people who lead with creativity helps Anthony challenge the status quo and constantly evolve as an artist. That drive to “consume creativity” keeps him inspired and open to new formats, characters, and collaborations that push his storytelling in fresh directions.

The origins of Nonna Maria trace back over 20 years, to Anthony’s childhood in Saint-Leonard with his two brothers. Growing up in a tight-knit Italian family, and especially the influence of his grandparents, gave him the raw material, the mannerisms, expressions, and wisdom that eventually became the Nonna Maria persona audiences know today.

What began as a character rooted in family memories has since led Anthony to work with various stand-up comedians, including collaborations with Joe Avati. Nonna Maria has become a vehicle for exploring culture, identity, and generational humour, while Middle Kid Productions provides the structure and production engine to bring those stories to screens big and small.

Show Highlights and Topics

• Duration: 1 hour 16 minutes

• How a lifelong love of cinema shaped Anthony’s approach to storytelling and production craft

• The creative journey from visual effects work to building original characters and concepts

• The family and cultural roots behind the Nonna Maria persona, inspired by Italian grandparents and neighbourhood life in Saint-Leonard

• Collaborating with stand-up comedians, including Joe Avati, to bring Nonna Maria to new audiences

• Why “consuming creativity” keeps Anthony inspired, evolving, and committed to challenging the status quo