Damian is an award-winning comedian, actor and writer. A three-time nominee for Most Outstanding Show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, he is best known to TV and film audiences for his roles in Skithouse, Spicks and Specks and Backyard Ashes. His prolific live shows have seen him forge a reputation as ‘one of the best character comedians in the country’ (Herald Sun), and his solo show The Merger was adapted into a multi-award-winning screenplay penned by and starring Callinan. This story of a country Australian Rules football club who recruit refugees to make up the numbers was awarded Best Film and Screenplay at the 2019 Ozflix Independent Film Awards and is now enjoying an acclaimed second life on Netflix.

Damian’s Double Feature toured the country throughout 2022-2023 to rave reviews and his first junior fiction book, Weird School [Penguin Random], was shortlisted for the prestigious Russell Prize for Humour Writing for Young People.

2024 saw Damian again perform at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival with his show ‘Unlikely Friends’. He also intends to premiere his new community engagement project, ‘Hall Stories’: a multi-format venture that will combine a live show based on Damian’s collected stories, observations, monologues & photo montages from hall touring

Commencing his career as a schoolteacher, Damian has forged a successful career in the creative arts. We at the Old Paradians are proud of his achievements over a long period of time.