All Things Croatia

by Stanko Zovak

Hey everyone! I'm Stanko Zovak and your host of the All Things Croatia podcast. Growing up as a member of the Croatian diaspora in Los Angeles, I was always involved in the community but wanted to do more. 3 years ago I quit my job and moved to Zagreb where I studied the Croatian language before eventually moving back to Los Angeles. With this weekly series, I want to connect the global Croatian community and allow people to ... 

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Podcast episodes

  • Season 3

  • Croatia's 'Hottest' Rockstar!

    Croatia's 'Hottest' Rockstar!

    With her new single Gasoline, Marcela is burning up not only the Croatian music scene, but worldwide as well! Marcela is a Croatian singer songwriter who first appeared in 2011 on Croatia’s TV show, Looking for a Star, and has since wrote hit songs, including one that she performed on Dora, the Croatian national competition to select a song for Eurovision. Marcela talks about her musical influences from Pink to Guns N' Roses as well as the Dora competition in which she ended up as finalist! https://www.youtube.com/c/Marcelaisofficial/about https://www.instagram.com/marcelaisofficial/?hl=en - Check out the All Things Croatia book! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C59GDM2B?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420 I'll be performing Croatian related material at a standup comedy show in St Louis, MO on April 20th!

  • Croatian Rowing's TWIN Sisters!

    Croatian Rowing's TWIN Sisters!

    On this episode of the All Things Croatia Podcast, twin sisters Ivana and Josipa Jurković join to talk about their rowing success and their bid for the upcoming Summer Olympics! Ivana was Miss Sport Croatia in 2018, and both her and Josipa are in the Croatian Army Reserves. Stay tuned to hear about their bid for the Olympics, the advantages of being twins, and their favorite Croatian food! Check out the All Things Croatia book! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C59GDM2B?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420 - https://www.instagram.com/ivanaajurkovic/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/josipa.jurkovic_/?hl=en

  • Season 2

  • The Journey to International Success for Katica Rakuljić!

    The Journey to International Success for Katica Rakuljić!

    On this episode of the All Things Croatia podcast is guest Katica Rakuljić, a model and TV presenter from Split. Though she moved to Sweden at a young age, Katica stayed very connected to her Croatian identity through traditions like kolo dancing at the local Croatian club, cheering for the Croatian football team, and visiting her homeland often. Katica competed in Miss Universe Croatia in 2011, winning first runner up and catching the eye of the industry, launching her international modeling career. Since then, she has lived and modeled all over the world but still feels at home when she's in Croatia. Most recently, Katica covered the Cannes Film Festival as a TV presenter and walked the red carpet as a model. Tune in to hear the full interview!Katica's Instagram-All Things Croatia: The Book!

  • She's Only 17 and a EUROPEAN CHAMPION Boxer...

    She's Only 17 and a EUROPEAN CHAMPION Boxer...

    On this episode of the All Things Croatia podcast is 17-year-old Croatian boxer and model Mariela Šteko. She recently won gold at the junior European Boxing Championships, now having twice been junior European champion. Born in Munich to Croatian parents from Tomislavgrad, Herzegovina, Mariela started in kickboxing before switching to boxing and choosing to represent Croatia. She discusses her boxing style and career highlights and also enjoys modeling in Germany and playing piano. Tune it to hear why Mariela chose to represent Croatia in boxing is a proud member of her local Croatian community. https://www.instagram.com/marielasteko/ All interviews are available with video on YouTube! https://youtube.com/@allthingscroatia?si=vAgz9QIlIpzrLhGM

  • The Man Who Brought Grunge to Australia and Festivals to Croatia!

    The Man Who Brought Grunge to Australia and Festivals to Croatia!

    On this episode of the All Things Croatia Podcast is Steve Pavlovic, known as Pav. Pav is a Croatian-Australian music entrepreneur and from booking some of the biggest bands in the 90’s, to starting his own record label, to putting on festivals in Croatia, he’s done it all. “For a fair bit of the 1990s, Steve Pavlovic was the coolest guy in Australia. Pav had the home phone numbers of everyone on the cutting edge, from Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl to Beastie Boys and Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth.” Pav talks about his Croatian roots and connecting with fellow Croat and Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic after bringing Nirvana on their first tour to Australia. He also talks about starting his own record label and signing bands including Tame Impala and Wolfmother. Stay tuned to hear about the festivals on a Croatian island he used to put on as well as how he’s currently enjoying his time on the island of Vis!- https://www.instagram.com/this_is_unpopular/