Aussie reality star Serena DC nominated for Best Documentary Emmy

She left her Melbourne nail salon for a Hollywood editing suite after appearing on the Australian reality show Instant Hotel and falling in love with show-business in 2017.

Serena DC, as she's best known, is now a 2023 Primetime Emmy nominee for her Documentary My Transparent Life, which follows the transition of two transgender people in the U.S.

The Australian filmmaker is up against Pamela: A Love Story, Still: A Michael J.Fox Movie, Being Mary Tyler Moore and Judy Blume Forever in the category of Outstanding Documentary Or Nonfiction Special.

"I'm a 40-year-old mum - if I can do it anyone can," she told ACM.

The Scoresby-local ran her own nail salon in Port Melbourne for a decade before applying to appear on the home renovation reality show Instant Hotel, later hosted by Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, in 2017.

"It was while I was making that show that I realised - wow - this is what I'm supposed to be doing with my life," she said.

And now the Emmy nominee is running an indie film company out of her back room in West Hollywood.

The writer, director and executive producer has been busy.

Her company released Contact - The CE-5 Experience about learning to communicate with UFOs from Dr. Steven Greer in January 2023.

Her talk show Hollywood Disclosure with Serena DC is its second season.

And her documentary about near death experiences, mediums and channeling the dead, Beyond the Grave, premieres on September 5. In this documentary she treads the path of Ed and Lorraine Warren by visiting the house featured in the Conjuring book and films.

But its her touching look at the lives of transgender people that has garnered Ms de Comarmond her nomination.

The nominees were announced on July 28 but said she didn't check, assuming her film wasn't included.

"But there it was," she said.

"I had to read it about ten times.

"And then I went to 50 different publications to make sure it was there."

After confirming the film was nominated, the Aussie expat said she sat and thought for a moment before deciding there must be two documentaries called My Transparent Life.

"But when I finally realised it was mine I literally fell to the ground. It was impossible," she said.

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Ms de Comarmond was inspired to make the documentary after seeing the awful rates of violence against transgender people in the U.S.

"You know, I'm not a politician, I'm not a huge celebrity with an epic platform," she said.

"From a spiritual aspect, I feel that if something is bothering me so much that it's driving me crazy, that's a sign from the universe that maybe it's my responsibility to talk about it.

"I wanted to demystify what it means to be transgender because I feel that if you understand something you're less likely to fear it.

She said her Emmy nomination has "gotten rid of a bit of imposter syndrome that all is Aussies get when we come [to Hollywood]".

"It's opened so many doors already."

The reality-star-turned-filmmaker said her journey is a testament to self belief, commitment and a resilient mindset.