Portraits of the Valley

It’s more important to understand someone than to judge them. We think the first step to understanding someone is asking them the fundamental questions about who they are and how they became the person they are today. Understanding and empathy are essential building blocks for a better, more compassionate world. We’re incredibly fortunate to be able to ask these questions each week through our interview series. Below you’ll find inspiring interviews from in and around the Valley.

Abbey Scott

We probably wrote and recorded over 25 songs and thats when I felt confident enough to share my talents with the world. I went on to write and record 2 full length albums, 2 Ep’s and countless singles including Original Christmas songs that I wrote with my dad. I have been writing and recording music as an Independent Artist ever since. Read more>>

Nicole Briggs

A former boss, and chiropractor, gifted me Pilates lessons. I had no clue what is was, but quickly discovered it was another way to tap into my body. I was about to finish a dance degree and was dancing upwards of eight hours a day. My body had difficulty keeping up and I had daily joint and muscle pain. I found that doing Pilates regularly got rid of these issues. It inspired me to teach Pilates and help others connect to their body and give them a better quality of life. Read more>>

Alberto Fabbretti

I had already written, produced and performed in some short films when I was in NYC, but after moving to Los Angeles I started to build my resume, step by step, booking lead and featured roles in film and commercial productions. During the last year, I have been working mostly in vertical drama series, where I landed numerous speaking roles. Read more>>

Dean Lemon

We’re incredibly fortunate to work with some of the biggest creators in the world. Most of all, this business has enabled us to live our dream of moving to LA, which was a dream both of us shared prior to meeting 10+ years ago when we both younger and musicians touring and playing music across the UK. Since moving here, we decide to go back to our msuic & content roots and have begun making music again and making content, which is what led you guys to find us, via our content on our family account. Read more>>

Passing Phrase

Alex: Some guys in high school we’re starting a band said they needed a drummer. I’d taken percussion in band and had never played a drum set before, but I taught myself how and soon it became a passion. From there I moved on to writing lyrics, poems, and finally creating beats from old programs I found online. Dylan and I as boys worked closely on music from high school up until now, especially in our our punk phase of Torched Eyes. Read more>>

Cesar Cuesta

Music has always been more than a hobby for me. It’s been the thread running through every stage of my life. I first fell in love with the craft in high school, when I started recording and producing for friends. Those early sessions showed me how powerful sound could be, and they sparked a real fascination with audio engineering. Read more>>

MeMe Kelly

My journey as a writer began during one of life’s most challenging seasons. In the early 1990s, while navigating my oldest son’s autism diagnosis amid the turmoil of the Rodney King riots and the unrest that followed in Los Angeles, I found myself in a period of deep depression. It was during this darkest moment that God spoke to me, revealing that the key to peace was turning away from myself and serving the least among us in Los Angeles. Read more>>

Shilpa Dashpute

My interest in nutrition began with a simple curiosity about what happens to nutrients inside the body—how they’re processed at the cellular level and how they ultimately support health. That curiosity deepened when several members of my family were diagnosed with diabetes, despite being active and maintaining what most would consider healthy eating habits. Their experiences motivated me to explore clinical nutrition and human biochemistry on a much deeper level. Read more>>

Evan Camacho

The truth is that it has only been in the last year and a half that I have truly hit my stride compared to the past. I’ve been working fairly consistently as an actor and I even completed another degree: accounting. As a top off I’ve been able to build the bedrock for the creation of a new personal IP for new superheroes. Read more>>

Julian Gooden

I interviewed some of the biggest names in Football including Lamar Jackson, Aaron Rogers and Tom Brady. I was blessed to win 2 National Sports Emmys with the NFL and in 2022 I accepted a position at ESPN where I’ve been since. Since being at ESPN I’ve directed two 1 -hour documentaries and have brought home one National Sports Emmy. It’s been a great journey so far and I have a lot left to go. Read more>>

Miles Frank

I climbed the fence one day and played music for the first time with Pat, my current best bandmate and longest running friend. The band was called shotty and once I joined I knew what I was going to be doing for the foreseeable future. Today I am still in that band living in LA pursuing our dreams. We both play in other side projects and work full time as musicians. Even though I can barely afford rent, i’m still doing what my 13 year old self dreamt of back in my Seattle basement. Read more>>

Rose van Wier Hein

We started small in the South Bay in 2009, building community wherever we could — in borrowed classrooms, parks, and community centers. The vision grew, and in 2015 we purchased 22 acres in Agoura Hills. What began as broken-down buildings and wild land slowly transformed into a thriving, joyful space filled with life-skills programs, vocational training, gardening, animal care, fitness, art, and endless opportunities for connection. Read more>>

Ryan Stream

Today I am a TEDx speaker, bestselling author, award winning musician, and two time war veteran. I have been featured in Forbes, appeared on MTV, earned the Verizon Wireless Award, and performed more than five hundred times across the nation. I hold degrees in Psychology and Family Science and a Master’s in Leadership and Management, and I have helped raise more than one point eight million dollars in student scholarships. Read more>>

Ernest L. Dancy

The biggest challenge was building the VIEWS app, because I am not a coder, I used a low code platform to do build it out, but that still takes a lot of custom coding to actually make the app function and have the specific features that I needed it to have. I literally had to ask chat GPT hundreds of thousands of questions in order to accomplish this. I had to utilize the AI as an instructor of sorts as I myself built it out. It was very hard to do… but I stuck with it and sacrificed until I got a first version (MVP) done, which was in July of 2025. Read more>>

Yonat Zilberg

I believe that beautiful skin is not a trend or a quick solution; it’s a long-term commitment rooted in knowledge, consistency, and care. My mission is to share what I’ve learned over decades and to teach clients how to nurture their skin with the same love, intention, and patience I bring to the treatment room. Read more>>

Marco Bizio

Genu and Jocelyn met in a magnet program at San Jose Elementary School. At only eight years old, they formed an early bond over their shared love of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy and ’90s alternative music. Though cautious around each other at first, their mutual passion for campy cinema ultimately brought them closer. Read more>>

Vickie Pellouchoud

I fell in love with painting in college, but after graduating I had to put less emphasis on it as I pursued a career in illustration. I started work at Disney as a games artist and it really helped me because i was able to hone my craft doing background and all kinds of art, character art, props, and really learning a lot about technology too. I had a long career in games and really started to dig into oil painting at that time.  Read more>>

Liat zucker

When I moved to the United States in my mid-20s, I struggled with weight gain due to the change in food and lifestyle. After carrying more than 60 pounds for several years, I reached a moment of clarity: I needed to change my habits. I began studying nutrition deeply—not to follow another trendy diet, but to truly understand the benefits of every ingredient and how it affects the body. Read more>>

Meredith Breitstein

Growing up, I was painfully shy and always fascinated by people — their energy, their stories, and the moments that shaped them. I wanted to understand what made some voices rise above the noise while others went unheard. For years, I played it safe, staying behind the scenes, supporting others as they told their stories. But deep down, I knew I was meant to be on the other side of the microphone. Read more>>

David French

I created Djangough Solutuons to be a turn key scenic production house, serving onstage theaters in the greater Los Angeles area. This means, I do it all. Taking ideas from the producers/directors, distilling those ideas into concept designs that I create in Blender, to bringing it into reality. From singular set pieces to full scale onstage conversions, I create the worlds actors walk through. Read more>>

Abbie Britton

There are over 2 billion animal lovers and caretakers on the planet who are the audience for this 5 book series. One of the reasons I’ve written this book is to give back to all the animals who have saved me with their comfort during challenging times in my life. Read more>>

Kat Alysha

My story feels like a long one; yet also short. I’ve been served me up with quite a few difficult trials in life and like many others I clawed and fought my way to find myself in a new city following my dreams, unaware of what they would grow and change into over time. A desert rat scurrying from Arizona, finding their way to Los Angeles, California. Through all of it though, that history is exactly what brought me here today and helped shape me into the person that I am. Read more>>

Trevor Riley

It ended up garnering some laurels and has been permanently archived by the Shoah Foundation, established by Steven Spielberg. That project really helped me get the next short made. I started using them as proof of concepts for the feature-length versions. My rule became shoot everything you can. Read more>>

AKHILESH VIJAYKUMAR

I applied to pursue my Masters in Computer Graphics degree at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, and started grad school in August of 2019. During the Summer of 2021, I worked as a full-time Technical Artist intern at Electronic Arts, and continued working part-time during the Fall, while I finished up coursework to graduate at the end of the year. Read more>>

Apollo Zizas

I was born in a country that no longer exists – USSR. Growing up we didn’t have much and there was one thing that I liked the most – watching movies. Hollywood movies in specific. I remember myself being probably 7yo thinking “Why it’s so beautiful in America?” Californian weather and nature fascinated me and the more I watched America movies the more I was sure that I was born in a “wrong place”. Read more>>

Zara Baghikyan

What many people don’t see is that success didn’t happen overnight. There were many days when I felt like giving up, but consistency has always been the key. Every single day, I wake up with a winning mindset. Even when I faced rejection or challenges, I chose to move forward and focus on growth. I worked hard — often without a single day off — because I believed in my vision and the people I serve. Read more>>

Ricky – stage name – (F.A.B.L.E.) Evans

While I was in college, I started dabbling and design, and eventually created my own clothing/creative brand INFNTPWR. Some of my fashion influences are Pharrell Williams, Kanye West, Virgil Abloh, Ralph, Lauren, Don C., Zo (Fashion Geek) just to name a few. I am still creating music and closing to this day. It definitely fulfills me. Read more>>

Tom Valdez

Guitar is my main instrument, but I also sing and studied composition on piano, always collaborating with keyboardists, horn players, and drummers. I began writing songs and instrumentals in my teens and carried that curiosity passion into college, studying electronics, synthesizers, sound design, and acoustics, ultimately earning a physics degree. Read more>>

Trevan McClure

I was beatboxing as a child, playing drums on anything I could, and listening to my walkman religiously. I grew up to the sound of my dad playing his acoustic guitar around the house all the time and my mom’s amazing music collection in the background. My first foray was at the tail end of middle school, playing drums in a band with friends. I started picking guitar up and started my first band as a songwriter at the tail end of high-school called 36 Alterations. Read more>>

Sabina Tenorio

The program consisted of exploring all the arts: music, dance, writing, and acting. Dancing was something that I already had tried, so was singing and drawing, but acting was different. Whenever I had class, I never wanted it to end, I started learning how to live more present and how to interact with intention. I was so in love with all the possibilities of what I could be and all the worlds I could be a part of that I decided that was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. When the summer camp ended, I enrolled at the same institute to become an actress. Read more>>

Melody Lampkin

I started my journey working with Sam Watson and Team Watson on their charity events to help raise funds for the Lifedriven Foundation, a nonprofit organization that serves kids in underserved communities who are battling life-threatening diseases. Our mission has always been to help these children “Dare to Dream” by creating memorable experiences that bring joy and happiness into their lives. Read more>>

Aaron Kuban

Larger gigs came such as Jobs, CSI and The Purge. Met my wife and have been happily married for over seven years and blessed with two boys. Used my older boys walk to school to spark my green initiative, Clean Canoga, which helps tidy up the sidewalks and streets in Canoga Park. Currently have three feature films in post production: Spinescam, God is Good and A Good Fight. Currently in the process of starting my own production company. Read more>>

Kasandra Cabrera

My journey as an artist started as a little girl, an immigrant from Mexico with a little grasp of English but a big stack of VHS copies of animated movies. While the movies I had were the Spanish dubbed version, I quickly learned that the language barrier didn’t matter when every other kid laughed at the same jokes, cried at the same moments, and felt the same joy that I did watching those movies. In a way, animation became the first language I became fluent in, and it inspired me to pick up a pencil and begin drawing. Read more>>

Aram Gevorgyan

In the beginning, it was just the two of us grocery shopping, cleaning the food truck every day, washing and chopping veggies, marinating the meats, literally doing everything ourselves. There’s so much that goes on behind the scenes that people don’t see. It’s not just parking somewhere and cooking food; it’s a nonstop grind. Read more>>

Jay Waterman

I stepped into the role of a technician. I advanced to certified counselor after completing a year of education. I worked in residential settings, prison yards, and outpatient facilities, eventually landing in front of my boss and mentor in 2021, who I still work for today. I am surrounded by sobriety in all its complexities – the messy challenges and unexpected victories. Its an environment of emotion so I use all my skills to stay grounded. I can’t imagine doing anything else. Read more>>

Brandon Fravel

I put all my eggs in the basket and focused on something that brought me more joy and happiness in my life. I became a certified personal trainer and running coach right away. The business was slowing growing and clientele was building from word of mouth. I started to incorporate something different in my coaching adding spirituality and mindset training. Read more>>

Alaina Sanchez

When I was in college at Pepperdine studying psychology, I honestly had no idea what direction I wanted to take my life. One of my best friends and I would unwind by watching romantic comedies, and she’d always joke that I’d make the perfect wedding planner. I remember laughing it off and saying it would be a dream job. mostly because I didn’t even think of wedding planning as something “real” people did for a living. In my mind, it only existed in movies. Read more>>

Terrance C Jones

I graduated from the University of Illinois Springfield on a full ride tennis scholarship in 1991. After college, while stringing tennis rackets & coaching a few young players, my sights were firmly set on moving to Chicago to begin my wildly successful career in acting.  Read more>>

Matt Bodden

Me and my wife Stacy have three children (Tarren, Shane, & Luc). Our youngest son, Luc was born with sickle cell disease (SCD). In 2013, at the age of seven he received a bone marrow transplant to cure him. The transplant was a success however he experienced graft vs host disease as a result of the process. His expected two month hospital stay turned into an eleven month hospital stay. During his extended stay, my wife had to leave her job to care for him. Read more>>

Suz Curtis

About two years ago, I began making pressed flower art as a stress relieving exercise. I read books about flower pressing, watched videos, and observed techniques used by other artists in the flower art community. I posted some of my work and my friends encouraged me to sell it. It has since bloomed into a part-time, ongoing passion project. I attend several markets around Los Angeles and have an online store. Read more>>

Willie Pena

I’ve spent over 15 years in Los Angeles as a digital creator and founder of Teens Wanna Know — a teen-focused entertainment brand that’s covered red carpets, profiled rising creators, and reached millions across YouTube, Instagram, and teenswannaknow.com. But from the beginning, I was building toward something beyond traditional media. Read more>>

isabella mrela

Creating handmade jewelry also demands far more patience than I realized I had. With each piece comes a lesson in patience and sometimes acceptance—accepting that the final result isn’t exactly what I envisioned because the materials reacted differently. I’m learning to be gentler with myself and to appreciate the beauty in imperfection. In a world with such high expectations of perfection, that mindset feels surprisingly refreshing. Read more>>

Justin Earl Ballard

“I am both inspired to share my work globally with large science concepts and applications, as well as create a space for individuals to come that can help align and support their health and wellness. I do not propose to cure or treat anything, but simply want to share the science of what can support our health and well-being. There is so much we know, so much other areas of the world are doing, and I am committed to bringing forth any knowledge and applications that can help people live with less suffering, and greater joy. “ Read more>>

Ellen Su

As a first generation immigrant child, my relationship with my mom has always been rocky, but in recent years it has improved greatly thanks to the amazing people in my life that have taught me different ways of communication and more importantly, my mom’s willingness to learn despite her saying she can’t change. Over a period of 10 years, we’ve been able to become more open with our feelings and better at identifying what’s bothering us when we start to fight. Read more>>

Jeannine Irons

Feeling lost without a job, I turned to hiking, which sparked inspiration for a collaboration with my sisters. Together, we combined our backgrounds in intuitive energy healing, marketing, and creative storytelling to create something truly magical—transforming pain into joy and beauty. Read more>>

Tracey Navrides

For most of life, I was a “jack of all trades” and a “master of none”. As a teen, I was “too smart for my own good” and it never served me. When my husband and I met, he always heard how much I regretted not attending college. He had achieved a Masters degree and had grown up with a father who was a school teacher, so the answer was obvious. He offered to support me through school, if I was interested. Read more>>

Ellen Rehak

We are in the Magnolia Park neighborhood of Burbank, and are very active in the community. Jeff is coordinator of several neighborhood events – Food Truck Fridays in the summer, Magnolia Park Vintage Flea Markets in the winter months, as well as Holiday In The Park, our flagship annual holiday street fair. Read more>>

Gaby Manzanares

Being anything other than an artist never really felt like an option for me. From a young age, I was fascinated by visual art in all its forms, and it was just a matter of figuring out which medium could truly hold everything I wanted to express. I started with drawing and painting, which taught me how to observe the world, but photography opened the door to a deeper connection. Behind a camera, I realized how powerful lighting, color, and composition could be, not just to create something beautiful, but to tell a story, spark emotion, and make someone feel understood. Read more>>

Amanda Corvelle

When my mom passed away when I was 17, everything changed. Overnight, I was on my own, grieving, broke, and trying to figure out how to survive while chasing a dream that everyone told me wasn’t realistic. I moved to Hollywood from Ventura, and it was the kind of education no school could give me. I had to be tough. I had to be resourceful. And I had to learn how to get back up, over and over again. Read more>>

Zoya Yeghikyan

People often ask how I “manage everything.” The truth is simple: I never waited for the perfect moment. I built my own opportunities. I took risks. I worked harder than my circumstances. And every step — even the difficult ones — brought me to where I am now. Read more>>

Shalom Okolie

In 2017, I moved to the United States, and that’s when my love for makeup turned into a professional journey. Being in a new country, I immersed myself in learning more advanced techniques, experimenting with different styles, and understanding the beauty industry from a global perspective. I began doing makeup for friends, family, and local events, and quickly realized I had a talent for creating looks that were both elegant and culturally authentic. Read more>>

Franco Giordanengo

Franco’s passion for fitness began at five years old through soccer and rugby. By sixteen, he committed fully to rugby, drawn to the sport’s values, discipline, and brotherhood. His athletic path included major highs — such as helping lead his club to the finals in 2009 just days after the passing of his father — and major challenges, including injuries that tested his mental resilience. Those experiences opened doors to opportunities in Spain, Chile, and semi-pro soccer, eventually leading him to coaching and community training in Temecula. Read more>>

Karla Lima

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist based in Santa Clarita, CA. In my private practice, I see clients both in person and virtually through contracted EAP services. Additionally, I work part-time as a College Counselor at a Community College, assisting students with disabilities with their academic needs and goals. I find both roles fulfilling as they allow me to apply my knowledge and skills in different areas. Read more>>

Jeremy Moody

I wrote a pilot that’s inspired by my story; a former musician with Parkinson’s and the relationship with his best friend and his young niece. I’ve received a lot of great feedback, but we’ll see. There are a lot of great scripts and ideas in this town. Which is really awesome and drives me. We’re pretty lucky to be here around the most talented and driven people in the world! Read more>>

Ogi Jiimen

Through every challenge, one truth remains: no one succeeds alone. My husband’s unwavering support, the love of my children, my mother’s help raising them while I built my businesses, and the strength of my team, friends, and community made everything possible. Every success I’ve achieved belongs to the people who stood beside me. Read more>>

Cynthia Wagner

So far, so good. We develoiped our business plan at the begining and it works for us. Cynthia is the Planner and the face of the business, Karrie is the Counselor working with the students. We have done great together by this method and it works because we are both doing what we love. Read more>>

Nick Baga

Some major career highlights to throw in the mix would be performing LIVE on The Oscars, VMA’s, Grammy’s, Dancing with The Stars, The Olympics & SNL to television shows like Glee, Oprah, How I met your mother and many more. Along with major films like LA LA Land & Hairspray to even touring and dancing with artists such as Justin Bieber, Stevie Wonder, Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez. Read more>>

Madison Fennell

I still had this underlying sense that I was meant to do something more — I just didn’t know what “more” looked like yet. At the same time, I was beating myself up, feeling like I had missed my window of opportunity in the dance industry, wasted my talent, and had fallen behind. Read more>>

Marial Moreno Gómez

I was born and raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and I’ve pretty much been drawn to anything creative for as long as I can remember: arts and crafts, theater, dancing, you name it. But it wasn’t until my late teens that I stumbled into filmmaking, and it instantly felt like home. Something about holding a camera and building a story out of moments just clicked for me, and from then on I knew this was the path I wanted to follow. Read more>>

The Real J.T.W.

His music is known for its raw, honest, and relatable narrative that deals with real-life issues such as mental health, addiction, and depression. He has garnered a reputation for his deeply personal and thought-provoking lyrics that resonate with listeners on a personal level. He’s signed to an independent record label, Soulburnin Records that was founded in California. Read more>>

Jacquelynn Remery-Pearson

I direct my daughters’ school play and it is consistently my brother-in-law, sister, mom and dad who are my biggest cheerleaders and physical support. My husband also has the unenviable job of dealing with my impulsiveness and ADHD fueled quests, and often it is his credit score that enables such visions to come to life. Read more>>

Lexi Sisk

I did well as a PA and eventually became very comfortable in that role—almost too comfortable—and I stayed in it for seven years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I realized I still had a strong interest in locations. The Location Managers Guild offered an apprentice membership that included all the benefits except running for the board, so I joined. Through workshops and Zoom sessions, I had the opportunity to learn from some of the best in the industry. Read more>>

LeighAnn Cannon

That totally changed my year. The first audition I had was for a company called Worst Ever Productions (the name alone hooked me) for their 72 hour play festival. What I thought would be just one show ended up being 9 shows within a year with Worst Ever and countless connections. I found future collaborators that took me with them to perform in my first Hollywood Fringe. I joined a sketch comedy group. Because of this audition I was able to find a community in North Hollywood. Read more>>

Tom Fielding

I sold my ramblings to neighbors for 10 cents apiece (sometimes a quarter if they were generous). It was 1965’s version of TMZ recounting happenings on the street (“Who was making out on Mr. and Mrs. Herron’s Front Yard Last Saturday Night?”). I later became sports editor of my high school newspaper, and when my parents took me to Europe after my junior year, I became enamored with traveling, which subsequently became my passion. Read more>>

Rebecka Rubio

The do’s and don’ts are fun to navigate. With time, you find better ways of doing things that benefit your business and make it all easier. I’ve been so fortunate to have so many friends who have also started businesses. Their help and advice makes learning the hard way not as difficult to recover from. My advice if you’re starting your own business: do your research! And just know that there will be bumps along the way but if you love what you do, it’s all worth it. Read more>>

Aveva Dese

Singing started as a personal outlet, but it soon became a way to bridge cultures. My big break came when I competed on the first season of “The Voice – Israel.” The exposure gave me the confidence to pursue music professionally and, more importantly, to embrace my heritage in my work. I began blending Ethiopian melodies and rhythms with the pop and soul sounds I love, creating a style that feels both global and deeply personal. Read more>>

Angelo Hatgistavrou

This mishmash of media really spoke to me as a person who loves all these things and has extreme ADHD. So I dove in head first and haven’t looked back. That lead me to a career in Los Angeles, starting as an animator and working my way up to a Supervising Director. I also make my own shorts when I have the desire (and the time) and constantly develop new projects – I’m pitching a feature around as we speak! Read more>>

Eric Babakhani

It’s never a smooth road as anyone can agree. We have faced alot of struggles to get to where we are today. Dont get me wrong we still struggle with scheduling and time management. Since we last spoke our struggles have shifted. Now not having enough time in a week is the new normal. Now that we work on private jets we dedicate a full day to the detail. Which you can imagine puts a strain on our schedule. Read more>>

The Hat Ladies LisaP and Joanie

Lisa and Joanie Pimentel, affectionately known as The Hat Ladies, are a dynamic duo of musical sisters and seasoned music educators from California. With their extensive backgrounds in teaching, performing, music production, and songwriting, they bring a wealth of joy and creativity to their musical adventures. Read more>>

Vinny Margott

When we heard Tony was beginning to franchise, we immediately called to learn more about the opportunity and knew we wanted to be part of it in a meaningful way. We recognized Tony had something truly special and was making the best pizza in the world, and we wanted to help bring that experience to more communities. Read more>>

Vi Jordan

That year, I joined a collegiate vocal jazz group—despite having no formal jazz background—and instantly fell in love with singing. Even though everything felt new, I quickly recognized how musically prepared, adaptable, and intuitively creative I was. I thought joining that group would be the best musical achievement of my life. Little did I know what was coming next! Read more>>

Erika Aeschliman

I didn’t grow up expecting to build a martial arts academy, but I’ve always been drawn to teaching and to helping people grow. My journey started in fitness when I was sixteen, assisting at a YMCA boot camp. That experience lit something in me, the belief that transformation happens when someone feels supported, challenged, and seen. Years later, when I found Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, everything I learned about coaching, discipline, and human connection came together. Jiu Jitsu became my anchor, my craft, and ultimately my calling. Read more>>

Jackie MacDougall

I spent more than two decades working behind the scenes in television at pretty much every major network, including NBC, Disney, Warner Bros., and FOX, promoting daytime shows through on-air campaigns and digital content. That work led me to launch a parenting site for Warner Bros., where I really saw the power of digital storytelling. From there, I became an award-winning blogger and an early adopter of podcasting, co-hosting my first show back in 2011, when I spent half my time explaining what a podcast even was. Read more>>

Thomas Jacobsen

Tables, cutting boards, dice trays. Basically anything I needed in my own home. This lead to friends reaching out needing stuff. So I kept building. Today I make everything from small desk top art to tables. I still work in film and have made several miniatures for films and props. I have an army of 3d Printers and design custom pieces in 3d software. I love combining different mediums and leaning into new and old techniques. Read more>>

Tallia Deljou

I use Internal Family Systems, neuroscience, and practical emotional skills to make this work accessible, grounded, and deeply transformative. It’s been a winding path, but each chapter has led me to the mission I’m committed to now: helping people feel and heal their way forward. Read more>>

Tiffeny Wilson

I am a professional Actress, Dancer, Choreographer, and Singer-Songwriter. I absolutely love the arts and I’m very passionate about everything that I do. I stayed consistent throughout my life journey with all 4 things, I couldn’t pick just one Art form! It makes me happy and brings me so much joy, even in the tough and challenging times. It’s a lot of hard work physically and takes a lot of time, but once I found my balance, I was able to juggle it all. I love what I do  Read more>>

Jonathan Tanigaki

At our school, everyone was multifaceted because we had to be. Us AP students were not just studying; we were also expected to play a sport, join a club, and participate in the musical, otherwise those programs simply would not have happened. That is how I ended up performing in my first musical, The Drowsy Chaperone, during my freshman year. My older sister signed me up for the casting call without telling me, partly because they needed more boys, but also, I suspect, because she knew something I had not yet realized. Read more>>

Marlyn Diaz

Through the years, I’ve been blessed to learn from some of the best physicians, acupuncturists, chefs, mind-body healers and other like-minded nutritionists, all of whom have helped teach me tools and practices to create a body and mind in balance. I keep myself immersed in the field by attending medical conferences, speaking with highly-trained professionals, exploring healthy new restaurants and researching all the latest science-based information. Read more>>

Amy Geist

I made a place for myself in the Chicago theater and film community. I worked on over a hundred sets in Commercial, TV, and Feature Film, in front of and behind the camera. I touched every department, gaining respect and understanding for every member of my team. I am so grateful for the powerful women I have met along the way. Through this journey, I re-connected with my love for storytelling. Stories have always been a way to express and communicate our own lived experience. I love that with film, we are literally changing neurons with each point of light on the screen. Read more>>

Mikhail and Veronica Howell

We built Cinevite with the idea of providing a platform to create community around cinema. At the time, while the pandemic was still raging, people could not fully have the communal experience with film as they had for decades. Mikhail, a Creative Technologist, looked to technology as a solution that could solve this problem so he built the Cinevite platform. Cinevite was designed to facilitate connections and discussions wherever films and other media were screened and featured. Read more>>

Jason Miller

I grew up in the valley the 80s. My dad, Bruce Miller, is a composer and arranger, but I didn’t really know what that meant until I was about 15. When I was around nine, my dad took my brother and I to Toys “R” Us and I saw a battery-powered electric guitar with a built-in speaker. I decided that’s what I wanted. I remember going home with it and trying to figure out songs on my stereo and my dad walking in to my room and playing them instantly upon first-listen. It kind of blew my mind. That was the start of everything. Read more>>

Kheilstone

As I began building my career in New York, I started gaining traction both locally and internationally, working with major reggae and dancehall artists like Beenie Man, Popcaan, Sizzla, and Busy Signal. Eventually, I took a leap of faith and moved to Los Angeles to focus fully on music. A producer and mutual friend, LMR, introduced me to music executive and producer Sham “Sakpase” and working with him helped me understand the music business on a broader scale and reinforced my vision of establishing a lasting career in the industry. Read more>>

Kash Hovey

What’s been most liberating over the last decade is finding my own lane. Working at WME, then moving into producing with PKA, and building my body of work as an actor and host. It’s all been about creating something authentic to who I am now. It’s taken time, but I finally feel recognized for my own voice, my own projects, and the work I’ve put in, not just for what’s connected to my name or my family. Read more>>

Azita Ariane Azarpira

I studied education and we’re helping teenagers with emotional and educational disabilities. Then I made a career change in 1987 and enrolled at Ottis Parsons School of design specializing in the Art of Millinery. . I started with selling to boutiques on Melrose in Los Angeles , then got a show room in California mart and attended trade shows in NewYork . Read more>>

KEYANNA SAWYER-JONES

I was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, by a single mother who worked long nursing shifts to provide for my sister and me. My dad was incarcerated for most of my life, so early on I learned what resilience really meant. Read more>>