Every day we have a choice. We can support an up and coming podcaster, try a new family-run restaurant, join a boutique gym started by a local fitness champ or we could keep giving away our money to the handful of giants who already control so much of our commerce. Our daily decisions impact the kind world we live in; if we want a world where small businesses are growing and artists and creatives are thriving then we should support them with our time, money and attention. We’re proud to highlight inspiring creatives and entrepreneurs each week in Hidden Gems series. Check out some of Mid Wilshire’s gems below.
Nick Demopoulos
I am a musician that grew up in Los Angeles and moved to New York. I recently relocated back to LA after two decades in NY. My primary instrument is guitar, but I really got interested in computer music in New York. I learned how to make electronic musical instruments. Read more>>
Faline England
I started acting when I was a kid, out of necessity mostly. I found storytelling was the only way I was seen and heard in the world and it gave me a voice. It was how I navigated and made sense of a pretty rough childhood. I found that if I could create and live an alternative life, I could escape. Read more>>
Stacey Chapper
I’d be lying if I said that I knew from an early age I wanted to be a brand strategist. As much as I love the idea of my six-year old self walking around with a big curly mop of hair and a vision for product positioning, that just wasn’t the case. To give some context for the way I see the world and what has shaped me as a brand strategist. Read more>>
Ezekiel Simat
Steven Spielberg’s production of Terra Nova provided Zeke’s first taste of acting as one of Steven Lang’s personal guards giving Zeke an incredible opportunity to learn off Lang who had just finished James Cameron’s Avatar. Zeke then learned the ropes working as a co-star on NBC/Matchbox’s Camp, spending 300+ hours on set. Read more>>
Anthony Fields
As a basketball player, my goal was always to play in the NBA. As I played men’s college basketball at Wake Forest, Bradley and Liberty University I slowly started to see that was not a reality. Being on scholarship and earning a Sports Communications degree from Bradley and a Sport Management. Read more>>
Courtney Roberts
Wild in Lace started a little over a year ago. I had been thinking of maybe getting into wedding photography or videography for a while, and a friend of mine was getting married and didn’t have a videographer. Read more>>
Mike Masilotti
I grew up in Upstate NY, a first-generation American with parents from Italy and Venezuela. When I was 13, I bought my first camera and started to record everything. I was fascinated with filming and slowly taught myself how to compose and edit the videos I gathered, from VCR to VCR recording, to Final Cut Pro. Read more>>
