Mid Wilshire’s Hidden Gems

Coze

I first started learning about the camera and editing because I wanted to be a professional dancer/choreographer, but finding someone to record my videos was the biggest challenge at the time. So, I just learned everything myself and within exploring the film world, it sparked a new passion of mine. Leading me to create Cozeclips. Cozeclips was initially just for my dance visuals but I loved helping people tell stories through dance and music that it blossomed to a full media production service. As a freelance director, DP and editor, I’m still early in my career but I am proud of the progression thus far. Read more>>

Ruriko and Cello(Qiele) Guo

As fate would have it, the global pandemic proved to be a turning point in the lives of Ruriko and Cello, co-owners who were both affected by the temporary halt of the performing arts industry. Ruriko was laid off from her job, while Cello was on a break from engagements with the Hawaii Symphony and chamber music touring. At a crossroads, the duo recognized a unique opportunity and decided to take a leap of faith into entrepreneurship. Read more>>

Jamila Webb

I had been living in Los Angeles for a little over six years… While I had found my social group in the city, I was missing my artistic community. As a trained and working actor, I knew being able to learn and feed off the collective energy and wisdom in the room was critical to long-term success in this industry. Sadly, what was once an easy task in graduate school and New York City had become something of an odd chore in Los Angeles. Read more>>

Chris Heyman

I’ve been working in the restaurant industry for over two decades, starting with my first job washing dishes when I was 16. I began my career in New York, where I worked my way up from prep cook to Executive Chef and, eventually, to owning my own restaurants in NYC and LA. Read more>>

Charvelle Holder

I always knew I was here for two things: 1, to entertain the masses and 2, to spread joy. I didn’t know how, but I sure did dream about all of the possibilities. My love for acting came in the 8th grade when I was cast in our middle school’s production of “The Hobbit” as Gandalf (because I was the tallest to audition). The process of getting into character, memorizing lines, being part of a cast, and the energy of performing in front of a live audience triggered a new addiction. I had also always been a writer, first being published with a work of poetry in the fifth grade. Read more>>

Arash Maleki

I was born in Iran a few years after the Islamic Revolution and raised in a small military base during wartime. It may sound scary but that harsh environment with wild desert nature and minimal resources made me a humble self-learner. I was so much into action films and there were hardly any Jackie Chan, Van Damme, or Schwarzenegger movies that I would miss. Not to forget, the theological regime of Iran had already banned any kind of foreign movies, so we had to smuggle VHS tapes! which made those movies even more exciting! Read more>>

Cecilia Fletcher

I always knew I wanted to make art and animation, but I never knew how anyone got into the field! A lot of research and hard work later, I got into art school and started to find my way. Moving to Los Angeles was such a good move in so many ways — it’s such a vibrant city with so many different kinds of artists and people, as well as a wealth of culture and history to explore and inspire! I quickly started making connections and working through the worlds of illustration and motion graphics. I now work as an animation director and designer/illustrator. Read more>>

Jillian Hessel

In my late teens and early 20s, I danced throughout Europe with Professional Ballet Companies. One day, I fell in rehearsal and I injured my back. X-Rays showed a pronounced scoliosis or curvature of the spine. This pre-existing condition had been severely aggravated by my fall. I received treatment for the pain, but I continued to dance professionally, both in Europe and back home in New York City with various troupes until, at age 26, I could no longer endure my constant back pain. Read more>>

Natasha Skidmore

In 2018, I established my first sports injury manual therapy business in Sacramento, California while also studying as a full-time student in community college. Working part-time at a sports injury clinic and commuting over three hours per day, six days a week to pursue my academic goals left me with little time for extra work, and expensive housing in Sacramento made it difficult to make ends meet. After my grades began to slip and my boss declined to give me a raise, I decided to take a leap of faith and quit my job to start my own business. Within a month, I opened my practice, and it became an immediate success, with a fully booked schedule for the rest of the semester. Read more>>

Cory Pohlman

When I was fifteen years old, I moved with my family from the San Fernando Valley to Paris, France. As you can imagine, my mind was blown. I already thought of myself as a young artist and when I was exposed to the food and decadent artistic desserts of the city I didn’t realize it at the time, but those two parts of me were fused together. I went on to attend Parsons in New York City, received M.F.A from the Cranbrook Academy of Art and graduated from Le Cordon Blue Culinary School in Scottsdale, AZ. Read more>>

Maria Ramirez-Adams

I’m a Texas girl that came to LA to go to school, Otis College of Art & Design & have stayed ever since. I have always been passionate about photography & Los Angeles has been a great place to explore that. After college, I shot for Glue Magazine which lead into covering fashion shows & that lead to shooting for California Apparel News & FWD (Fashion Wire Daily). I also worked with Lee Salem, who had a great client list that included covering events for USC, Museum of TV & Radio & LA Opera. In 2010 I made a big change by working at a boutique company that specialized in making beautiful handmade photo albums & boxes for photographers. Read more>>