West LA’s Hidden Gems

Nicole Norwoods

It started May 8th, 2018, thinking about it isn’t it strange that a date can be nothing more than a blank space on a calendar going unnoticed, until one day we give it meaning and it becomes a date we remember forever? Well that day was the day I suffered a burst fracture of my spine, my T-12 to my L-2 from a tumbling incident. When people see me now, they have no idea that I had a spinal cord injury.  Read more>>

Brian Dunlap

I’ve always enjoyed writing. I remember as early as kindergarten, I would write often. Our teacher had us write in journals to practice our writing and I wrote so much that school year that I filled three journals full of my handwriting. It was incredibly simple writing. I wrote lists of what I liked, questions to the teacher, like “Have you been to” such and such a place? Read more>>

Ariane Sommer

I am a published author, plant-based biohacker, podcast host and wellness entrepreneur. Throughout my life, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to grow up in various countries, immersing myself in diverse cultures and gaining a global perspective on the opportunities as well as challenges faced by individuals and our collective human family. Born into a diplomatic household in Germany, I moved to West Africa when I was eight weeks old, which started my life’s global adventure. Read more>>

Moni (Jasmine) Guo

Growing up in China, I started playing the piano when I was three and began writing music at ten. Back then, music was just my favorite thing to do—I practiced a lot, improvised all the time, and wrote some songs and piano pieces, but I never thought of pursuing a career in music. My journey brought me to the US when I was 13, where I attended a boarding school in Nebraska. There, my piano teacher encouraged me to continue my musical journey.Read more>>

Roz Rabbani

I graduated college in 2020, right when Covid started and moved back in with my parents and started baking a lot like so many other people. I started an Instagram page to post the things I baked for my friends and family. One of my good friends asked me to make a couple of cakes for his sister’s small wedding and I said yes even though I hadn’t really decorated cakes before. I had about two months until the wedding so I practiced at least weekly, and then I never stopped. Once I started posting my cakes more on Instagram and TikTok, people started DMing me to order them. Now I make cakes full-time! Read more>>

Akansha Tokas

My name is Akansha and my story started when I decided to embark on a journey to Los Angeles to pursue my dream of becoming a filmmaker. Like many others in the entertainment industry, My journey began as a production assistant, where I learned the ropes on various student films. With each project, I delved deeper into the world of filmmaking, applying my knowledge and skills to contribute to the success of the films. Read more>>

Elen Gasparyan

DAVEL creative agency represents the perfect blend of the unique skills and expertise of its co-founders, Davit and Elen. The name DAVEL is a clever combination of our names, signifying our strong partnership and commitment to the agency’s success. Established six years ago, DAVEL has become a staple in the diverse city of Los Angeles, serving a diverse range of clients with distinction. Our team of 20 is comprised of the brightest and most talented individuals in the industry, and we are poised to double our staff by the end of this year, a testament to our unwavering commitment to excellence. Read more>>

Deborah Mullin

I founded Copper Cow Coffee to elevate one of my favorite past-times: Vietnamese coffee. I grew up in California, but only ate Vietnamese food growing up. When I moved out, I was very surprised that the food I grew up loving was not easily available outside of Asian and Vietnamese grocery stores. At the same time, I began to discover healthier foods – such as organic produce and single-origin coffees, and I’d wonder why there wasn’t a version of Vietnamese coffee that fit these trends.  Read more>>

Ryan Browning

I ran a freestyle club with my friends Maxie and Miles back in high school, and a year later, we started making music our senior year. Since then, I’ve been making music with my friends all the time. I initially went to college for music business and audio engineering, but then, due to my theatre kid demeanor, switched my major over to the theatre, but at that point, I was well entrenched into the Nashville unground scene. When I came back to LA in 2020, I linked up with my college friend Kent Osbourne and we’ve been doing shows together, just like the college days. All the while, I’ve been pumping out EPs, albums, and stray video or visual albums. I’m just your friendly neighborhood Wicked Lemon dropping tunes that make my brain go brrr. Read more>>

Jessica De Leon

Hola! My name is Jessica De Leon, a first-generation Guatemalan-American with a deep-rooted passion for holistic healing. I was raised in the vibrant city of Los Angeles, I was fortunate to experience the rich cultural tapestry of the Southbay, including Gardena, Hawthorn, and Redondo Beach. Read more>>

Robert Rappoport

I think it’s important to begin this story by framing it, and myself. I have clinical depression and I have my entire life. It has plagued me, my thoughts, my dreams, and my relationships, for as long as I’ve been alive. So, when I tell you how I started, how I arrived here in LA, keep in mind, especially if you’re struggling yourself, that there are people who love you. There are people who want to help you and even if you don’t believe it, you can succeed. You can make it to tomorrow. Read more>>

Mae Jo

I’m a singer-songwriter/ artist. I was born in Asuncion, Paraguay and went to Berklee College of Music. Growing up, I was very shy which is always interesting since I wanted to be a singer from a very early age and being shy doesn’t always go with singers. But I very much decided from a very young age I wanted to sing. My dad would always play classic rock music, like the Beatles, Queen, The Bee Gees, etc and so I was lucky to have really good music around me playing at all times. I got into a choir when I was nine at school and we recorded Christmas albums and performed at events. Paraguay is small and the industry there is not very big, especially at that time it was non-existent, so for a few years I wasn’t singing much. Read more>>

Eden Denton

I started Anguish Family in 2018 as an underground, legally illegitimate fantasy music label called 616 Music LLC. Over the years, I have worked with over 100 artists worldwide, networking, promoting, writing and recording music, planning and hosting events, developing artistry, offering connections to photographers, videographers, exclusive locations to film, connections with likeminded artists, feeding people along the way and cleaning up garbage from the earth wherever humanly possible.  Read more>>

Sean Gunnell

My thespian journey is three decades in the making: getting bit by the performance bug as early as age four, diving into theater one year later, 20+ years of traversing the planes of musicals, Shakespearean comedies and tragedies, classics and contemporaries, etc., honing the intrinsic differences between screen and stage acting since 2008, and training my passionate heart out for four years at the Academy of Art University, all leading me to Hollywood where I have been patiently, diligently, and gracefully paving my professional career since 2014.  Read more>>

Nathan Ramos-Park

I grew up in small-town Ohio, a pianist, singer, and competitive jump roping Capricorn. I taught for two years in Cleveland, spent five years in NYC working as an actor and in the service industry, then won a National Playwriting competition (wrote a play in a Google doc on an iPad mini bc poor) which brought me to LA. I’ve been writing professionally now for the past seven plus years and have developed and/or staffed at the following places: Amazon, Nickelodeon, Hulu, Disney (Digital, Plus, Animation, SEA), Netflix (Animation/Live Action), Snap, Mainframe, Lion Forge, and NBC, and love drawing inspiration from my love of Comedy, Genre, Music, and Coming of Age. Read more>>

Juri Umagami

I started oil painting in Tochigi, Japan when I was eight years old. In 2009, I moved to Los Angeles, CA to pursue my goal of being an artist and art instructor. After college, I started working at Kline Academy of Fine Art in Los Angeles, CA. I learned painting techniques from my mentor Cheryl Kline who also gave me opportunities to study under top artists from around the world. Now I am an instructor of three classes where I teach classical drawing and painting techniques. Read more>>

Logic Banks

My love for gaming started as a child. I have a cousin that is older than me by four years who was always gaming. At the age of seven, I already wanted to start playing because I would see how excited he would be to play video games. I never really understood video games until I got a lot older. My love for gaming started early but had no idea how far it would take me in life because at that time there was no “job opportunities” as a career. Fast forward to 2017-2019, I was playing a very unpopular game at the time called “Fortnite” and I know my college friends and girlfriend at the time thought I was childish and too old to be playing video games. A year later, it became the biggest game and it was all over social media. It sucked to feel like people looked at me differently because of that but I never really cared. I believe gaming can have a lot of positive effects for young and older people’s mental health. In ways, it gives your mind an activity to do for a few hours and also socialize with people that may be having the same issues as you or has gone through something similar in life. It’s always good to meet people around the world. Read more>>

Ashlee Patterson

Originally from Cleveland, OH, I’ve been living in Los Angeles, CA for the past six years. My passion for culinary arts and fashion has always been a part of my life. As a child, I would plan elaborate multi-course meals for my family on Sundays and design printed menus to highlight each course. When it was time to choose a college major, I had to decide between Culinary School and Fashion School. Ultimately, I chose Fashion Merchandising at Kent State University. While I enjoyed my studies, I realized that my passion for the fashion industry was waninRead more>>