Portraits of Hollywood

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 Hollywood.

Stacy Lauren-Kon

Then I moved to Los Angeles, to audition for Friends (we all know how that went) and fell madly in love with the city and a wonderful man! However, I hated the disingenuousness of the business here and once again made a shift in careers. After further schooling, I opened an entertainment advertising agency where my esteemed clients included Paramount, Sony, Universal Studios and Disney. But something was STILL missing! Read more>> 

Keith Kurlander

And I could be clinically insane but I really like my own music, it lights up the endorphins in my brain so I think it’s good and occasionally somebody else will let me know they like it. Also as of this year I’ve been making protest art which I describe as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein on LSD. I’m just starting to have some sales and shows at this moment. They’re all 24″ x 36″ digital print on canvas and they can be seen here. Read more>>

Trevyn McGowan

I moved to London at 16 to pursue a career in acting, but after gaining experience renovating my own flats and buildings, I started Site Specific, an interior-design company based in Clerkenwell. We specialised in converting warehouses and office buildings, as well as retro-fitting the spaces for high-profile clients. My husband and gallery co-founder, Julian, worked as a set and costume designer at leading theatres across the UK and in New York from 1987 to 2003, at which point, after 20 years in London, we decided to return to South Africa. We settled in Wilderness on the Garden Route and made a new home for ourselves with our growing family. Read more>> 

Tony Pape

Eventually, I began doing a lot of work with actor and comedian Brandon T. Jackson and our frequent collaborator Rob Woods. I started writing with Brandon, shooting his standup shows, and eventually directed a pilot with him. That escalated a year later when I directed, shot, edited, and assistant wrote for his standup special “Chest Out” which will be on Zeus sometime in the next month or two, and also recently directed, shot, and edited two seasons of his new Shark Tank-style parody show “Makin A Brand” which will be on Tubi in October. Read more>> 

Nicholas Giuricich

I’m a filmmaker living and working in Los Angeles. Raised in Washington DC by two chefs who worked at the Smithsonian, my parents would push me in a stroller through the galleries as an infant. This early exposure to art, expression, and cultural voices motivated me to become a storyteller from a young age.   Read more>> 

Drew Dockser

I have always loved live musical events, theatre, and awards shows, so in retrospect, it’s not surprising that I have found my way into the world of live TV. However, the path to where I am now was not linear. There was no clear roadmap to get to my current position, so as often as I could, I sought out opportunities to gain firsthand experience working in live entertainment. My first experience working on a major live award show was while I was in college as an Assistant at the Grammy Awards for Musical Director Ray Chew.  Read more>> 

Dmitrii Danilin

I grew up in Russia, where my Dad taught me hands-on technical skills from a young age. He sold air conditioning units around our city, and I used to help him unload them off the truck and see how everything worked. He also taught me how to solder electronics and build lightweight airplanes in our backyard. Read more>> 

Steven Cooper

My name is Steven Carl Cooper Jr., I was born in Alaska(Army base),I usually don’t inform others about that besides like real close friends.Why? I don’t remeber much about it(I know the Simpsons said you get $1000 if you go there,I wonder lol), I moved to Fresno(Mom side of the family mostly lives there) when I was roughly 9 months. Read more>> 

Sara Maraffino

I grew up in the lower Hudson Valley, an area known for its deep artistic roots and the kind of beauty that seems to hum with history. Just up the road was the well-known Penguin Rep Theatre, and nearby the Stony Point Center — a retreat for artists and thinkers. Read more>> 

Jason Cunningham

I was born and raised in Charleston, SC. At the tender age of 2, I and my (10 month old brother, at the time) were abandoned by our mom and dad at the time. We were left in a house, with no parental supervision of any sort, alone. It was very traumatizing. My grandparents adopted us and raised us. Read more>> 

Ana Mendez

I have always loved reading and had an over-active imagination for as long as I can remember. My childhood was categorized by reading anything and everything I could get my hands on and using toys and props around my house to make the stories in my brain come alive. Since at least the age of 5, I was a one-woman-show of writer/director/actor. Read more>> 

Gabi Hall

Her fairy tale began on September 28th, 1995, amidst the enchanting landscapes of Kauai and Maui, where she nurtured her dreams, wrote, created, and envisioned a life beyond the sea. Driven by a fervent ambition for a future in fashion, she boldly relocated to Los Angeles, California, at the tender age of seventeen, immersing herself in studies at FIDM. Read more>> 

Jordan Neman

House of Léon began as a response to today’s existing furniture market. It became apparent that affordable furniture companies were hardly innovating. Instead, they were buying existing pieces from manufacturers and branding the pieces as their own, or making iterations of designs based on popular (and tired) trends. Read more>> 

Nick Di Cola

As a kid moved from Carlsbad, CA where every one of my friends and teachers spoke Spanish to Rochester, NY where I noticed a strong accent in their English. That was the clearest start of my interest in languages and the way people sounded. I was enthralled with the idea of being able to sound like someone and somewhere else! Read more>> 

Matt de Gruyter

My journey to founding Next Level was anything but conventional. I started out as a US Marine before building a successful career in the oil and gas private equity industry. At that point in my life, I was eating up to 10 pounds of red meat a week, and I wouldn’t have even conceived of a vegan diet (heck, I couldn’t have even defined it!). Read more>> 

Sabrina Ozuna

I’ve been a professional hair and makeup artist for 17 years. I started in Northern California, doing theater productions, independent films, and fashion weeks — and even before I officially lived in Los Angeles, I would make the five-hour drive just to work on makeup jobs here. I always knew this is where I wanted to be. Read more>> 

Frank Wills

am a 41-year-old father of five beautiful daughters whose journey has been anything but easy. Born to a young mother and a father who struggled with addiction and prison time, I grew up surrounded by challenges that shaped much of my early life. Following in patterns I witnessed, I battled addiction for many years and experienced my own time behind bars. Read more>> 

Scharliina Eräpuro

My Name is Scharliina Eräpuro. I was born in Finland, but grew up in Sweden. As a young girl, I always loved singing, dancing, and playing the piano, so I started writing music at a very young age. At 13, I had already written my first English album, a collection of 13 heartfelt songs played on the piano.  Read more>> 

Alex Moreno

Writing has always been how I’ve processed life. There’s just too much piled up inside me otherwise. And I’ve always loved abstraction. In college I studied creative writing through short stories, but I loved to experiment in form. I consistently found myself writing poetry; it gave me the satisfaction of finishing. It’s always good during a longer project to have something more tangible to complete. Read more>> 

Cassandra Moselle

I’ve been telling stories for as long as I can remember. In first grade, I was writing plays during recess, casting my friends, and convincing our teacher to let us perform them. I didn’t know it then, but that was probably my first taste of producing — I just knew I loved creating something from nothing and watching it come alive with other people. Read more>> 

Dakota Whelchel

I started going to EDM festivals about eight years ago as a way to get over a bad breakup. At first, I actually disliked dubstep as a genre—until I heard it live for the first time at Escape Halloween 2017. From that moment, I fell in love with the EDM scene and the incredible community around it. Read more>> 

Truls Valen Aasland

I got my first DSLR, a Canon 750D, when I was around 14 or 15. I originally wanted it to take photos and film some sketches with a friend, but when I finally got it, I had no clue how it worked. That’s when I fell down the YouTube rabbit hole, learning everything I could about cameras and filmmaking. I got completely obsessed. Read more>> 

Amy Stargher

I was born in Rio de Janeiro and raised in Santa Teresa, right by the Christ, one of the most iconic places in my city and the world. I grew up studying in very strict, religious schools, but music found its way into my life in a funny way. Read more>> 

Sabih Shafi E.A

I started in the tax industry over 15 years ago, driven by a simple goal — to help people take back control of their finances and find real relief from overwhelming tax problems. Over the years, I’ve worked for some of the largest tax resolution firms in the country, as well as a boutique firm specializing in international artists, entertainers, and high-net-worth professionals. Read more>> 

Mario Capasa

Mario Capasa was born in Verona, Italy, in 1986, and grew up surrounded by design. His father, Mario Capasa Sr., founded Laboratorio Capasa in the 1980s near Verona, where he built bespoke seating systems for boutique hotels and private residences. Read more>> 

Meghan McGarry

I believe the most powerful work comes when artists bring their full humanity to their craft. It can feel risky to really show up, to be vulnerable, to live truthfully on stage or on camera—but that is what touches and moves an audience. That philosophy guides everything I do as an actor, coach, and collaborator. Read more>> 

Anita Lee

I’ve lived in Los Angeles almost 35 years and for most of those years I’ve worked in the Los Angeles theatre, independent film and music worlds. I studied acting, history and philosophy in college and screenwriting after graduation. Somehow I’ve always been surrounded by and collaborated with artists, filmmakers, musicians, actors…and writers. Read more>> 

Megan Hoelle

I grew up around flowers. My grandmother was an avid gardener and my mom always had flowers in the house. Flowers were stenciled on the walls, on the fabric of my bedspread and painted on the china we ate from. My grandmother’s favorite mug, the one she used every day I knew her, has mini pink carnations all over it. Read more>> 

Erica Tenaglia

It really started the first time I was on a film set — I was only four years old, in Argentina. I didn’t understand everything that was happening around me, but I remember the energy, the lights, the movement — and how magical it all felt. Something about that day stayed with me. Read more>> 

Soso Makaspak

I moved from Pennsylvania to Los Angeles in 2016 to get my doctorate in Russian Literature. I thought I’d gotten the urge to be creative out of my system, but it never went away! Read more>> 

Zach Liss

I started doing Stand Up Comedy my senior year of high school because I had always been a huge fan of it, and I felt like I was at a bit of a crossroads in my life. Read more>> 

Chuck Dransfield

Losing my job in the 2020 Pandemic lockdown proved to be a unique opportunity to dynamically reinvent my life. A renaissance of sorts where I could devote myself full time to the pursuit of.my dreams and goals that had been left on the back burner for decades. Read more>> 

Bow Wow Wow

Bow Wow Wow are an English new wave band, created by manager Malcolm McLaren in 1980 who also formed the Sex Pistols. McLaren recruited members of Adam and the Ants to form the band. They released their debut single ‘C30 C60 C90 Go!’ in 1980, followed by the first ever cassette EP ‘Your Cassette Pet’ later that year. Read more>> 

Mark Hengel

The two biggest influences who shaped me to the man I am today are my mother and father. My dad was a strong willed small business owner who did everything in his power to provide for our family. On the other hand, my mom was a music therapist in public schools, using the power of music to teach students who needed special education. Read more>> 

Shannon Lin

I used to be a flight attendant in Taiwan and thought I would live that lifestyle forever — traveling, meeting people, and exploring the world. But everything changed when I met my husband and decided to move to the U.S. after we had our son. Read more>> 

Paula Innocenti

Something Vintage Jewelry (SVJ) began with a single heirloom — a Henry Bogoff necklace passed down to me that sparked a lifelong fascination with the artistry of mid-century costume jewelry. Read more>> 

Kenyth Mogan

I was born and raised on the prairie in north-eastern Montana. I came to Los Angeles the day I finished my last college class – I didn’t even stay to walk for graduation. It was a week or so after my first book The Phoenix Chronicles: Awakenings was published, and I was eager to see what doors I could open in Los Angles. Read more>> 

Lea Buniyat

My story began in London, where I was studying and looking for a creative outlet that truly felt like me. At just 18, I started making handmade floral Christmas wreaths — simple at first, but filled with love and detail. Read more>> 

Allison Dayne

I grew up in Boise Idaho where my love for storytelling began early performing in school plays and writing scenes in my notebooks. Coming from a smaller city I had to create my own path into the industry which taught me resilience and how to build opportunities rather than wait for them. Read more>> 

Aklia Chinn

My shop/boutique has been here at 1515 N Cahuenga Blvd since 1997. I relocated here from a much smaller space in N Hollywood where I started my business in 1995. 2025 marked my 30th year in business. In 2006 I split the space and opened a hair salon, REHAB Salon which remains in business to this day. Read more>> 

Dr David James

I am a military veteran and started my professional life as a law enforcement officer with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Serving as a patrol officer, a crime scene investigator, a field training officer, a narcotics detective and a patrol sergeant, I saw people at their best and at their worst. This elicited deep compassion within as I understood that they all want to be happy.   After retiring from law enforcement, I attended both Episcopal and Roman Catholic seminaries. I hold a doctorate degree in clinical psychology and graduate degrees in spirituality and human development. Read more>>

Patrycia Canatan

In 1998, I took a leap and moved to New York, where I worked my way up through the hotel industry, eventually becoming a manager. That chapter laid the foundation for my next adventure. In 2013, I relocated to Los Angeles and had the privilege of opening several hotels. My most recent project was leading the launch of The Aster: Boutique Hotel & Members’ Club in Hollywood, a property that perfectly reflects my passion for creating welcoming and memorable spaces. Read more>>