Highlighting Local Gems

Over the past decade we have had the chance to learn about so many incredible folks from a wide range of industries and backgrounds and our highlighter series is designed to give us an opportunity to go deeper into their stories with to goal of understanding them, their thought process, how their values formed and the foundations of their stories. Check out some incredible folks below – many of whom you may have read about already and a few new names as well.

Nikolas Ilic

For me it’s when I start my day by sitting down with a cup of coffee and start drawing. It’s such a great feeling when you lose track of time and enter that flow state of creativity. To me that’s when I know I love what I do. Read more >>>

Anthony James

Any time I seem to sit down in front of a piano, it feels like a time out from everything happening around me. Can’t really make sense of why that is, but I’m grateful for those moments and that special connection. Read more >>>

Empress Varnado

Melinda: Absolutely. God has been my number one listener. I started freelancing back in 2022, and I would have never chosen that route. I felt I needed to know more people in my network to sustain a life doing it. Every time I thought I would run out of money and have to move back to Alabama, I spoke to God. Read more >>>

Easy Prophyt

Yes, with my latest album it took me 3 yrs to complete it because I wanted to get it right and be able to give the best possible art I could share Read more >>>

Nick Mason

All the time. I am always looking for the next achievement, to climb the next rung on the ladder. I’ve had many goals over the years, and have been fortunate to accomplish the vast majority of them. Perform for sold out crowds at arenas, grace stages my hero’s have stepped foot on, traveled to far away countries. Read more >>>

Calixte

Have I stood up for someone when it caused me something. I would say absolutely I took care of my best friend/manager while he was fighting brain cancer and he was able to beat it. Read more >>>

Sasha Marie Speer

For me, the difference lies in intention and impact. Fads tend to live on the surface—they move fast, chase attention, and often fade as quickly as they appear. Foundational shifts, on the other hand, move through the body and the collective in a deeper way. They change how we think, how we relate, and ultimately, how we see each other. Read more >>>

Wil Cohen

Truth be told I don’t really worry about the two. My photography should be strong enough that I don’t need the crutch of a fad. I work hard to hone the craft and believe it should do the heavy lifting for me. Read more >>>

Tucker Wooley

I actually talked about this in a characteristically all over the place video essay one time, it’s something I wanna talk about more so maybe this is my practice run. Read more >>>

Odd Blazin

Art makes us immortal in a sense. As long as the collective consciousness is aware of the existence of what I made, I’m here. Read more >>>

Johnathan LeeLann

A vessel of God. A man of integrity, of love, compassion, and kindness. a leader, a brother, a son. Whatever God needs me to be in that moment. Read more >>>

Eric Daniel

In life, we must keep moving. We must continue to strive for more and always remain vigilant. This is what I remind myself of on a daily basis, because if I do not think this way complacency will be sure to follow. I will remain inspired by the people around me, the WORLD around me. Read more >>>

Rapha Bola

I believe that Jesus Christ is as real as you and me — to whoever is reading this. For a long time, I thought I had a personal relationship with Him, but I’ve come to realize it’s something deeper than I understood before. I can’t prove anything to anyone; I can only share my thoughts and testimony. Read more >>>

NOITE

I think others, including myself, are most often secretly struggling with their insecurities, which is coming from the way in which their mind speaks to them, and what ultimately is an extension of their fears. I see it in the way they speak, in the way they react, and in the way they act. Read more >>>

Gabriel Ray

Unworthiness. I believe many people are silently carrying the weight of not feeling ‘enough.’ Not smart enough, not beautiful enough, not successful enough, not lovable enough. And it doesn’t matter how accomplished or put-together someone may look on the outside unworthiness is a quiet, persistent ache that hides behind curated smiles and well-rehearsed confidence. Read more >>>

Jorge V. Gonzalez

I want people to know and remember that I was committed to God’s plan for my life. I believed in His purpose for me, and I walked in faith no matter the struggle. Read more >>>

Jaden Kim

Nothing in life happens “to you”. Everything in life happens BECAUSE of you. The world you experience is a direct reflection of your inner world, so it doesn’t really make sense to get upset at outside circumstances because you literally invited them in with your energy. Read more >>>

Mikayla De Peralta

The “light” I’ve been dimming is my full creative potential. While jewelry-making is one outlet I’ve held onto—partly because it brings in income—it’s only a fraction of what I know I’m capable of expressing. I have so many other creative ideas, skills, and passions that are constantly simmering beneath the surface, waiting for time, space, and permission to breathe. Read more >>>

Jeehan Quijano

My belief in the goodness of humanity is becoming frail. Excessive greed, violence, divisiveness and hate are rampant. I recently became a victim of hate crime, and that experience has shaken that belief. Read more >>>

Kristen Pileri

I’ve been struggling to face the possibility that the career I’ve spent my whole life training for—storyboarding—might not have the future I hoped for. I love animation. I miss being part of it. But with AI, outsourcing, and studios slashing budgets or canceling projects left and right, it feels like the industry is slipping away. Read more >>>

Prairie T. Trivuth

Treating everyone with fairness and equality. This is something that shifted in me ever since I moved out of a more conservative and hiearchical society to LA. There is only one truth now that is universal- artists are workers and workers create the art. Working as an artist and a designer, the only ideal structure of relationship to have is equality. Read more >>>

Chad McIntyre

I was naïve to think that there was only good and bad people in the world. They’re just bad and worse people. Read more >>>

Ashley LaRae

Failure is inevitable. It’s your perception of failure that determines who you become. Recently, I experienced one of the hardest moments in my career. Afterwards, I realized I am never going to give up the pursuits of my heart. So instead I decided to journal where I started taking wrong turns, so that I could create a road map to my success. Read more >>>

Sunny Tripathy

The business can have a funny way of bringing people into your life, especially on the heels of success. But, for me, the greatest teacher was the way in which people both left –and showed up– in my greatest failures. When I was younger, I was easily convinced that my heat was a reflection of my worth. But heat comes and goes. Read more >>>

Emily Celis

It surprises and delights me every day that our clients show up to do the very personal and challenging work of getting vulnerable with themselves and the relationships they hold most dear by talking about it in therapy sessions and uncovering what’s not working or feeling right in their lives. Read more >>>

Ashkhen Minasyan

How deeply flowers speak for people. Many of my clients are women leaders who order not just for beauty, but to celebrate teams, comfort friends, or mark wins. They value punctuality, privacy, and thoughtful design more than perfection. A bouquet isn’t décor—it’s a message, and our job at AY Flowers is to translate it clearly. Read more >>>

Daniel Jerez

I have been incredibly fortunate in finding a wife that has changed my life in ways I can’t even understand at times. All I know is that I cannot imagine my life without her. The two beautiful little girls that we have as a result of our marriage fills my life with more joy and pure happiness than I ever thought possible. Read more >>>

Gerri Dolores Marshall

I have felt most deeply loved and understood by my mother—always. Even when I didn’t fully grasp her tough love, I knew it came from a place of fierce protection and unwavering belief in me. As an immigrant from Mexico, she shaped my values, my resilience, and ultimately my path as an immigration attorney. Her sacrifices and strength are the foundation of everything I’ve built. Read more >>>

Mario Corona

I was 4 when a cub lion attacked me. I was scared, crying desperately. Read more >>>

Joaquin Camilo

I think a lot of smart people are getting it wrong by assuming we’ll choose technology over humanity. Right now, we’re in a kind of digital hypnosis, where we’re influenced to believe technology is the solution to all of humanity’s problems. Sure, it can make certain things more efficient, but it doesn’t address the deeper spiritual and social vacancy so many people are struggling with. Read more >>>