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.

Angel Harper

She is a graduate of Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Radio and Television Production. As the first African American DJ at Cornell University (WVBR-FM), she learned her destination was to be Voice performer in the entertainment industry…even though she grew up a poor Cuban Black Jamaican in one of Harlem’s worst tenements. Read more>>

Jaclyn Fleming

I’m originally from Toronto, ON Canada. I began preforming, initially as a singer, but my heart was always with performing and acting. I began at The Second City and it just grew from there. I came out to LA for a showcase and I knew that I wanted to move here, so I worked towards it and here I am! Read more>>

Eduardo Cardoso

Without God, by his grace alone, I wouldn’t be where I am or who I am. I ‘ll give you the quick version tho… I started this crazy adventure, my professional life, when I joined the Marine Corps at 17. Two combat deployments to Afghanistan later, I decided it was time to try something else. I signed up for university and started personal training. Read more>>

Don Castor

Music has always been something otherworldly and deeply spiritual for me. As a child I was introduced to music at church and my father playing many genres of music from Julio Iglesias, the Carpenters, Lionel Richie to Beethoven. I would get lost in the music and escape all of the challenges I faced daily. Read more>>

Benjamin D’Aguilar

I played pro football and had to retire due to a myriad of injuries. I was hiding seizure like activity and it kept making me more and more tired to the point that I had to stop after having a 10 hour episode and wound up in hospital. No specialists or medical staff or anyone was able to help. Most of it made things worse. Read more>>

Omar Valenzuela

My journey with the piano began when I was just seven years old, encouraged by my dad who wanted me to practice regularly. Initially, playing the piano was more of an obligation, something my parents wanted for me. However, it didn’t take long before I developed a genuine passion for music. Read more>>

DENISSE AVILA

Unlike most working mystics, I won’t claim that I was anything special or gifted since birth. As a first-gen immigrant, I wasn’t the least bit interested in anything spiritual. I was more focused on ‘making it.’ It wasn’t until I had finished my undergrad and was studying for law school when I abruptly started having intensely powerful and yet extremely subtle experiences. Read more>>

Brittany Wagner

The self-deprecating part of me would say I sort of stumbled into filmmaking. I was the kid who wanted to do and be everything, according to my Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul journal: a fashion designer, interior decorator, artist, photographer, massage therapist, lawyer, journalist… basically everything except the writer and director of a documentary about the human cost of chronic pain. Read more>>

Ken Werther

I grew up in Newton, MA, just west of Boston. I’ve loved the theatre as far back as I can remember. From the time I was seven or eight years old my grandmother took me to see plays at Boston Children’s Theatre and my parents took me to my first musical (‘Dear World’ starring Angela Lansbury, prior to Broadway!) when I was 12. Read more>>

Bulut Gulen

started my musical journey at the age of 9 with a children’s choir and later received piano training in Eskişehir. After that, studied at Ankara State Conservatory for nine years as a full-time boarding student, completing my middle school, high school, and undergraduate education there. then continued my studies at Istanbul University State Conservatory, where I completed my classical trombone education. Read more>>

Ting Jiang

I launched TheraBox while I was working as a therapist and kept seeing the same pattern: women who were incredible at caring for everyone else, but rarely for themselves. At the same time, through my studies in neuroscience, I understood how small, repeatable habits can actually rewire the brain for more joy. The question became: How do we make those habits easy enough to stick? Read more>>

Naila Léa

All my life I’ve been dreaming about leaving my hometown Armenia and creating a life of my own, somewhere else, starting from scratch. It was 2013 and I was working at a regular job, then one day, I just couldn’t take it anymore, I felt like I didn’t belong.. Read more>>

Shawn Meaux

It all began with reupholstered vintage chair. After submitting a mid century, vintage chair that the owner had reupholstered for an Architectural Digest contest for creative use of fabrics in 2010, he won the international competition and Neo Vintage Decor was born. Read more>>

Daniielle Alexis

So I originally came to Hollywood from Australia on an entertainment Visa. My dreams have always been to be an actor but also just be in any creative realm. I became really close and best friends with the amazing celebrity makeup artist Erika La Pearl and was very close to Tokyo Stylez a celebrity hairstylist And throughout our friendship and bond. Read more>>

Joshua Pence

I am born and raised in Los Angeles, Santa Monica to be specific. I graduated from SaMoHi (as we like to call it!) in 2000. Growing up, the music program had the greatest impact on my life. Whether it was wind ensemble, orchestra, jazz band, marching band, quartets… you name it, I did. We had the most extraordinary teachers, from Mr. Lloyd, to Ms. Read more>>

Camarie Greenwald

When I first discovered hypnotherapy, I was actually training to become a court reporter, which is the person in the courtroom who takes down the verbatim testimony. I had been in school much longer than expected and, although I had graduated, I was struggling to pass the California Shorthand Reporters test. Read more>>

Kristofer Solberg

Like many of life’s mysteries, serendipity played a big part in how I landed in the luxury furniture business. I was in a professional transition when I first brushed up against the design world, having left one career behind, I was living in that uncertain space before leaping into the next thing without a net. Read more>>

Sophie Delaney

I was born and raised in Evanston, IL and honestly loved growing up there. I went to college at Marquette University, had a lot of fun, and wrote a few bad screen plays. Read more>>

German Anselmo

I always felt this pull to go somewhere else. Not because I hated where I was from — I just couldn’t sit still. I’ve always had that roaming feeling. My family moved a lot, I went to several different schools and lived in my fair share of small towns. I guess I learned early on how to adapt and how to leave things behind. Read more>>

Caroline Hallum

Before I even made the leap to New York City, I was actually discovered by a photographer who saw something in me and took some shots that ended up landing on a major label’s radar. They were interested in signing me to their brand, and that was the spark that inspired my move. Read more>>

Paris Dylan

That’s a big question with a not so clear answer, but I’ll try. I started in the film industry very hungry and took every opportunity I could find; from background work and student films to small on-set roles that taught me the fundamentals of the art and professionalism on set. Read more>>

Kassy Dieujuste

I’m a mother of four and the founder of a woman-owned design-build firm in the construction industry — a field that’s still very much male-dominated. I started my business from scratch, driven by a genuine love for architecture, buildings, and design. Even while managing life with multiple sclerosis, I’ve continued to build and grow my company. Read more>>

Andy Fiscella

The Dime was founded in 2003 by underground hip hop nightlife pioneer, Andy Fiscella, who had came up in that world in the 90’s in NYC, alongside icons Mark Ronson & Noah Tepperberg/Jason Strauss of the Tao Group. Andy moved to LA after 9/11 and opened The Dime, an old school hip hop/pop cocktail lounge, loved by locals & music lovers worldwide. Read more>>

Taylor Joos

Xposure World was created back in 2018 as a response to lack of coverage to the new emerging Rock artists coming from the Soundcloud era. The goal from the beginning was to create a brand that basically combined the concerts of Vans Warped Tour and the interviews and coverage of MTV from the 80’s, 90’s, and 00’s. Read more>>

Carina Yepremian

Sure, but buckle up—it’s a wild ride! I started as the kid who would rather draw on the back of math tests than solve the equations (my teachers weren’t amused, but my doodles were chef’s kiss). Fast forward, I found myself in advertising agencies, where I learned how to design under pressure—and by ‘pressure,’ I mean 3 AM deadlines fueled by caffeine and sheer panic. Read more>>

Lost Chameleon

I’m the creator of Lost Chameleon, a multimedia universe that blends music, animation, and storytelling. The project began as a way to channel my creativity, personal experiences, and the search for personal growth. Through Lost Chameleon, I’ve built a story that resonates deeply with people around the world, combining elements of sci-fi adventure with emotional depth. Read more>>

Shannon Hardy

After I graduated USC’s film school, I had bad break-up with a comic and started jogging like I was training for the Olympics. I was doing just that, listening to Beyonce’s ‘Love on Top’, and got hit by a car. It knocked me stupid, and I started doing stand up comedy. Read more>>

Leonid Andronov

I’ve been writing since childhood—short stories, poetry. Later, I decided to become a musician and devoted all my energy to that. I kept writing, but never really thought of it as a profession or even understood why I needed it. Only around the age of thirty, when my music career ended, I realized I wanted to write movies. Read more>>

Toya Cox

I had started of as a fine artist and musician, lost and unsure as to which direction I wanted to take for my own career. I found that most people around me had been confident on their dream jobs and aware of which paths they had wanted to take. Read more>>

Timothy Harun

My initial foray into performance art was through stage plays during my freshman year of college. After graduating with a degree in journalism I began doing stand-up comedy. Over the following years I traveled from Maryland to Oakland, eventually settling in LA where I’m currently based. While in Oakland I studied acting at a private studio in San Francisco. Read more>>

Jessica Jacoby

I like to say filmmaking runs in my family. My grandfather was Woody Allen’s cameraman, my mom’s a producer, and my dad was an assistant director — so I literally grew up on film sets. While other kids were in playgrounds, I was on set watching the monitors, listening to actors work, completely mesmerized by it all. Read more>>

Gina Brotsis

I grew up in a home impacted by chronic illness, I watched my mother battle cancer and my father diabetes while being handed endless prescriptions but few real answers. Even as a kid, I was put on unnecessary medications instead of being taught how to take care of my body. Read more>>

Yusuf The Gaza Guy

I’m Yusuf, the Gaza Guy. An LA handyman. I was born in Gaza, Palestine where I began working in construction at 5 years old. My family ran a concrete block manufacturing business in which I assisted in shaping and building various sizes of concrete blocks. At the age of 11, I worked as a masonry foreman laborer, focusing on brick and concrete projects. Read more>>

Lizzy and Miranda Christman and Nuetzman

We met while taking dance lessons together in LA, but our paths to pole dance and performance were very different. Miranda is a retired stripper and sex worker, and she had taken up pole dancing lessons as a way to hone and perfect the craft she had developed working in clubs. Read more>>

Keaton Ross

How did I go from living on a couch, sending endless applications and calling my mother in tears, to working on set as a location manager, on some of Hollywood’s biggest productions? Read more>>

Darienne Savoy

I grew up in Waldorf, Maryland, which is a small town area about an hour from Baltimore! For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved creating art, specifically performance art. I would always write mini skits and put on shows in my basement with my dad, riding my bike around the neighborhood to pass out invitations. Read more>>

Jashaan Gill

My journey has never followed a straightforward path in terms of starting in Fashion School. From early on, I was drawn to creating with my hands, and that curiosity led me to sewing—something my teachers dismissed, saying, “Boys don’t sew.” Instead of putting me off, those words fueled me. But despite that fire, the road ahead was never simple. Read more>>

Gary Goldstein

Well, I began my career as a movie publicist but at one point moved into screenwriting. I started off writing episodic TV, branched out into screenplays and stage plays, added TV movies to the mix and then, more recently, wrote several novels. I’ve enjoyed a really varied and satisfying writing career. Read more>>

Chad Post

From the time I was little I was infatuated by music. My mom would constantly have music on in the 90s in her mini van. Usually some power ballads of the sorts. I had a burning desire to be in the singing spotlight at that time, without having a name for it–just a feeling. When I was about 10, I began taking singing lessons. Read more>>

Alicia Martin

Hair has always been a part of my life and my family’s legacy. I began styling hair at just ten years old, inspired by my grandmother, great-grandmother, and sister — all talented hairstylists. Read more>>

Demetri Thomas

Well, I’ve been singing since the age of two. But seriously, I started as a child actor in commercials and television. After the death of my Father from Lung Cancer at age 10, my mother got me involved with music and voice lessons with renowned voice coach, Richard Loring, who worked with a lot of the old greats like Johnny Matthis. Read more>>

Dan Winter

My first memory in my life is my Dad showing me a card trick. I have been interested in magic and all things related to magic ever since. Growing up in the suburbs of Boston, I spent most of my childhood reading magic books, watching youtube videos about magic, and performing for friends and family. Read more>>

Jantana Hennard

I began my career in Montreal at Moment Factory, creating immersive experiences that blended light, motion, and storytelling. It taught me how design could move beyond screens and become emotional and spatial. In 2022 I moved to Los Angeles, drawn by its mix of cinema, technology, and creative energy. It was both exciting and disorienting to start over, but LA quickly felt like home. Read more>>

Viktorija Faith

My Story – Viktorija Faith I started my creative journey in music, long before I knew it would lead me to film. Growing up between cultures, music became my language — the way I learned to connect, heal, and dream. Read more>>

Anastasia Andreani

When I first started Vizio Makeup Academy, I honestly had no background in makeup or the beauty industry. I just had a big dream — to help people express themselves through art and creativity. What began as a small idea slowly grew into something much bigger than I could’ve ever imagined. Read more>>

Mario Díaz

I’ve always loved telling stories. At first, I did it by drawing comics, and when I was 10 years old, I started using my mom’s camcorder to shoot short films with my friends as the main actors. Film directing and Hollywood were always on my mind. Madrid, Spain is where I grew up. Read more>>

Eden Gamliel

When I was 14, I found out about voice acting and I just knew it was what I wanted to do. I found a class in a studio and convinced my parents to sign me up. Read more>>

Andrea Cagan

When I was in elementary school, I had a little red cane chair in my bedroom where I loved to sit and write. I never stopped writing and it became my go to method for calming my nerves. I went away to a ballet boarding school when I was fourteen and I wrote every morning before I went to class. Read more>>

Mayuko Watson

I began my career interning for a commercial animation studio straight out of high school. At the end of my internship I was offered a full-time role that I declined in favor of pursuing a full ride scholarship to Laguna College of Art & Design. After my sophomore year, I was offered a job as a character designer on The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish, a series I am proud to say was nominated for an Emmy. I’ve been working in animation for over six years now and am currently back in commercial animation! Read more>>

Noor Lucero Abou Khatar

The first time I saw a baby born, I was nineteen. My fascination with birth and pregnancy began much earlier—when I was thirteen and eagerly anticipating my brother’s arrival. I read every book I could find and prepared more than my mother did, but his birth ended in an emergency cesarean. Since then, I had been seeking a redemptive experience, which I finally found years later when I served as my friend’s very unofficial “doula.” Read more>>