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.

Nia Raasikh

I work at an entertainment agency and have been privileged to help produce campaigns for <i>Sinners</i>, <i>Oppenheimer</i>, <i>Barbie</i>, and more. But right now, I’m most excited and proud of <i>Girl Dinner.</i> Co-directing this with my friend Anika and writing alongside our co-writer Javier is a rewarding experience. There’s something special about building a project from the ground up and seeing it materialize. I’m so pumped to shoot this winter and can’t wait to bring characters who have lived in my head for years to life. Read more>>

Brooke Dulien

I was born in Los Angeles, raised in Newport Beach, and still call LA home. I’ve fallen into every career I’ve ever had by pure chance. It all started when I drove a friend to the airport for a styling job and ended up assisting him on set. Read more>>

Carlos Lapin

Hi guys! I’m Carlos Lapin, an italian artist! I started my project a few years ago with the goal of keeping track of my emotions through music. My approach to songwriting has always been like keeping a personal diary — a way to express myself and let go of what I needed to release. Read more>>

Sanja Zdjelar

I began playing the violin as a child, captivated by its ability to speak without words. My journey has taken me through years of study, performance, and collaboration across many styles and stages. Today, I continue to explore the violin’s voice — always seeking new ways to connect, express, and share the beauty of music. Read more>>

Elisa Jordana

I was experimenting with different formats on YouTube until I found IRL and I really was attracted to that because it was so open for creativity. I like that you can do whatever you want with it and it’s not limited to interviewing one person each show like a traditional podcast is. Read more>>

Chris Barazandeh

My name is Chris Barazandeh. I was born in Montreal, but I grew up in Toronto. Growing up there taught me a lot about hustle and resilience — it’s a city full of competition and opportunity, but also a place where you can easily get stuck in routine. Read more>>

ELIZABETH MCIRVIN

I started massage therapy when I was 18. I’m 34 now — that’s basically half my life spent helping other people feel human again. I’ve been through a lot of different phases in all that time — good jobs, bad jobs, weird spa stories, and a few moments that completely changed how I see people. Read more>>

Robert Brown

I’ve always had a passion for films and storytelling. Growing up in New York, I had a vivid imagination that sometimes got me into trouble, so my mom started putting me into after-school programs that’s where I first discovered acting. When we moved to Jacksonville, Florida, she enrolled me in a tech school, which only fueled my curiosity further. Read more>>

Jamie Black

I’ve been a fan of comedy since I was a kid. Carol Burnett was a huge influence! Flip Wilson. Laugh-In. Phyllis Diller. I know I’m really dating myself! But I just loved to laugh! I remember when I was about 13 and I was thinking of becoming a standup comedian, but I didn’t have confidence that I could make people that I don’t know, laugh. Read more>>

Phillip Wheeler

I started acting in High School. I was in a Computer Science class and the girl I had a crush on at the time asked me to audition for a show that she was doing with a local community theater. Nothing ever happened with the girl but I did get bit by the acting bug. Read more>>

Jackson Mancuso

Raised in Los Angeles, I’ve always been fond of the themed environments you can find across the city. When I was little I loved the local theme parks and the way they literally took you away from the real world. Read more>>

Gene Copley

Well it will started when I was a kid around 9 I was interested in music but still not sure of what I wanted to play so my brother took me to go see led zeppelin in 1977 and after I seen John Bonham play the solo to moby dick. I was hooked. Read more>>

Leah Cordova

When I was 17 and had just graduated high school, I was looking for a job before starting college and got hired as a lifeguard at the YMCA. That’s where I first learned to teach swim lessons, and I continued working at a YMCA throughout college, taking early morning shifts before classes. Read more>>

Charlene Lanzel

All of my life, all I ever wanted to be was an artist… I started drawing and painting at my kindergarten easel. Both of my parents were artistic, and guided me to draw and paint. I also loved watching short animation films, shown on PBS. Read more>>

Simonetta Lein

I started with a dream — to use my voice and creativity to make a positive impact. Coming from Italy, I built my career step by step, first as a model and writer, then as a social media personality using my platform to empower others. Read more>>

Tad Tobey

I was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. I am the youngest of 8 children so you can imagine how difficult it might be to cut my own path through the woods of life. I have always been drawn to language and acting- perhaps in an effort to make myself be seen and heard.amidst the mania that was my family. Read more>>

Su Hananel

Well, it’s been a crazy, unexpected journey. I started out as an actress when I was 17. I was in university and had an amazing acting teacher who became my mentor, Leonardo Torres Vilar. He had studied in New York at the AADA and won several important theater awards — and that’s basically where I began: theater. Read more>>

Magaly Barajas

I first got into photography back in high school. At that time, I was convinced I wanted to be a photojournalist. I was obsessed with the stories those photos told, so I went on to major in photojournalism. That same year I got my first camera and haven’t put it down ever since. Read more>>

Valerie Ma

Growing up in Hong Kong, almost every kid had to learn an instrument. My mother put me in piano lessons since I was 4, and I started to learn the violin when I was 6, out of pure enthusiasm – I even had a toy violin to prove to my parents that I was fully committed to learning the instrument. Read more>>

Benjamin Carlton

I usually tell people my story starts in Philadelphia, but the truth is it starts in the minds and hearts of the folks who raised me. My mother, Gilda, believed education was both a shield and a launchpad. My Aunt Lana Felton-Ghee the general of Philadelphia taught me how to stand tall in any room. Read more>>

Pauli Camou

Pauli Camou is a singer-songwriter and composer originally from Hermosillo, Sonora, and a graduate of Berklee College of Music. She has shared the stage with artists such as Aída Cuevas and Daymé Arocena, participated on a musical video with Natalia Lafourcade, and collaborated with Javier Limón for Sony Music Entertainment. Read more>>

Dan Ramm

A chance meeting with the actor Joe Mantegna in 1999 changed my life. At the time I was in the home improvement business, and I had received a call from his wife, Arlene, to look at an issue at their home and give them an estimate for repairs. Read more>>

Jay Stargaard

My journey as an artist started with a deep curiosity about life, consciousness, and the love that surrounds us, even when we can’t always see it. From a very young age, I experienced mystical moments that showed me there was far more available to life than I had been taught, moments of connection and wonder that left me questioning, exploring, and seeking. Read more>>

Robby Delwarte

Robby Delwarte’s journey into real estate began with family. Raised by his mother, a dedicated single mom and veteran of the industry for over 20 years, Robby was exposed to the business early on. After losing his father at three, his mother became his greatest role model, showing him through example what hard work, integrity, and perseverance truly mean. Read more>>

Stephan Jacobs

I’ve always lived between worlds — creativity and technology, emotion and innovation. I grew up obsessed with sound and electronics, tinkering with music software as a teenager and DJing on vinyl before I could get into clubs legally. Eventually I moved to Los Angeles, fell in love with the underground scene, and started building a life around music, community, and immersive art. Read more>>

Greg Tally Halle Capone

HALLE: I’ve always seen life as a kind of cinema…a mixture of unscripted sometimes brutal, sometimes breathtaking moments. My path began with writing, and curiosity about what makes people tick. When Greg and I met, our creative orbits collided in the best possible way. We started writing, producing. Laughing through the chaos, and calling it work. Yes, it’s a production house. Read more>>

Ewelina Zawada

First of all, thank you so much for having me — it’s such a pleasure to share my story with your readers again. Honestly, I’m not sure I can give you a brief version of it. I’ve been working on my craft professionally since I graduated high school. Read more>>

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>>