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.

Austyn Davis

My journey into spirituality really took root into something more than a personal practice around five years ago. And honestly, it was a slow transition filled with trepidation, worry, fear of making mistakes, but most of all an unwavering sense of wanting to contribute to the world in a meaningful way. Looking back, spirituality has been an undercurrent of my life for a long time. Read more>>

Shelby Wright

I’ve always been a very creative person and certainly had an imaginative & interesting mind growing up. Ever sense I was ity bity I would watch lots of movies with my family, and about three times a week I would go to the movie theater and feel like the best version of myself. Read more>>

Aymen ifanguer

Aymen Ifanguer is a Moroccan filmmaker, actor, and music producer. His passion for cinema started in childhood, when he would spend hours watching films and dreaming of telling his own stories one day. He first pursued acting, but when opportunities were scarce, he decided to create his own path by learning filmmaking and producing projects independently. Read more>>

John Heintz

My beginnings in music started around the age of 7 or 8 when I asked my parents for a guitar and some lessons. I think the inspiration was seeing some kids in my catholic elementary school playing at mass and thought that had to be better than sitting through church in the congregation. And so it began. I played music up until I was 16. Read more>>

Leah Vairo

I was born and raised in British Columbia, Canada, surrounded by nature and creativity. While I was in college, I begged my parents to let me attend makeup artistry school on evenings and weekends and that’s really where my love affair with beauty began. Around the same time, I was discovered at a coffee shop and started modeling. Traveling for work completely expanded my worldview. Read more>>

Jose Maldonado

Jose “The Panda” Maldonado — My Story My name is Jose Maldonado, but most people know me as Jose the Panda. I’m a DJ, music producer, radio host, and community mentor from the San Fernando Valley. My path hasn’t been easy or perfect, but it’s real — and it’s built on music, hustle, and the people who believed in me. Read more>>

Emiko Nakagawa

I stared jazz, theater, tap, and hiphop at the age of 4, and went on to further develop her tap artistry with Yukiko “Smilie” Misumi’s mentorship at the age of 8, and I served as dance captain on various stages, including ARTN Company’s solo “Legends of Tap” series, and “Tokyo International Tap Festival”from 2015 to 2020 in Japan. Read more>>

Bryn Schneider

My story really starts with the environment I grew up in. I was surrounded by real estate and construction from an early age, watching my dad build homes and develop neighborhoods in Lexington, KY and surrounding areas. I absorbed so much just by being around it. Read more>>

Kay RocknRoll Brown

My story really starts in Manhattan, where I was born tiny enough to fit in a palm. My family moved to Texas early on, and at just three years old, I lost my father. That loss shaped a lot of my childhood. I struggled with depression and uncertainty, but I always found comfort in creativity — drawing, writing, fashion, and makeup. Read more>>

Craig Parker Adams

I actually have my own term for my or one’s life’s story or journey and that is, Vistahle Buel , ( Vis- tah-le ( think trolly or ollie ) Buel ( sounds like fuel ) Vistahle Buel. See! Rolls right off the tongue. Ha! Read more>>

Anette Sharvit

We started off as an interior designers and early on decided to get our contractors license, When we realized that contractors were constantly telling us that we couldn’t do the things we wanted to do and that ‘we needed to be realistic’ we decided to pave our own path. Read more>>

Maud Simmons

I am a fine artist, a painter. I attended the Rhode Island School of Design before moving to Los Angeles to pursue an interesting career in my field. I painted billboards for many years, then went on to residential murals, loving work on a large scale. Read more>>

Zane Farmer

I grew up in a small town in Virginia, bordered by the Blue Ridge Mountains, where my local movie theater was the pathway to stories beyond my own. I believe I can speak for many when I say these early experiences in the cinema, watching tales of love and adventure, expanded my sense of what the world had to offer. Read more>>

Sasha Gustafson

My story began in 2008 in Santa Barbara, CA. I was finishing up my BA in Psychology at UCSB, living with my boyfriend (now husband) in our first apartment together. I was so excited living with my dude, learning how to cook amazing meals together. That slowly led to exploring what fun and creative desserts we could make. Read more>>

Sarah Markus

My name is Sarah Markus, I am born and raised in Los Angeles, and my journey to where I am at currently was unexpected. I was a theatre kid in high school, I was in every musical and play I could do and I was a part of 2 choirs. Read more>>

Alex Henry

I started acting at the age of eight. I was part of a talent school growing up and performed in several plays, commercials, and TV shows as a kid. Eventually, I moved to the United States to study film and build my career in the entertainment industry, and that journey led me to founding my own production company, Young Dragon Studio. Read more>>

Iago Rodriguez Paulino

Sure! So, I was born in Spain in 2003, and my musical journey actually started really early. I was only three yeras old when I picked up a classical guitar for the first time. From there, music just kind of took over my life. Read more>>

Isabella Serra

KB STUDIO was curated by Bella and her business partner, Kacey, in 2021 with a shared vision to channel their creative nature into a brand that delivers luxury candles for both men and women at a reasonable price. The brand launched with its first line, The Equinox Collection, featuring unique popsicle intention candles that blend artistry with purpose. Read more>>

Mr. ANASS LAKHDARI

First of all, I would love to express my special thanks to the Creator for allowing me to live until this wonderful day in my life. I am really blessed once again to have another day in my life. It is always a blessing to have another joyful day and another precious chance. Read more>>

Yifan Du

I graduated from the Academy of Art University in 2018 with a major in Motion Picture and Television, after which I moved to Los Angeles. My first position was as an assistant to the CEO of a film distribution company, and later I transitioned to working in the production department at a television station. Read more>>

Vlad Alexandrov

I’m an American-based actor with Russian and Montenegrin roots — a multilingual performer, stand-up comedian, language coach, interpreter, and hyper-polyglot who speaks more than 18 languages. A fierce believer in big dreams, I bring a uniquely international identity, dozens of accents, and emotional depth to every role I take on. Read more>>

Michael Pantozzi

There’s a book by the mathematician Leonard Mlodinow called ‘The Drunkard’s Walk,’ and that about sums it up. It’s been a bit of a rambling, peripatetic go of it. Or at least it’s felt that way. Read more>>

Gustaf Baavhammar

I grew up in the Swedish countryside, far from Hollywood and far from the idea of producing films. My childhood was shaped by creativity. I spent countless hours making videos, producing music and editing gaming content, which eventually led to my first real production project. Read more>>

KENNSIX

I was born in a small town in Greece that always felt too small for my imagination. As a kid, I lived between two worlds — the real one, and the one I created in my head. I spent hours watching sci-fi and horror movies, not because they scared me, but because they felt like home. They were my escape — and eventually, my inspiration. Read more>>

Brenner farr

I grew up in Olympia Washington. I grew up as a sports kid, but quickly fell in love with Theater in seventh grade. When my best friend convince me to do the school play. I had a background in gymnastics and of course they loved having me be able to do tricks. Read more>>

Bless Mazarura

My fashion journey started as a young child sitting next to my mother sewing deep in the rural mountains of Zimbabwe. She would sew on a manual vintage sewing machine and I would sit next to her observing her take fabric and thread and turn it into clothing. Read more>>

Ashton Hammer

I started writing music when i was 15 years old. I grew up in a household where we dealt with a lot of mental health issues. My mom had bi polar and that came with a lot of challenges so ultimately i turned to writing music more as a journal or a way to express myself. Read more>>

Peter Coleman

I’m an LA based guitarist working as a hired gun for different bands while working on my own solo project. I’m originally from Guilford Indiana and moved out to LA in 2023 for school. I attended Musicians Institute for guitar/ guitar performance and am graduating in December! I’ve had so much experience with my instrument the past 2 years too! Read more>>

Destiny Mounce

I discovered my love for acting through theater. I was cast as Veruca Salt in Willy Wonka Jr in the 7th grade. That was my debut, if you’ll say. That changed everything. To my peers, I was probably taking it way too seriously. To me, it was an awakening. The first place I felt like myself. Even if I was playing somebody else. Read more>>

Rachel Koren

I first discovered the power of great hair when I began my career as a professional model and makeup artist. Later, I met my friend Melissa, a Beverly Hills stylist, and we quickly connected over our shared industry experiences, our passion for hair, and a mutual drive to build something of our own. In 2013, we launched Cashmere Hair in Beverly Hills. Read more>>

Giscard NDJOGOU NGUISAMBA

My name is Giscard Ndjogou Nguisamba, and I am a journalist, author, spoken-word artist, and social-impact entrepreneur. My journey began in Gabon, Cameroun, where I developed a strong desire to give a voice to people whose stories are often overlooked. I started as a columnist and field reporter, eventually becoming one of the most active young journalists of my generation. Read more>>

Peachanda DuBose

My struggles have varied from extreme periods of homelessness, my strong convictions regarding social issues, in a world (where difference of insight) is not allowed or supported…to industry gatekeeping, mainstream dominance and the over saturation of independent filmmakers, with substandard quality and mass production. Read more>>

Arie Guo

I’m thankful that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse came out at that time. The film showed me the new possibilities in animation with its groundbreaking visuals, and the artists who worked on this film showed their passion for art as well, which reignited my passion for pursuing artistic dreams in the animation industry. Read more>>