Portraits of the Valley

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 the Valley.

Curtis McGann

I got into acting and filmmaking in a way that still feels a little surreal to me. I didn’t grow up planning to be an actor; I actually thought I was going be in the military. But, I started making films with friends in high school and then followed it up with a play. Read more>>

Dr. Azita Sayan

I was born & raised in Tehran, Iran in a Jewish family. Growing up I was hurt by the religious and gender inequalities & prejudice I experienced. My parents chose to send me to Europe & then USA to provide me with opportunities for equality and freedom from persecution and abuse. In the my boarding school I was date raped. Read more>>

Tyler Corcoran

I’m originally from Lancaster, CA and at 15 years old decided to set out on my own. Running from unresolved feelings of resentment, anger and hurt I wanted to get away from my family, authority and home life. I slept mostly in abandoned cars and unoccupied houses before falling in with a local clique and committing petty crime. Read more>>

Vincent Collyer

My photography and graphic design journey started back in elementary and high school, making flyers and art on Microsoft Paint. I’m sure not many people even know what that is nowadays, but it was my introduction to any kind of creative outlet. Whether it was making magazine covers or designing iron-on shirts for my friends’ bands, each project was challenging yet fun. Read more>>

Jasmine Romero

I graduated from FIDM in 2000 and spent the next 18 years working as a fashion designer across multiple categories, including junior apparel, kids, missy, plus-size, women’s dresses, and sportswear. Over the years, I worked my way from associate roles into senior and head designer positions, gaining deep experience in fit, fabric, construction, and the full design process. Read more>>

Bharti Trivedi

My journey into fiber art wasn’t planned — it unfolded slowly, almost quietly, the way some of the best things in life do. I’ve always been a creative person, even when I didn’t know what “being an artist” really meant for me. Read more>>

Isis Avalos-Perez

I am a Mother, Mexican American dance artist, choreographer, educator, and cultural worker. I grew up on the South Texas border in Brownsville, where dance first entered my life through cumbias, norteño, and banda—music that shaped my earliest relationship to movement. Alongside these cultural rhythms, I trained in local studios, experiences I credit deeply to the Ballerina School of Dance and Brownsville Dance Center. Read more>>

Indigenous Cats

We are an Underground Hip Hop Duo known as Indigenous Cats, also know as Calmplx and INA. We have been making music together since 2018. We actually grew up in the same town and went the same high school but it wasn’t till after high school that our lives began to merge. Read more>>

Adam Benson

I had a weird and a-typical intro into the film industry. It started when I was trying to be a professional musician. My early work with Photoshop and Corel Draw to make band fliers started getting me local print ad jobs and work with other bands – all freelance stuff. Read more>>

indu Ramasubramaniyan

I was born and raised in Madurai, a small town in southern India where classical music and dance were part of everyday life. Growing up in that environment, I didn’t realize how much the traditional way of learning art and culture would influence my future. Alongside my sister, I performed Carnatic music while completing my bachelor’s degree in engineering. Read more>>

Thomas Silvera

I was born and raised in the Bronx, and my story begins long before advocacy or legislation ever entered my life. My twin brother and I were preemie babies, arriving in the world already fighting. We both suffered from severe asthma, and much of our early childhood was spent cycling in and out of hospitals, learning firsthand what it means to struggle for every breath. Read more>>

Lila Mary

Being a published author has always been my dream! I largely taught myself to write creatively from online blogs and creators during high school, and started exploring the fantasy genre with queer characters as a centerpiece. Read more>>

Idan Smadga

My name is Idan, and my journey in the beauty and wellness world began with a passion for helping people feel confident in their own skin. I didn’t start with a big operation ,it was just me, my vision, and a dedication to detail, results, and genuine care. I opened my first location in San Francisco, where I worked hands-on with every client. Read more>>

Marjo Riikka Makela

I grew up in a small lakeside town in Finland, where ballet and horseback riding were my first loves. While I love the quiet pace of nature, I always dreamed of warm weather, sunlight, vibrant wildlife, and a bigger world—dreams that eventually led me to build a life and career across USA and Europe. Read more>>

Andrea Csabai

It was storytelling in its purest, allowing people to ask questions and receive answers, connecting generations through shared experiences. It was revolutionary and deeply human. Eventually, I moved to StoryFile where we opened this technology up to new kinds of human stories. Our work continues to center on authentic conversations with real people for museums and institutions while introducing generative elements to meet the needs of new audiences. Read more>>

JoJo Centineo

My job is to emotionally undress the artist — to pull off every layer that isn’t real so what’s left is the truth. The microphone is basically a camera that captures sound instead of images, and I want it to capture who they really are. I produce by putting a mirror in front of the artist, figuratively. I keep moving that mirror, shifting it, adjusting it — until they finally see themselves. Not the version they think they have to be, but the version that’s the most honest, the most vulnerable, the most them. That’s what I want the mic to record. Their real self. Their soul showing. Read more>>

J’ Atelier9 ™️

J’ Atelier9 ™️ is colored by impact, from merging the interconnectedness of the world through awareness, voicing society’s sensationalism of media, global discourse, planet preservation, political divide, glorification of materialism, complex emotions, parallels and facets of duplicity.. Read more>>