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.

Georgina Elizabeth Okon

I distinctly remember my father telling me at the age of three, “Georgina, you were born in the UK, and you are going to go back.” THAT sentence stayed with me. As a child growing up in Nigeria, I knew that one day I would return to the UK. Read more>>

Dontrell Griffin

I was born in Detroit, Michigan and raised by my mom with my siblings. Every summer I’d come to California, Panorama City specifically, to visit my grandma and great grandma. We went to church every Sunday in Pacoima, and even back then when people asked what I wanted to be, my answer never changed. I wanted to be an actor like Denzel Washington & Will Smith. I didn’t know how I’d get there, but I knew that was it for me. Read more>>

Alfonso Buitrago-Jimenez

Alfonso is an International Associate member of the AIA with a degree in Architecture from Universidad del Valle, Cali-Colombia, with studies at California State University, Long Beach CSULB, and University of California Los Angeles UCLA . From a young age, he has been interested in the endless possibilities that Art and Architecture have to offer. Read more>>

Sebastian & Kay Rizzi

Elemental Hardware Enrichment started pretty accidentally. Sebastian, my husband and co-founder, comes from a finish carpentry and skilled trades background, and I’ve spent most of my career working in early-stage companies helping build and scale systems and teams from the ground up. Read more>>

Danielle Maddox

I like to say my career found me when I was a teenager—but technically, it started much earlier. I did some kid modeling for our local Gyro King and entered a pageant at age six. From what I’m told, I came in last place mostly because I was so shy and inexperienced. Read more>>

Ayla Lockwood

HELLO ! My name is Ayla . I’m a healer, teacher, and holistic hairstylist devoted to awakening the light within others. My work lives at the intersection of beauty and wellness, where I weave together wholistic hair services with healing practices including Reiki, sound healing, and yoga to create experiences that support alignment of the body, mind, and spirit. Read more>>

Johnny Rico

I got started in the celebrity lookalike business the same way most people do—you hear someone tell you over and over that you look like a certain person. Read more>>

Luigi & Vid Gonzalez & Harper (respectively)

Luigi: I was born and raised in the Philippines and moved here in 2016 to earn my Master’s Degree in Screenwriting. Vid: I’m an LA native and I also has a degree in Screenwriting. We met in 2019 and got married a year later. Yes, we got married within a year of meeting, but when you know, you know. Read more>>

Maeve Thompson Osgood

I started acting in school plays when I was 6, making my way into musical theater in middle and high school, then was introduced to filmmaking my freshman year of college. After transferring and completing my BFA in Acting for Film, I settled in Los Angeles and set about making films and plays in my community. Much to everyone’s surprise… it is unbelievably hard. Read more>>

Sydney Goldman

My story was anything but ordinary. My entire life, I wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon. I grew up in sports, got regularly injured, and saw an orthopedist often, but I always wanted to be a surgeon. Why? Great question, I have no idea, but I did. My family said I wanted to put Humpty Dumpty back together again. Read more>>

Renage Garrison

My story has taken a few different turns, and the most exciting part is that it’s still being written. I was born and raised in the Antelope Valley and still call it home to this day. My educational background is in clinical psychology, and I remain committed to becoming a therapist and mental health specialist. Read more>>

Marcellas Hill

I am originally from PG County Maryland/DMV. I started in the entertainment industry at seven years old as an actor, professionally represented by Linda Townsend Management. Acting was my introduction, but what really stayed with me was the world behind it. Watching artists like Michael Jackson and how storytelling, visuals, and performance could come together to create something larger than the moment. Read more>>

Danielle Cohen

I started my journey in the mental health field by earning my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and moving on to earning my Master’s in Counseling Psychology, with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy, from California Lutheran University. Read more>>

Manouk Karamanoukian

Manouk Karamanoukian founded the business structure of Custom Fashion Jewels, through hard dedication, and endless faith. The idea is to help develop and produce Jewelry and Accessory designs from our customers, from just a thought to finished pieces ready to be sold in the marketplace. We do it all here leaving the customer freedom and confidence to grow the brand. Read more>>

Vivian Hall

My now business partner, Jenna McEwan, & I were working at a barn in Topanga teaching lessons, & when that barn got sold to new owners I just had a feeling that change was coming, so I asked Jenna to lunch one day and said, if the barn ever closes would you want to start our own program? Read more>>

Jackie Reid

Hi! I started in the Entertainment industry when my daughter was a baby. I signed her with a management company who sent her out for film and television and commercial work. When she was five years old, her manager unfortunately passed away. I had some knowledge of the business and some connections at that point so I decided to rep her myself. Read more>>

DeAngela Mann

My journey into modeling started later than most, during a time when I was learning to embrace my confidence and step fully into who I am. What began as a personal challenge quickly grew into real opportunities – from walking in Fashion Week Columbus to collaborating with brands and creatives who value authenticity and representation. Read more>>

Joseph Bongiovi

Joseph L. Bongiovi A Spiritual Warrior I was born in 1962 and raised in a small town in New Jersey as the youngest of four children and the only boy. Ironically, I later had four children of my own, with my youngest also being a boy. Read more>>

Connie Darling

I started in the beauty industry at 18 as a makeup artist — back when I thought blending eyeshadow was stressful… turns out, that was the easy part. From there, I went to esthetician school and eventually moved into medical aesthetics, where I really learned the science behind skin and why less is usually more (a concept the beauty industry doesn’t always love). Read more>>

Leore Oren

My sister and I started The Ceremony Club a little over four years ago, originally as a creative outlet where we were designing custom pieces for weddings. At the time, we were both drawn to the idea of making special moments feel even more meaningful through thoughtful design. Read more>>

Merrisa Arnold Stern (A. Stern)

My journey really began with my own lived experiences as a young mother and someone navigating mental health. I became pregnant at 18, and in those early years, especially as a single working mom balancing multiple jobs, I was searching for ways to regulate my nervous system, care for my mental health, and reconnect with myself. Yoga became that space for me. Read more>>

Phil Mazo

I’m the first in my family to be born in America (my parents were Jewish refugees from the Soviet Union), and I always felt like an outsider: Although I was American, I was raised in an immigrant home where I spoke Russian. Yet I wasn’t part of a greater Russian community, as I grew up in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood in Newark, NJ. Read more>>

Adam Jong

I moved to the U.S. from Italy in 2016 with my wife and son. It was a big reset for us—we left behind our friends, our support system, and started over with just family here. From the beginning, I knew I wanted to build something of my own. I didn’t know exactly what yet, but I knew it had to be mobile and flexible. Read more>>

Amber Castellanos

Growing up I always loved creating and always found myself having and enjoying a bunch of different hobbies. That has not changed as an adult. Read more>>

Karina Barrero

My name is Karina, a Los Angeles Native from Pasadena. Growing up, I was a bit of a wild child. I was not afraid to express my opinions, emotions, or be the center of attention. I loved having an audience and being in front of a camera. I did theater and musicals and a few TV commercials. Read more>> 

Hasmik Amirian

A native of Armenia, I began my studies at the age of seven at the Armenian Choreographic Ballet Institute. I was trained in the Vaganova (Russian) method by teachers who had been trained by Agrippina Vaganova herself. After graduating, I joined the Armenian National Opera Ballet Theatre, where I rose quickly through the ranks and was promoted to a soloist. Read more>>

Lia Mangassarian

Growing up, I watched my parents build and run different businesses, so entrepreneurship always felt like a natural path for me. My dad, for example, has been importing Italian products for over 40 years, and in the last few years he expanded into gelato, even offering a mobile gelato cart. Read more>>

Ashley Dewey

Once I realized that every animal I interact with ended up stealing a piece of my heart, I decided that a career advocating for animal health was the right profession for me. Instead of following in my family’s footsteps entering the movie industry, I embarked on a journey to become a veterinarian. Read more>>

Angela Stella Pahoa

Since my early teens, I fell in love with the art of photographing the world and people around me. Having a camera in my hand at such an early age felt like being a child seeing the world through its own eyes for the first time, but making time stop just for a moment. Read more>>

Cheng-hsuan Hsieh

I was raised in a videotape store in Taipei, Taiwan. My parents devoted themselves to the videotape industry in Taiwan during the 1980s, and some of my earliest memories are of sitting on the store counter when I could barely speak. I often think that this was where my relationship with cinema first began. Read more>>

Chris Guthrie

This is my third career. Before becoming a teacher, I was an entrepreneur focused on eCommerce, product development, and marketing. I spent years building and running a business with a virtual team, but over time it stopped feeling fulfilling. Read more>>

George Vincent

I was born in New York and raised in New Jersey, in a beautiful little town called Oradell. I come from a Greek background, where my parents instilled in us the values of hard work, perseverance, and the belief that you can achieve anything you set your mind to. Read more>>

Roger Simonian

Our Story: From a Local Staple to a Family Passion The Beginning of Our Chapter Pick & Mix Juice Bar has been a part of the community for about ten years, but for us, the real story started three years ago. That’s when my family and I took the leap and took over the business. Read more>>

Valenttina Dias

I’ve always known that I wanted to be a singer. But growing up in Brazil, that dream didn’t always feel like the most “realistic” path, so I initially tried to follow a more traditional route. I even did a semester of Economics in college. Still, no matter how much I tried to fit into a different direction, music kept calling me back. Read more>>

Robert Feiles

I am a retired pharmacist whose life experiences have shaped me into an author dedicated to helping others navigate some of life’s most challenging transitions. My journey as an author began when my wife’s mother lived to the remarkable age of 104. As she required assistance in her later years, I quickly realized the enormous complexity involved in caring for an aging parent. Read more>>

Rayle

My story honestly has a lot of highs, a lot of setbacks, and a lot of rediscovering who I am. Music has always been a part of me, but my path with it hasn’t been easy or straightforward. Earlier on, I signed a bad deal, and that deal locked me in for five years. Read more>>

Heather Kathryn

I started singing when I was four years old, I went to a performing arts high school in Phoenix, AZ, moved to Los Angeles and went to college for music. I started releasing my own music in 2022 and am continuing to do so now 🙂 Read more>>

Rikki Ramsey

I’ve always been the person documenting everything. I got a video camera for Christmas in 11th grade and basically became the unofficial group historian for me and my girlfriends. I still have a bag full of tapes from back then. I’ve always loved capturing moments and turning them into something you can relive. Read more>>

Alaina Wis

My background is in theatre originally. I went to school for musical theatre and worked at regional theaters in Chicago for a year after graduation, before getting my dream job offer to work at Hong Kong Disneyland as a Principal Vocalist. On the side, I quietly started experimenting in VO, without any formal voiceover training or experience. Read more>>

LIANNA

My name is LIANNA and I’m an artist from born and raised in the Pacific Palisades. I was raised in a small seaside Trailer Park that recently burned down in the Palisades Fires of 2025. Read more>>

Samantha Kierstead

I have been dancing since the age of 2.5 when my mom put me into ballet and rap classes. I quickly grew to love dancing and joined the competition team at my local studio at the age of 5. From the ages of 5-18 I competed group dances, solos, duos and trios in hiphop, jazz, ballet, lyrical, contemporary, musical theater, tap, open, and jazz funk!  Read more>>

Vero Sanchez

My name is Veronica (Vero) Sanchez Gomez. I am a Mexican graphic illustrator and studio artist based in sunny Santa Barbara, CA. I matriculated from the University of California, Riverside with a B.A. in anthropology with emphasis in cultural anthropology. The work I make is primarily centered in artivismo (art-activism) and aims to highlight and celebrate cultural and socio-political identities. Read more>>

Christine Xiang

Twinkle Land really began with two of my lifelong passions: design and pets, shaped by my time at Art Center College of Design and Babson College. The idea didn’t come to me all at once, though. Read more>>