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.

TigerLily MacMenemey

My dance journey started in a small town in Ontario Canada where I began dancing and performing at a young age. I moved to the city of Toronto at 14 to continue my dance training at a preforming arts school and actually ended up dropping out of high school at 16 to focus fully on my art and put all my energy towards my dreams. Read more>>

shuai jiang

Shuai Jiang is a Los Angeles-based Makeup Artist, Hair Stylist, Creative Director, and Founder of LIZI STUDIO. Her work combines beauty artistry, cultural styling, editorial photography, and traditional Chinese aesthetics. She has received international recognition through beauty competitions, served as a judge for national cultural pageants, collaborated with entertainment productions including Netflix’s Bling Empire, and has been featured in multiple fashion and beauty publications. Read more>>

Dina Amin

I was born and raised between Ramallah and Jerusalem, Palestine, where storytelling became a way for me to understand and document the world around me. Growing up, I was surrounded by stories of resilience, community, and identity, which naturally shaped my creative voice. I began my journey in filmmaking through documentary films, creating films that explored social issues, culture, and everyday life in Palestine. Read more>>

Lucy Xia

Hi, I’m Lucy Xia, I’m 24, and I have a bit of an unusual background. I was born in Hungary to a Chinese family, and this August, I’m graduating from the New York Film Academy with a Master’s degree in filmmaking. Read more>>

Liz Castellanos

I’ve had a love for makeup for as long as I can remember. I still remember watching my mom apply her baby blue eyeshadow, false lashes, and liquid eyeliner, completely mesmerized. This was the ’80s, and I was obsessed with Madonna, Prince, and Apollonia Kotero. My professional journey began in retail in 1999…Damn, I sound ancient. Ha! Read more>>

Liudmyla Nienadova

When I was 24 years old, I found out I was pregnant. At that moment, I realized I needed a profession that would allow me to earn money every single day and support myself and my child. I had always dreamed of working in the beauty industry. Read more>>

Sophia Louisa Lee

For a long time, I thought I needed someone else’s permission to pursue filmmaking. I believed the right opportunity, the right connection, or the right timing would eventually come along. Then one day I realized that if I wanted to tell stories, I couldn’t keep waiting. I had to start creating them myself. That shift changed everything. Read more>>

Lauren Pomerantz

From a young age, I was drawn to helping others. It started with supporting family members, friends, and peers. Volunteering also became a meaningful way for me to connect with different communities. Over time, I noticed that people felt comfortable coming to me when they needed someone to listen without judgment and offer support. Read more>>

Michelle Williams

I started in real estate by a risk! I was dating an individual who wanted to buy property with me. We went to the open house of a property and the listing agent mentioned to me that she liked my personality and thought that I would be a great match for real estate. Read more>>

Charlotte de Mita

Growing up in Jakarta, Indonesia, I’ve always been surrounded by music. Both my older sisters were in church choir, show choir, and taking classical piano lessons, so of course, I followed suit. As I continued performing and practicing, I gained even more appreciation for music, leading to my transition into popular music performance and songwriting. Read more>>

Alex Maes

I started my journey in a small mountain town in Colorado, where I learned how to play and sing piano. When I was in middle school, some friends and I decided to form a band called ‘Red Bandana.’ Through the band I developed a passion for songwriting and performing. We toured the state playing at state fairs, schools, and festivals as a band. Read more>>

Pierre Jamerson

From Sunday morning service to traveling all over the world, my journey started in Springfield, MO. I grew up as a pastor’s kid in a gospel church. There I learned that music was not just a hobby but will set the foundation and take me places my imagination could not fathom alone. I focused on keys but started on drums at an early age. Read more>>

Frank Ruiz

Well, I am an Audio-Post Production Engineer who currently works as the Head of Audio for the streaming service “The Zeus Network”. I got my start back in January of 2017 when I 1st moved out here and was interning at an Audio-Post Production facility called Larson Studios. Read more>>

Britt S Howard

My creative journey began back home in Chicago when I became a mother in 2014. After our oldest daughter Natalia-Cloud was born, I started making tiny booties and clothing for her because I couldn’t always find the pieces I envisioned. Also, at that time I didn’t see a lot of representation from women that looked like me in this space with quirky style. Read more>>

Gino Villanueva

At the young age of two, I was able to hold a pencil in my hand and draw. I really loved drawing. Always looking through video game manuals and PRIMA strategy guides drawing my favorite characters like Chun Li, Kitana, Jun Kazama, Tidus, Yuna, Rikku from both FFX and FFX-2. I knew growing up I wanted to be like Tetsuya Nomura. Read more>>

Sami Siteman

I grew up in a very musical household and I’ve been singing since I could speak. My dad sang and played guitar, my sister and I played piano and sang, and my mom was always listening to music around the house. I’ve been very fortunate that my family has supported and fostered my love of and passion for music my whole life. Read more>>

John Sullivan

I always wanted to be a writer. I didn’t always know what kind of writer I wanted to be. As a kid I wrote short stories that seemed to entertain the classroom. They were usually about monsters or ghosts or adventures or ghostly monster adventures. I read a lot. My parents encouraged my creativity. I wouldn’t be anywhere without Jim and Eileen Sullivan. Read more>>

Shuo Yang

I grew up in China and moved to Los Angeles to study Graphic Design at the California Institute of the Arts. I graduated this past May and am now based in Los Angeles, working as a freelance designer. My practice spans publication design, typography, branding, web design, motion graphics, and interactive experiences. I come from a non-design background. Read more>>

Dr. Tiara Clark

My journey has never been defined by one path. Instead, it has been shaped by resilience, curiosity, and a deep desire to leave people and places better than I found them. I’ve always been drawn to helping others. Read more>>

David Bianchi

I moved to Los Angeles more than two decades ago with a BFA in theater, big dreams, and absolutely no connections. Like so many actors, I spent years waiting tables and bartending just to keep the dream alive. For 5 of those 15 years, I lived paycheck to paycheck while trying to build a career one audition at a time. Read more>>

Lyndon Laveaux

I’ve been writing poetry since I was 12, starting rapping around 17, got good at it at 26, at this point I’m undeniable, the scary part is I will continue to grow, I’m of the firm belief that you don’t stop growing till your journey’s over. Read more>>

Christin Ciaccio Briggs

As a little girl in Texas, I dreamed of moving to Los Angeles. I was obsessed with television sitcoms, and lucky for me, it was the 80’s, so there was no shortage of situational comedies. Read more>>

Mir Johnson

A group in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and I’ve always been the artsy kid. I was always a kid during learning class, doing the drawing portion of group projects, and always trying to exercise my brain when it came to drawing. I took art classes at the age of 9, 10 and 11 years old every Saturday morning. Read more>>

Chef Jaydene Oconnor

My journey to becoming the chef I am today started with a passion for cooking and a desire to bring people together through food. What began as an interest in learning recipes and techniques quickly grew into a commitment to mastering the craft. I spent countless hours practicing, learning from experienced chefs, and challenging myself to improve with every meal I prepared. Read more>>

Olive Avenue Market Hanna Rozzi

In 2007, Sonya Rozzi, Missy Van Zeyl, and Amber Wallick took ownership of Olive Avenue Market, bringing new energy to one of Redlands’ most beloved neighborhood landmarks. After several years, Amber stepped away, leaving Sonya and Missy to continue building the market together. Over the next two decades, they transformed Olive Avenue Market into a gathering place rooted in community, friendship, and family. Read more>>

Sin Dieta Collective

Our story really began at an eating disorder conference, where Vero and Christina found themselves reflecting on the needs of their own community and the gaps that still exist in eating disorder care. The eating disorder field continues to be dominated by a single cultural perspective, so they wanted to make sure there was a space for their community to be at the forefront. Read more>>

Elaine Powell

I grew up in London, and I loved it. The energy, the vibrancy, and the freedom of self-expression shaped who I am, along with my Jamaican, Scottish, and St. Lucian heritage. After spending a year travelling the world, visiting 18 countries, I returned to the UK searching for something more. Read more>>

Scott Gordon

I was born in Fresno, California, and moved to Los Angeles when I was six. I didn’t discover art until college. Prior to that, I hadn’t really known I was creative, but my professors saw something in me and encouraged me to pursue art. I eventually graduated with a master’s degree in painting and spent the next 35 years exhibiting and selling my work. Read more>>

Claudia Brade

My love for beautiful writing started long before I ever called myself a calligrapher. Growing up in Germany, I was surrounded by the art of handwriting from an early age. Writing in cursive with a fountain pen was part of everyday life and even required in school. Read more>>

sarit saruri

Before founding Interior Conception, I spent more than a decade as an art director, which shaped my eye for composition, color, materials, and visual storytelling. My transition into interior design began with the opportunity to work as a designer on a major tract-home development. Read more>>

Christopher Matthew Spencer

Los Angeles and I have a complicated history — and I wouldn’t trade a second of it. I came here as a teenager, sixteen years old, running from an abusive home with nothing but determination and a willingness to figure it out. South Central was my classroom for five years. By 21, I owned a house in Burbank. Read more>>

Mark Hill

I Started doing photography in Feb 2015 when I was down to my last 9 months in the Army. Without having any prior knowledge of the Art I dived right into it and I was instantly hooked with all the endless possibilities Read more>>

Anthony Tabarez

How I get to where I am today is such an expansive question. Growing up in the San Fernando Valley, I was always curious about how billboards were made. Who photographed them, who added the text to them, but most importantly, how did that person get the opportunity to be on that billboard/position? Read more>>

Pepz Javier

This is such a great question because it’s helping me just think of all the different iterations of my life. To start, I want to say that, as an entertainer (actor, recording artist with a background in dance and modeling) and business/life coach, today, in 2026, feels like my journey is actually just now beginning… Read more>>

Chelsea Johnson

My start is ongoing. That’s the new mantra that I’m telling myself, not to dodge the question at all, but I believe that I tend to keep the engine running and sometimes change lanes when necessary. I started singing in church and from there it grew to performances around Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and other Southern states. Read more>>

Danny Galieote

I grew up on farm in the San Fernando Valley. It was an idyllic home life taking care of horses, chickens, dogs and cats which became my models for drawing. I went to Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks which brought me into sports and more art classes. Read more>>

JoJo Guevara

I worked as a professional dancer who was signed with an agency out of North Hollywood. Through those ventures, I attended film school and received my BFA in Film Production with a focus on directing, production design, and writing. Read more>>

Gustavo Borner

Gustavo ‘Gus’ Borner. Arrived in Los Angeles in 1989. Worked as an music engineer dooing records, sountracks ever since. Also producer and owner of Igloo Music, recording studio in Burbank with 8 rooms and a crew of 15 engineers. Read more>>

Savanna Claire

I’ve spent most of my life dancing. As a child, I was highly-competitive, training long hours. It was my everything. I turned my bedroom into a dance studio and i’d ask for dance clothes for Christmas. I trained as much as possible. Read more>>

Ani Land

I was born and raised in San Francisco, CA where my mom owned a hair salon. So much of my favorite childhood memories happened there. Every Saturday morning, I’d wake up before my mom, completely ready to go, begging her to take me to work with her. I loved everything about the salon. Read more>>

Arielle Nevatt

Growing up, I never really thought of myself as the creative type. But, the summer after my senior year of high school in 2007 I started experimenting with fun colors on my own hair and would randomly cut my friends’ hair just for fun. I don’t know why I was the designated hair stylist lol… but full circle moment. Read more>>

Sara Sandoval

My name is Sara Sandoval, and I’m a Dreamer (DACA recipient). I’ve been a street artist in Los Angeles for the past 10 years. I was born in Mexico but grew up in Southern California. Read more>>

Stormy Stokes

I became an entrepreneur in 1994. I had my own Floral Shop where I made floral arrangements for customers and delivery. I also wrote children story books in 2001 and I would go to the elementary schools to read my books to the children for story time. Read more>>

Herman Chan

I started my content creation journey in 2023 after many years of posting pictures of my food on my personal social media page for my family and friends. At the time, I was working a full time job as a Product Manager, but I’ve always had a passion and love for cooking. Read more>>

Lorraine Aceves

When the pandemic hit, I saw firsthand how quickly lives were turned upside down. As so many lost their jobs, they also lost hope, with anxiety and depression quickly following. Wanting to make a difference, my family and I began putting together simple care packages for local families and shelters. Read more>>

Dustin Nguyen

So before teaching kickboxing I was training Muay thai for several years and started doing some smaller competitions. I was doing great with those matches so I felt ready to do bigger fights and start my amatuer career. Read more>>

Sam Mejia

My path to founding EcoPress Sacramento was not linear, it was shaped by curiosity, resilience, and a belief that creativity can help solve environmental problems. I was born and raised in Sacramento, CA, and studied Marine Biology, Environmental Studies, Museum Studies, and Indigenous Studies at The Evergreen State College. Read more>>

Toree McGee

Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I started singing when I was seven years old and spent my childhood competing in vocal competitions, which gave me a love for performing at a young age. Read more>>

Lindsay Hecker

I grew up just outside of Kansas City, MO. I had a traumatic beginning to my life being born 3.5 months early and weighing only 1.5 lbs. I spent the first four months of my life in the NICU. I’m grateful to my parents and the doctors and nurses who worked so hard and took such excellent care of me around the clock. Read more>>

Jannet Rosario

My journey began long before I officially created Healing with Jannet. I’ve always felt called to help others, which led me to earn a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Special Education and build a career supporting children and families.  Read more>>

Dylan Quint

After playing trumpet while growing up, I grew the courage to leave the practice room and start to busk. Sometimes at a park, sometimes outside a Costco. It was fun to start meeting and talking to strangers about music and how they relate to it. Over time, I started to play at local cafes and bars. Read more>>

Megan Milo

Well, my creative journey has been my entire life. While playing pretend with friends as a child, I’d direct the story like it were a movie. Tell them what to so the story would play out the way I thought was best. It just snowballed from there. I would do voices for my Dad’s animation company. Color styling for character designs. Read more>>

Jessica Heigis

From Crazy Commutes to Curated Sips: My Journey into the World of Wine I’ve always been someone who chases the next adventure. Whether it’s flying around the world on an airline or hopping into a small plane with my pilot husband, I’m constantly seeking out new experiences. And that definitely includes trying different wines wherever I go! Read more>>

Adrienne Herkes

When I graduated from Loyola Marymount University in 2018 with a degree in Business Marketing, I did not have a family business to jump start my career or a network of affluent clients to lean on. I was 22 years old, new to the industry, and trying to build business in one of the most competitive real estate markets in the country. Read more>>

Derek De Vette

I’ve spent my career helping organizations grow. That began in Tech PR before leading me into public affairs, strategic alliances, and global leadership roles in business development and corporate communications. At some point, I realized my next chapter wasn’t inside someone else’s organization—it was taking everything I’d learned and applying it across many other industries. What followed was a career I never could have scripted. Read more>>

Shauna Garrett

I started as an entrepreneur when I was young, somewhere around entering my double-digits. I wanted to start a boutique sewing company, where I made custom pieces for friends and family. So I did, my bailiwick at the time being pillow sets using my mom’s sewing machine and by hand sewing. Read more>>

Richard Lopez

HKDST Fishing Club Aka “Hooked Set” started with something pretty simple a love for bass fishing. Growing up, some of my best memories were camping with my family at the Kern River and fishing with my dad. Those trips taught me that fishing was about so much more than catching fish. Read more>>

Alessandra Taryn Bea

A born-and-raised Valley girl, I’ve always believed the San Fernando Valley doesn’t get the respect, love, or recognition it deserves. Read more>>

Katie Gilchrest

I’ve been a musician since I was a child! I started with piano lessons, then clarinet all through school. In middle school I heard Nirvana and Metallica and it was all over after that. I begged my parents for a guitar and wanted to be in bands ever since. Read more>>

Nikki Kemp

I’ve wanted to entertain people for as long as I can remember. It started with creating my own plays when I was little enlisting family and friends to go along with my imagination. I was apart of plays at church, high school and junior college, but I always knew Los Angeles was the destination. Read more>>

Lisa Ystrom

I have always been interested in personal growth and ways to improve one’s life. Long before I became a Feng Shui consultant or started working with Soul Blueprint Numerology, I worked in the entertainment industry, first at a commercial talent agency and then in casting for television and film. Read more>>

Bradley Ralph

I grew up in the San Fernando Valley, and have been drawing and writing stories since I can remember. I owe a lot of my interest in storytelling to my parents and late grandmother; who all took the time to read to me, and embellish normal life with elements of fantasy. Read more>>

Michael Dee

I enrolled in an art and popular culture workshop taught by Peter Boynton at Kent State University over a holiday weekend in 1992. I had always been interested in drawing and music, but this continuing studies group awakened a real passion for contemporary art and independent music that did not exist before. Read more>>

Renard Cheren

I’m 30 years old and originally from Palm Beach, Florida, and my path into filmmaking started through football. In high school, I was making highlight tapes for my teammates and filming videos around campus, which eventually led me to study media while playing Division I football at Northern Illinois University. After suffering my fifth concussion, my football career came to an unexpected end. Read more>>

Michelle Rivera

I’ve always been a storyteller at heart. I started my career in television, where I spent over a decade working in broadcast journalism and digital media, eventually earning a Regional Emmy Award. While I loved the creativity of that work, I also felt called to make a difference in a different way, so I became an English teacher. Read more>>

Eva Hughes

I feel incredibly fortunate to have grown up in the mountains of Colorado, surrounded by beauty and constantly reminded of the power and intelligence of nature. That environment shaped the way I see the world and ultimately the path I’ve chosen. Read more>>

Audrey Gallagher

I’ve always loved movies and storytelling, so pursuing acting felt like a natural path for me. I started taking acting classes, auditioning, and building experience through music videos, short films, and content creation. Along the way, I realized I didn’t just love being part of the entertainment industry—I loved talking about it too. Read more>>

Olivia Ross

I’m Olivia Grey Ross, a Los Angeles based actor. I was born and raised in Northern New Jersey. You can hear it the second I open my mouth, as I am a loud and proud Italian American from an even louder and prouder family. I always knew I wanted to entertain people. Read more>>

Alex Avagimian

I was born in Sochi, Russia, and moved to Los Angeles at a young age, so I grew up on Russian cartoons, folklore, and classic literature, and those stories shaped my visual language and creative identity long before I knew I wanted to work in animation. Their psychology, sense of wonder and melancholy still influences the way I tell stories today. Read more>>

Sarah Greyson

I grew up in Edmond, Oklahoma, but by way of Boulder, Colorado and New York City, I just celebrated 20 years of living in Los Angeles. If you don’t count me starring in my fourth grade play, I started doing theater in high school, and spent summers performing in Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park’s Young Company. Read more>>

Cassandra Pinataro

I’ve been singing my entire life as a classically trained soprano, but I’ve always had a love for pop music. People told me I had to pick one or the other, and I realized that if I created a whole new genre myself, I could create something that is uniquely my own. Read more>>

David Sarian

We opened Burger 3000 on February 1, 2024, as a small street pop-up in Reseda. We had one griddle, one fryer, and a big idea. We wanted the brand to feel completely different from a regular burger spot, so we built a whole futuristic world around the food, the names, the packaging, the whole experience. About a week after opening, lines started forming. Read more>>

Michael Keeley

Originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, I’ve had a lifelong passion for all things sound. I moved to Los Angeles to study at Musicians Institute, launching a career in composing and post-production audio that ultimately led me to start Sound Striker. Read more>>

C-Def

I started making music around age 11. Growing up between Santa Clarita, Los Angeles and Palmdale exposed me to a wide range of people, sounds, and perspectives that continue to shape my creativity. Those years weren’t easy. I dealt with major bullying, being jumped everywhere I went and more, which forced me to grow up quickly. Music became more than a passion. Read more>>

Maya Worthy

I was born in Culver City to hippie-punk rock parents and spent my earliest years living above a liquor store at the corner of Hollywood Blvd. and Kingsley. When I was in third grade, my family moved to Burbank, and I attended Theodore Roosevelt Elementary, Dolores Huerta Middle School (then David Starr Jordan), and graduated from Burroughs High School. Read more>>

Becca Aronoff

First, thank you for having me back! A lot has changed since my first Voyage LA feature. Over the past few years, I’ve become much more intentional about the experience I help my clients create. Read more>>

Tori B

My journey as a beauty content creator started from my genuine love for makeup and also my creativity. What began as something l enjoyed doing in my own space grew into a passion l wanted to share with others. Read more>>

Gregory Hatanaka

I grew up in Southern California during a time when movies felt incredibly accessible. There were neighborhood movie theaters, repertory cinemas screening classics in 35mm, revival houses, film festivals, and video stores on nearly every corner. If you loved movies, there was always somewhere to discover another one. Read more>>

Karissa Yates

I was born in Tennessee and moved to Ohio when I was very young, so I was raised there in a small town. I’ve always had a dream of being a model. Read more>>

Matt and Lisa Hammonds

Full Leaf Tea Company is a family-owned and operated specialty tea brand built on a simple idea: premium organic tea blends, made with care, from people who care. Every blend is crafted and hand-packaged in-house in Southern Oregon and shipped from our door to yours. Read more>>

Ernest Stokes

I’ve spent over 25 years as a Physician Assistant in cardiothoracic and cardiovascular surgery and I’m still in the OR today, standing next to the surgeon, inside open chests, watching bypass grafts and valve replacements on people in their forties, fifties, sixties to eighties who had no idea they were headed there. Read more>>

Phil Circle

As far back as I can remember, I’ve enjoyed learning. Equally, I’ve enjoyed sharing what I learned. Also equally, I’ve enjoyed applying it all. So, I guess it’s a three-way split. As a kid, my quiet personality caused me to observe more deeply. I spent a lot of time watching, listening and absorbing. Read more>>