Inspiring East LA Stories

The heart of our mission at VoyageLA is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our city. In the recent weeks, we’ve had the privilege to connect with some of East LA’s finest artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble-rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with our city’s incredibly deep talent pool.  Check out East LA’s rising stars below.

Mikaela Shwer

I am currently a documentary editor and filmmaker, and many parts of my past have helped me get here in ways I could never have imagined when I was younger. I was raised in Phoenix, Arizona, as a first-generation American by my mother, an incredibly creative artist, and my father, a neonatologist devoted to helping children.  Read more>>

Amanda Moreno Erdogan

I was born and raised in East LA in a Mexican American family of 6 kids… I’ve been baking nearly my whole life, but professionally for the last 19 years after leaving the Fashion Industry. I’ve had the chance to bake for some pretty amazing people- Barbara Walters, Shakira, Chris Martin, Bette Midler, Bill Clinton to name a few. Read more>>

Diego Fraustro

My journey has felt guided by a series of unexpected moments. My name is Diego Fraustro, and acting came into my life in a way I never could have planned. I was born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico, in a humble environment where I always valued education and creativity. Acting had always been a dream of mine, but I believed the odds were against me. Read more>>

Vivian Varasdi

I was born in Santo Domingo, where my connection to art began at a very young age. As a child, I was constantly drawing, painting, and coloring, completely fascinated by the freedom and expression art gave me. Recognizing this passion early on, my father enrolled me in Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes, one of the most prestigious art institutions in the Caribbean. Read more>>

Peter Quinn

Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, I came up thought various design + video production agencies. I had a very intense, baptism of fire, stressful couple of decades at video agencies both in Belfast and in Vancouver canada. Read more>>

Luis Leon

Nice Ball Golf wasn’t a business idea at first. it was just a voice. A place to share my golf vlogs on Instagram. POVs. Observations. The stuff we all think on the course but never really say out loud. The “golf husbands,” the awkward moments, the painfully real truths. Read more>>

Alximista

A few years ago, I was studying frog extinctions as part of my M.S. thesis. To no one’s surprise, the vast majority of the threats frogs face are from humans. I left my graduate program determined to make a difference and sought out roles across nonprofit, philanthropy and tech that I believed would enable me to do that. Read more>>

Julia Meltzer

I founded Clockshop in 2004 and chose the name to honor the history of the business our family built in Los Angeles. My great-grandfather came to Los Angeles via Eastern Europe in 1898 to escape persecution and pursue opportunity. The family business was watch-making and selling clocks. He brought this trade to Los Angeles by selling clocks door to door. Read more>>

Ryan Vincent

I started my journey in the security industry at 18 years old as a frontline security officer, eventually working my way up to a supervisor role. Early on, I developed a strong work ethic and a firsthand understanding of what it takes to protect people and property. Read more>>

Eliana & Matthew Linn

My husband and I are beyond grateful to be where we are today. We worked hard through our life trying to find a way to bring both our talents together to be able to create something that is ours. While giving back to the world as well and managing all our responsibilities. Read more>>

Katherine Powers

I started my career as a television actor in Toronto, Canada, where I grew up, before moving to Los Angeles to attend theater school and pursue acting professionally. At the same time, my passion for music was planted back in my teenage years. Read more>>

Alicia Fernandez

Good morning my name Alicia Fernandez born in Los Angeles raised in Los Angeles (east LA montebello. 55 years old lived on the streets in n out of prison today I’m a cultural influencer I’m the voice of Chicano chola Latinos etc. Read more>>

Nathan Hertz

I came up through filmmaking the scrappy way—working across editing, producing, and directing, just trying to stay close to the work. After training as an actor at Guildhall, I shifted toward directing and started building projects independently while also working in commercial production for brands like LEGO, Mattel, and HBO Max. That hands-on path naturally led to co-founding Stay Lucky Studios in East LA. Read more>>

Roscoe Slim

I’ve had my hand in the number of different genres and sub cultures such as R&B and hip-hop to electronic beats, all the way to like indie rock and post-hardcore. But recent projects have led me to pursue the singer/ songwriter role alongside producing. Read more>>

2%

Johnny: Well, it’s true, I met Joseph and Ingrid through Starbucks. One day, we got together, spent the whole day jamming and singing. 2% formed from there, and we played a lot of shows together. Then, Niko brought his knowledge and joined on drums and helping me out so much while Joseph stepped down. That brings us to today where we are playing and still learning together. Read more>>