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.

Hikaru Just

I was born and raised in a small town in Southern Japan. Many people visit Japan nowadays, but not a lot of people make it down that far south. It’s a flyover state, and kids who grow up there are often eager to get out. I had a pretty unstable childhood with an abusive/absent dad and a single mom who raised me. Read more>>

Benjamin Harmon

Hello, my name is Ben and I run a local event company that showcases strange and fascinating people and places in and around Los Angeles. I started this venture in early 2024 with a friend (Desserin). At that time she ran a film photography darkroom in the valley and I was talking with her about doing events in collaboration with the darkroom. Read more>>

kevin bouknight

I always think back to the night my family was getting ready for an evening church service back in 2008. Prior to that night, you could have never caught me in a bowtie. However, for some reason, while getting dressed, I wanted to wear one. Read more>>

Dakota Hodge

I was born in small town in Southern Oregon. I started playing drums when I was 3 years old and even played in a local band called, Chaos Theory, when I was 10-14 years old! I was really inspired by Rock and Hardcore music growing up. Bands like Switchoot, Underoath, and Bring Me The Horizon. Read more>>

Andy Magallon

I’m a third-generation leatherworker. My family’s history in the trade goes back to the 1930s, when my grandfather worked as a shoemaker in Guadalajara, Mexico. My father continued in the trade and eventually opened a tack and saddle shop. That’s where I was first introduced to leatherworking. I grew up around the shop, learning the materials, tools, and techniques involved in making things by hand. Read more>>

Emily Russell

After earning my MSW from Smith College in 2009, I spent several years in high-acuity social work settings, supporting children, families, and adults with complex needs. In 2017, I transitioned to group private practice in San Francisco, where I specialized in working with couples and individual adults. Read more>>

Patricia Valdez

I’m an art advisor, curator, writer, wife, and mother of two, based in Northeast Los Angeles. I entered the art world as an immigrant and first-generation college student, so finding my place meant learning how it worked. I studied art history at UC Berkeley and later earned my master’s in Curatorial Practice at California College of the Arts. Read more>>

Eliza Lee

I think my story really begins with the fact that I’ve never been able to fit myself into just one creative box. Since around 2017, I’ve worked across graphic design, photography, videography, video editing, UX design, web design, and social media marketing. What started as an interest in creating things gradually became something I learned how to apply in very different environments. Read more>>

Richie Salazar

My journey into bartending wasn’t necessarily something I had planned, but looking back, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I started working in the culinary industry at 18 as a prep cook, eventually working my way up to line cook & then sous chef. Cooking was where I first discovered my passion for creativity, experimenting with flavors, and creating experiences through food. Read more>>

Dyiana Donaldson Comeau

My journey began in Honduras, where I was born and raised. At the age of 14, I moved to New York with my mother in search of new opportunities and a better future. Adjusting to a new country, language, and culture was challenging, but those early experiences taught me resilience, determination, and the importance of hard work. Read more>>

Kai Grayson

I grew up in Altadena, California, and loved movies, TV, and theater. I loved the arts and performing, even though I went to schools more focused on academics. Despite the pressure to focus on STEM, I chose to study film at Emerson College and kept moving toward any new creative goal I would set for myself. Read more>>

Trevor Snow

My name is Trevor Snow. I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area (go Giants), and spent time in the Southwest before landing in Los Angeles in November of 2021. Many musicians had an interest in music from an early age, and I’m no different. Read more>>

Ben Goodman

I grew up between New Jersey, New York, and Maryland. Early interests in theater and photography developed into a passion for filmmaking, and I started making films with my best friend in high school. Once I realized it was something I could actually do for a living, I knew it was what I wanted to pursue. Read more>>

Alexa Jewel Lapid

Practicing the art of documentation has always been a thread woven through my life, I’ve come to realize. My first memories of this began in my childhood bedroom, writing about adventures I would go on with friends and playing with footage I had captured from trips and everyday life in my small hometown. I was always searching for ways to preserve time through different materials. Read more>>

Liliana Burgos

2016 I was throwing small markets and doing pop ups around and in Los Angeles as a local diy event coordinator , which was easy for me to do because at the same time i was participating in music lots! from bars to backyards as I like to say, I would vend, or play. Read more>>

Jasmine Rutledge

Hello, my name is Jasmine Marie Rutledge. Nice to meet you! I’d like to think my story starts with me, but I wouldn’t be who I am without my parents and the people who have been part of my life. My parents, Penny and Melvin, met in school in Minnesota, where I was born. I spent about three months there before we moved to Florida. Read more>>

Aser Santos

My name is Aser Santos Jr, and in the last 10 years I have made a career for myself in the film industry, and I’ve recently made the decision to leave it. Ever since I was young, I’d always loved filmmaking. From making stop motion animations with my parents’ mini DV camera to following Film Riot After Effects tutorials in middle school. Read more>>

Sophie Morro

I’m originally from Orange County, California, but I went to Concordia University in Montreal to study Studio Art. The program encouraged us to explore many mediums, and that openness has stayed with me. Today my practice spans painting, music, and design. This month marks ten years of living and working in Los Angeles, and the city still inspires me. Read more>>

Marie Massa

Right now I’m working with my son on a petition to make Los Angeles a Bee City USA affiliate, a program run by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation that commits cities to protecting pollinators. But the idea started on a single strip of land in Lincoln Heights. Read more>>

Messy, but Thriving Kaira, Allison, Shawna

We were at brunch one day, just yapping. We were jokingly like “we should start a podcast!” It was one of those moments where you laugh at the joke, and then you take a step back and think–wait, but what if? Read more>>

Kseniia Vasilkova

There’s a quote that says if you find something you truly love doing, you’ll never work a day in your life. I’m not entirely sure I believe that, because filmmaking is, in fact, an absurd amount of work. But somehow, in my case, the quote still feels true. I think my career started long before I ever owned a camera. Read more>>

Rich Baker

I got into improv for the same reason I got into acting, stand up, sketch comedy, directing, and writing – I love to entertain. Because opportunities came my way with improv more than the others, I spent more and more time honing my skills as a performer and teacher. Eventually that led to more teaching. Read more>>

Karetyna Drok

I think my story is quite simple. Although recently a woman said something to me: ‘You are living the life of my dreams.’ And in that moment, I realized again how we love to devalue everything. Especially the path we have walked, all the ups and downs. But that is exactly what makes us who we are today. Read more>>

Ashley Ralph

Growing up in Southern California, I spent hours filling notebooks with stories and creating imaginary worlds, often while my twin sister stayed up late reading. We shared a room but were opposites in almost every way—even down to our eye color. I was raised by an artist mom and a movie-loving dad, so creativity and storytelling were always part of my world. Read more>>

Sergei ‘The Surrge’ Kabashov

I was born in Arkhangelsk, way up north in Russia. When I was around five, my mom enrolled me in music school. Honestly, at the time I hated it. I didn’t understand the point, but she was determined that I stick with it, so I couldn’t really back out. Then we moved to Moscow. Read more>>

B. Thompson

Sharing my origin story is always interesting because most people assume I come from a musical background, and that’s actually not the case. I was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, and my family is of Jamaican descent, so music was always around me, but nothing in particular inspired me to play it. Read more>>

Kandice Watson

It was during one of the hardest times of my life! I was looking for a way to pay my bills, and feed my children, other than serving at El Torito. I was in school for Physical Therapy, and thought maybe Massage Therapy would be a good addition, plus a better paycheck. Read more>>

Mariana Cruz

Marie’s Coffee got its start at home in 2024. Word quickly spread about its specialty lattes, known for their fun toppings and bold coffee flavor. With the support of its growing community, Marie’s opened its first mobile coffee trailer just a year later. Recently, Marie’s celebrated the trailer’s first anniversary with a community celebration featuring local vendors, giveaways, and limited-edition merchandise. Read more>>

Eli Bauman

I’ll start from the top. My father was a musician – his stage name was ‘Bowzer’ in a band called ‘Sha Na Na’ that also had a TV show in the 80’s – and I grew up immersed in music. Read more>>

Tiffany Tynes-Gonzales

My journey has always been rooted in creativity, taking risks, and creating opportunities for myself. In 2007, I moved to Los Angeles with just $350 and a dream of pursuing my career in acting and professional dance. I worked at Universal Studios Hollywood, performed in multiple shows, and took on television and film background work while continuing to audition and chase opportunities. Read more>>

Mount Oddo

This climb of Mount Oddo started 17 yrs ago! With rap being the catalyst, Oddo has been looking to solidify his sound, talent & passion for music. He has been building a genuine fan base for almost two decades now, and has yet to get his industry shot. Read more>>

Lauren Case

I don’t remember when exactly I found my love for singing or when I first messed around on a guitar or the piano because I was very young. I’m pretty sure one way or another I would’ve wound up here, but I got here when I did thanks to my dad. Read more>>

Sadaff Khan

Family has always been at the center of my life. Before starting Light of Grief, I worked in account management and business development, building my career while also embracing the many roles I held within my family. In July 2019, I became a mom to my daughter, Ayla, and motherhood brought an entirely new meaning to my life. Read more>>

Lillian Paulk

My name is Lillian Paulk. I am a special makeup effects (SFX) artist currently located in California. Since age 7, I have been fascinated by all things makeup; from beauty, to Special Effects- I truly enjoy it all. One of the most challenging and rewarding decisions in my life was moving from my hometown, Temple, Texas, to California to pursue this career. Read more>>

Mathew Bowyer

My name is Mathew Bowyer, and my story is one of extraordinary success, devastating failure, accountability, redemption, and rebuilding. I grew up with humble beginnings in Southern California. I didn’t come from money, and I learned early in life that if I wanted something, I had to work for it. At 19, I started working in the mailroom of a commodities brokerage firm. Read more>>

Tim Finnegan

I moved to Los Angeles in 2023 to pursue my dream career in the entertainment industry. It was always my dream to live in LA, and it’s been great to be involved as a production assistant on film sets, be able to get comedy gigs as a stand up comedian, and more. Read more>>

Kevin Stone

My journey into the world of séances, hypnosis, and mind reading began more than 30 years ago with a fascination for the mysteries of the human mind and the stories that have captivated people throughout history. I became deeply interested in hypnosis, psychology, mentalism, magic, and the traditions surrounding spiritualist gatherings and Victorian-era séances. Read more>>

ashoke chhabra

In the beginning there were many muses. These took the form of a love of music, to an interest in furniture design before finally embracing what I consider a fine art practice. Looking back each felt ‘right’ in the moment and I allowed myself to become engrossed. I was accruing skills even if I was not conscious of how they would inform subsequent work. Read more>>

Claudia Perez

I became a herbal and holistic healer after life knocked me down. Hard. I used to be a daycare provider with a beautiful prek school giving my services to over 20 families who became my family. But when I was at the top of my game, divorce and legalities forced me to leave everything behind. Read more>>

Maritte Go

I grew up in West Palm Beach, Florida, as a second-generation Filipino American in a strict Catholic household. While my culture emphasized traditional careers in medicine, I was drawn to the arts from an early age, performing professionally in television and theater before earning my BFA in Acting from Florida State University. Interestingly, my fascination with the supernatural began through my Catholic upbringing. Read more>>

Kasey Makal

I’ve been a photographer for 10 years, and I’ve dabbled in nearly every genre. I initially started in high school, teaching my peers how to use cameras and taking my friends’ senior photos. Read more>>

Frank Fiola

Acting was always the first thing I wanted to do. Growing up, I fell in love with going to the cinema, watching movies on the big screen, and being transported into different worlds through storytelling. That was what initially inspired me to pursue acting. Along the way though, I got sidetracked by basketball, which became another huge passion of mine. Read more>>

Phil Yeh

I started our literacy campaign in 1985 after I interviewed Wally Amos aka Famous Amos for my publication Uncle Jam. Wally was involved with promoting literacy all across this nation. We took it a step further and went all over the world. Our group was called Cartoonists Across America & The World. Read more>>

Max Callahan

As a kid my parents refused to allow video game consoles in the house, which besides getting me to go outside (if only so I could get across the street to play Super Mario Bros at my neighbor’s) also made me all that more enticed by them. After much pestering however, they finally relented and got me a PC for my birthday. Read more>>

Rob Shapiro

I’ve had several careers — actor, musician, writer, comic, software designer and consultant, audiobook narrator and voice actor, even roofer for one hellish day (almost fell off the roof several times, and saw way too much of one of the roofer’s buttcrack when his jeans slid below the maginot line — perhaps these two hazards were related?), and I’ve worked in some very disparate exotic locales — from a biker bar in Northeast Minneapolis, all the way to a five star lounge in Bora Bora. And a lot in between. At times it’s been a weird, near schizophrenic life, but, like chaos theory in action, everything informs everything else. Read more>>