Inspiring South Bay 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 South Bay’s finest artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rebel rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with our city’s incredibly deep talent pool.  Check out the area’s rising stars below.

 

Ronna Luna

Maria’s Closet began with a simple but powerful belief: every young woman deserves to feel beautiful, confident and truly seen—regardless of her circumstances. What started as an effort to provide formal dresses to girls who might otherwise miss an important milestone has grown into something far greater than I ever imagined. Read more>>

Meekyung Kim

Ever since I was little, all I wanted to do was make art and be an artist. I studied Fine Arts at CalArts with the dream of eventually having my own studio and putting on art shows. At the time, I gave myself 10 years to make that dream happen. Somehow, almost 20 years have passed—and I’m finally here, opening my own studio. Read more>>

Todd Hooper

I’ve been in the tattoo world for 40yrs. Been tattooing half that time. I’m born and raised So Bay (Redondo Beach) local. Went through the whole punk rock thing back in the early 80’s, Got into tattoos and tattooing through the scene that goes along with that. Opened my shop in 2016 and grew a really beautiful thing. Life is great. Read more>>

Kirsten

I started The Group Chat Network in 2022 with the goal of creating a prosperous community where people could connect, build genuine relationships, and have meaningful experiences together. I honestly believe that vision is what has gotten me to where I am today. I started small, hosting intimate networking events and creating opportunities for people to meet and connect. Read more>>

Jasmine Isiguzo

At some point during my preteen years, my mom became a Mary Kay representative; which now gave her access to prestige cosmetic and skin care products. Whenever my mom hosted events, and skincare came up, my eyes and ears opened with interest and fascination. From that point I now began to raid her skincare inventory and a new interest began. Read more>>

Aniefre Essien

Born and raised in the South Bay, I’ve helped build some of the best brands in the world in the Consumer Packaged Goods, Fine Wine, and Sports industries. After serving as a VP of Marketing in the NFL, I decided to build 310riginals, a marketing agency that works with athletes and entertainers to translate Los Angeles’ global ethos into innovative businesses. Read more>>

Kyle Geller

I’m a Long Beach local, and I started as an artist and clothing designer before I ever picked up a camera. In high school, I learned screen printing in graphic-design class and launched a clothing brand called EVICTED, printing shirts for classmates. That was my first experience turning an idea into something other people could participate in. Read more>>

Alvina Kwong

It started when I was a little girl who loved unicorns and didn’t have a camera. When I was little I really loved unicorns (and I still do!), but I soon learned that they weren’t real. So I kept them alive in my drawings because I didn’t want to believe that they were just a fantasy. Read more>>

Brooke Taylor

After having my son 11 1/2 years ago I struggled with postpartum depression, among other things included in the transition of of becoming a mom. From that point on I felt the need to help and support other moms and families during the 4th trimester. A few years ago, I finally figured out my path and found my calling! Read more>>

Alina Krupenina

Before any of this, I was a true corporate girl. I spent years in marketing at Nestle – including running activations for Nescafé – before moving to Ferrero as Head of Trade Marketing, managing their entire national trade-marketing budget. It was a place where I learned real business and leadership, traveled constantly, and built friendships that have lasted well beyond it. Read more>>

Albert Romiel

I came to this backwards. I spent a decade as a working guitarist, and before that I’d started computer science and left after one semester. What never changed is the making. I’ve always been fascinated by creation, by inventing something that didn’t exist before. With music the hope is that someone feels something. Read more>>

Norman Beede

I was born in Richmond, Indiana. We moved to California when I was three. We lived in Indio from 1953 to 1955 (Quaint little town back then) then moved to La Habra in North Orange County. Read more>>

Jessica Brewer

I live, teach yoga, and travel full-time in a 1975 vintage RV, her name is Luana, and my partner and I fully renovated her with our bare hands. We did this with no prior experience in construction of any kind. A little about me: I have had a job since I was 15 years old, even through college, I was working. Read more>>

Stephen Hercy

My story started with something I didn’t have: strength. I grew up in Montreal, Canada, in a difficult family environment with five sisters. I was skinny — about ninety pounds, poor posture, no obvious genetic advantage for bodybuilding. I was the kid people made fun of, and I was repeatedly told that I would never have muscles. Read more>>

Leah Silva

I began dancing when I was only two years old, and I quickly fell in love with the art form of tap dance. I trained at a wonderful studio, Kindorf Dancers, run by the incomparable Nancy Kindorf. Nancy, who has always had an indomitable spirit, was an incredible studio owner and tap dance teacher who nurtured every student who walked through her doors. Read more>>

DJ Jackson

My career really started at a time when both my world and the world around me were forced to pause. I tragically lost my parents after graduating from UCI, and shortly after, COVID happened and the entire world seemed to pause with me. During that time, I decided to focus on doing things that made me happy and rediscover myself. Read more>>

Camden Lee

Camden Lee was born in Boston, Massachusetts, where he got his start hanging outside studios, asking if anyone needed help — running sessions, show-running, whatever was needed. He took the same approach on set, seeking out any movie or show filming in the Boston area and finding his way in, whether as a PA or in background work. Read more>>

Nancy Scott

Z Fabrique has been a brick and mortar store in Long Beach since 1990. But, before I opened that first store in Retro Row in Long Beach, CA, I started out of my parent’s garage years before. And that came out of insights and inspirations when I was traveling around backpacking the world. Read more>>

Chuck Wilson

Chuck Wilson In 2012, I embarked on a journey of designing guitars alongside Ken Kim of Muse Inc in Incheon, Korea. Gradually, Bootlegger gained traction in Los Angeles, thanks to word of mouth and YouTube videos. Our guitars are known for their high-quality craftsmanship and exceptional value. Read more>>

Joey Hill

It all started in 2005, when I decided to break the mold of expectations that had been driving my decisions. I was born in Greenville, South Carolina, and raised in the small town of Simpsonville, right in the middle of one of the most influential eras in sports, music, and entertainment. Read more>>

Jennifer Coll

At the ripe old age of 18, I gave modeling a shot and wound up living and working in the fashion capitals of the world. Paris, Milan, London and New York were my home bases and I was fortunate to travel the world for what I thought would be a year or two at most. I developed a deep understanding of fashion and design. Read more>>

Eric Tung

Fera was founded by my mom, Betty, in 1978 in response to the then fast-growing American ski industry. At the time, the number of ski participants was growing in conjunction with the expansion of resort terrain, facilities and overall development. Read more>>

Todd Vigiletti

I grew up surrounded by music and dance. My mother was a world-renowned professional belly dancer, and my grandmother was originally an opera singer, so performing was very much a part of my world from an early age. Like a lot of kids, I started performing in school, but I quickly became more and more involved in the arts. Read more>>

Stefani Sikora

I’m Stefani Sikora, a Los Angeles-based Hard Rock/Metal singer, songwriter, and performer with a love for big vocals, heavy guitars, dark drama, and songs that actually make you feel something. Music and I go way back. I started playing piano at five years old, and I fell in love with music. Read more>>

Anne Kupillas

I was born in Puerto Rico and grew up on Long Island, NY in a family of hardworking creative types – my mom was a singer who worked at a local pharmacy, and her parents were creative as well, both working in sales. Read more>>