Local Highlighter Series

We are so thrilled to be able to connect with some of the brightest and most inspiring entrepreneurs and creatives from across the city and beyond and this series in particular gives us the honor of introducing these folks to you in a unique way – we go beyond the story of how they got to where they are today by asking them to reflect on a variety of deeper questions that we hope will help you better connect with them, their stories and their brands. Ultimately, our hope is that more of us will spend more of our money with independent artists, creatives and small businesses and we think getting to know one another at a deeper level is step one.

Anne Pruvost

I’m still reaching for what I was born to do. I’m not fully there yet and maybe I never will be. Design, for me, is deeply psychological. I build houses, but I’m also building trust, understanding, and confidence both in myself and in my clients. My goal is not to impose my vision, but to help people feel ownership over it. Read more>>

GenXCore

I am most certainly doing what I was born to do; the challenge is it took decades to figure out. There are no shortcuts, certainly not in art, and probably not in anything else either. Takes what it takes. All part of the ride. Read more>>

Indigo Dickens

I believe it is a little of both. Life feels like a series of paths all crossing, looping, and reconnecting, with endless endings, new beginnings, and quiet continuations in between. We all wrestle with figuring out which way to go and what choice is the “right” one in any given moment, especially when we are hoping for the best outcome. Read more>>

Aaron Baker

I am walking a path… with purpose. Purpose found me the moment I availed my heart, opened my mind and began sharing my life with others. By serving others, magic happens – a transformation from me to we! Read more>>

Nikita Mae Puyat

I’m being called to fully own my role as a founder. Not just as someone who does the work, but as someone who leads the vision. I’ve always felt comfortable in quickly executing ideas and projects. Over time, I realized that doing everything myself was also a way of staying small. Read more>>

Taylor Langston

I understand deeply that life is short, and time is the one thing you can’t get back. Because of that, I believe it’s important to do what genuinely makes you happy while you have the chance. Read more>>

Margie Woods

One of the defining wounds of my life was ongoing CSA from a very young age, and the survival strategies that grew out of that trauma. Those early wounds shaped how I learned to move through the world, often through hypervigilance, self-abandonment, and a deep disconnection from my own inner compass. Healing has been a long and ongoing process. Read more>>

Shane Stanley

What’s been bringing me joy outside of work is intentionally unplugging between projects and respecting those transitional spaces. Read more>>

Manny D’Mago

It happens when I lock myself into my garage where I have all my props and magical trinkets; time seems to just escape me and my perception of it disappears as I dive deep into thought and completely lose myself in the silence and my own thought, almost like a deep meditation. Read more>>

Stacii Floyd

In 2018 I created a platform called the Brainstorming Epilepsy Festival that promotes positivity and awareness for people diagnosed with epilepsy. Read more>>

Serkan Aktaş

What I’m learning to release now is the belief that I have to struggle against my natural way of thinking in order to move forward. I grew up with dyslexia, although I didn’t know it at the time. I was always a daydreamer and struggled in traditional learning environments. Read more>>

Giulia Cantini

My closest friends would say that what really matters to me is doing things with intention: work, relationships, even everyday moments. I care deeply about honesty, loyalty, and showing up for the people I love. They’d probably also say I value creativity not just as a job, but as a way of seeing the world and staying connected to who I am. Read more>>

Kay Erickson

My Mother worked for a major airline, so we were able to travel a lot to other states including Hawaii (before it was a state), and Alaska up by the Berring Straits. Travel opened my eyes. I saw different landscapes, cultures, neighborhoods, and architecture. This was the most important and life changing event of my life and greatly influenced how I capture images. Read more>>

Charise Sowells

Two major turning points for me happened in the theater. Jan Mandell, the theater teacher my freshman year at Central High School, taught me the power of storytelling. Read more>>

Dawn Smith-Theodore

I feel at peace when I am paddle boarding on the ocean in either Malibu or Maui. I feel like I am with God and I see all the beauty of this world. It is a place where I am free from my cell phone, texts, e mails and can just be free. Read more>>

Ted Rigoni

This is an easy one to answer. When I am in the environment, usually solo, walking around my destination, open to whatever photographic opportunities come my way. I feel so free and alive in these moments and I strive to repeat the conditions and locations that lead to such feelings as often as I can. Read more>>

Jax Tobias

I genuinely wake up excited to do this work every day. The energy and fulfillment I feel in my career is immeasurable. I’ve always been deeply passionate about pop culture and have spent years studying the paths of those who paved the way; journalists, executive producers and television personalities who inspired me long before I entered the industry. Read more>>

Alessandro Wilkie

Yes. With Dionysian we worked really hard for the first 4 years of our Band before getting any meaningful recognition. We did it because we believed in what we were doing and we just enjoyed Playing with each other and writing songs together. Practice makes perfect, and eventually people start noticing the amount of time You put into something. Read more>>

Ian Jonassen

Definitely, when I first got out of college, I wanted to make a zombie movie that I had written right off the bat. You can make a movie whenever you want, as long as you have a camera, but I’m glad that I’ve spent a ton of time since then really getting all my ducks in a row before making it. Read more>>

Cory Bilicko

Well, I recently had several art pieces censored from a city-sponsored exhibit because they were deemed too politically charged. They were digital drawings that were critical of the current administration and the questionable actions of ICE agents. I’m not an immigrant, but I am appalled by much of ICE’s treatment of people, many of whom are harmless individuals trying to raise families. Read more>>

Nazli Donmez

To me, it’s all about where the energy is coming from, the difference between a flash fire and a rising tide. Fads are fueled by novelty. They’re fun, they’re ‘new,’ and they make for great conversation, but they’re essentially just flair you add to your day. Take 3D films: they were an ‘add-on’ that didn’t actually change how we tell stories or how we live. Read more>>

Rikki Ramsey

If immortality were real, I think I’ve already built it in a way.. The photos I create are meant to live far beyond me- passed down through generations, telling stories and keeping memories alive. My husband and I don’t have children, and in many ways, my photographs are my legacy. Knowing that an image will outlive us and continue to matter is EVERYTHING to me! Read more>>

Dan Monick

Letting fear drive any decision. Read more>>

Patrice Monteiro

What breaks the bonds between people, in my experience, is disconnection—from ourselves first, and then from each other. When fear, unspoken pain, misunderstanding, or trauma go unacknowledged, we begin to retreat. We protect ourselves instead of revealing ourselves. Over time, that distance grows, and the threads that once held us together quietly loosen. What restores those bonds is intentional connection. Read more>>

Pink Light

Neptunia – That extraterrestrial/extradimensional beings exist and my childhood household was abducted by them when I was younger. I recall waking up in the middle of the night feeling intense fear and I get out of bed to leave my room and I see a creature in the corner watching me with its big black eyes. Read more>>

Sarah O’Connor

What is most misunderstood about Heartfelt Care Agency is the belief that home care is only about completing tasks like bathing, meals, or medication reminders. Those services are important, but they are not the heart of what we do. Many families think they are simply hiring help. In reality, they are inviting someone into one of the most personal seasons of their lives. Read more>>

Brad Klimovitch

What I find most misunderstood about my business is that people often assume anger management is just about helping someone ‘calm down’ or manage outbursts. But what we actually do goes much deeper. At North Valley Anger Management Consultants, we’re addressing the underlying dynamics of conflict, manipulation, abuse, and emotional regulation. Read more>>

Ash Khodabakhsh

One of the most common misconceptions about chiropractic care is that it’s just a quick ‘crack’ and you’re out the door. In my practice, we do things differently. I believe that true healing requires more than a five-minute appointment; it requires understanding the ‘why’ behind your pain. Every session in my office lasts between 45 and 60 minutes. Read more>>

Celine Witherell

Many mental health struggles are carried quietly, hidden behind routines, productivity or a smile. What often goes unseen is that there’s no single path to feeling better. Some people benefit from talk therapy, getting organized, exercise or medications, while others find relief in rest, connection or even a really funny movie. Read more>>

David Ortiz

Mental Health. I think a lot of people struggle with mental health in silence because of a stigma and fear of judgement. A lot of us worry about being labeled weak, unstable and incapable. Sometimes we get pressured in a society where they reward productivity and positivity. Even saying “I’m not okay” feels like failure. Read more>>

Miranda Zhao

An important truth I believe is that real impact comes from honesty, not from making things appear perfect. There is often pressure to present a polished version of ourselves or our work, but that can distance us from what truly matters. When we allow space for sincerity and imperfection, the result feels more human, more meaningful, and more lasting. Read more>>

Jonathan ‘Gus’ Eid

Physically, a normal day for me involves waking up, prepping for work, sucking it all up, and pushing through an eight hour shift because I have bills to pay. But mentally I am writing. Totally cliché but it’s the truth. Sometimes I come up with fresh ideas and play with them to see if they have legs. Read more>>

Jess Perna

When I was five, my mother found me lying on my belly on the rug after I drew a picture of Pinocchio from the cover of a storybook. She thought I had traced it and asked me to draw it again. “OK mommy!” The next one was even more accurate, and it terrified her! Read more>>

Sam Persall

The relationship that has shaped me the most is primarily a one sided one. It might be up for discussion as to if that can be considered a relationship at all however I would like to consider it one. The relationship is with André 3000. Read more>>

FARZAD YOUSHEI

God is at the center of everything. Not as a concept, but as an anchor. Faith shapes how I make decisions, how I treat people, and how I navigate uncertainty. I don’t believe I’m doing this alone, and that perspective keeps me grounded, grateful, and accountable. Second, consistency matters more than intensity. Read more>>

Neda Nehouray

A foundational truth in my life is that intention matters. How you show up, how you treat people, and the energy you bring into a space all have a real impact, even when nothing is said out loud. I operate from the belief that people can feel sincerity, integrity, and care, just as clearly as they can feel the absence of it. Read more>>

Elle Pirmoradi

For this one I’ll have to refer to my music background again; I was born into a very musical family, so I naturally started hitting the piano keys at three years old and became pretty good. When I was almost 6, I wanted to audition for a nationwide classical music competition hosted by a radio station at the time. Read more>>

Alan Santana

That is an interesting question. I would not regret anything that Inhabe done up to this point in my life. I have always believed in timing in life, and that being in the right place at the right time would happen when the timing was right. I truly believe that as human beings we are capable of accomplishing anything that we set our minds to. Read more>>

K Tak

Not challenging myself to face the things I am afraid of. When I was younger, if something scared me or felt uncomfortable, I would do everything I could to avoid it. But as I got older, something changed. I realized that the scarier something feels, the more I probably need to face it. Read more>>

Sonia Grace

Language. Language is a significant part of human identity. It glues community together and gives people a sense of belonging. To make sure I don’t lose my native tongue, Gikuyu, I sing & write in it, practice speaking and listen to other speakers. Read more>>

Thomas Pallier

Human connection. Real interaction. Rooted in something genuine. I think we’re at a moment where convenience and speed are slowly replacing presence, and that’s something I’m very protective of. Storytelling, at its core, is a shared human experience. It’s something that has always worked best when people gather, exchange energy, and feel something together. Read more>>

Elina Danilova

I once believed that failure meant I wasn’t good enough. After failing hard, I realized failure is simply feedback — it’s actually a part of success. It shows us what doesn’t work, helps us grow, and gives us more opportunities to learn, adapt, and ultimately succeed. Read more>>

Gica Pucca

Shooting ‘Crystal Meth’ was a challenge itself. First time directing a comedy, first time having a four person crew each day, first time doing camera work and first time using a phone to shoot a movie. At the end, if Sean Baker was able to make ‘Tangerine’ with his Iphone and sending it to festivals; so could we. Read more>>

Dario

First off we love our customers. Many time i end up speaking over the phone with my customers, especially if they are new ones. The moment they understand we are real italians, probably cause i personally messed up some sentences with wrong grammar (lol) or cause the accent give it away they see us in a different way. Read more>>

justin Kim

As a photographer, I experience true joy when I perfectly capture a beautiful moment, and that joy is amplified when I receive emails or reviews from clients expressing their genuine satisfaction with those images. Read more>>

Becca-Willow Moss

The last time I felt true joy was during a moment that didn’t belong entirely to me. I was watching someone else soften — the way people do when they feel seen or safe for a second. I was singing in a retirement home and saw the elderly at peace with the piano, guitar and murmurs of joy. Read more>>

Michael Greenwood

Finishing my most recent film is a great feeling. I had written and planned it off and on for at least a decade, and the shooting took over a year. It changed a lot, but as it ended up, after letting it evolve naturally, I like it a lot more than if it had remained strictly as written. I kind of love it, actually. Read more>>

Amy Bouse

Many smart people spend an inordinate amount of time on screens. The idea of understanding a distant place by consuming images and words online is appealing. I think it’s tempting to believe that we understand a place and experience through online depictions, but it is not a replacement for experience of a place in real life. Read more>>

Adalgisa and David Nico

Right now, we are learning from naturalists who spend their days out in the field, even when we cannot be there beside them. We learn by consulting with them directly, reading their journal articles, and listening to their talks and presentations. Their voices help us understand how animals live, how ecosystems function, and what is at stake for these species today. Read more>>

Bledar Gashi

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to share a little about my story! I’m at an interesting time in my life. I recently graduated, and like many of my peers, finding a job has been quite the challenge this year. I’m working on building a career in the entertainment industry. Read more>>

Eva Fordham

Absolutely! If I were looking for a philanthropic expert to help me navigate non-profit complexities, so I can make a difference with my philanthropy, I would hire me in a heartbeat. Honestly, I say that with zero ego – just with genuine confidence in the value I bring. I don’t just work hard; I work smart and with incredible patience. Read more>>