Meet Sunny Lee of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sunny Lee.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
At first, CaliNook started simply as a way for my husband and me to document the places we genuinely enjoyed. We’ve always loved exploring new cafés, restaurants, and travel destinations together, and over time, taking photos and keeping memories from those experiences naturally became part of our everyday lives. California especially felt inspiring to us because every area has such a different atmosphere, and beyond the well-known spots, there are so many hidden local gems with their own charm. Discovering and experiencing those places together was something we truly enjoyed.

Over time, we started feeling like we wanted to share those experiences with others instead of keeping them to ourselves. We wanted to create content that could help someone decide where to go for their next weekend outing, coffee stop, or trip, while also sharing the atmosphere and emotions we personally experienced. That idea naturally led to the beginning of CaliNook.

We didn’t start with a major business plan or a clear roadmap. It honestly began as a hobby, and as we continued posting content, we slowly discovered the direction we wanted to grow in. Eventually, we started receiving messages from people saying they visited places because of our posts or that our content helped them plan a trip, and that made us want to create even more meaningful content.

Rather than creating content that simply says a place is “good” or “trendy,” we’ve always cared more about capturing the feeling and atmosphere of an experience. We believe the same place can feel completely different depending on the time of day, the people you’re with, or even what you ordered. Because of that, we try to focus not only on visuals, but also on creating a natural flow and emotion through our writing and storytelling.

As we continued creating content, we began collaborating with cafés, restaurants, hotels, and travel brands, and over time CaliNook naturally evolved into more than just a food or travel page. Today, we see it as a creative media brand that shares the lifestyle, culture, and experiences that make California feel special.

One of the things that makes CaliNook especially meaningful to us is that we’ve been building it together as a couple. We naturally bring different ideas, perspectives, and tastes into the creative process, and documenting everyday moments and travels together has become something very meaningful for both of us. Recently, we’ve also started working with a small team, which has helped us expand creatively in new ways. From filming and editing to brainstorming ideas and planning content, CaliNook has slowly grown from a personal project into a collaborative creative team.

Moving forward, we want to continue creating content that inspires people to go out and experience places for themselves. In a world where content moves so quickly, our goal is to create content people can come back to later — something that feels memorable, personal, and lasting.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Of course, it hasn’t always been a smooth road. Since CaliNook started as a hobby, one of the biggest challenges in the beginning was simply staying consistent. Creating content consistently takes a lot more time and energy than most people realize, especially when you’re handling everything yourself — from planning and filming to editing, writing, and communicating with brands.

The content industry also moves incredibly fast, which can be challenging at times. Trends and algorithms are constantly changing, and there are moments when quick, attention-grabbing content seems to perform better than the kind of storytelling and atmosphere-driven content we care about creating. Because of that, one of our biggest challenges has been learning how to grow while still staying true to the style and identity we want CaliNook to have.

Another challenge has been balancing work and personal life, especially because we run everything together as a couple. Even during trips, meals, or weekends, we naturally find ourselves thinking about content ideas, filming, or planning future projects. Sometimes it can be difficult to separate work from everyday life. At the same time, though, that experience has also helped us understand each other’s strengths even more and work together more closely as creative partners.

As CaliNook has continued to grow, we’ve also started working with a small team, which brought a different kind of responsibility. Beyond creating content, we now spend much more time thinking about creative direction, scheduling, communication, and how to continue growing the brand in a meaningful way. There are still challenges along the way, of course, but we see them as part of the process, and we’re constantly learning and evolving through each experience.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
CaliNook is a content brand focused on capturing and sharing different spaces, experiences, and lifestyles throughout California. Rather than simply listing popular restaurants or travel destinations, we focus more on creating content that naturally captures the atmosphere and emotions we personally experienced.

We mainly feature cafés, restaurants, hotels, travel destinations, and local brands, but for us, it’s never just about sharing information — it’s about telling the story of why a place felt memorable or special. Because of that, we spend a lot of time thinking about how the visuals, videos, and writing can all flow together naturally as one experience.

We also care deeply about the mood and details within our content. We try to capture the colors, music, energy, and small details that give each place its own personality. Rather than creating content that people scroll past quickly, our goal is to create content that feels lasting and memorable.

Another thing that’s important to us is discovering places that genuinely feel meaningful to experience in person, not just places that are already widely known online. We especially enjoy finding hidden local spots throughout California and sharing the unique atmosphere and lifestyle that make those places feel special.

One of the most rewarding parts of this work is hearing that someone visited a place because of our content or added a destination to their travel plans after seeing one of our posts. Messages like “I found this place through CaliNook” remind us that content can go beyond visuals and actually inspire real experiences and memories.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
One thing that might surprise people is how much planning and time actually goes into creating our content. A lot of people see our posts and assume the trips, shoots, and videos happen very naturally and effortlessly, but in reality, we spend a huge amount of time carefully thinking through every detail — from choosing locations and planning shooting schedules to the mood, music, pacing, and overall flow of the content.

We care a lot about making content feel natural and genuine rather than just visually appealing. Because of that, we often spend extra time revisiting locations, waiting for the right lighting or atmosphere, and sometimes filming the same moments multiple times to make sure the feeling of the experience really comes through.

Another thing people may not realize is that editing and storytelling often take longer than the actual filming itself. We spend a lot of time choosing music, adjusting the pacing of a video, and refining captions and writing so that the content feels cohesive and emotionally memorable, not just informative.

Even though our content may look effortless on the surface, there’s actually a lot of thought, detail, and time behind every post, and that’s something many people probably don’t realize.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://calinook.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calinook/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@calinook