West LA 1.8.17

Jordan Teller

Our story begins when I was in college at George Washington in 2006. I wanted to start a DJ company to provide a reliable music solution to the many events on campus, so I purchased some equipment and set up this LLC. It then morphed into a photography and videography company as I finished my degree at GW, and went on to build my career in network broadcasting. Read More>>

Avi Sills

I started playing Jazz, Blues & R&B in local bars and clubs as a drummer in Eugene Or. at the age of 14. Played all the way through high school, included touring the west coast. Back East for College at Berklee College of Music, Boston. Read More>>

Marni & Dana Haber

Immediately after college at UCSB, we both went into Non-profit fundraising and worked in-house for a variety of local LA organizations. We both wound up planning events for those organizations and realized we had a knack for organization and a love for design. Coming from an entrepreneurial family, we always knew we wanted to start a business together. We started our business about 8 years ago and have since branched out into planning social events such as Weddings and Bar Mitzvahs as well as Fundraising events. Read More>>

Morgan Jay

I started doing stand-up comedy in NYC. I was performing there for about 6 years working on my craft and developing my material. About a year after moving to LA I took a risk and threw all my old material away and started music comedy. The response has been tremendous and now it feels like I’ve been gaining momentum ever since. Read More>>

Sarah Coplen

I’m a hopeless romantic and have been head over heels in love with weddings since I was a girl. This initially led me down the path of fashion design to design wedding gowns. After picking up degrees in Apparel Merchandising and Costume Design from Indiana University I headed out to sunny California for a fashion design degree from FIDM. The fashion industry and I had a brief love affair but it wasn’t until I began helping friends with the design and flowers for their weddings that I found my true calling in event planning and floral design! My mother is a wedding coordinator so you’d think I would have seen this coming. Read More>>

Brad Lipshy

We started as a children’s entertainment company in the back of a house.

We learned about corporate events as we were hired as subcontractors.

We then expanded in to a full production and catering company with over 50 employees and grossing over 10 million dollars in sales. Read More>>

Randy Fuhrman

Randy Fuhrman is a true entrepreneur. By the age of 17, he had already catered formal dinner parties of up to 500 guests. Less than 12 months after he threw his first party, Randy landed his first corporate client- A & M Records. Read More>>

Kimery Sherwood

How it all started……I worked for the jewelry designer, Michael Dawkins. I managed his LA operations, as he as based in NY. I scheduled his public appearances, trunk shows and cocktail parties for his celebrity clientele. I LOVED it and knew that I wanted to do special events on a larger scale. Read More>>

Kristy Messer

After participating in a couple of city-wide scavenger hunts a decade ago, I couldn’t forget the experience. As a long time runner, I loved taking part in road races. Scavenger hunts combined the “race” element with an exploration of the city. Also, working with teams created a team spirit, and afterwards–celebrating with other teams created a sense of community. Those three elements: outdoor exercise, exploring the city from a new perspective & team/community building inspired me to create a scavenger hunt company. Read More>>

Petey Randall

As a sprightly sophomore in high school, I began learning how to mix music from my wrestling coach, henry, who was also a hip-hop dance teacher and professional DJ in Boston. He took me on as an assistant and equipment roadie and brought me out to some really wonderful (and perhaps mildly inappropriate) parties. In this first year, I learned the art of turntablism, the history of DJing and dance music, the finer aspects of pa systems and acoustics, and, most importantly, how to effectively work a dance floor. Read More>>

Jeff Ward

Starting as a mobile DJ playing VHS tapes on a giant screen, Jeff switched to lasers and special effects when joining TLC in 1993. TLC then grew into Los Angeles’s premiere live special effects company focusing on corporate events, private parties, and television. After meeting the band Cold Play, TLC became the source for the Xylobands wristbands that have become extremely popular in the special events world. With many different services, TLC has grown into a full-scale production company specializing in unique visual effects such as the giant kabuki screen that is flown at the start of every Laker game. Having done effects for the Lakers, clippers, Kings, and Galaxy, TLC is the first call for most of the area’s sports teams. Read More>>

Kristine Thompson

I’ve always loved putting together social events for friends and family. I love creating an enjoyable environment full of delicious menus of food and drink and great company. The first wedding I put together was my cousin’s backyard wedding and I was 19. They didn’t have anyone coordinating the details, so I sort of just stepped up and took control. After the wedding, friends and family told me that I should think about going into event planning. I thought about it but was in college and young and didn’t know where life might take me. Read More>>

Shelly Shai

Shelly started Shelly’s Dance & Costume at 25 years old in 1982. Her passion for fitness and dance came about when she took up ice skating as a child. Read More>>

Joanne Lee

Founded in 2005 by Beverly Hills Dermatologist, Stuart Kaplan, M.D., the KAPLAN MD brand of products are based on 3 key principles: Quality, Simplicity, and Integrity. After three years of R&D, the first retail partnership was started in 2008 with Neiman Marcus department stores. Since then, distribution has grown to over 300 prestige doors in the U.S., including luxury resort spas and Level A retailers such as Pebble Beach Golf Resort, Ritz Carlton Hotels, KSL Resorts, Canyon Ranch Resorts, St. Regis Hotel Spas, and Sephora stores. In addition, select items have launched exclusively in all 60 Sephora Canada stores, as well as retailers in the United Kingdom, Caribbean, and Scandinavia. Read More>>

Joyce Marie Partise

I started my business when I was 19 years old. I came from an entrepreneurial family and was very excited to start out on my own. I spent 20 years in Beverly Hills upstairs from a hair salon, adding on rooms and hired an employee. I then ventured out and created my own space for skin care only, hiring staff in the same neighborhood. After eight years I decided that I would go back to a salon environment as a sole practitioner and have a lovely space in a Salon/Spa one block west of Rodeo Drive. All together I have been in business for 38 years and have seen a lot of changes in the industry. I have spent years also lecturing to women’s groups, was a guest speaker at FIDM, and also sold skincare on QVC. To be in this industry it is important to love connecting with people and helping them have a better self-image of themselves. Read More>>

 Heather Funk

From the time I was 12 years old, I started experimenting in the world of beauty and skincare. My mom sold Avon and Mary kay. I was always using her skin care systems. I would also immerse myself in the pages of Cosmopolitan and Elle reading about different at-home and natural products I could utilize to make custom face masks with everything from Egg whites to Yogurt and even Clay Kitty litter I tried once. I loved to pamper my friends and make them feel beautiful. Read More>>

Lynne Shirvandehi-Gow

My working life has taken many twists and turns. I’ve spent many years in administrative jobs working for places like Wells Fargo Bank and USC, and in sales, first for a title insurance company and then as a mortgage loan officer. In 1994 I went to work for a company that provided personal-growth seminars and workshops – and worked for 3 years in management and as a coach and trainer. But, the Universe had different plans for me! The company went out of business, and I needed to decide what was next for me. Read More>>

Inese Ragland

Living in LA for close to six years and overall in close to 20 years in U.S, I’m originally from Latvia, a small country in Northern Europe, known for its serene dreamy beauty, gorgeous wild beaches, and forests. It’s the place of many artists and creatives. My family is no exception, my dad is a famous hairstylist who contributes a lot to cultural and creative scene, my mom is a fashion designer and a stylist (it’s dangerous to go shopping with her, you end up buying everything). Read More>>

Dr Andrea Bradshaw

I’ve been a Chiropractor since 1994 on the West side of Los Angeles. I was born and raised In Hollywood. I attended Beverly hills high school and then went on to study the healing Arts.  I was schooled at a young age on daily exercise and holistic medicine. My sisters and I were raised on Organic food from the garden as well as a plethora of knowledge on herbs and vitamin therapy from our Mom, Angela. Read More>>

Isabel Epstein

I grew up in Moscow. We lived next to Russian Hollywood Mosfilm. My mother had a lot of actresses friends and they all went to one lady for facials. They went to her once a week, and my mom used to take me with her. I was 13 years at that time. My interest in esthetics grew and I wanted to learn. My mom asked her Esthetician to teach me everything she knew and after school, I start going to Mosfilm to see her and spend hours learning and watching her do facials and custom made face creams and masks. My skin is very dry and I start using products very young to moisturize my skin and prevent wrinkles. When we left Russia, I was worried that I won’t be able to make face cream for a long time, so I made a lot for me and my mom, but because we needed money, we sold them in Italy. Read More>>

Irina Lexandra Berchik

We, founders of Spa ViolaSole, Irina Lexandra Berchik and Kathryn Serviss are master estheticians and working owners with over 40 years of experience between us. We opened our spa with one goal in mind – to get away from cookie-cutter, conveyor style spa chains that dominate beauty market now and provide strictly individualized approach to skin care for each and every client. We are sick of the generic word “glow” that every spa tries to lure clients with and instead offer realistic, technology- and expertise driven treatments that provide real results that don’t last just for a day while pampering our client with little “spa” touches. We opened in 2013 with only 150 loyal clients that joined us at our new venture and now our database boasts almost 2000 patrons. We genuinely care for the well-being of our customers and constantly striving to improve our skills, products and technologies used. Read More>>

Palwasha Wali

I started my company “LASH Beverly Hills Eye & Lip Bar & Academy” about a year ago. We opened our first location on Rodeo drive in Beverly Hills and then opened our second location in Woodland Hills and planning to expand in the near future to have more location and share the love of Beauty to every soul on this planet. Read More>>

Chad Pulido

I started doing lash lift treatments a little over a year ago where I was introduced to a Yumi lash master trainer, we became good friends and I helped her in training courses and really get her business off the ground. However, we parted ways and kind of went on our own separate ways. I started the lash lift company and offer my services in 2 salons in Orange County and the main location For the lash lift is on rodeo drive in Beverly Hills. The name of the salon is karma and the salon offers piercings, tattoos, permanent makeup, & of course the lash lift treatment and training course are offered as well. I love the edginess of the salon and services that we over on rodeo drive and feel like we stand out visually as well as by the exceptional work we offer. The treatment is definitely becoming more known and trendy in the Beverly Hills area and the results speak for themselves. The lash lift is the natural alternative to lash extensions . Read More>>

David Friedman & Shadi Beral

David and Shadi are both owners of Smile Labs LA. David was a dental assistant in the military and even though he did not pursue becoming a dentist, he always enjoyed the satisfaction of seeing someone smile. David has always had an entrepreneurial spirit and when a friend saw an advertisement to be a SmileLabs franchisee, he jumped on it. After extensively researching the SmileLabs product and corporate support, David saw how teeth whitening could become another important part of our beauty health regiment, as well as an alternative to the high priced dentists and over the counter products. David did not have the financials to start a business but was determined to do all he could to raise money to open Smile Labs LA. Read More>>

Peter Kopelson

I grew up in New York City and in Beverly Hills, California and attended Beverly Hills High School. I completed my undergraduate training at Columbia Universtiy where I majored in philosophy and concentrated on my pre-medical courses. I was accepted into New York University School of Medicine where I obtained my Medical Doctor degree. I remained at N.Y.U. School of Medicine for my internship in Internal Medicine, spending much of my time at Bellevue Hospital. I then moved back to the west coast to study dermatology and dermatologic surgery at University of California, Los Angeles, School of Medicine, I completed my dermatology residency and served as chief dermatology resident. Read More>>

Samira Far

The progression was quick! After I graduated from USC in 2004, I started working at one of the world’s most prestigious accounting firms, KPMG, LLP as an internal auditor and SOX compliance consultant. I was antsy to start working and was excited to be part of the corporate business structure, but I soon realized that structure that at first I was drawn to was also stifling to my entrepreneurial spirit and drive and I quickly knew that I could not stay at the job- my soul was expiring there. I decided to take a risk and after 10 months, I walked away from what many perceived as the “perfect job” to pursue my passion and an idea that I had in college – to provide a better option in the fragmented nail salon industry where the only factor of competition was the price. I have been getting my nails done every two weeks since I was 12 years old. I would always want the result of a perfect manicure, but could not stand the experience and wanted to get out of there as fast as possible, so it was clear to me that someone needed to do a better job. I elected myself for the position without knowing what I was doing and learned along the way. Read More>>

Leslie Kritzer

I got into the skin care industry in my early 30’s after an onset of adult acne hit me hard and fast. Having had a flawless complexion throughout high school and all my life, it was troublesome to experience problematic skin at an age where it was important to be both presentational and professional. I was literally living at my dermatologist’s office. It was at this point that I was inspired to begin a career in health and beauty. I began my career working at a dermatologist’s office as an esthetician. Read More>>

Mia Belle

My passion lays in creating true vitality for myself and wanting to share what I create with my patients.I started off in branding, working with lines from the image to the science and chemistry of the product. I found such a strong disconnect between the doctors, chemists, practitioners, and patients. There was also a lack of being able to synergistically apply traditional and alternative dermatology to the treatments and products being offered. There were so many breakthroughs regarding formulations, technology and other findings, but nobody was putting it all together. Read More>>

Nima Shemirani

I grew up in San Diego, California among a family of artists. I was always very science and business oriented as a young man and found myself loving biology in college at UC San Diego. When I realized that medicine was just applied biology, I applied to medical school and was accepted at the Medical College of Wisconsin. I knew I wanted to be a surgeon who could improve my patients’ quality of life. It led me to a field in facial plastic surgery where I finally found my artistic calling that could be combined with my scientific curiosities. I completed training in head and neck surgery, followed by specialized training in facial plastic surgery in New Jersey. I moved to Los Angeles to be closer to family and friends and opened my practice in Beverly Hills not really knowing very many people in town. Read More>>

Mink Lorber

Liz and I ran into each other about 5 years ago.. She has this idea about laser treatments and cosmetic clinics … We have worked together since then . She believes every woman deserves to have beautiful skin that is affordable. We both come from cultures which value hard work, ambition, and education. Read More>>

TONY SON

Tony Son is the Commissioner for NFL FLAG LA Football. He was born in Dallas, Texas and was raised in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a 2002 graduate of Georgia Tech with a degree in Management Information Systems. Shortly after graduation, Tony attended the Game Face Executive Academy where he obtained his certification in Sport Sales. Read More>>

Virgil Perez

The adventure started as I was a coach for a club that was closing doors in the spring 2013, leaving the students without a structure to participate in the fall season of that same year.  Some of the other coaches went to find a position with other clubs while I decided to run around the clock to start a new club with the precious help of Coach Jose Aguilar.  We managed to save the season for some of the kids that were left without a club. The rest is history we are now in our 3rd season, and our highly appreciated Diamonds Program for kids age 4 to 8 is the backbone of the club as we are building from the ground up. We have 3 main programs, the Diamonds League for our youngest players and beginners, our skill classes for beginners and intermediate players that want to learn or improve their skills age 7 to 12, and finally club level for the more advanced and committed players, it starts at 6 years old.. Read More>>

Ken Kurtis

Ken Kurtis was kicked out of swim class twice by the time he was six. (He didn’t like putting his face in the water.) Hardly an auspicious start to a diving career. But Ken always loved being around the water, loved looking at fish, and in 1978 while running a radio station in Richmond, VA, was offered a chance to get certified and took advantage of it. Ken then became an NAUI Instructor (Top Candidate at his 1980 Instructor Training Course) and has taught thousands of people over the years. Ken’s logged over 5,000 dives all over the world in such varied places as the Maldives, Indonesia, Yap, Tahiti, Bonaire, Cocos, Alaska, Easter Island and, of course, his beloved waters of Southern California. Read More>>

Kevin Thornton

Kevin Herink and I started our sailing careers ten years apart, but we were each drawn to the sea on our first sail.  After sharing ownership of a sailboat and inviting friends along the way, we quickly realized that there were many other people that shared our passion for being on the water. We came up with the idea of crossing to Catalina Island to create a sailing club that could provide regular access to boats in Los Angeles. Read More>>

Karl Niehaus

Since 2003, Santa Monica Water Polo Club has been teaching and coaching water polo and splash ball in Los Angeles. Each of our coaches has college, international, or Olympic water polo playing experience and each is highly qualified to teach boys and girls between 5 -19 years old the intricacies and fundamentals of water polo and splash ball (10U &8U). Read More>>

Barb Wittels

I have one child. When she was young we would go on beach bike rides as a family. At a certain point, two of us would be saying, “Let’s go go go!” One person (no finger pointing) would be saying, “Let’s go home!” There is a place on the bike path where the path takes a curve to the left. He would always ride straight ahead onto the grass and as a joke, fall off the bike onto the ground grabbing his chest and panting until we all burst out laughing. He started to look for bikes with some assist. Read More>>

Sumita Batra

For nearly 30 years, Ziba Beauty has continued to lead and pioneer the brow and body art industry, bringing authentic eastern beauty to the modern world. With a Rolodex of A-list celebrity clients and collaborations, Ziba Beauty is considered the leading authority in the eye and brow category. Read More>>

Dulce Hartford

My journey to becoming a photographer is kind of a funny one. Growing up I would take any camera I could find and start snapping away, but it really never dawned on me that I could or should one day pursue photography. My older sister was close friends with an amazing photographer, whom I still admire, and every time I saw her work, I was left with this immense curiosity to know how on earth she captured such a spectacular shot! I would think to myself “Wow, that’s beautiful! I wish I could do that!” but again, I still didn’t figure out that I could, in fact, do that. As time went on and I grew older, I dabbled in so many career fields, never fully feeling satisfied. Read More>>

Heather Muto

After I got married in 2013 I decided I wanted to finally pursue my dream of starting an event planning company all of my own. To be totally honest I’ve always wanted to have my own company while also raising a family and it just seemed like the perfect time. Little did I know that I’d get pregnant four months after launching Rise to the Occasions! Read More>>

Van Nguyen

It started in high school; I loved throwing parties for friends and families. I found it really invigorating to brainstorm party themes, decorate, and give people a great reason to get together! During sophomore year I became the Founder of the A la Mode club, which led me to produce my first photo shoot and fashion show. With all the events leading up to this point, I feel like I was predestined to do what I’m doing today. Read More>>