THE VALLEY PORTRAITS NOV 18

Samantha Tradelius

Well… I am a maniac to start! Filled with a passion for making this world a better place! Spending 25 years in the insurance industry has really helped me meet and learn a lot about people and how they tick. In 2015 I founded a non-profit The Sparkle Foundation. An org that’s the focused is serving single mothers and their families. This is a legacy of my Grandmother, GG. A single mother in the 1950s. 2016 my 501c3 status was granted and off I went. Almost 7 years later touching thousands of lives all over California. Aligning myself with the most incredible women we are able to move mountains together. Read more>>

Nadiya Popadyuk

I was born and raised in a small Ukrainian mountain village Yasinya with breathtaking views and fascinating nature. My childhood was filled with exciting stories of my grandfather and parents about the adventures and the phenomenal success of my uncle – Australian millionaire and philanthropist Ivan Popadyuk. He became a successful businessman at a young age in Ukraine. At that time my region – Zakarpattya belonged to Hungary where Khorti fascist regime operated. My uncle was against dictatorship and somebody reported him, he had to run away overseas to Australia. Read more>>

Scott Frenzel

Hi! I’m Scott, I make short-form nostalgic comedy videos, life hacks, and college tip content on YouTube, TikTok Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook (wherever they’ll have me). I was working at a restaurant when the pandemic started and then all of a sudden, I was stuck at home. I had come to LA originally to do something in entertainment, and in the pandemic, I had all the time in the world so it felt like a “now or never” moment to get started. I downloaded TikTok and started making some videos (which looking back were very bad) but I found my groove, and 2 million followers and nearly a billion views later, it all worked out. Read more>>

Amy Fox

I’ve always been fascinated by the psychology of people. As a kid, this curiosity led me to creative writing and theater. I played Annie Sullivan in The Miracle Worker in high school, but I was soon to discover that was the pinnacle of my acting career. In college, I realized I was more interested in writing characters’ stories than performing them. I began writing plays and was fortunate to find two incredible mentors, Connie Congdon and Len Berkman. But it was also in college that I encountered my first roadblock. I developed severe tendonitis that made it nearly impossible to type or write by hand. With the help of physical therapy and early voice dictation software, I kept writing scripts. Read more>>

Stephanie Peraza

It’s truly been an incredibly transformative time in my life right now. Since the last time I was featured here in October 2020, my life took really unexpected turns. In August 2021, I went through a really definitive and sad breakup. I felt lost and unfulfilled…I think that’s something that’s inevitable for anyone in their mid to late 20s. I had lost one of my best friends and I essentially had to piece my life back together again. At 27, just as I had done so many times in the past during those volatile, self-loathing years, I had the task of re-evaluating my life and repurposing it. Read more>>

Melissa Lanz

Growing up in a family that didn’t understand generational wealth, I’ve spent the past ten years writing and rewriting the story of my future. I left my corporate job in 2009 and started my own company from my kitchen table with a $2,500 investment. The Fresh 20 is a subscription site that helps families get to the dinner table with more health. It wasn’t a slam dunk. I hustled, failed, optimized, prayed, and kept working hard. Today, that simple idea has generated 8-figures in revenue. Read more>>

Yolanda Morgan

“No black woman writer in this culture can write “too much.” Indeed, no woman writer can write ‘too much’… No woman has ever written enough.” This powerful quote by the brilliant Bell Hooks has carried me through my writing career. Born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, I quickly became inspired to write about my experiences in the south. My writing was constantly filled with detailed paragraphs of southern cuisine and meticulous monologues of complex family dynamics. It was always clear to me that my upbringing made me into a writer. Read more>>

Kamini Natarajan

My musical journey started as a young kid. I feel blessed to be born into a family where my mother and grandmother both are devotional singers. I grew up immersed in music. I went on to continue learning music for decades and graduated in Indian Classical Vocal Music. By the time I was 10, I started performing at various venues and participated in many national-level music competitions. I was honored to be one of the youngest “graded” artists from All India Radio in 1992. I appeared in various television shows, taught music as well as recorded for music label companies. Read more>>

Eric Marks

After receiving my MFA from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, I was hired onto a trailer team at Electronic Arts as an in-house sound designer and re-recording mixer. I got to work on dozens of trailers for Dragon Age II and Mass Effect 3, among many other games. One year later, I was hired onto the game team for a reboot of Command & Conquer at EA. I was tasked with overseeing the entire dialog pipeline for the game, including casting and directing actors, implementing clips, designing the systems in which they’d be triggered in the game, and mixing them.  Read more>>

Renato Gamez

I started dancing when I was about 16 years old. It all began in my high school dance team, which got me introduced to competitive dance where I joined a dance studio as part of their team and competed with them for a year. It was kind of like being thrown into something full force without thinking twice. Before I knew it, I was auditioning for the University of Arizona’s dance program, made it in, and went to study there for the next four years majoring with a BFA in Dance. Read more>>

Coco Blignaut

I have lived many lifetimes in this one life: as a lost child in a dysfunctional family, a stellar student with a fertile imagination, a Covergirl in South Africa at age 21, and an intrepid wanderer of the world in my twenties, I have been homeless in Paris, lived with Bedouins in the desert, and almost lost my life in a fire (when the angel of my childhood saved me). I have been married to a heroin addict, whilst training to be a fearless actress through many humiliations. In order to survive, I also took care of, and educated, well over 1000 children in my life. Read more>>

Mark Cross

Music has always been important but was never the most important part of my life as a kid. I was obsessed with gathering CDs of any genre. I loved collecting them. I had rock music, jazz, traditional Celtic, you name it. Along with my cheap Radio Shack headphones, I’d hide my walkman at the bottom of my backpack just so I could show my friends on the bus the new music I had found. However, my focus was primarily set on playing baseball until about 8th grade. At that time, I had started to show more of an interest in music. I have a friend, Matt, who (in my eyes) was a killer guitar player. I wanted to give it a try myself. Read more>>

Carolina De Athey

I’m originally from Brazil and I came to the USA to pursue my dream of becoming an international entertainer. I didn’t speak English and I needed to learn English and so, I started my journey. I kind of started modeling in Texas which was my first home in the USA and then I got introduced to acting which I really liked. I was already involved with music in Brazil as I grew up singing in church choirs and MPB 0r Brazilian popular music. I’d say music was my first love and why I’m here today. I really wanted to be able to sing in English but my family couldn’t afford English classes. Read more>>

Che’Rae Adams

My journey developing, directing, and producing new work began when I was an intern, straight out of college, at the Mark Taper Forum. I was lucky enough to be thrown into the writing workshop of the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Angels in America, Part II: Perestroika”. Working with Tony Kushner, Oscar Eustis and Tony Taccone in a room were like a master class in new play development. I went on to work with the Taper as the coordinator of their Lab Series and Mentor Playwright’s Reading Series. Read more>>

JP Brown

Well, I originally started Stand-up Comedy in 2000 back in Toronto, Canada, then quit in 2004. When I moved down to Los Angeles in 2008, I mainly did it to focus on & further my acting career. Eventually, though, I got re-inspired to get back onstage. How? Well, I was watching that documentary, Zeitgeist, and I heard an audio clip from the legendary George Carlin, and I was like, “Holy sh*t! This guy is brilliant!” I always knew about Carlin, but I slept on a lot of his body of work. Read more>>

Andrew Headrick

I think, like all good ideas, Kavira came from a personal need. I grew up in a large family, with quadruplet younger siblings (four siblings all the same age). On basically a monthly basis, one of the five of us would inevitably get sick, and my mom would pack all five of us into the back of her super cool 1990s green dodge caravan, and bring us across town to the clinic, and we’d sit in the waiting room, playing with the germ-filled toys, looking at the fish in the sad looking fish tank, then we’d drive down the street to stand in line again to get our prescription at the pharmacy. Read more>>

Ian McCartor

I have been retired from nursing for the last 2 years, where I worked bedside with patients in hospice and palliative care. Throughout my final year of 2020, I was able to work with people facing their darkest moments of isolation at the hands of our global situation at the time. During this season I observed incredible loneliness and in many, an overwhelming desire to share and connect. At such a time when life was so precious, these terminal patients were considering the magnitude of their life’s cumulative experiences. There were many who desired an opportunity to share the wisdom they had. Read more>>

Rhonda Notary

I was born in Columbus, Ohio. My mom, who was not a dancer, put me in dance at age three because she noticed every time she would turn on the music, I would immediately start dancing! I did not dance competitively until I was in high school and soon realized this was my passion and my calling. I began auditioning when I was 16 years old and dreamed about moving to New York and being on Broadway. My parents fostered this passion and would drive me to New York once a month so I could attend auditions. Read more>>

Olga Parno

I simply set out to create products that worked for me and my posse. Masktini was born with targeted mask solutions for common skin issues: sensitivity and redness, breakouts and discoloration, premature signs of aging from the sun, and blue light damage. I wanted to solve our issues, streamline and simplify skincare, and also create products that are sensorial and spa-like. Masktini products use high concentrations of clinically proven active complexes, plus they feel and smell great. I developed a signature scent using natural fruit oils with concentrations that actually benefit the skin and help protect the formulation. I will continue to add to the Masktini line with products that truly transform skin health so you can be fearless with no skin worries. Because Fearless is the new Flawless! Read more>>

Heriberto Rubalcava

For as long as I can remember, we’ve been proud of our Mexican culture and roots. As kids, we played songs from Los Bukis “Mexican Beatles” in elementary school during our recess breaks. In the Summer months, we would travel to México where our parents grew up. 30 years later we created an apparel brand that represents our culture, embraces our Roots, and above all, inspires us to be Us. Read more>>

Christopher Montgomery

I started my culinary journey in New York City. As a youth I had a few run-ins with the law, however, to better myself, I enrolled myself in culinary school to travel the world through food. Growing up in the Bronx, my universe was 10 blocks. The only time I went outside of the Bronx/NYC was when I visited family down south, in North Carolina. Once I started culinary school, I was able to explore the world through various cuisine. I trained under the renowned chef David Burke and Chef Patrick Vaccariello at the beginning of my career. Read more>>

Richard Chiu

In 2002, I left the music industry and had no idea what else I wanted to do. I ended up getting a job at Trader Joe’s. After 8 months of working there, an agent approached me to come audition for a role. Having no idea what to expect I went in to audition for Young and the Restless and ended up booking it. And it kept going. My first few years of acting were so insanely unbelievable. Read more>>

Rob Styles

My story begins in Fayetteville, North Carolina. 1999, I was 14 years old, sitting on the couch with my mom, watching the Steven Spielberg film, Saving Private Ryan. I heard my inner voice say, “I want to be a director”. I heard those words, as clear as day. Fast forward to 2003, my senior year of high school. I was accepted to New York Film Academy, but couldn’t attend, because my family couldn’t afford the tuition. Read more>>

Tina Codinha

Hello there, my name is Tina Codinha. I am the Founder and CEO of Codinha Chocolate, Host of the “I Heart Chocolate Podcast”, and mentor to chocolatiers worldwide who are looking to grow in chocolate, business, and mindset. This is a business that I proudly run with my husband, Bruno Codinha, who funny enough, I met because of chocolate. I mean, of course, right?Codinha Chocolate is a dream that came to fruition during the pandemic. Read more>>

Thomas Eggensberger

I was born in Germany and grew up in a small town near Munich. Started playing the piano very early on and started to develop an interest in music composition and music technology. For this reason, I studied sound engineering in Munich for two years, and I increasingly had the desire to write more of my own music. Later, I decided to go study in the United Kingdom, mainly to explore a new culture, and meet other like-minded creatives, and because I found the perfect college which I thought would prepare me for the next part of my musical journey. Read more>>

Ashley Roberts

My name is Ashley, and my now-husband is in recovery from a drug addiction. It’s something that we have been experiencing and learning from for years, and while that whole topic is under-acknowledged in itself, the role of the partner is even more so. I knew that he had issues with substance abuse when I met him, but even through the years of our relationship, my years of searching for guidance and given the fact that so many people struggle with these issues, I had very few places to go to find what I was looking for. Read more>>

Shanequa Reed

It all started during my freshman year in high school. We were not fortunate to have a TV and Film Department like we currently have at Lancaster High School (Dallas, TX). There was an elective called Theater Production, and that class sparked my interest in wanting to create my own content. I wrote, directed, and edited my first short film (disclaimer: don’t do this at home kids) taking my parent’s car for a joy ride. My family was my cast and crew and they have to this day been very supportive of my imagination. Read more>>

Tere Schwartzbart

As a young girl in El Salvador, I entered the workforce in the Mercado by the time I was 8 years old. I never had much of a childhood. I remember helping my mom to make paper flowers but pursuing my dream of painting was the furthest thing from my mind. Luxuries like going to school or holding a paintbrush were out of reach. When the civil war broke out, I left El Salvador for a very unknown future in California with just the clothes on my back. Read more>>

Ngozi Kim

My creative journey began in 2012 when I started my comedy brand GoziTV on YouTube. Since then my world of creativity continued to expand. The Pandemic was definitely the launching pad I never realized I needed. Quarantine allowed me to go within majorly. During this time, I questioned what was next for me in LALALAND. The seclusion of it all gave me a much clearer vision of who I am as a creative person. Now, let me pull out my tiny violin: I’ve never felt as though I fit in. Wherever “IN” is, I’ve always felt I didn’t quite belong. That was heightened when I relocated from Texas to Cali. A city like Los Angeles will really show you who you are & where you belong. Read more>>

Geovanny Ragsdale

We started Our Daily Bread Bakery a few months into the COVID-19 pandemic out of curiosity and need. The previous year Johnnie started making sourdough to benefit his wife Geovanny. Johnnie, a licensed massage therapist, was unable to keep working as of March 15th. Geovanny was subsequently let go of her position in July. They had created a good wholesome product. They took a chance and their Cottage Food Operation was born. Read more>>

Chantal Rochelle

My life started in Houston, Texas. I’m the youngest of four girls and grew up surrounded by music, pop culture, and entertainment. My parents were very adamant about my sisters and me being active and having extracurricular activities. I tried to get into sports: I played basketball, soccer, and softball all throughout grade school, but never really fell in love with it. During this time, I was very active on social media pages like Xanga, MySpace, and AOL chat. I was consistently revamping my URL to change the theme of my homepage and the way my site looked. I created my own pop culture blog where I spoke about the latest celebrity news, current fashion trends, and exclusive interviews. Read more>>

Chris Shelton

Taking the plunge and starting my business in 2001 was one of the scariest things I’ve done in my life. At that time, I was a full-time butcher, ‘working for the man,’ a single father of two, and a martial artist. But I persevered and despite nay-sayers, I refused to give up! Even when family members and mentors told me I would not succeed, I ignored them. In the beginning, and still, to this day, I would utilize the principles of Qigong to co-create what I want in my life and my career. The third pillar of Qigong is mind intent, which I would use to visualize specific desired outcomes. Read more>>

Bec Morris

I am a choreographer, dancer, and creative now living in Los Angeles. I originally grew up in Sydney, Australia, and moved to the US in 2017 to pursue my dreams. Five years down the track, I have and I continue to live that life, evolve my dreams and create new opportunities for myself and my career. I’m only here today because my mother gave me that opportunity. She was also a performer when she was young (now a primary school teacher) and she introduced me to dance at the age of 2. Until I was 16 I had never trained in hip hop and street styles (which has now my main style) having been technically trained at Australia’s largest and most successful dance school – Brent Street. Read more>>

Iris Hosea and Patty Flores

Festively is a marketplace where busy moms and savvy businesses can search for and buy from local minority-owned bakers, florists, balloon stylists, and more for their special celebrations and milestones. If you’ve ever planned a party, you know it can be a lot of work. With Festively, customers can search for what they need, discover creative entrepreneurs right in their own community, and easily book and buy from them online. Read more>>

Mauricio Arrioja

I started in College (LACC & CSUN) and began working on different thesis projects at USC, UCLA, AFI & Columbia. After school was done, began working as a PA for commercials, music videos, award shows, and film festivals. Working as a PA, made me humble and gave me more perspective in treating people and other companies… Not really, at least in my experience, there are always new unexpected challenges, road blocks that sometimes felt impossible at the time that happened. The best is to keep your chin up and be in a positive mood to overcome difficult times. Read more>>

Shandra Graham

So picture this, a young girl from Mississippi, the M – I Crooked letter for those that know. Growing up on a farm, with my mom and grandparents, and just going about life. But looking back on those times, I always felt like I wanted something more out of this life like there was something missing. I mean I had a wonderful family and upbringing, but I always wanted my world to be bigger. In school I gravitated towards the arts, whether it was dance or the campus television station, I wanted to speak to the world through art. Read more>>

Jason Eksuzian

I studied directing and photography at Bennington College in Vermont, not too far from where I grew up in Massachusetts. After a summer of working construction and living in a literal surf shack on Martha’s Vineyard, I moved to New York City. In New York, I worked as a lighting technician for off-Broadway theaters, as a production assistant, and as a general “whatever-you-need-I’m-just-happy-to-be-here” guy. Anything to learn, gain experience and keep the rent paid. Read more>>

Daphne Subar

Subarzsweets has always been a dream that was just waiting for “the right time.” Before I launched Subarzsweets, I was a lawyer for over 25 years, doing my best to juggle my work schedule while also raising my three daughters. Even though I was always busy, I somehow always seemed to find time to bake. I never made the same thing twice – whether it was making brownies for my daughters to bring along for school potlucks, or making a cake in a crockpot for my own family to enjoy as a special treat, I was always baking, and always baking something new. Read more>>

Kipp Tribble

I started in theatre, performing in many stage productions while also working on the radio. I quickly transitioned to onscreen work, primarily in feature films. After expanding my onscreen work to include writing, directing, and producing, I sold my first feature internationally and then about a year later, produced and acted in another feature that landed a Blockbuster Video deal. And that’s when I relocated to Los Angeles. Read more>>

Leslie Nesbit

I’ve wanted to make people laugh my entire life. But it really solidified when I saw The Mask with Jim Carrey. “Oh Boy, that’s the dream,” I thought in my 12-year-old brain. I have had the energy of a Masked-Jim Carrey ever since. “Making It” is a whole other story. When someone thinks of “making it”, they think of movies, tv shows, money, travel, glamour, fame, magazines, red carpets, and awards. Read more>>

Valerie J. Runyan

I started Ink Drop Space and all of its spinoffs- The Business, The Podcast, The Virtual Writing Retreat, and The Virtual Experience because of the pandemic and subsequent shut-down. Moving from Los Angeles and in with my children in Las Vegas has been a great blessing, I have been able to not only expand my business but indulge with my writing ambitions. The re-location has truly made working remotely awesome, Zoom has become my preferred way to teach, learn and lead, and my Writing Life Coach practice has blossomed because my demographic actually prefers video learning. Read more>>

Devin O’Bannon

Music has been a part of my life from a young age. It started as a fun hobby and became a passion and career focus. Being surrounded by musicians, DJs, and singers, planted the seed to want to pursue a career in the music industry. I completed music composition and business management degrees to solidify a strong foundation in pursuing this music career. I made my way to Los Angeles to chase a dream. Fast forward, I am now two years into a full-time music career. I am currently producing for artists, both major and indie, and composing for film and tv placements on major networks. Read more>>

Jessica Martinez Madrigal

I always believed in having your priorities and life in order. However, during 2020 and the pandemic, so much of that certainty was going out the window. Families, jobs, and futures were slowly being threatened by this pandemic. This is when I realized I did not want my future in the hands of an employer, nor did I want to spend all my hours during this time away from my family. With everything being so up in the air, I set out to start my own business. I wanted to invest the same amount of hours I had spent working for someone else back into my own life. I was looking for flexibility to be able to spend time with my kids and do something I love. Read more>>

DJ E-Rock

I started out as one of the youngest radio jocks in the San Francisco Bay Area, ran a couple of nightclubs during my time there, hit big in Las Vegas, have maintained multiple Las Vegas DJ residencies over the last 15 years, while doing so I ended up on LA’s biggest radio station, REAL 92.3 with some of the greats that have paved the way for people like me. (Big Boy, J Cruz, DJ AOH, etc.) Aside from that, I have a syndicated radio show “THE BASEMENT b.k.a Radio Bassment” (which aires on Real 92.3 + many other stations across the country) & on my free time I own & operate an entertainment marketing agency that has been a strong tool for a couple of big streetwear & sneaker retailer clients while maintaining the in-game DJ program (8 years strong) for my beloved home town team, the San Francisco 49ers. Never, to say the least, it can get busy here. Read more>>

Michelle Bernard

I started modeling at the young age of 15 in Miami, Florida, where I was born and raised. My uncle, who is a CPA, had a school picture of me on his desk and was doing the taxes for a big modeling agency located in Miami Beach. They said I was gorgeous, and asked who I was, how tall I was, and did I ever think about getting into modeling. My uncle called my dad later that night, and here I am, more than 25 years later, still working… Read more>>

Jessica Rodriguez

I’ve been a Pediatric Physical Therapist for 12 years, practicing in Ventura and LA counties. I had the good fortune of working in a pool early in my therapy career. I really enjoyed the unique properties of the aquatic environment and how it shaped my treatment and expanded my creativity with my clients. I started a private practice in 2016 and the business exploded. I quickly realized that this was a special gift to the community and that I couldn’t take it on alone. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I found myself with extra time to finally work on my dream of starting a nonprofit. I worked with a team of friends and parents of my previous clients, to expand aquatic opportunities for children with disabilities. Read more>>

Julie Rowlands

My niche is succulent workshops with adults and children for private, corporate, and public events. I combine my teaching experience with my passion for succulents by offering workshops that provide a connection with others, new skills, knowledge, and importantly HANDS ON JOY! Everyone creates something special and feels empowered. The challenges mostly have been learning how to let people know about my small business & getting exposure, navigating Instagram, and using that as a vehicle to share my work. Ultimately working out what my niche was and that is teaching workshops & connecting with others. Read more>>

Eva Jerkins

I began dancing at the age of four in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Fast forward to high school, I participated in a program that allowed me to dance for half the school day. Following that, I majored in dance as an undergrad at Ohio State University, participated in the Debbie Reynolds Scholarship Program in LA, and began to work as a signed dancer under the incredible guidance of Go 2 Talent Agency. Read more>>

Isaiah Frizzelle

Haha, the question of how I started always prompts me to ask myself, “where do I start?” At this point, life is beginning to feel like a “map of stars” in the sky and I’m connecting dots to create different animals, objects, stories, and abstracts that I find appealing. As an Actor, Actor, Mental Health coach/advocate, podcaster, and any other hyphens, It’s truly me creating art with my life… The pictures change sometimes-giving things a second look may create a different picture altogether- but since it’s my life I remind myself I’m the artist, and since my life experiences are like stars, I always make sure I’m “looking up” no matter what. Read more>>

Devin Reeve

It all started for me when my family took me to Universal Studios Hollywood when I was 10 years old. During my visit, I was selected from the audience to take part in a VFX show, where I got to pilot a spaceship in front of a green screen while the VFX team put us in space. It was the first time the magic of movie-making was introduced to me and from that point on I was hooked. Throughout high school, I did as much theatre as possible and worked at a production company which gave me an early education on how productions are run. Those were valuable experiences at a young age that I feel prepared me for the future. Read more>>

Tifanie White

I moved to L.A. in 2002 to study makeup for film and television because I’d always enjoyed color and creativity- and because my dad encouraged me to choose a career where I’d be doing something fun, and experience joy every day. And it was very exciting and creatively fulfilling for about eighteen years… But in 2020, when everything shut down, I started re-evaluating my life and reconsidering how being on set for 70+ hrs/week was actually starting to make me feel. I had a two-year-old, who I basically didn’t see much of, and the traveling circus nature of Production was starting to wear on me. Read more>>

Dia Michelle

I was born in Dominican Republic where I used to shower in buckets as a baby. My family was very poor. My father was raised in NYC and brought us to America. I grew up in New Jersey and went to an all-black school makes Lincoln elementary school in Englewood. Englewood wasn’t gentrified yet it wasn’t a good neighborhood so I and my siblings weren’t allowed outside much. I became a heavy gamer. We then moved to PA where I became the biggest tomboy and became rebellious. My mom slapped me once a week which was well deserved I was coming home at 1 am at 15. Read more>>

Taleen Akopyan

Our original storefront in Malibu was established over 35 years as a cobbler shop by my father-in-law, and over the years my husband, Levon, and his team grew the business to so much more than just shoe repair, we worked on handbags, shoes, luggage, and sometimes leather furniture! As the clientele grew, so did our geography, and folks across the nation were calling to get their favorite designer handbags and shoes restored, so I stepped in and co-founded PurseRehab.com. My background in finance and business strategy helped a great deal in the build-out of our online technology which included our website and social media. Read more>>

Jay Uno

I am the CEO of 7 Records, an up and coming indie record label. We have artists that are located all over the USA. I started in the music business at about 14 in a Christian rap group. From there, I took a long break from music and started back again when I met Matthew Aaron (co founder of 7 Records LLC) and we have been making moves ever sense. With 12 artists on the label and about 15 different employees, 7 Records is looking to take the world over by storm! Read more>>

Zach Thomson

I was introduced to film sets at a young age when Mike Stahlie would invite me to work with him. I started learning the business working as a production assistant and started making friends. After some years of working in a myriad of productions from SciFi channel TV productions to music videos to feature films, I was able to work at 20th Century Fox in domestic distribution. Brandon Miller was the VP and taught me so much. I will always be grateful for him and the amazing people on the team. Years later I was presented with the opportunity to work on a James Cameron project. Read more>>

Katie Brown

Like a lot of people, I moved to LA after college and, like a lot of people, I found it hard to authentically build relationships and a consistent community. Most of the gatherings I went to were networking events or parties in loud bars & restaurants, neither of which are good environments for fostering deep connection and conversation. I longed for a space where I could meet people in an inviting atmosphere and get to know them beyond surface-level conversation. So I decided to start hosting dinner parties at my home with the simple goal of gathering intentionally. Read more>>

Fr3deR1cK Taylor

My story is one of triumph. I am a Southside of Chicago kid who was educated in film and television at Temple University in Philadelphia. I took advantage of the rise of the ATL music scene and the new media universe of LA. Globalism is everything to me and the hearts and minds of everyone is my muse. I love stories that include all people. I am an agent for change. My struggles have been complex. I am a person of African descent and that has made operating in a leadership position challenging.  Read more>>

Ash Elisé

I became an ENTREPRENEUR in 2013. At the time, I was working at IN-N-OUT BURGER. I had reached a moment in my life where l KNEW there was WAY MORE for me to be doing than flipping burgers, making fries, & making sure people EAT good 40-50 hours a week! The first business I ever launched was in Network Marketing! I was extremely successful! I had THOUSANDS of people in my down line, THOUSANDS of customers, & was averaging 6-figure checks every single month! Around 2016, I reached a point where although l had “EVERYTHING,” I STILL felt unfulfilled. I felt God calling me to MORE! He was calling me HIGHER! Read more>>

Chisato Iimori

I was born and raised in Japan. I started dancing when I was four. My mom took me to a dance studio in Tokyo because I was chubby back then. Haha Since then I had trained in Jazz until the age of 16. At the age of 12, I won the first prize at the JDA (Jazz Dance Alliance) contest. I love making people happy by my dancing, so the majority of my childhood was spent in a studio. At 16, I went to LA by myself to practice dancing and to broaden my perspective. The overall level of the class was very high, which left me inspired. Read more>>

Wade C. Long

I grew up in the city of Cleveland, Ohio. That’s a place rich in musical heritage. Also, I come from a musical family so it was inevitable for me to follow suit. I had a similar foundation as many others, singing and playing piano with church choirs, as well as the occasional talent show. When I made it to my 20s I started working with other artists in Cleveland, writing and producing for them, and when a possible opportunity to sign with a major label came up, I moved to LA to be closer to the people I hoped to be working with. Although that particular opportunity fell through, I found myself falling in love with this town and making my life here. Read more>>

Marvin & Kristen Speller

We are unique as a husband and wife founder team. Our 11 years together have led our deep love for one another into a deeper love for our community. I (Kristen) am a 14 years survivor of Domestic Violence as I escaped my ex-husband and lived in hiding four years. While I was in hiding, I became very ill, with multiple hospitalizations from dealing with neurological trauma. My physician sent me for a paraben study and although it came back inconclusive, it was enough to get my wheels turning. So much so that when we started our Domestic Violence Glam UP Program in 2012, we reached out to several organic & sustainable beauty brands who donated to us for our survivors. Read more>>

Marisa Zaremba

It almost feels strange telling the story of how Minns started because sometimes you can get so engulfed in a project that you don’t realize what you’ve created until you take a step back. So let’s go back to March of 2020 because that’s where it all began. It seems funny to say that I created a vegan home-based bakery during a global pandemic when at that point in time I identified with being a fine art painter. I was scheduled to have an art exhibition culminating in two years of art classes I had been taking after deciding that I didn’t want to use my degree to be a teacher. Read more>>

Brandon Angulo

I started since I was young to be honest. I was on a record with Gnarls Barkley (Cee-Lo Green & Danger Mouse) “The Odd Couple”, and that’s what really started my interest in music making. I went to school to learn how to use a DAW and learn about the whole writing and recording process that goes on in the music industry. For Brxndoo Clothing, it was more of a shelved idea come back to life. I had always thought about having a clothing line when I was in high school but never really made it a reality until I started making music. It has always been an exciting Idea that is always gonna change. Read more>>

Susan Lavelle

I grew up in community theater, pageants, ballet, all the arts as a young girl in West Monroe, Louisiana. I’m very grateful to my Mom for exposing me to all of this because this is where my passion began but I wasn’t sure which one I loved the most. When I went to LSU for college, that’s when I realized the only class I wanted to go to was my acting class and that is where my focus was. I was doing some modeling, a music video and small commercials in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Then I got an opportunity to come to Los Angeles when I met an actor on the film “ Everybody’s All American”. Read more>>

Anthony Jacquet

I started out seeking a career in the culinary arts after cooking at home watching PBS specials. As I honed my skills at home while going to college, I decided I would try Culinary School at CCA in San Francisco after I graduated from SDSU. But first, I needed to see if I liked restaurant kitchens rather than just cooking at home. I got a job in the Gaslamp in San Diego and I fell in love with kitchen life. The camaraderie in the kitchen, the intensity, the creative nature of the job and the competitiveness. I went to work in La Jolla for another year and then head to San Francisco. Read more>>

Elizabeth Zaslove

After working in corporate public accounting for several years, I kept noticing that there were so many business owners who truly had no idea what was going on in their business financially. I specifically noticed that many female business owners were lost and no one cared to take the time to help them without charging them a pretty penny! When we all had some extra time on our hands in 2020, I decided to start a “small side hustle bookkeeping practice”. I thought that this would be a small supplement to my income from my 9-5 job. Read more>>

Phoenixx Smith

Originally born in Brooklyn New York, I began singing at age three, by age 11 I began singing in the Adult and Children’s Choir in church. Although raised in Church, I wasn’t raised in the “Traditional” Black church. I wasn’t raised Baptist, Cogic, etc. I was raised Catholic. I believe being exposed to that also influences my sound as an Artist. By age 15, I was attending a Performing Arts High School which formulated my Professional Relationship with Music. I was mentored by Songwriter Edwin “Lil Eddie” Serrano who at the time was signed to Mario Winans, who’ is known for working and creating with Sean “Diddy” Combs. Read more>>

Lea Roman

I am the founder of Mindful Soul & Beauty. Prior to earning my cosmetology license in 2010, I worked in the fashion industry. In 2001, I became a design assistant at the outdoor clothing company, Gramicci. I also had the pleasure working on Lauren Conrad’s first fashion line, The Lauren Conrad Collection in 2007. I gained an abundance of knowledge on body types and sizing from head to toe. In 2008, I decided to shift gears in her career to minimize travel. I wanted to be more present with my then 5-year-old daughter. Read more>>

Leonard Buschel

I am a News Junkie. Growing up in Philadelphia, we were blessed with the award-winning Inquirer delivered every morning. At noon, I would visit the local newsstand and buy the Daily News. Great for opinions and sports scores. (I was also a compulsive gambler in my teens). Every afternoon, the Evening Bulletin would be on every corner in the dark blue news box. Ten years ago, I founded the weekly Addiction/Recovery eBulletin. Being the publisher and editor of this eMagazine is a dream come true. Read more>>

Stephanie Mazumdar

The journey of Lip Lūffa began in 2015. I am a professional makeup artist, and one day I was on set of a car commercial when our director yelled, “Her lips look like a desert, and we need to change the color!” I quickly stepped in and did my best to hydrate while changing the lip color from a deep wine shade to the model’s natural tone. This is not an easy task, plus we had very limited time, I’m talking 2 minutes. I used some makeup wipes to try and swipe the lipstick off and then a sugar scrub to exfoliate in hopes of taking off the remaining lip color. Read more>>

Feng Shui Jimmi

Growing up in Baltimore and being born to a father who is a Dj first prompted my love for house music and hiphop which grew over the years and inspired my versatility as a musician. I always hid my love for music since being a vocalist is intimidating without any prior professional training, not to mention experiencing the divorce of my mother and father when I was four years old. Growing up with a single mother and younger sister, I was pushed to excel in academics and sports since my family believed that was a more stable and reliable path for a young black man to be on. Read more>>

Ariana Verhauz

I am born and raised in Southern CA and I am so honored to provide my services to the area where I grew up. With a background in psychology, I studied social psychology, environmental psychology, and behavioral neuroscience, all which gave me a great foundation for understanding the psychological implications that go along with the study of feng shui, as well as the practical people skills & love of helping others! At the time that feng shui came into my life, I was already heavily involved in the study of crystal healing, astrology, tarot, & other energy-healing modalities. Read more>>

Annie C. Wright

Ya know, I didn’t even realize that comedy writing was a job until I was in my 20s. I was voted class clown in high school and then went to college for a BA in English, so I’ve always had both parts of the equation (comedy + writing), but I guess growing up in New England felt pretty far away from the tv/film industry and it just wasn’t on my radar. I moved to LA in 2014 and signed up for a poetry workshop at UCLA Extension. Lucky for me, Angelino’s hates poetry! Just kidding. But that class was canceled due to low enrollment.  Read more>>

Hillary Lauer

I’ve always had a passion for portrait drawing and painting. As a little kid, I was constantly getting in trouble for drawing on the walls. Now, at 32, I paint murals professionally-only getting yelled at occasionally. Though my focus is on my fine art, Murals have financially allowed me to focus on my practice in the studio. I love to with unlikely color combinations and abstract line work to create familiar faces in an unusual way. Read more>>

Aishwarya Chandramohan

I went to the Academy of Art University in San Francisco for Game Development in 2013. I even did my master’s in concept art in 2018. But as I went through the two degrees I realized that games was not where my heart lied, it was always in animation. So in 2020 I finally had some time off to myself and decided to teach myself how to storyboard for animation. I started by boarding a 12 min pilot I wrote with a friend, and after that, I’d keep practicing by making short music videos. I ended up getting a mentorship with Kristal Babich through Women in Animation which really helped to push me further and by 2022, I got my first story job in animation! I was Lead Revisionist for Wildbrain! Read more>>

Selina Thomas

I was a single mom of three young girls when I moved to Santa Clarita in 2010. My priority was to find a safe community with great schools and to be able to rebuild my life from a recent divorce. Santa Clarita had all the elements of what I needed my job was to activate what was around me. I enrolled my kids in athletics and they were in great schools this accelerated their development and growth to the point that they’re all honor scholar-athletes. In 2015 built a business, 6 Degrees HR Consulting, an outsourced HR firm literally out of Starbucks. Read more>>

Marcus Eaton

I was born and raised in a small town in Idaho. My dad is a musician and my grandparents were opera singers. I feel very fortunate to have grown up around music and in an environment that nurtured my creativity. We only had one or two TV stations (on an antenna) so my brother and I created ways to entertain ourselves. I took piano lessons from my grandma when I was four or five but my whole world opened up when I was nine and began playing guitar. I was, and still am, enamored with the guitar. It is such an amazing instrument and I am still learning. Read more>>

Penny Rivera-Roche

I grew up in a neighborhood designed for immigrants to purchase homes in San Francisco, CA. It was a time when the city was still segregated in the 50″s. My peers were mostly made up of 1st generation kids. We started out as a regular childhood neighborhood, playing outside until the streetlights came on. Eating at each other’s homes based on who had the best food. When I was in high school the neighborhood became a complicated when industry moved in. our once peaceful neighborhood became dark and dangerous. I was fortunate to have brothers and sisters older than me, to protect me especially when my chronically ill mother could not. Read more>>

Ray Karago

I am originally from Kenya, East Africa, I spent some time in the UK where I fell in love with the arts. From doing drama classes in school, I was able to take Drama courses in London which resulted in a performance of Sister Act at Her Majesty’s Theatre (I played Eddy). Not at all, I am bipolar and have dealt with various breakdowns over the course of my life. In many communities of color, mental health can be a taboo subject and it has not always been easy asking for help. Read more>>

Cameron Sotiangco

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been creative, but it wasn’t until recently I genuinely owned that part of myself. As a kid, my mom put me in dance classes, art classes, and piano lessons, but I was always too shy around people (especially my teachers) so I repeatedly ended up quitting. In sixth grade, my mom encouraged me to join my middle school’s drum line. I had absolutely no clue what it was, but my mom really wanted me to find “my thing.” Shoutout to my mom—I wouldn’t have had the courage to find what excites me if she didn’t continually push, support, and believe in me. Read more>>

RU

Thank you Voyage LA for this opportunity. I was Born in Atlanta, GA, raised in Athens, GA. I began my musical journey when I was eight years old, writing poetry and also playing the trombone in the school band. In the beginning my passion for music was just a hobby of mines when I wasn’t busy with school, playing sports or hanging out with friends. My love for music & sports were both influenced from growing up in hood culture, family experiences and my upbringing as a black man living in the south. Read more>>