Inspiring Stories from The Valley

The heart of our mission at VoyageLA is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our city. In recent weeks we’ve had the privilege to connect with some of West LA’s finest artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble-rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with our city’s incredibly deep talent pool.  Check out The Valley’s rising stars below.

Arthur Janumyan

My name is Arthur Janumyan. I was born in Yerevan, Armenia, in 1990, just before the fall of the Soviet Union. My earliest years were shaped by hardship, limited food and water were part of everyday life. When I was three years old, my parents made the difficult decision to leave Yerevan, Armenia and move to Moscow, Russia, in search of stability and opportunity. Read more>>

Irma Lake

My story is basically one big adventure of starting over—and succeeding—again and again. I was born in Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia, and from early on I was curious about the world. After studying acting and working as a model in Russia, I felt the pull to see more, do more, experience more. So I started moving. And I didn’t stop. Read more>>

Jessica Hurwitz

I’ve always loved to tinker around in the kitchen, experimenting with new techniques and recipes. I’m the one who brings way too many dishes to a potluck and sends you home with too much food, because I just really love to cook. I started experimenting with marshmallows as I thought it’d be a challenge to try to make something I’d never made before. Read more>>

David Conley

Hi! My name is David Conley, I am a singer-songwriter, conductor, composer, and educator. I started by playing guitar after watching ‘Walk the Line’, and fell in love with music theatre. I starred in shows like ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ , ‘Charlie Brown’ and many more. Read more>>

Angus Cheung

I didn’t plan on becoming a First Assistant Camera — I just fell in love with the rhythm of filmmaking. The first time I stepped on set, I was fascinated by how everyone moved together — the precision, the pressure, and the quiet magic that happens when the camera rolls. I started from the bottom, carrying gear, labeling media, and watching how other ACs worked. Read more>>

Edward Greenberg

Collector’s Paradise came to be in September of 1994, when Edward Greenberg and Joseph Zelich bought an existing comic book store, at the time called Little Angel’s Comics. Little Angel’s business was in shambles, but pogs were keeping it afloat. Its prominent location, on a major intersection, across from two schools and a busy traffic street, was what attracted the new owners to the store. Read more>>

Zac Woonsam

I fell in love with aviation when I was seven years old after attending my first airshow. Watching airplanes climb into the sky flipped a switch in me that never turned off. Flying represented freedom, possibility, and a future bigger than my circumstances. But life had other plans before it brought me back to the cockpit. I lost my mother to cancer at fifteen. Read more>>

Donovan Smolich

My journey into healing started early. As a kid, I had a breakdancing accident that temporarily left me unable to move. A chiropractor worked with me, and after one adjustment, I was able to move again. That moment stayed with me and sparked a deep curiosity about the body and its ability to heal. Read more>>

Sunnie Medina

I was part of a hidden legacy. The long and short of it was that my grandmother had spiritual abilities. I never learned this about her because she was murdered in 1987. I was 6 at the time. I recall the story was in the Daily Breeze in either a September or October issue, front page. Read more>>

Bill Murphy

Career Timeline — Bill Murphy (Music Publishing Executive) Early Career — Music Publishing & Rights Administration (Pre-2000s) * Copyright & Royalty Roles at Major Publishers Began his music publishing career in Los Angeles working in copyright administration, licensing, audits, and royalties for major music companies. Read more>>

Andrea Corona

Before jumping into scenic design, I was first introduced to the world of sculpture. I was lucky enough to have attended a high school that offered an ‘Intro to Ceramics’ art class. I signed up for the course my sophomore year and loved it so much I decided to take all the ceramic art classes my high school offered. Read more>>

Carlos Cameron

I moved to LA to get my BFA in Performing Arts at AMDA, and post graduation I’ve been steadily working in the LA theatre scene. I also do film and write music, and my taste usually leans toward the macabre, the weird, and the niche. Read more>>

Nick Reed

I was born in Culver City where I went to school early in my life, then moved to Palmdale and finished high school there. Since a young age I would draw, play basketball, keep to myself a lot. It wasn’t until I graduated high school when I came across the love of song-writing & rapping. Read more>>

Ron Myrick

My career started over fifty years ago when the art of animation was primarily done domestically here in America. Since that time I’ve been through many changes and yet I’m happy to say I’m still professionally standing. Read more>>

Brad Kirsch

I was born and raised just outside of Los Angeles and grew up in the suburbs. I was a quiet kid, very internal, but creativity was always there. Music and the arts were how I processed the world, even when it was something I kept mostly to myself. Read more>>

Jennifer Whalen

My photography journey started when I was in college at the University of Minnesota. I started photographing weddings in college and assisting other photographers. By the time I graduated, I had become a full-time wedding photographer! I photographed many big weddings in Minnesota and also in California when I moved in 2013. Read more>>

Daniel Cohen

I’m Daniel, an LA local from Sherman Oaks. Ever since I was nine, I’ve had a love for acting. For better or worse, I was glued to the television, watching cartoons and becoming obsessed with entertainment. My summers were packed with theater camps, and I jumped into every stage production my high school put on. Read more>>

Dawn Airhart Witte

What set everything in motion for me—my writing, my speaking, my humanitarian work, and ultimately The Secrets of Being—was motherhood and a deep desire to live with intention. Becoming a mother sharpened my awareness of what truly matters, not just for my daughters, but for the kind of world I wanted them to inherit. Read more>>

Pacific Pro Roofing

Pacific Pro Roofing started as a family-driven business built on experience, hard work, and a simple belief that quality and honesty still matter. Roofing has been part of our family for generations, and from the beginning, the goal wasn’t to build the biggest company, but to build one that people could trust. Read more>>

Allise Thompson

My husband and I started this business in 2000 with just myself answering the phones and my husband out in the field. We ran our first add in the Penny Saver. At one point we grew to 15 employees. In 2017 my husband passed away and I continued running the plumbing business. Read more>>

Nia Pearson

I started Marketing 4 Real Results in 2015 after many years of working in the marketing department of several well known, large and small corporate companies. I always knew I wanted to start a marketing agency, since I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs, I had a good understanding of what it takes to be successful in business. Read more>>

Michelle Yehuda

I started my career as an esthetician, and while performing facial consultations, clients would often share concerns about their scalp. It made me realize how little attention we’re taught to give scalp care growing up. It was always about the hair, never the foundation. Those conversations planted the seed for Brainwashed LA. Read more>>

Austin House

I’m voice noting this so I apologize if things are not completely grammatically correct but I think it’ll be easier than typing all of it out. Also, I’m just gonna kind of go over the brief story, but would love to chat on the phone in more detail. About 4 1/2 years ago I was giving surf lessons and skateboarding lessons for a living. Read more>>

Carly Weaver

Justin Pecikonis discovered his passion for building at an early age, starting with LEGO sets and evolving into a lifelong fascination with how spaces come together. That curiosity grew into hands-on experience and, ultimately, into a vision. Read more>>

Anthony Oyatayo

My journey into interior design began in a very organic way. A friend once shared that his brother had hired an interior designer for his new home. Out of curiosity, I asked about the cost and asked to see the designer’s work. Read more>>

Kyle Steele

FutureCare grew organically out of our founder Kyle Steele’s work at our sister company, Global Wave Integration, a firm focused on high-end residential design and technology. As homes became smarter and more intuitive, clients began asking a different kind of question. Read more>>

David Matthew Rodriguez

I began dancing in High School. My best friend at the time invited me to dance in the student run talent show. She and I would dance together often at school dance parties. She knew i had the moves. haha. That same year, sophomore year, that same friend invited me to audition for the school dance team. Read more>>

Flora Rahmani

Founder & Medical Director | Integrative, Aesthetic & Regenerative Medicine Flora Rahmani, MSN, FNP-C, is a medical professional, scholar, and entrepreneur with over two decades of diverse clinical experience across surgery, critical care, nursing, aesthetics, and integrative medicine. She is currently a Doctoral and PhD scholar in Integrative Medicine, advancing her expertise in functional, regenerative, and whole-person healthcare. Read more>>

John Klenk

I started acting in a summer-camp when I a kid. By the time I got to High School, I knew it was the only thing I wanted to do with my life. It’s where I found my people and it’s the easiest way for me to express myself and my internal world. Read more>>

Sklaerenn Lorand

I started photography over 15 years ago by shooting musical theater productions in Paris, where I met several French actors and singers who became friends and encouraged me to believe in myself and pursue a career in photography. While still in high school, I had the opportunity to go on tour with musical shows, and it was an incredible experience. Read more>>

Noa Morchi

my name is Noa, i`m 15 and i`m a dancer from Israel. I started dancing at a young age, training in different styles and performing as much as I could. Over the years, I had the opportunity to work and dance with many artists back home, which helped shape me both professionally and creatively. Read more>>

Panya Martin

I was raised by two incredible people — my grandparents. My grandmother, Mildrie, was everything you could imagine: a registered nurse at the VA hospital, a schoolteacher at Broaddus Elementary, a music instructor who could play over seven instruments, and a woman of deep, unwavering faith. She was brilliant. She was spiritual. Read more>>

Rebecca Berg

My story really starts with photography. I was 13 when I started doing headshots, and what I loved wasn’t the technical side of it. It was watching people’s faces change when they felt good about themselves. That feeling of creating an experience where someone walks away feeling seen and supported, that’s always been the thread. Read more>>

samantha sirota

In 2010, my partner Mark and I were freshly out of college and eager to make a difference in our world. We volunteered at the farmers market and were gardening and wondering how we could help people eat ‘green’. How could we make it easier for every meal to make an impact? Read more>>

Judy Rosenberg

Hi, my name is Dr. Judy Rosenberg. I’m a licensed clinical psychologist and have been practicing psychology since 1993. My main specialty is helping people heal from narcissistic abuse using my patented. Be The Cause System. Read more>>

heather grant

Heather Berkowitz Grant: The Heart Behind LA Placements Heather Berkowitz Grant has always been a natural nurturer, guided by empathy, intuition, and a deep understanding of family dynamics—balanced perfectly with a strong entrepreneurial spirit. Long before founding LA Placements, Heather spent 12 years as a high-profile nanny, dedicating herself to one family and becoming an integral part of their household. Read more>>

Sina Banankhah

My name is Dr. Sina, and I’m a board-certified orthodontist who grew up here in the sunny SoCal. I completed my undergraduate studies at UCLA, where I majored in biochemistry, and went on to continue my education at the UCLA School of Dentistry. Read more>>

Syuzanna Shirinyan

I did not arrive here by chance. My story is shaped by resilience—by moments that tested my strength, challenged my confidence, and asked more of me than I ever thought I had to give. Along the way, I faced doubt from others and, at times, from within myself. Read more>>

Tochukwu Eneh

Elite Auto Sales LLC: From Vision to Velocity How It Started I founded Elite Auto Sales LLC with a clear purpose: to build a dealership rooted in luxury, integrity, and accessibility. My background in healthcare quality, audit, and compliance taught me the value of transparency and discipline — principles I now bring to the automotive world. Read more>>

Christopher Kuchta

I grew up in Pennsylvania and moved to Los Angeles in 2020 with the goal of building something of my own in a creative industry. Like a lot of people I didn’t have a perfectly mapped out plan, I visited a friend in North Hollywood in 2019 and knew almost immediately that moving to California was something I needed to work toward. Read more>>

Michele Paniz

Hello, Los Angeles. I began working at the age of twelve. While the modeling industry can be a demanding and often unforgiving environment for young girls, I was drawn to the excitement and discipline of the runway. Early success led me to travel extensively throughout my teenage years and early twenties, though I always returned to Los Angeles for the comfort of home. Read more>>

Anastasia Love

Creating my own hair extensions course wasn’t a spontaneous idea. It was something that had been quietly growing inside me for years. After 22 years of working with my clients, thousands of clients, countless trials and mistakes, and plenty of “aha” moments, I finally decided it was time to share it all. I poured every lesson, every trick, every signature method I’ve discovered into one powerful program. A course that’s practical, honest, and deeply rooted in real-life experience. The kind of course I wish I had at the beginning of my journey. Read more>>

Colton Tran

I’m a film director & editor based in Los Angles. I decided to make the move from Utah to LA 13 years ago with my producing partner Laura Young and never looked back. That move was crucial for my growth as a filmmaker and creative in this industry. I’ve now lived in LA for over a decade working as a professional director, actor, producer and editor. Read more>>