The heart of our mission at VoyageLA is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our city. In the recent weeks, we’ve had the privilege to connect with some of East 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 East LA’s rising stars below.
Shelley Holcomb
My radio show Whits & Giggles extends this dialogue through radio. What began as candid conversations about s*x from a female perspective has evolved into an exploration of cultural norms, gender, and identity. In 2017, we co-created “ISP (Internal Service Provider)” at the Contemporary Art Museum in Raleigh. This immersive, retro-futuristic call center invited participants to share confessions in glowing pink phone booths. These anonymous recordings were then broadcast in museum restrooms, making visitors both voyeurs and exhibitionists. Rooted in performance, ISP responded to North Carolina’s restrictive laws against Trans rights, offering a space for s*xual truth and self-liberation. Read more>>
Marisa Bertani
From there, we formed Late Bloomer Pictures, a production company that focuses on queer-led stories. As members of the LGBTQIA+ community, we realized we were seeing something in our stories that wasn’t happening much in other work: LGBTQIA+ leads whose objective was not coming out or overcoming a queer-specific struggle. Our hope is to continue telling stories that fill this gap. Our first official LBP short film, When It Pays, took home “Best Direction” at the LGBTQ+ Los Angeles Film Festival, and was a selection for multiple festivals across the country. Read more>>
Anouck Bertin
In 2017, I took a leap into freelance work and settled in Pasadena, where I transformed my small yard into a thriving garden filled with over 100 varieties of flowers. As my passion for growing deepened, so did my need for space. I joined the Solano Community Garden, a five-acre urban farm over the historic 110 freeway, where I continue to learn, cultivate blooms, and share my love of flowers with others. In 2023, I furthered my commitment by joining the UCLA Landscape & Horticulture program, gaining the tools to expand my knowledge and practice. In addition that year I took residence in a friend’s backyard that generously offered her raw space. Read more>>
Veronica Chiang
Everything leading up to today, was extremely unplanned. I had an entirely different path set for myself and it had nothing to do with food, photography and influencing. Read more>>
Morgan Dixon
So you sacrifice some things to go through it and then you have to learn the business and the rhythm. And, as always, life is still happening. I went through some major changes personally in the first few years that were really intense and demanded a lot of flexibility. Showing up for a job like this while you are also kind of “going through it” is a weird thing. But I learned a lot about accepting my human limitations and needs alongside trying to resource myself enough to keep going. Read more>>
Anabel Romero
Soon after, I collaborated with LA Opera, where I helped lead large-scale Community Opera productions that brought together hundreds of performers—from professional artists to community choirs—for multi-stage performances in iconic civic spaces. Over the years, I’ve worked with Beth Morrison Projects, Urban Voices Project, and other organizations that center bold, socially conscious storytelling. From cathedrals to street corners to black-box theaters, I’ve always gravitated toward work that invites audiences into deeper social presence and reflection. Read more>>
Lex Covello
I am a videographer, photographer & strategic social media consult who specializes in food, travel, hospitality and pop culture content! I am most known for my food account Covello’s Cuisine who has worked with and featured on brands such as Tastemade and more. You may also know me from the viral Cody Ko video where he reacts to middle schoolers bullying adults. Though I may be the same height as a middle schooler- I am unfortunately one of the adults being bullied in said video. But it does give me a good chuckle. Read more>>
Janelle Valencia
I’m a second-generation Filipino American, born, raised, and currently living in the vibrant, predominantly Chicano neighborhood of Boyle Heights—just a few blocks from Little Tokyo. The culture of my community, along with my own heritage, has always deeply inspired me—especially through something as simple yet powerful as food and aesthetics. That connection is at the heart of everything I create. Read more>>
Tore Thomas
Entrepreneurship has definitely not been a smooth road. Some of the struggles I’ve faced include self-doubt—times when I didn’t fully believe in myself or found myself comparing my journey to other companies. It’s something that naturally happens when you take a leap to build something for yourself, especially when you’ve never had a role model doing the same. Read more>>
Katherine
My journey as an artist began with a deep passion for writing, which I discovered at a surprisingly young age. Writing was my way of expressing and reimaging what our world could look like. Acting, though, was something I did without knowing. Whether it was playing pretend with my sisters or memorizing lines from our favorite telenovelas, that initial spark of play and curiosity stayed with me even to this day. I like to believe the arts found me at a young age in order to protect my inner child and allow me to continue dreaming of the impossible. Read more>>
Ann-Sophie / Miguel Hantzsche / Oehling
Another big challenge was creating a product that met our own standards. We didn’t want Santa Brisa to be “just another” ready-to-drink cocktail. We spent over a year working side by side with some of Mexico’s best mixologists, adjusting recipes, sourcing the right ingredients, and refining every detail to make sure it honored the margarita we love, and we still refine it today. It requires a lot of patience, and many rounds of trial and error before we finally found the balance we were proud of. Read more>>
Dahlia Ghafoori
Starting in nightlife opened doors I never expected — since then, I’ve shot single covers for musicians, documented live shows, and brought creative concepts to life through photoshoots. One moment that stays with me is when someone in that favorite bar of mine told me I was the reason they picked up a photography. At first, I didn’t believe it — I thought, “Me? I’m not special.” But then I let myself feel proud. That reminder, and the endless potential for creative projects, keeps me going. I have so much fun taking photos and I have the most creative friends that also keep me motivated. Read more>>
Nathan Apolonio
What sets us apart is our approach. We don’t just show up with cameras—we invest in the people behind the day. I take the time to understand each couple’s vibe, vision, and values so the final film feels like them, not just a highlight reel. From quiet, emotional moments to the loud joy of the reception, I aim to capture it all with depth and cinematic polish. Read more>>
Chelseaa Vuong
My biggest struggle is finance, time, and resources. Without a team I have to do everything myself and with the help of some creative friends. I have lots of ideas around visuals and music that I want to make so I try not to be so hard on myself for not releasing things quickly in this algorithmic age. Sometimes people say just to put it out and while I understand that, personally I care deeply about the quality and sound so I want to make ensure that the music and visuals reflects my artist identity. I want to be able to stand on it firmly. I am looking forward to this summer because I will have a little more free time to focus on finishing projects and writing new stuff as well. Read more>>
Ben Tong
I’m a painter and I really love working with the materiality of oil paint. I love the unpredictable way light interacts with various layers of mineral, pigment and fat. There is a fundamental quality to an image that comes together through this medium. I begin by making marks and applying colors and as the surface builds an image begins to form. Somehow this process allows for the unconscious to interact with the image. This is not unlike how seemingly random processes like the I-ching, Tarot, or reading tea leaves, can paradoxically illuminate a reality in the world more clearly. Read more>>
Kala Maxym
Overcoming the mainstream understanding of the word “dispensary” was a challenge early on but people have internalized the fact that we’re dispensing chocolate (and also, the word “dispensary” doesn’t actually inherently have anything to with weed!) The response to our shop and tasting room has been really positive so far! We know that there will be bumps in the road – certainly the city bureaucracy is a challenge – but we’ve persisted and overcome all the obstacles we’ve faced so far. Read more>>
Joaquin Arreola
My faith has played a big role in keeping me grounded and focused. I believe God has a purpose for everything, even the setbacks. Every challenge has taught me something valuable and pushed me to grow—not just as a business owner, but as a man. I lean on that faith when things get tough, and it motivates me to keep building a business that serves others and creates real opportunities for the next generation coming up behind me Read more>>
FRANK’s
We produce nights of short plays by LA based writers. Board member Frank Demma believes short plays deserve the same exalted cultural position that short fiction has, and is dedicated to developing that form. Fellow board member Edward Hoke does not agree with this statement, prompting an argument between the two in which Edward declared, “It’s my understanding we are on the side of THEATRE.” Board member Lucy Parks Urbano did not participate in this discussion because she was typing this, and wondered if she had alive in the 1950s would she have been a Beatnik or a secretary or perhaps both. Board member Moses Mascuch was eating a snack that seemed vaguely cultural and came from a plastic package. Read more>>
Maximus & Jay Cole Devinney
Waves4Change was founded by kids for kids to inspire, support, and empower kids to overcome limitations so they too can experience the joy and magic of swimming. Not only is swimming FUN, knowing how to swim SAVES LIVES! Our MISSION is to Inspire, Support and Empower Kids to Swim by making swimming more accessible. We are collecting swim gear donations and building an inclusive and diverse community so every kid has the opportunity and access to the amazing benefits of swimming. Read more>>
Hope Daniela
As a young girl who didn’t always live under her mother’s roof, I was more than capable to write about it to process these confusing questions I had. It shocks me now as an adult. Stories became this escape for me, a boost of morale, a reason to stay up ten extra minutes past my bedtime to plead to my dad that wanted to read him my story– when really what I wanted was ten minutes of his attention which I craved desperately. As an adult woman experiencing heartbreak and reinventing her life in LA, I have seen writing as something that could be used more as a tool to not only connect to myself as much as it is to connect with others around me and with the city itself. Read more>>
Matt Britos
I was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, and moved to Los Angeles at 8 years old before settling in Anaheim, CA. In high school, I discovered my love for filmmaking, shooting short films with friends on a VHS camcorder and editing with two VHS players. I became obsessed with movies, spending all my lunch money at Walmart and Best Buy buying new releases, turning my bedroom into a mini video store decorated with discarded movie signs. Read more>>
Tony Hoang
It was during that time that I found out about the Sign Painters documentary by Faythe Levine and Sam Macon at the Fowler Museum at UCLA in 2013-ish, I remember taking the bus out there from Pomona, staying after the film to listen to the Q&A and afterwards getting home really late and feeling this burst of energy and inspiration that there was this group of people that were so passionate about this traditional art form and not letting it die and being so surprised that there was a trade school still teaching it right here in Los Angeles. Read more>>
Regina
After high school, I received a scholarship to the University of Central Florida where I earned my BFA in Musical Theater. Since then I’ve performed at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Denver Center of the Performing Arts, McCoy Rigby/La Mirada, Arizona Theatre Company, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Arvada Center, Walt Disney World, and Theatreworks. I have been featured on Good Girls for NBCUniversal and Side Hustle for Nickelodeon and I have been a member of the improv comedy troupes, Mama’s Kids and Boomtown. Read more>>
Zach Schwartz
I’m Zach Schwartz, a music producer and DJ from Glendale, California. I got my start DJing bar mitzvahs while attending CalArts, simultaneously cutting my teeth into LA’s underground dance music scene. After college, I shifted into producing for a range of artists and released my first EPs (Rose Gold and Gold) on Dome of Doom in 2016. That same year, I built a puppet named LIL Z and debuted him in a 2018 music video called First Time. Funny or Die featured the video with the headline: “This Puppet Loses His Virginity to Awesome Dance Music and We Have Questions.” Read more>>
Pauline Hevia
I carry the hope that by telling my stories, I can help others, especially those who feel overlooked or underrepresented, feel seen, held, and inspired to take up space. Because the world belongs to them as much as it belongs to anyone else. My latest piece of writing, The Feather Heist, is inspired by a true story about a young autistic man who steals rare bird feathers from a museum to sell them and buy a golden flute. While the premise sounds outrageous — and it is — the script is also deeply personal. It’s a reflection of my own life, identity, and background, refracted through this strange, beautiful, and obsessive act of rebellion. Read more>>
Dylan
Daniel, and I were alternating days caring for our grandpa—running errands with him, taking him to appointments, things like that. Our abuelito had a big personality, always leaving an impression wherever he went. He would typically have a jar of his homemade chile sauce on hand, a fiery, flavorful recipe passed down from his mother—our bisabuela—from Durango, Mexico. It’s a recipe that’s now been in our family for over 100 years and four generations; it is something we grew up eating. He would gift it to familiar faces we saw along our errand routes as a token of appreciation for people in places we frequented. Read more>>
