Inspiring East LA Stories

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.

Matthew Koenig

I’m originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, one of eight kids, and music found me early ~ band, chorus, playing guitar with friends. From my teenage years on I was always starting bands, and even though I didn’t go to college, I spent those years hanging out with the college kids, playing shows and writing songs with friends. Read more>>

Jacob Porter

I started playing drums when I was 11 years old. I joined band because of a girl I liked, and I was given the choice of trumpet, saxophone, and percussion. I chose percussion because it allowed me to hang out in the back of the room with my friends! Read more>>

Ashleigh Childers

Growing up with parents in the entertainment industry and watching my mother do hair, I knew when i entered hair school that I would want to pave my own way in filming and television. Before film and tv, I started my career at Warren Tricomi in West Hollywood where i received extensive training in hair color under celebrity colorist Stacy Heitman. Read more>>

Brian Curiel-Castellanos

I am an only son, to a single mother, who recently married. I went to PCC, transferred from PCC, Honors, to UCLA undergraduate History Program, majored in History. I then transferred to Cal State Fullerton, History Grad Program. I am recently part-time, and interned History Teacher and lecturer. Read more>>

Liz Fryett

I founded my jewelry line in Los Angeles in July 2026 after more than a decade working in fashion merchandising, including eight years at Reformation and, before that, Nordstrom. After leaving my corporate career, I decided to take a break. Read more>>

Lala Lee

My journey to Lalaya Baking Studio actually started in a very different place — healthcare. I’ve worked as a nurse for many years, and nursing has given me a stable and meaningful career. At the same time, there was always another part of me that wanted to explore something more creative. I’ve always been drawn to Japanese pastries because of their simplicity and refinement. Read more>>

Jesse Dvorak

I started playing Electro Industrial and Techno music at age 14 in the 90’s. After multiple musical iterations through various American environments, I honed in on my unique Gothic Americana sound though my current expression: Blood Nebraska. Read more>>

Justine Cyplik

There’s a memory that really sticks out in my mind as *the* sort of starting moment, where I found myself fascinated by the process of making and creating: I was little, watching Pixar’s ‘Monsters, Inc.’––we had it on VHS at home, and it included all these behind-the-scenes bonus features that showcased the film’s production process. Read more>>

Morgan Mackintosh

Although I had designed jewellery in the past, it was only after moving to Los Angeles in 2020, just before the pandemic, that I began to consider it seriously as a career. At the time, I was still deeply embedded in the music industry and increasingly moving towards its corporate side. I couldn’t imagine leaving it. Read more>>

Poli M

I was raised to listen, and listening has become my greatest strength. Over time and with the mentorship of my brother, aunties, uncles and grandparents, I have learned what it means to make a musical decision. Music and me have developed a relationship of mutual devotion. As long as I am attentive to music, then music tends to me. Read more>>