Inspiring Stories from Hollywood

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 Hollywood’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 Hollywood’s rising stars below.

Jeremy Tardy

A good friend recently described my journey from childhood to where I am today as an odyssey. I think that’s very true. My mother raised four boys pretty much by herself and we didn’t always have much, but she made sure that we always had what we needed. Read more>>

Hansel Alexander Carter IV

I’ve always loved three things since I was a kid: running, acting, and being outside. I started running in middle school designing my own Amazing Race challenges in New Delhi, India for my neighborhood kids. I joined the Cross Country team leading to my first official 5k race in Dubai, UAE. Read more>>

Nandi Sharma

Though I was born and raised in Ohio, I always knew I wanted to pursue film in Los Angeles. Growing up, I was obsessed with movies and television to the point where I’d recreate scenes alone in my room, performing every role myself with costume changes like it was live theater. At the same time, I spent hours teaching myself dance by studying Bollywood films. Read more>>

Rubia Chaudri

I’m first generation Canadian, and my ethnicity is Pakistani Muslim. When I was a young, my Mom would take me and my siblings to Pakistan to immerse ourselves in our culture once a year and then back to Canada. Vast differences but appreciation for both. My Pakistani culture is filled with vibrant colours, smells and taste. Read more>>

Sharon Jakubecy

My journey has been anything but linear and I think that’s exactly what shaped the work I do today. Early on, I was deeply drawn to performance, movement, and human expression. Read more>>

Raynard Pearson

My entertainment journey began at 10 years old in Phoenix, Arizona. I joined the elementary school choir and I excelled at singing. I went from school choir to The Phoenix Boys Choir with in a year. Phoenix Boys Choir was an tremendous experience for a young black child as most of the songs and music we performed was in Italian, English and French. Read more>>

samuel Adikwu

Shabalinko, born and raised in Abuja, is the trailblazer behind New 90’s, a groundbreaking Afro-Dancehall sound that fuses Dancehall and Afrobeats. His unique style and heartfelt lyrics are making waves across the industry, marking him as one of the most exciting artists to watch. Read more>>

Chris Gillis

Well, it’s kind of a weird but pretty simple story. I grew up around a lot of emotionally intense women during a time where there was a ton of tension around gender roles, independence, vulnerability, traditional relationships, all of it. Mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, aunts, sisters, cousins, family friends. Big emotions and big personalities all across the board. Read more>>

Wes McClelland

The Man Behind the Music: Meet Wes McClelland After more than 25 years away from the microphone, Wes McClelland is returning to his roots with his most ambitious project to date: a 2026 recording series that explores the contrast between youthful ambition and the deep contentment found in the present. Read more>>

Hiroaki Takagi

I am currently working as a recording engineer, mixer, music producer and guitar player. My career started after winning the grand prize at an audition in 2005 where I performed a song that I personally wrote and composed. Following that opportunity, I made my debut with a band in 2006. Read more>>

Ana Verde

I’ve always been a lover of storytelling, which starts at the most personal level for me. I loved sitting around the dinner table hearing my mom and aunts and grandma tell stories about how they grew up, how they knew every person that lived on my grandmother’s street, and who had a crush on who when they were in high school. Read more>>

Jill Augusto

I’ve always lived at the intersection of music, storytelling, and visual content – that’s really been the through-line of my whole career. I started at Maverick Records / Warner Bros. Records, where I spent over 15 years working in marketing, publicity, and special events. Read more>>

Young Man Kang

My filmmaking journey has been a long road of persistence, experimentation, and faith. More than 25 years ago, I made my first feature film, Cupid’s Mistake, during a time when digital filmmaking was still very new and uncertain. At the time, many people believed low-budget independent films could never compete in the theatrical world. But I believed storytelling mattered more than limitations. Read more>>

Cody Cadena

Well, music has always been in my family. My Mom did a lot of musical theater work in SoCal, my dad played guitar as a hobby, and my brother played in the middle school and high school jazz band. So, it was always kind of inevitable that I would gravitate towards music. It took a while to find my path, though. Read more>>

Ninezz

I started music when I was around the age of 11/12. Inspired by dance musicians like avicci, I used to recreate songs on GarageBand on my iPad. I then continued to have production as a hobby, while also playing guitar, and continued with this until I was around 16. Read more>>

Lisa Afano

I started The Plant Sidechick last summer during a time when I knew I needed something more for myself. It wasn’t fully planned out it was more of a feeling. I had this pull to create something that reflected who I am at my core. Read more>>

Queen Of Africa Town

Well, I modeled for the Crenshaw area, and I started modeling around the area, then I started doing activism for crenshaw mall. Then at lemiert park, before Africa town, then with an organization called Africa Town started ganjng respect in the lemiert park community, then after a while I became the queen of africa town. Read more>>

Mackenzie Burgess

Ever since I was young, I’ve had a passion for cooking, creativity, and entrepreneurship. Those interests eventually led me to create Cheerful Choices — a food and nutrition brand built around customizable, approachable recipes. My journey started at Colorado State University, where I studied nutrition and really discovered how much of an impact food has on people’s lives. Read more>>

Krista Marchand

I moved around constantly as a kid — almost every year until I was ten — so reinventing myself became second nature. I think acting was really just an extension of that. I was shy, hyper-aware of people, always trying to understand new environments and figure out who I needed to be in them. Read more>> 

Sarah Seeds

I’ve been acting since I was little (age 9) in plays and it blossomed from there. It’s been a journey, moving to NYC, joining SAG-AFTRA, booking work that has taken me all over the world, starting a production company, making pitch-decks, selling TV Pilots, creating films and developing/packaging features. Read more>> 

Kelsey Darragh

I’ve been acting since I was little (age 9) in plays and it blossomed from there. It’s been a journey, moving to NYC, joining SAG-AFTRA, booking work that has taken me all over the world, starting a production company, making pitch-decks, selling TV Pilots, creating films and developing/packaging features. Read more>>

Taisiya Losmakova

I was born and raised in Belarus in a family of musicians, so music was never just a profession to me — it was a language, a way of life. From a young age, I was surrounded by classical music, performance, and the discipline that comes with it, which ultimately shaped both my artistry and ambition. Read more>>

Garry Mills

Meet the Everyday Hero: Garry Mills Garry Mills represents the definition of an everyday hero. Not someone who sought recognition, but someone who made a decision to show up when his community needed him most. A Hometown Son Who Chose to Stay Garry earned First Team All Public honors at Lincoln High School and witnessed the devastating impact of gun violence firsthand. Read more>>

Kwesi Oteng

I’m Kwesi Oteng, and my journey into music started in the church. I grew up playing piano in an African church from the age of 8, and I was completely self-taught. A lot of my early learning came from simply listening, practicing by ear, and spending hours figuring things out on my own. In high school, I became really interested in film and TV composition. Read more>>

Chad Payne

I’m an international fashion model. Seven years of work between South Africa and Europe so far, with the LA chapter starting now. Editorials with photographers like Michael Oliver Love and Steve Marais. Cover work for L’Effronté in Paris and Vangardist in Vienna. Tearsheets in Sunday Times STYLE and CAP 74024 Milan. The full first season of Netflix’s Model, where I placed Top 5. Read more>>

shalom kolontarov

**SHALOM KOLONTAROV: THE UNDERGROUND CREATOR BUILDING A CINEMATIC EMPIRE FROM SOUTH FLORIDA** Before the red carpets. Before the Hollywood headlines. Before the studios started paying attention — Shalom Kolontarov was already creating his own universe. Read more>>

Sammy Miller

As a kid, I always favored the arts over any other subject. I was a very quiet child but also very observant. I don’t remember exactly when I first picked up a camera, but I know the passion built quickly for capturing the beauty of the world and the people in it. Read more>>

Judah Earl

My roommate casually asked me ‘Hey Judah, I’m making a video game. Do you want to make the soundtrack?’. I was 18 at the time, living in Kansas City, and only perhaps a month or two in to experimenting with Garageband. What unfolded in the next 6 months only solidified what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Read more>>

Sadie Kennedy

I grew up in San Diego, CA where I quickly became obsessed with all things acting and theatre. Starting off with musical theatre (despite not being able to carry a tune and having two left feet), I really hit my stride learning about Shakespeare during my summers at the Idyllwild Arts Summer Program. Read more>>

Renee Phillips

I didn’t take a straight path to get to where I am today here, my journey has been anything but conventional. I was raised in the South, and like many women, I built my life around family first. I was married for over 30 years and raised two incredible sons, both of whom will always be the most meaningful part of my story. Read more>> 

Yung Cuse

I moved to LA during the pandemic to pursue my music career. After arriving, I slowly got into background work for A-list musicians for their music videos. Which led to acting in short films, movies & tons of music videos. After a couple years in that field I started making my own content. Read more>>

LeoRising Scott

My name is LeoRising Scott, pronouns Raja/They/Them/Sri/Your Majesty- brief and short-winded is not a part of my story, but I’ll do my best. I was born with a few extra senses and sensibilities about how to BE and how the world best harmonizes. I come from a family of casual spiritualists who believe in serving the community without making a fuss. Read more>>

Junseong Park

The road to film editor was never straight. It was the process of continuing to show up, saying yes when the opportunity arises, and learning by bumping into each other. At first, I wanted to be there, so I jumped into internships and volunteer projects. I emailed industry professionals asking for Coffee Chat, asked them a lot of questions, and did everything I could. Read more>>

Mark Pelli

I was lucky to have very supportive parents that signed me up for piano lessons when I was 6. At first I didn’t like to practice but after some time I really took to the piano. I sang my whole life ever since I was very little I liked to harmonize with songs and displayed a nerdy interest in music. Read more>>

Leland Mergillano

Hello and thank you for having me! My name is Leland Mergillano, and my foundation in the arts began early through theatre, piano, and singing in youth choir. Growing up in the arts from a young age helped develop both my discipline and passion for storytelling, and I’m grateful for the creative upbringing that shaped me as an artist. Read more>>

Brianna Gamino

I grew up in the small town of Oxnard California. I always knew I wanted to experience what “else” was out there. Eventually, I moved to San Diego then Las Vegas, Post-Covid. I wanted to figure out how I could make money traveling since that was one of my greatest passions. Read more>>

Paul Morris

My journey started with creativity and storytelling at the center of everything I did. I’m originally from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and from an early age I was drawn to music, entertainment, and the arts. Read more>>

Nicole Stuart

I grew up in Las Vegas in the 1970s. After graduating high school, I moved to New York City to study acting at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. I later returned to Las Vegas to audition for a Vegas revue called Bottoms Up, and eventually took the show on the road. Read more>>

Bethlehem Degef

My story begins in Wolkite, Ethiopia. A small town near the capital is where I was raised by a village. That sense of collective culture shaped my entire worldview. I spent a lot of my formative years with my late grandmother, Wodenish. Although my parents shaped my values, her home was my anchor and my first classroom. Read more>>

Misa D’Angelo

Growing up in 8 different countries I felt that I never really belonged, but films, theatre and music were my family. No matter where I was, what country I moved to, the characters in the movies would always make me feel less alone. Read more>>

Nayeli Aguilar-Báez

The first time I ever stepped on a stage was when I was a kid. I don’t remember much of the experience and if anything I was sure it solidified the fact that I had the most terrible stage fright! Little did I know that many years later I would find that my calling would be on stage and on set. Read more>>

Carolyn Ordoñez

I am originally from the Valley, growing up in the Toluca Lake area. As a kid, I always loved performing for the family or anyone who came over. So I auditioned for the school choir at St. Charles Borromeo in North Hollywood at 9 years old, and got in! Read more>>

Seth Thielges

Thank you! I got brought out to Los Angeles by a recruiter who sat in on an audition I did way out in Minnesota. It was at a theater festival and a recruiter from the Art of Acting Studio saw my performance and wanted me in their program! Read more>>

Alesha G

I’ve loved this business of entertainment for such a long time.I grew up going to the movies and watching tv shows such as, Xena Warrior Princess and Hercules with my dad. It was are bonding time. Having both of my parents being jazz musicians forced me into one aspect of this industry quicker than expected. Read more>>

Emilio Lann

Emilio Lann is a Costa Rican actor, writer, and director based in the United States. Born and raised in San José, Costa Rica, he brings a rich cultural perspective and a grounded, magnetic presence to his work. His journey as an international student in the U.S. Read more>>

Xiaowan Jin

Xiaowan is a very gifted 11yo SAG actress, model and GATE student (IQ=130 per NNAT3), fully bilingual in English and Chinese, talented far beyond her age in various aspects! An exceptional talent with Star potential who can exhibit emotions (crying real tears) effortlessly, an excellent reader, can memorize lines quickly! Graduated from Child Actor LA Institute in 2018! Read more>>

Josette Pelatan

I grew up in France as a neurodivergent child labeled “special aid,” held back in school, and eventually dropping out of high school believing education was no longer meant for me. I struggled with mental health challenges and symptoms from a relapsing demyelinating disease that went undiagnosed for decades. Read more>>

Courtnie Ross

I’ve always been more interested in creating a world than fitting into one. I started in beauty and got my cosmetology license young, then left Kansas City for Los Angeles to study at Make-Up Designory. I was suddenly surrounded by artists working in film and fashion, people who understood that what we were really doing wasn’t just beauty; it was transformation. It was mood. Read more>>

Kona Morris

I love getting to say I am a professional storyteller. Most people respond saying they didn’t know that was a career. I tell them I used to not know it either. I moved to LA in 2021, excited to become part of a creative community again after the isolation of the pandemic. I immediately began looking for literary readings. Read more>>

King Cesar

I started STSKF LLC — which stands for “Still That Same Kid From” — back in 2020. The whole vision behind the brand was to create something that people from every city, borough, and neighborhood could connect to. Read more>>

Isabella Joy Totpal

I grew up with myself. I have an older brother, but he was usually hanging out with his friends. My mom, God bless her, was constantly working to provide for me and my brother. I have a really good relationship with them both now, just growing up I felt lonely. Read more>>

Monet Anais

I figured out where I wanted to go and how I wanted to end up at an early age, but getting there has been the journey. After spending years as an independent artist and writing film & TV with no real rewards or accomplishments, I finally had a breakthrough! An unexpected opportunity appeared through a new friendship. Read more>>

Ligia Batschke

I’m a Brazilian set and production designer pursuing my Master of Fine Arts at San Diego State University in California. I’ve been moving since I was a kid, San Diego is my 9th city, so I learned early how to feel at home even when everything around me is shifting, and I’m sure that’s shaped how I work. Read more>>

Evan Kaz

From an early age, creativity became the foundation of who I am. My journey started in grade school through my band program, where I played the trumpet and discovered the beauty of collaboration through music. Hearing different instruments come together to create something emotional and meaningful felt almost therapeutic to me. Read more>>

Tim Bowman

I had always wanted to live in LA, but I grew up in Tulsa. When I was 19, I joined the Navy for a few years, then moved to Los Angeles when I got off active duty. Once I was there, I started going to every audition I could. After just a few months, I booked my first TV role, Tattoo Nightmares. Read more>>

Allison Dayne

I started out in Boise, Idaho, in a place where “career in entertainment” didn’t really feel like a mapped-out option so much as something you quietly obsessed over and didn’t fully know how to justify yet. I moved around a lot after that different cities, different jobs, trying to stay close to storytelling in whatever form I could get my hands on. Read more>>

Ryan Serhant

I moved to New York City to be an actor. That was the dream. But auditions don’t pay rent in Manhattan, so I stumbled into real estate almost by accident. I made $9,000 my entire first year. Read more>>

Tiphanie Doucet

I started ballet and harp when I was seven. At the time, dancing was really my dream. I would dance everywhere, and I was fascinated by les petits rats de l’Opéra in Paris. When I was fifteen, I was cast in a lead role on TV, and even though it felt very natural, I didn’t really pursue acting strongly. I think maybe I was scared. Read more>>

Ronnie Pope

My story starts off in San Antonio Texas; I was born and raised there and eventually I moved to Los Angeles in the year 2025. I have had the inspiration to move to LA, since I was 10. When I turned 24, I finally made the decision and never regretted it. Growing up I was always a creative person. Read more>>

Jaade Wills

I didn’t set out to work in experiential design I kind of built my way into it by being obsessed with how things feel in real life. Read more>>

Cosmo Bertollini

I’ve been creating in some form for as long as I can remember, but the work became much more serious when I started realizing art could hold things that were difficult to explain through normal conversation. A lot of my work explores tension, identity, trauma, transformation, and the ways people carry both pain and resilience at the same time. Read more>>

EK3

They didn’t set out to start a band. They just kept booking more sessions. The songs kept getting better. Eventually, calling it a duo felt less like a branding decision and more like admitting the obvious: whatever this was, it worked They met in a studio-introduced by a mutual friend who swore they’d “get along. ” Neither of them was looking to start a band. Read more>>

Sassie Edwards

What lead me here was being young with a dream… and learning astrology along the way! Learning to never give up or give into emotions even. Hold yourself steady. Doing it alone, always do it alone! Go by yourself it’s okay! More food for a solo plate truly! More food when less folks at the cookout! Read more>>

Nate Paterson

My photography journey started when I was around 15 years old. Me and my brothers used to go out with a camera just as something to do together, but after a while I realised I genuinely loved it. Read more>>

Jessica Lia Berry

I’ve always been drawn to storytelling. I started in front of the camera as an actor, but I was writing early on too, I wrote my 8th grade play and always had a deep love for creating worlds, characters, and moments that made people feel something. Read more>>

Deborah Cortez

I was born into a family of artists. On my father’s side my grandparents were singers and on my mother’s side my grandparents were Circus artists, including my mom. The arts have always been a part of me. Since I was a little girl I wanted to be on stage. I used to put up puppet shows for my great-grandpa. Read more>>

Santeck

My journey with music started back in childhood when I first picked up the acoustic guitar and began exploring different artistic projects. However, as I grew older, my connection to electronic music completely took over. For a while, I lived a double life. Read more>>

Anran Geng

I started from a fine art and concept art background, and I was always interested in how images, colors, and spaces can tell a story. During my studies and early art department work, I realized that production design combined everything I cared about — world-building, emotion, research, and collaboration. That led me to AFI, where I’m now continuing to grow as a production designer. Read more>>

Caden Huston

Growing up on a farm in rural Plain City, Ohio, there wasn’t much encouragement around the arts, but as the second youngest of nine siblings, I was constantly influenced by the music they played around me. From Dr. Dre and Tim McGraw to all of the punk bands my brothers discovered through Warped Tour. Read more>>

Tarah Jade

i wanted to be a singer/performer for as long as i could form thoughts and words . i told my mom at 4 what i wanted to do with my life and she provided the programs to help me flourish. piano , voice and dance lessons. Read more>>

Daniel Maddox

I was born in memphis,TN and went to college in London. Once I graduated I lived in nashville for a year then moved to LA and have called this city my home for the last 22 years. I started throwing events with Anthem Magazine at Coachella and was able to see Daft Punk, A-Trak, Diplo, Rusko, Ed Banger and many others dj at our parties. Read more>>

Joel & Justyna Bedford

Joel and I started out in fashion photography in Canada. Joel was photographing editorials, and I worked as a stylist. We started photographing weddings in 2011, and as my family was based in LA, we started photographing weddings in Southern California in 2014/2015. We bring a lot of our fashion-industry background into portrait sessions. Read more>>

asya gashi

Since I was 14 years old, I have been passionate about acting and singing. I started my journey in my home country, Kosovo, where I began performing and later studied acting at the Academy of Arts. During my studies, I was invited by a movie producer from Turkey, which became a life-changing opportunity. Read more>>

Tyler Monarch

I was living in Miami working in radio. Wanting very badly to succeed I always turned into spirituality to ground me and guide me. My friend introduced me to a Tarot Reader. From there her accurate readings got me obsessed. Shortly after getting on her nerves she said ‘get your own deck and I will teach you to read’. So I did! Read more>>

Gabriel Quintella

Gabriel Quintella is an Italian-Brazilian actor who moved alone from Brazil to Los Angeles in 2021 with no family, no shortcuts, and a very clear vision of the career he wanted to build. Born on December 21, 1997, Gabriel started his professional acting journey at 19 years old in theater, where he performed in more than 15 professional plays before transitioning into film and television. Read more>>

Jeania Pierre

What sparked the fuel and ambition in me to launch my cosmetic business, occurred when one of my students from my dance club made a comment regarding how women of color were unable to wear different shades of lipsticks. This initiated me in making a deal to wear any color lipstick she requested. Read more>>

Kaat DeJonghe

Growing up in a family business in film postproduction in Belgium – analog processing, printing, color grading and so on – I have always loved photography and the technical side to that. I curated my first exhibition still working in the film laboratory back in 2011. Read more>>

Chaerin Park

I go by “chaerin” as an artist. Although I grew up playing the piano and singing, music became my true passion at 16, when I secretly auditioned for and was accepted into a music high school in Seoul without telling my parents. After graduating, I attended Berklee College of Music, where I dual-majored in Vocal Performance and Music Business. Read more>>

Jay Ordonez

I started in music when i was 14 playing bass, after a couple of years and looking at options I eventually attended musicians institute where I studied music production, music business, songwriting and eventually post production. in 2016 I started scoring short films. Read more>>

Ani Perikhanyan

Alex and I are the co-founders of Blooms by Maison d’Emilie, but before anything else, we’re best friends. We’re both Armenian and first-generation immigrants, raised in families that came here with everything to build and nothing handed to them. That upbringing shaped us—it taught us resilience, discipline, and the importance of creating something meaningful not just for ourselves, but for the people around us. Read more>>

Austin Dorrough

Hi! My name is Austin Dorrough, and I am an artist based in Los Angeles, CA. I moved here in 2017 after graduating from the University of Oklahoma (Norman campus) with a BA in Fine Arts. I act, sing, draw, and design! Read more>>

Leilani Patao

I was born and raised in LA, and came out to New York to go to NYU. I didn’t always think I was going to make music my life, but all I knew was that’s how I felt most heard. As a Native Hawaiian person and a queer person, I found my community, and my chosen family through sharing my story and my music. Read more>>

Jade Duong

Hi! My name is Jade Duong and I am a 25 year old actress based in LA. It actually took me a while to confidently call myself an actress- especially when online, there is a certain aesthetic and expectation of what an ‘actress living in LA’ is. I went to UC Riverside and double majored in Political Science and Theater. Read more>>

Noah Nakamura

Started playing in West Hollywood and we got an opportunity to play a Nike tournament and ever since have played the same tournament in Miami, and now looking forward to Mexico City and New York. Read more>>

Shannon Aquinas

I am a writer, deejay, and radio host living in Hollywood, California. I developed my artistic practice in the Bay Area and Portland before relocating here. My natal moon is in Gemini and my Jupiter is in Aquarius, which has shaped my outlook on modes of self-expression. Play, experimentation, and meandering are essential to my creativity. Writing and music are the fabric of my practice. Read more>>

Erika Degraff

I’ve spent my entire career as a visual storyteller. I started behind the scenes as a celebrity stylist for fashion editorials, music videos, and theater, but I eventually found my true home in front of the camera. It’s an honor to create work that makes people feel something. I believe art is essential because it starts the conversations that create change. Read more>>