Community Highlights: Meet Johnny La of Ryxa

Today we’d like to introduce you to Johnny La.

Hi Johnny, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Hi there! My name is Johnny La, and my journey has been one heck of a story.

I fell in love with storytelling during my early college years when I took my first acting class. I enjoyed it so much that I kept taking classes throughout college. In 2008, I earned my degree in Business Management, and I thought that was what I’d be doing for the rest of my life. Sure enough, the acting bug never left. I continued acting and even produced my own mini-series in San Jose. It wasn’t until 2014 that I finally decided I didn’t want to live the corporate life anymore. I packed my bags, gave everyone a one-week notice, and moved to Los Angeles.

Moving to Los Angeles was a challenge of its own. I was a nobody in a town full of sharks, but I knew I had to make a name for myself. Years of auditioning and being rejected, meeting fake friends, and being made fun of back home for chasing my dreams didn’t help either. It wasn’t until 2023, nine years after moving to Los Angeles, that I finally started seeing my rise in both the acting and creator industries. From there, the rest is history. Today, I get to make comedy skits for my audience and build Ryxa, a new app designed to empower creators and help them monetize their brand.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not at all. One of the biggest challenges most actors face in Los Angeles is survival. It’s one thing to chase your dreams, but it’s another to survive in one of the most expensive cities in America. When I first came to LA, I picked up any gig I could to pay the bills. It wasn’t until a few years later that I was able to start a photography business. That finally gave me some stability. People were calling me to shoot their headshots, engagement photos, weddings, and more. But I knew that was my survival job. The main goal was still acting. And we all know, you’ll audition dozens of times before you even land one job.

Things were going smoothly until the lockdown hit. I had to pause my photography business, and all acting work was put on hold. By the time things reopened, I was pretty lost. The friends I had met prior had moved away, and Hollywood was already seeing a decline in jobs. But I wasn’t ready to give up. And if I did, I wouldn’t be where I’m at today.

As you know, we’re big fans of Ryxa. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
After finding success on social media and in the acting industry, I started thinking about ways I could give back to the community. Over the years, I’ve consulted with artists on their goals and, more often than not, been a shoulder to lean on when rough times hit. As a creator myself, I was constantly trying to figure out how to turn my audience into a business. That’s what led me to build Ryxa.

Ryxa is an app that helps creators build a professional brand and actually monetize it. At its core, it gives creators a professional link in bio that hosts real monetization tools, things like courses, 1:1 bookings, and digital products. Creators can also build a media kit to pitch brands and land deals.

What sets Ryxa apart is that these are all tools I personally used throughout my own creator journey. The problem was, I had to sign up for five different platforms to access them, and the costs added up fast. So I built Ryxa to bring everything into one place at a price creators can actually afford. It’s the app I wish I had when I was starting out, and now it’s the one I get to share with other creators chasing the same dream.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
The food! Los Angeles is one of the few places where you can eat pretty much anything you want without hopping on a plane. I also love being surrounded by other creatives who share the same passion and goals I do. If there’s one thing I’d change about the city, it’s the parking. I wish it was easier to find a spot pretty much anywhere in town.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ryxa.io
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryxaforcreators

Image Credits
Michael Roud