Rising Stars: Meet Avi Cohen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Avi Cohen.

Hi Avi, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I picked up a camera by chance at 30 now I’m 40, and the last decade has gone by in the blink of an eye.

I was always creative as a kid, I feel like at least for me growing up in Kansas, and the ’90s, I don’t know, there was no social media and very little exposure to the broad world out there, people in Kansas went to school, got a degree, and managed someone’s pharmacy or something like that, anything outside of the quaint town of Manhattan Kansas, i lived in was, at least for me just some ethereal otherworldly idea that I saw through the television, I don’t think I understood till I was 25 that everywhere didn’t have, humid 90° summer nights, canvassed with fireflies as far as the eye could see and blanketed by brilliant electrical storms. I saw the planes hit the twin towers on television and I think that was the first time I ever really recollected a world outside of the Little Apple, Manhattan Kansas. I ventured out of the at around 30 and have kind of been trying to make up for lost time ever since.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s tough as nails to make it as a creative in LA, every prom queen and king the crawled out from under whatever Rock in Nantucket that are used to using their wit, and charisma to get ahead, think they’re going to come here and try their luck, but when they arrive, they find that there are a million clones of them and they need to ultimately step up their game of deceit… Some infinitesimaly percentage of them make it, and it takes no medical degree or passing the bar or anything, so that gives them the impression that it’s any man’s game…. But for most they figure out all out the hard way… every overnight success, was at least ten years in the making, but yeah the alur of this place for exactly that reason.. place breeds a lot of misnomers that create obstacles and challenges for a fine specimen such as myself that is ultimately just a soft sheep in wolves clothes.

Anyhow regarding my personal challenges, I kind of consistently neurotically focus on the past trying to keep myself accountable in all my shortcomings in order to build a foundation for a better future and more often than not miss reveling in the moment, Which is the only moment we are really promised. I guess that’s what makes someone driven, it’s a curse really though in some ways… and I for sure suffer from it. Remember to revel in the now… because the next decade will be gone in the blink of an eye.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’ve spent a good majority of my life accomplishing what I set out to accomplish and preparing for the next challenge, I find excitement in almost everything I do, and I find business at every corner, I love the art of business, I love the art of creation. Jack of all trades, master of none. But here, I find myself elated at every manifest I eke out.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
I have a real love-hate relationship with LA for sure, I enjoy the vast dynamic geography, Windy ocean waves whip against the Sandy Beach and just 2 hours away snow falls on ice-capped mountains, nice spread. I love the creative entrepreneurial opportunity here, big city lot’s of money lots of people that need lots of things, surely you can be of service somehow, I like that notion, I’m nobody’s employee, and here it has been easy for me to be a boss…

I really dislike the people, for the most part, the people the entertainment industry attracts… i tire of… I would be ay more elated meeting the next Mahatma Gandhi than I would yet another self proclaimed entertainment industry gruru of some sort…, very mono industry here, I thrive better in a place with more Blue-collar more heart more common man, everyone here is someone, at least according to them, I tire of it kind of… but I guess everywhere is a little to somethin.

Pricing:

• Scoop of ice cream at salt & straw $6

Contact Info:

• Website: www.avicohen.tv
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/Avi_Cohen
• Youtube: www.Youtube.com/AviCohen
• Other: www.YouTube.com/TheAviCohenShow