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 Mid-Wilshire’s (and K-Town, WeHo, Mid-City) 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 Mid-Wilshire’s rising stars below.
Myah Ariel
I even got to sit in on marketing and distribution meetings and manage the internship program. Eventually I went back to school at USC to get a master’s degree in arts journalism. I thought I might become a film or tv critic. But I ended up working to design and produce academic and career programming for the school for several years. Then the pandemic came and I got the inspiration to try writing my first novel that would be loosely based on my experience of trying to “make it in Hollywood”. Within a year and a half of starting that first draft, I’d gotten a literary agent and sold the book at auction to a major publisher. Read more>>
Danielle Jacobson
I started in my field over a decade ago. I have always grown up in a family that was very holistic and focused on health and so going into this line of work seemed easy and natural. However, it was in school that I started to have a bigger focus on how stress and trauma impact our health and our energy. I started to dive deeper into nuero-science and how the experiences of our life end up correlating with a lot of the health challenges we are seeing in today’s society. I continued to study with many of the great masters and teachers in these subjects and increase my expertise on how to help people heal the body through this type of nervous system and energetic work. Read more>>
Michelle Montenegro
From a young age, I recognized the importance of having a close-knit community that was dependable and compassionate. My family extended from my aunts and cousins, who also lived in our complex, to all of my neighbors: Dona Linda, Dona Dulce, Yulissa, Leslie, Caballo, Elsa, etc. My mom tells stories of her and other neighbors, putting together money for Christmas gifts for all the kids and organizing a yearly Christmas dinner. My childhood apartment truly felt like one big family, one where everyone looked after one and other and everyone was in everyone’s business LOL. Read more>>
Bunga Vidanska
Before I found my way into flower art, I began my journey through the spiritual and healing arts. I became a certified Tarot Reader and Reiki Master early on, drawn to the invisible connections between energy, emotion, and healing. This spiritual path guided me through many personal transformations and ultimately shaped the way I view the world—intuitively, symbolically, and with reverence for life’s quiet wisdom. Read more>>
Ksenia
I was born in a distant, cold, Siberian town, called Chita, to an ordinary family. From early childhood, I loved to sing. When I was five years old my grandmother would tuck me into bed, but I demanded silence and attention! I would announce: “Silence, please, now I will sing!” and perform a song before going to bed. There were also regular rehearsals in front of the mirror singing into a hairbrush and frequent evening concerts for relatives. Read more>>
Miles Elliot
Even though DJing was always my foundation, I had a deeper dream of becoming a true musician. I picked up the bass and started teaching myself how to play. Around 2017, I saw a video of Steve Lacy making beats on his phone using GarageBand and an iRig. That moment lit a spark. I bought an iRig, plugged in my bass, and started exploring beatmaking. Read more>>
Jasmine Dubovtseva
I’ve been passionate about makeup since high school, but my professional path started in a completely different direction. I worked as a marketing manager, helping promote car dealerships through campaigns on TV, radio and digital platforms. It was an exciting job at first, but eventually I burned out. I felt uninspired and craved something more creative and expressive. That’s when I decided to make a change. Read more>>
Josef Hadeed
That experience solidified my decision to pursue a career in plastic surgery. I’ve always been drawn to the intersection of art, science, and human connection. What began as a fascination with reconstruction evolved into a passion for helping people feel more confident and at home in their bodies. Along the way, I also realized that while surgical expertise is essential, what truly sets a practice apart is the quality of care patients receive along their entire journey – from their first consultation to the recovery after surgery. That insight has shaped every decision I’ve made to ensure that we are offering our patients a boutique, concierge-type experience. Read more>>
Lauren Rintou
While I was there I learned a ton in every facet of the industry and met some of my favorite people who inspired me and helped me to get my first songs out. My first two tracks I wrote on piano in 2022 and produced in my bedroom with one of my best friends at the time. The whole process was so fun and we mixed and mastered them on airpods haha. Senior year I started writing for other artists as well and that became a passion of mine. I’ve been very lucky to help some of my favorite artists with their projects and i’m SO excited for more of those tunes to come out 
I also have since found some more lovely humans that believe in my artist project so I’ve just been creating and creating and learning and playing. So ya thats a bit of a background hahah! Read more>>
Eric Karkheck
Upon entering the working world, I juggled a desk job with weekend shoots and took short-term, unpaid gigs. These experiences paved the way for bigger opportunities. For instance, a producer from New York recruited me to work on a fun feature length documentary. It was a challenging experience, but it boosted my confidence and reinforced the importance of taking risks in creative work. Read more>>
Matthew Rhodes
Growing up I also was influenced by film. From watching Rosemary’s Baby way too young, and keeping my eyes open through that last terrifying scene. To Jack Nicholson creating chaos and freedom for inmates in an insane asylum in Cuckoo’s Nest. To feeling the horror of a Lindbergh-baby style kidnapping in the opening of Murder On The Orient Express. To the family tragedy of losing a son and brother in Robert Redford’s Ordinary People. To the opening of Star Wars that started a voyage into one of the greatest journey’s across the universe… I was captivated by how film can affect you in a movie house. It really can take you anywhere and everywhere. I always thought how amazing it would be to so something like that someday. Read more>>
Joanne Moon
Alchemist Coffee Project began in 2015 with our first location, driven by a passion for quality coffee and thoughtful design. We opened our second location in 2019 in the heart of Koreatown, where we became known for our signature drinks and community-focused approach. After years of growth and refining our concept, we expanded beyond Koreatown in 2025 with our Culver City location. This move allowed us to reach a new audience and offer something fresh in a different part of the city while staying true to our roots. Read more>>
Lili Aghaei
Great question— the brand itself has seen such great success in such a short period of time which I am so grateful for as I know how difficult it is for brands to succeed in the early years. However, of course not everything has been a smooth road and we’ve hit roadblocks and tears have been shed. You just have to keep going and remember your why and learn from your mistakes so they don’t happen again. Running a business is not an easy feat— I loved every second of the creative aspect of building TVM and meeting all my clients and working with other brands. The business side of the brand is another story haha. Thank GD I have my husband who has helped me tremendously with the business aspect of running a small business. Read more>>
Courtney Geiger
Making my first feature, I was also able to create a really robust community of friends and fellow artists that I’m still in touch with today, which means just as much to me as actually completing the film itself. After I finished Clout, I decided to finally take the leap and make the move to LA to pursue filmmaking more seriously. Since coming out here, I’ve continued to expand my artistic practice. So, in addition to filmmaking and screenwriting, I’ve expanded my storytelling into fashion/editorial photography and poetry, and even some model. I’m really enjoying staying open creatively and seeing where art takes me next! Read more>>
