There are so many factors that affect how our lives turn out, but one of the most interesting is how our backgrounds give us unique strengths and perspectives that affect who we are as adults. We asked rising stars from the community to tell us about their background and upbringing and how they feel it’s impacted who they are today.

Marcell Leon Viragh

I’m Marcell Leon Virágh, I’m a director and cinematographer from Budapest, Hungary, and I graduated in 2025 from the Los Angeles Film School with a Bachelor of Science degree in Film Production, Directing Concentration.

My journey into film was anything but straightforward. I learned Hungarian, English, German, and French at the Austrian School Budapest and later at Lauder Javne School. At home, I was immersed in business conversations at the family table, played competitive water polo for 15 years, and first pursued architecture and business before finding my passion behind the camera. Read More>>

Eduardo Romeiro “Orelha”

I was born in Brazil, in Rio de Janeiro, and most of my family is made up of “artists.” My grandmother was a teacher and an amazing sketcher. My mom was always involved with art, and since I was a kid, I was encouraged to dive into this creative world and develop my skills.

My dad, on the other hand, always loved capturing our moments with photos and video. Back in 1996, when we took a trip to Disney, he bought a VHS camcorder (hahaha), and I got super excited — I wanted to use it for everything! Read More>>

Simge Okut

I’m from Turkey (now Türkiye) and I’d say my background and upbringing has been crucial to who I am today. Reflecting back, I always pinpoint three things that have helped shape the person I am:

1. Diverse environment: I grew up in a city that was diverse in race, ethnicity, thought, lifestyle, politics and religion. I consistently learned about different perspectives and beliefs through my peers in school and sometimes even got into heated arguments as we formed our own opinions.  Read More>>