Where you grew up and your background can often have surprising effects on our lives and careers. We’ve asked folks from the community to tell us about how their background has affected them.

Madeleine Curry | Professional Actor

I’m from Manhattan Beach, California and my dad is a professional working actor. I grew up seeing him on tv or hearing his voice on the radio and knew that I wanted to follow in his footsteps. I started out performing in pay to play musical theater but soon became very serious about pursuing acting as a career. Read more>> 

Adrian Haro | Chief Executive Officer

I grew up in a little town on the eastside of LA called Pico Rivera. And believe me when I tell you it’s the best little town you’ve never heard of or been to. The city is made up 92% percent of Mexicans. Not Latinos, but Mexicans very specifically. I loved growing up there. Read more>>

Tyrone Thomas | Photographer/ Streamer / Content Creator

I’m from South Central, Los Angeles , my Back ground impacted me in the biggest way because it made me the Man I am today , taught me I can be Book smart. Read more>>

Joel Cool | Writer, Corp Professional, Jack-of-all-trades Creative Goofball

I grew up in one of the coolest places in Southern California, Lake Arrowhead. It is a beautiful mountain town with winding roads, snowy winters, and a glistening lake meant for wakeboarding and high school dock parties. Yes, I was born and raised in SoCal, and I would not want to be anywhere else. Read more>> 

Niharika Pushkarna | Filmmaker

“I grew up in Gurugram, a bustling city known for its tech industry and mix of cultures. I was always involved in school activities, but for a while, I wasn’t sure what career path I wanted to take. Luckily, my parents were incredibly supportive and helped me find a direction that made me happy after high school. Read more>>

Juan Abella | Marketing Manager at Criteria Entertainment (US) & Artist as Vicious Rooster

I’m Juan Abella, I’m from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Being raised in a big traditional family gave me a lot of values, support and skills that I can use in my every day life. With a businessman father and an artistic mother, I grew up with a duality, a mix of both worlds. Read more>>

Madison Riding | Actor

I was born and raised in a small town called Payson, Utah. I moved around a lot but Utah was always home. I always had a love for Movies/TV growing up. My parents could always find me right in front of the TV watching in awe. Read more>>

Simon seungmin Cheon | Musicians & Guitarist

I was born in South Korea and moved back and forth between Hong Kong and Korea due to my dads work. I would say I spend half of my life in HK and the other half in Korea but most of the important teenage life was in HK. Read more>>

Sean Willets | Stop Motion Animator, Director, Comic Artist

Growing up in LA, being surrounded by artists and having the accessibility to one of the most creative cities, I haven’t taken it for granted. I was homeschooled so I was able to focus on my crafts at home, my mom used to host art classes once a week at our house for a while and we’d have our friends over, those times reinforced my love of making art and doing it with others. Read more>>