We had the good fortune of connecting with Croyce Allen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Croyce, what are you inspired by?
I am inspired by my mother who has been through a lot to get to where she is today. She raised me as a single mother trying to make sure that i was taken care of and that i had everything i needed growing up. She has always taught me to be my best self and to never give up on my dreams. My mother is a true definition of a superwomen and I will forever and always be grateful for her.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Youth Destined For Greatness is a 501 (C)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire and develop young people by promoting personal transformation, growth and self worth.

We encourage kids, youth and young adults to believe in themselves and value service to others. YDG strives to support the youth in pursuing their own intrinsic motivations while being a champion of the same for the next generation of leaders in a world that tries to dictate others. Our vision is Excellence, Education and Empowerment.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my friends were coming down for the weekend and I had to show them a good time in Los Angeles, Ca. On Friday Morning I would take them to a brunch spot On Melrose called Fratelli Cafe then walk on melrose and visit the stores then finish the day off at The District By The GS. On Saturday Morning I would take them To Issa Rae’s Coffee Shop called Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen and then go to the Cinepolis Luxury Cinemas in Inglewood. Lastly on Sunday I would take them to The CourtCafe and later take them to an event called Black On The Block.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First I would like to shout out Amazing Grace Conservatory which is a well rounded program offering professional training in Acting, Voice, Dance, Media Arts, Spoken Word and much more! Students collaborate in the writing and production process while simultaneously mastering performance and technical skills. AGC was Co-founded by Actress Wendy Raquel Robinson and the late great Tracy Lamar Coley. I attended AGC back in 2012 as a student looking to forward my skills in performing arts, AGC taught me to be confident in myself and to learn and grow as a young black man. I am a proud Alumni of Amazing Grace Conservatory and apart of AGC’s Media Arts Department & Communications, Marketing, and Branding Team as a Video Content Developer. Thank you to Ms.Wendy and everybody at AGC for loving and supporting me.

Lastly I would like to shout out West Angeles COGIC which is located in the Crenshaw District Of Los Angeles. My family and I have been attending West Angeles for years, I was apart of children choir growing up. When I got older i had interest in joining the Media Department, At the time they weren’t accepting anybody under 18 years old but the department saw my passion in the media arts so they accepted me into the department at the age of 14 years old. Since then I am a Camera Operator and Live Technical Director for West Angeles. By being in this department I have met a lot of people that work in the industry and some of them became my mentors. I really appreciate West Angeles COGIC for letting me be apart of the Media Department so I can better my craft.

Website: https://www.weareydg.org

Instagram: https://instagram.com/croyceallen

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/croycea

Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8581834/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

Image Credits
Sed McCray, Nathan Brown

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.