We had the good fortune of connecting with Priscilla Santos Laura Manchester and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Priscilla Santos, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Our videography and photography business, Las Dos Creative, was born from a shared passion for meaningful storytelling and capturing beautiful moments. It all started when our children became friends in preschool, which led to many conversations about creativity, photography, and social equity. With Laura’s background in TV and film and Priscilla’s expertise in photojournalism, we realized that we could combine our skills to create something unique and meaningful—capturing vibrant, authentic stories that reflect the diversity and beauty of life. The name “Las Dos” means “both” in Spanish, which perfectly represents us. We do both videography and photography, we speak both English and Spanish, and we are both mothers and business owners.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The most important factor behind our success is our authenticity. We don’t try to fit into anyone else’s mold; instead, we celebrate what makes each project unique. Our sessions are playful and reflective because we genuinely want our clients to have fun and be themselves. That genuine connection between us and our clients allows us to tell stories that resonate and creates lasting relationships that go beyond a single project. We also place emphasis on inclusivity, because everyone deserves to have their story told beautifully.

We’re both from different backgrounds that have shaped our artistic styles and business ethos. Priscilla is a bi-cultural Cuban American who has always cherished her heritage and the unique experiences it brings. Her love of community, adventure, and joy drives her to create authentic and lively images. Laura’s journey in the arts began as a scenic painter, then transitioned to theatre production and TV, giving her a broad understanding of storytelling. Our different yet complementary experiences have given us a deep curiosity and love of telling unique stories. We don’t want to help sell products, we want audiences to get to know each artist or business owner at their core.

From the beginning we’ve wanted our business to be achievable, which meant making sure we were not burning out. As mothers and business owners, maintaining work-life balance is an ongoing process. In the beginning, there was a lot of juggling, especially with young children. Over time, we’ve learned to set boundaries that honor all – our own wellbeing, our family commitments and our creative work. We believe in valuing rest just as much as we value our projects—after all, we want our children to grow up seeing that it’s possible to work hard while also making time for family adventures, relaxation, and personal growth. After both of us felt on the verge of burnout this Spring, we decided to take a Summer sabbatical from our business. This fall, we returned after our sabbatical with greater clarity on how to better balance our projects.

The ultimate goal for Las Dos Creative is to continue capturing stories that matter, stories that represent lesser-heard voices, stories about people who are doing cool things. We want to expand our work to reach more communities, celebrate more voices, and continue to push creative boundaries. By the end of our career we’d love to be surprised at where it’s taken us! We are constantly changing and inspired and don’t have a set end in mind.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
A daytime hike either coastal around Malibu or by Griffith Park, followed by the Siam night market (mango sticky rice for dessert is a must) and whichever show is happening at the Hollywood Bowl, The Greek, or the Ford.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
We’ll give a shout out to our 6 year old kids, who are besties and are responsible for bringing us together!

Website: https://www.lasdoscreative.com

Instagram: @lasdoscreative

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lasdoscreative

Image Credits
Photos by Dorcas Santos and Las Dos Creative

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.