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.

Warren Pettey | Pianist & Engineer

I grew up an hour south of Boston in a small town. Due to the lack of musicians in this area, I had to rely on playing solo piano. With the help of my parents and a few key educators in the area, I managed to secure a few weekly gigs which helped me improve my technical skills. However, I was still lacking some of the fundamental skills that are important to playing in a band. It wasn’t until I met musicians from Providence and Boston that I began to become more well-rounded in my playing. Read more>>

Gordy Grundy | Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Art Report Today

We are all products of our environment. I was lucky to grow up in a small beach town in Southern California. Everyone was pursuing something. Everyone was action-oriented, invested in their quests for speed or beauty or a mad idea. That’s why I am always eager to say “Sure!” I like an adventure. I like chasing and making things. Read more>>

Mojo Wen | Production Designer

My experience is like a discovery journey to Production Design. I’m from Chongqing, China, a city built on mountains. Chongqing is a 3D city; if you visit there, you’ll feel your view is constantly changing height and angles. The incredible visual effect of the Backstreet Boys music video, Titanic, and World of Warcraft CG attracted me when I was young. I was lucky enough to learn 3D modeling and animation skills from the first CG generation of China, who was taught directly by CG artists from Hollywood Studios. Read more>>

Mike Kimmel | Actor and Author

I’m a longtime actor and writer from the Bronx, New York. I knew from a very early age––about five years old––that I wanted to pursue a career in show business. I also knew somehow, even at that age, that I wanted to write books. I didn’t know at the time that the books I would someday write would be related to the acting work I was interested in performing. Read more>>

Chris Yang | Arranger, Composer, Producer

I was born in Ohio, USA and went back to Korea with my family when I was 3. Then I spent almost my whole life(over 20 years) on one of the beautiful islands in Korea called Jeju island. Thanks to my parents for giving me an inborn ability, and their hard effort on teaching me how to speak in Korean, now obviously I can speak both languages and that ability eventually led me to study abroad. Read more>>