We asked some of the city’s rising stars to reflect on what made a difference in their journey. We asked them to tell us about what they think the most important factor has been behind their success.

Rocio Camacho | Future Sound Utility

Having a plan on how you’re going to execute your goals. Thinking of ways on how you can get your first step in to where you ultimately want to end up. A positive attitude defiantly helps, especially when things get tough. For me these were very important factors that helped in my success. Read more>>

Conan Con The Artist” Karpinski | Award winning film composer & musician “

I think one of the key ingredients to any form of success is putting the stuff you create out there and being open to where it takes you. It sounds a little cliché, but I am doing a lot of things in my career now that I never set out to do and loving every second of it, and it’s all thanks to putting myself out there and rolling with the punches. I originally started in this industry as a frontman of a band whose only goal was to write rock music and perform it live. Now I find myself composing music for feature films, directing music videos, and producing tracks for other artists in all genres. Read more>>

Suzie Mangeno | Co-owner, Cake Gains

I believe the most important success factor for Cake Gains is providing a high quality product. The food market is saturated with protein based snacks, but many times people spend money only to be disappointed. We feel successful knowing that we provide a donut that tastes good and helps people stay on track with their fitness/nutrition goals. Read more>>

Lindsay Feldman | Publicist and Founder of BrandBomb PR

That’s easy. Passion! It’s the driving force that enables me to stay creative, focused, energized, determined and most importantly, excited! I know the old saying of “if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life” is so cliche but it is totally spot on. My passion for branding, public relations, writing, event planning, strategy, relationship-building, philanthropy, business and marketing keeps me enthusiastic and fulfilled. I put long hours in, turn down lots of invitations to hang out, because I’m working on building an empire (and am having a ton of fun doing so in the process!) Read more>>

SUKKI | Actor, television personality and humanitarian

Gosh there are so many things that determine success, but I think for me personally it’s been authentic passion. I’ve always believed that with enough conviction you can move mountains. If you believe in something strongly enough, nothing in the word is going to stop you, you’ll always find a way, no matter how impossible it may seem. To reinforce this, I tend to set myself mini mental and physical challenges, which is probably going to sound silly, but I do things like: okay so if you can climb this hike even though you’re exhausted, you can do anything. Read more>>

Jameson Cherilus | Actor & Writer

The most important factor behind my success is my nurturing community. I would not have made it to this level in my career without having people around me who are genuinely invested in my success. I have a family that supports me unconditionally, friends who have encouraged me to keep going despite setbacks, and colleagues who have advocated for me relentlessly. Read more>>

Sina Azari | Executive Business Advisor & International Speaker

Ironically enough, it’s all mindset. You can have all the knowledge and connections to create something great, however if you’re mindset isn’t where it needs to be to grow vs coast or thrive vs survive, you will never tap into your unlimited potential and experience exponential results. Read more>>

Elliot Kotek | social impact filmmaker & documentary producer

We walk the walk with intention. We believe in diversity and sincerity, and intentionally ask if we’ve considered the most representative options in front of and behind the camera. When we work on projects to center the often-marginalized, we don’t then make ourselves the spokespeople for those projects. It might mean we achieve our goals a little more quietly than some other companies, but it serves us long term by building high degrees of trust and authentic, impactful partnerships. No small matter is that we also take care of our crews, and believe in efficiently paying people for their work – even if we’re waiting for payment on the client side – for us, it just feels unfair to ask individuals to have to wait out payment periods. Read more>>

Ashley Noelle Edwards | Photographer

The best thing I did for my brand was when I was able to make the move from that phase in the beginning of your career where you tend to listen to the advice of others in your industry or operate the way the majority are operating because you haven’t had the experience yet to pinpoint what it is only you can offer and what your business policy and practice preferences are. For about 3 years I left every photography group on social media and focused on myself and what I want to offer as an artist and a business owner. I think there’s this tendency in the wedding industry especially for photographers to follow advice from groups and place a lot of importance on listening to people who have been doing this for more than a decade, Read more>>

Jess Purple | Photographer + Videographer // Matt + Jess

I think the thing that drives the success of our brand is our constant evolution. We are constantly seeking inspiration – from people, places, color palettes, nature – and pushing ourselves to grow as artists. Our goal with each wedding or shoot is to make that one our best one yet. I think not allowing ourselves to stay static or our style to plateau has been a really important factor in our trajectory. Read more>>

Rick Ross | Entertainment on Piano, Sax and Vocals

Versatility! In addition to playing solo background piano, I also perform a multifaceted one-man show on piano, three saxophones, and vocals. I can create the sound of anything from a jazz trio to a full orchestra or big band. My repertoire spans styles from the classic standards to light jazz and rock. I also play a festive array of party music and can create themed shows based on specific artists or genres. I was able to use my computer and programming skills to create realistically tailored backing tracks with vocal harmony. Read more>>

Kari McGowan | Floral Designer and Entrepreneur

The success of not only my brand, but I feel my whole industry is connecting with your customer on a personal level. Flowers are more often than not, wrapped wholly in emotion and purpose. My motto/mantra is to design these flowers with intention, thoughtfulness, kindness, and creativity. Read more>>