Film2Future helps young filmmakers from many backgrounds find their way to Hollywood By Shanee Edwards Gushing with positive energy, professional film producer Rachel Miller talks a mile a minute. But it’s easy to see why she’s so excited. Miller’s nonprofit Film2Future, a two-week film lab for racially diverse groups of under-served high school students, is […]

The Wallis Annenberg PetSpace pairs humans with pets through technology, compassion and play By Shanee Edwards Nestled between the Hercules Campus East and The Collective on Bluff Creek Drive, the Wallis Annenberg PetSpace is a remarkable 30,000-square-foot facility that currently cares for 80 rescued dogs, cats and rabbits. The animals come from Los Angeles County […]

Deutsch Good’s Lena Khouri pairs agency talent with millennial values Story By Shanee Edwards  |  Photos by Maria Martin After Lena Khouri graduated from college, she was excited to begin a career in entertainment. But after nearly two years at Creative Artists Agency, she was yearning to rely less on her thick skin and more […]

Music Center Spotlight finalist Lauren Hunter invests her entire being into ballet By Christina Campodonico | Photos courtesy of The Music Center At 15 years old, Playa Vista teen Lauren Hunter has already danced roles that most ballerinas would covet — Princess Aurora from “Sleeping Beauty” and beautiful temple dancer Nikiya from “La Bayadère,” to […]

An Abbot Kinney institution remakes itself in Playa Vista’s image with live music, a new menu and technological innovation By Shanee Edwards  Hal’s Bar & Grill is a mainframe restaurant rebooting itself in a community that’s all about digital innovation. Following a 30-year run as the cultural and culinary heart of Abbot Kinney Boulevard, Hal’s […]

So Fly Kids dance classes mix fun and discipline to lift even the tiniest of creative spirits By Stephanie Case A midst a flurry of tiny ballerinas, 4-year-old Eloise Osorio cavorts and twirls, a smile stretched across her face. “This is her space to be herself,” says her mom, Ivette Osorio. “She has two brothers […]

LAPD Officer Greg Jacobus leaves Playa Vista more connected than he found it By Stephanie Case For more than five years, Gregg Jacobus was a familiar face in Playa Vista. Most days, you could catch him driving by Concert Park in his midnight blue Los Angeles Police Department uniform, a badge pinned to his chest. […]

The Teale Street Sculpture Studio offers a hands-on, real-world experience By Shanee Edwards Nearly everyone interacts with a least one screen during the day — a television at home, desktop monitor at work, a smart phone, well, everywhere. For some of us, engaging with three or four screens at once is becoming normal. But as […]