Randi Firestone remembers her mother Shirley while raising money to end Alzheimer’s By Gary Walker For some, the epiphany of a life’s mission comes during moments of inspiration. For Randi Firestone, hers was sparked by a family tragedy. Firestone, a Playa Vista resident, was visiting her mother Shirley six years ago when she began […]
Back to the Future
The ad agency that told you to ‘think different’ gets a facelift for its 50th birthday Story by Christina Campodonico | Photos by Maria Martin Boasting an indoor “park,” award-winning workstations, a very cool beverage bar, a basketball court and its own entrance tunnel, advertising giant TBWA\Chiat\Day’s Los Angeles headquarters has long been the envy […]
Eva Amantea is ‘On the Spot’
An enterprising local YouTuber chases her bliss one red carpet interview at a time Story By Shanee Edwards | Photos by Yising Kao As a kid, Playa Vista resident Eva Amantea preferred to spend her time playing games and making crafts. She couldn’t understand why people would spend their time in front of a TV. […]
Promoting Inclusion
Film2Future’s new grAD school helps young creatives find their way into the advertising industry Story By Stephanie Case | Photos by Maria Martin In 2017, Film2Future needed a new home. The burgeoning nonprofit, which had hosted its inaugural summer filmmaking intensive for underprivileged and at-risk youth the year before, had lost its grant funding and […]
Playa Vista’s New Bestie
KAWS’ giant BFF has turned a Hercules Campus courtyard into a growing tourist attraction By Shanee Edwards Looking for a new best friend? You’re in luck! Your new BFF has just moved to Playa Vista and is ready to hang out. Sure, BFF is electric blue, has x’d-out eyes on top of his head, weighs […]
A Bombshell’s Double Life
Actress Hedy Lamarr was also a brilliant inventor who spent a lot of time in what’s now Playa Vista By Shanee Edwards “Any girl can be glamorous,” actress Hedy Lamarr once said. “All you have to do is stand still and look stupid.” Lamarr was certainly glamorous, but definitely not stupid. Bewitchingly beautiful, few […]
‘Soccer Taken Seriously’
The Playa Champions League builds community around a shared passion for athletic competition By Andy Vasoyan As Americans, it seems that every four years the rest of the world rises up in unison to rub our faces in the fact that yes, soccer is the biggest sport in the world, and yes, as a whole […]
Year of the Dog
5 inspiring stories of the human-animal bond By Shanee Edwards The dogs of Playa Vista reflect who we are as a community and who we aspire to be. “The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven, not man’s,” wrote Mark Twain to a friend, summing up beautifully how we feel […]
Let the STEM Games Begin
TGA Sports uses athletics to unlock your child’s scientific curiosity By Shanee Edwards Aerodynamics. Newton’s Laws of Motion. Chemical engineering. By themselves, these scientific concepts may sound like a bore-fest to your child. But TGA Sports founder and CEO Joshua Jacobs has a secret to unlocking a child’s scientific mind. Jacobs knows that when science, […]
Kindred Spirits
The Marayags share many passions, but Playa Vista is their one true love By Robyn Paris When Playa Vista couple Myra and Ryan Marayag aren’t chasing snow, they’re spending most of their time at home, throwing parties for “almost every occasion” and taking their two young children, Brooklyn (4) and Ethan (1 ½), and two […]