LA Stories Unfiltered with Giselle Fernandez

Known for award-winning movies such "Amores Perros,” "Babel,” "Birdman” and "The Revenant," five-time Oscar-winning director Alejandro González Iñárritu opens up to host Giselle Fernandez about his latest film, "Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths.” Iñárritu says he identifies closely with the story, which uses surrealism and humor to explore stories of his own life. Just as the main character grapples with his insecurities and identity, so too has Iñárritu, who once used his Oscar acceptance speech to shine a light on Mexican immigrants living in the U.S. Iñárritu plans to continue to use his voice, work and platform to continue to uplift immigrants.

Michael Harris was once known as “the Godfather” in South Central Los Angeles. In the 1980s, he was arrested on attempted murder and drug trafficking charges, spending 33 years in prison. From behind bars, however, he helped build one of the most prolific music labels in the world. In 2021, then-President Donald Trump pardoned Harris in the last hours of his presidency, and once freed, “Harry-O” went right back to work. Host Giselle Fernandez revisits her conversation with Harris, who ultimately partnered with Snoop Dogg as COO of the all-new Death Row Records.

As the founder of creative agency Crown + Conquer, April McDaniel works with brands, including Adidas and Spotify, to create experiences and events to promote their products and share their stories. Host Giselle Fernandez revisits her conversation with McDaniel, whose success did not come easily, but after being left a widow at just 33 years old, she was forced to raise her two young sons on her own. According to McDaniel, the experience inspired her to create her agency. Her perseverance has inspired her many A-lister friends, including Adele, who dedicated her album "30" to McDaniel.

Derek Hough has won the coveted mirror ball trophy on “Dancing with the Stars” more times than any other professional dancer on the show. Host Giselle Fernandez revisits her conversation with Hough, who opens up about the lessons he learned from the experiences — both on and off the dance floor. Recalling his childhood, Hough shares horrific stories of being bullied as a young boy, which he details in his book, "Taking the Lead: Lessons from a Life in Motion.” Hough has expanded his career with his "No Limits" Las Vegas residency show in addition to returning for the latest season of “DWTS.”

David Ambroz says he spent most of his time starving and freezing while growing up on the streets of Manhattan, surviving on old pizza crusts and sugar packets with few people offering him help or support. At 12 years old, after a moment where he says his mother almost beat him to death, Ambroz entered the foster care system. He finally found foster parents to give him the love and support he needed, and was able to break free from the struggles he faced. Today, Ambroz is considered a national poverty and child welfare expert, advocating on behalf of children in the foster care system and those experiencing homelessness.

In one of his final interviews before stepping down as mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti opens up to host Giselle Fernandez and reflects on his time serving the city. During his tenure as mayor, Garcetti says he’s happy to know his administration is responsible for projects such as investing in infrastructure, bringing the Olympics to LA, cutting poverty and increasing the rate of job growth. Despite headlines reporting on all the work that is yet to be done in the city, Garcetti believes the good he brought the city is significant. He considers Mayor-elect Karen Bass a dear friend and is excited to see what she brings to LA in her new role.

Antonio Salazar-Hobson was born into a farm-working migrant family in Arizona, the 11th of 14 children. At just 4 years old, he was kidnapped by the next-door neighbors his family had grown to trust, and for years, he was sexually abused and trafficked at a guest ranch in central California. Salazar-Hobson shares with host Giselle Fernandez his powerful story of survival and chance meeting with workers’ rights activist Cesar Chavez in high school. Despite hardship that continued into his college years, Salazar-Hobson became one of the most successful labor lawyers in the country, just as Chavez predicted.

In 2016, Miry Whitehill answered a call from a friend who asked if Whitehill had a baby chair she could donate to a Syrian family who had just moved to California. Thinking on her feet, Whitehill made a list of items this family needed in order to get settled in their new home, posted the list to social media and, soon after, the Miry’s List nonprofit was born. Host Giselle Fernandez revisits her conversation with Whitehill, who has been able to help more than 600 families get settled in the U.S. through crowdsourcing and social media. Miry’s List is now serving refugee families in as many as 17 states, but Whitehill says California is leading the way in resettlement.

Kat Taylor has made it her life mission to bring equity to underserved and underrepresented communities across the country. As the co-founder and board chair of Beneficial State Bank, she aims to make banking more accessible to under-resourced communities in an economically and environmentally sustainable manner. Through her TomKat Ranch, in coalition with other farms and ranches, Taylor helps bring local, healthy, organic food to millions of school children in California. As she opens up to host Giselle Fernandez, one thing is clear with all her various endeavors: Kat Taylor has an optimistic outlook on the state’s future.

With nearly 250 million views on YouTube and three successful books, millennial mortician Caitlin Doughty has launched what she calls a “death positive” movement through her series, “Ask a Mortician.” With videos such as “Can I Keep My Parents’ Skulls and Tattoos” and “Morbid Minute: Coffins vs. Caskets,” Doughty hopes to help people understand that death is a part of life and we should be comfortable talking about it. She tells host Giselle Fernandez that embalming or cremating a body is bad for the environment, and she encourages people to consider more environmentally friendly options. In 2011, she founded the Order of the Good Death to create a national dialogue around the funeral industry and both the financial and emotional burdens many funerals put on families.

With the Los Angeles mayoral election coming up, host Giselle Fernandez sat down with candidates Rick Caruso and Rep. Karen Bass for a special edition of “LA Stories.” In Fernandez’s interview with Bass, the U.S. representative explained why she wants to leave her position in Washington D.C. in order to serve as mayor of LA. Bass went deeper into the issues LA is facing and discussed her plans for tackling them if she were to become mayor. She also shared some insight into those who have helped guide her, crediting her parents for providing her with direction in different areas throughout her life.

With the Los Angeles mayoral election coming up, host Giselle Fernandez sat down with candidates Rick Caruso and Rep. Karen Bass for a special edition of “LA Stories.” In Fernandez’s interview with Caruso, the businessman explained why he wanted to enter the race, saying he has a gift for civic duty. He opened up on all the major issues LA is facing and explained in detail how he plans to address them if he were to become mayor. Caruso also discussed what fuels his leadership and who he’s looked up to throughout the years, crediting Tom Bradley and former President Barack Obama for leading with hope and a sense of community.

Coming up on "LA Stories Unfiltered," host Giselle Fernandez delivers more in-depth conversations with impact makers from Southern California, including the two candidates running for Los Angeles mayor in the upcoming election. Rick Caruso and Rep. Karen Bass discuss the issues that face the city and what makes them stand out from their opponent. Listen and subscribe wherever you prefer to get your podcasts.

Now in her 90s, Dolores Huerta has spent most of her life as a political activist, fighting for better working conditions for farmworkers and women’s rights. Her role in the farmworkers’ movement has long been overshadowed by that of Cesar Chavez, her longtime collaborator and co-founder of what became the United Farm Workers of America union. Huerta also coined the movement’s famous slogan, “Sí Se Puede,” which inspired former President Barack Obama’s own campaign battle cry, "Yes, we can." She opens up to host Giselle Fernandez about being by former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy’s side the day he was assassinated and the importance of sharing her accomplishments with young women to open the doors for the next generation.

As a young boy, José Hernández worked alongside his Mexican immigrant family, picking fruits and vegetables throughout the San Joaquin Valley and Stockton. When he watched the first astronauts walk on the moon, Hernández knew right away that he wanted to be just like them, so he followed his father's advice and worked tirelessly through school to become an engineer. It took Hernández 12 attempts, but his dream was finally set in motion when he was accepted into NASA’s space program and got to fly into space at age 47. Host Giselle Fernandez revisits her conversation with Hernández, who started the Reaching for the Stars Foundation that aims to expose kids to STEM-related opportunities.

Estevan Oriol began his career as a hip-hop club bouncer in Los Angeles, where he was introduced to LA-based groups Cypress Hill and House of Pain. To document the experience, Oriol's father, also a famed photographer, gave him an old film camera and said that maybe he, too, would become an artist. Though he may not have had any professional training, Oriol proved he had the eye and natural talent of an artist. He shares with host Giselle Fernandez how his love of photography grew from a hobby to an art he mastered.

Growing up in Los Angeles, Joan Agajanian Quinn befriended artists at a young age. Over time, her relationships in the art world grew, and she was soon at the center of the LA art scene, befriending artists like Andy Warhol and David Hockney. Quinn explains to host Giselle Fernandez how she became known as one of the most painted women in the world, with world-famous artists, such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, George Hurrell, Kenneth Price and Robert Mapplethorpe capturing her portrait. As the West Coast editor of Warhol's Interview Magazine, and host of her own interview series, "Joan Quinn Profiles," Quinn used her fame in the art world to shine a spotlight on up-and-coming artists.

Born with congenital limb differences, Ezra Frech came into this world missing his left knee, left fibula and fingers on his left hand. As soon as he was old enough, he received a prosthetic leg that opened him up to the world of sports, where he played basketball, soccer, football, and track and field. Frech opens up to host Giselle Fernandez about his journey to the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, where he competed in both the long jump and high jump as the youngest member of Team USA. Having realized there was little opportunity for people with disabilities in Los Angeles to participate in sports, Frech and his parents created the Angel City Sports nonprofit for kids, adults and veterans with physical disabilities or visual impairments.

In this episode of “LA Stories,” host Giselle Fernandez revisits her conversation with Michael Harris, who was once known as “the Godfather” in South Central Los Angeles. Harris was arrested in the 1980s on attempted murder and drug trafficking charges. He spent 33 years in prison, but from behind bars, he helped build one of the most prolific music labels in the world. In 2021, then-President Donald Trump pardoned Harris in the last hours of his presidency, and once freed, “Harry-O” went right back to work. He opens up to Giselle Fernandez about going on to partner with Snoop Dogg as the COO of the all-new Death Row Records.

More than half the people in America believe children are in foster care because they have done something wrong, according to recent polls. For more than three decades, Jennifer Perry has made it her mission to change that perception and open people’s eyes to the truth: Children are placed in foster care by no fault of their own and are sometimes victims of abuse or neglect. As the executive director of Children’s Action Network and co-founder of FosterMore, Perry uses her connections in Hollywood and politics to change the narrative around foster youth and share stories in order to show the world who they really are. She tells host Giselle Fernandez that her work became personal when she herself adopted her daughters through foster care.