Spoken Dreams

Paul Beahan is an entrepreneur, producer, and the founder of Manimal Records. He was born in San Diego, and was always interested in the music business as a child. He even started his own imaginary record labels as a kid. Eventually he started playing music, and joined up with a few bands around the San Diego area. As his friends and bandmates went on to do well as musicians, Paul realized he didn’t feel like he was cut out to make a careerplaying music. He needed a change, so he headed up the coast for Los Angeles and ended up going back to school. He ended up working in the world of fashion in New York, but that path would eventually draw him back into the music business that he had once been so eager to leave. He found success after starting his own record record label, and eventually began putting on live festivals. Now, Paul is excited to bring something big to Malibu Canyon. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Angela Martini is a former model and Miss Universe pageant title holder turned Life coach, film producer, and author. She was born in Albania after the fall of communism and had an fairytale childhood, but after civil war broke out in Albania and danger grew, the fairytale ended. Angela was forced to leave her mother behind and move to Switzerland to be with her father and step-mother. Suddenly, Angela’s childhood became less idyllic and she dove further into her own dream world. After visiting family in New York City, Angela fell in love with the United States. Upon returning to Switzerland, her new fairy tale dream became moving to New York City to work as a model. Of course, as in all storybooks, Angela wouldn’t get there without a journey full of trials and struggles. Eventually, Angela did make it to New York City, and she lived happily ever after...or did she? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Binx is a pop artist originally from South Africa. She grew up in small towns without a lot of venues for entertainment, so people became the entertainment, and Binx found out early on that she loved being in the spotlight. She loved performing for friends and family, and after seeing Britney Spears on television, Binx suddenly knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life. With the love and support of her family, Binx grinded away at pursuing her dreams of being a famous pop star and was eventually able to make her way to New York City. She was dubbed "The African Bee" because of her South African roots and the elaborate bee costumes she wears during performances. Binx was gaining a lot of traction in New York City, but when L.A. began offering opportunities, she would have to decide whether to leave everything she’d built in New York to start all over on the West Coast. Making things harder yet, Binx experienced an unexpected tragedy that made her question whether she would continue with music at all. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Manny Garcia is an educator, creative, and clothing designer. He was born in Texas and raised primarily in Michigan. He grew up surrounded by music, which ignited his creativity, but despite that passion, Manny pursued teaching. Later, his ambitions outgrew Michigan, and the desire to give music a shot was too strong to ignore—so he moved to Nashville. But as a Mexican-American wanting to explore his cultural identity, Nashville proved to not be the right fit, and when music wasn’t working out, he pulled up stakes and headed for Los Angeles. He fell in love with the city, but in order to make ends meet, Manny would again have to put his creative ambitions on hold. But after a humanitarian trip to Ecuador, Manny learned lessons about the world, and about himself, that would change his life forever. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Asha Dahya is a journalist, a Ted X speaker, host, and author. She was born in England, but spent most of her childhood in Australia. Since a young age, Asha has always been talkative and loved performing. She had aspirations to be an actress, but later found that path was not a good fit. Asha began working as a television host, and suddenly found herself working for some major networks. Once she felt established, she wanted to explore new challenges and opportunities outside Australia, which brought her to Hollywood. The move proved to be difficult, and Asha may have underestimated the challenges she would face in Los Angeles. Down on her luck, Asha longed for a supportive community that she didn’t have here in the U.S. She started the blog Girl Talk HQ as a place for like-minded women to share their stories. Little did Asha know, her media savvy and desire to speak her truth would lead Asha down a new path that would open doors she never expected. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Zara Alexandrova is a stylist and fashion consultant. She was born in Armenia and grew up in Russia. Since childhood, Zara always had an eye for fashion. She loved putting together outfits for school, and was even known to alter her mother’s wardrobe. Zara saw fashion as a means to be “the woman that she wanted to be.” Growing up in Russia, however, pursuing a career in fashion was out of the question, so Zara went to school to be a lawyer. When her family decided to move to Los Angeles, a place that embraces big dreams, Zara jumped at the opportunity to explore the fashion world professionally. She began working at boutiques on Rodeo Drive, and it wasn't long before her sense of style got her noticed. It wasn't long before Zara was welcomed with open arms into the world she knew she was always meant to be a part of. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Heather Daughtry is an actress and host from Los Angeles. Heather grew up with a love for the performing arts, and was always seeking ways to be creative. She enjoyed dancing, music, and is even a violinist. But when college came around, Heather decided, like many others, to take a more "practica"l path, and became a communications major. Still, she took every chance she could get to perform. After college, Heather’s new dream was to work in a corporate role, but still close to the TV & film industry. It was a long road, but eventually she did secure a corporate gig. But after some time, Heather had a strange realization: She still wasn’t happy. Now, Heather knows the one thing that will make her happy, and she won’t let anything stop her from getting there. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Vida Ghaffari is an actress originally from the Washington, D.C. area. Her father was a scientist and her mother, an artist and art teacher. Vida is of Iranian descent and grew up during a time where anti-Iranian sentiment was prevalent in the United States. She was bullied in school, and therefore felt most comfortable on the stage exploring different characters. As an adult, Vida would land in the journalism field, and that would ultimately take her from D.C. to Los Angeles working in Persian TV. Those opportunities led to some voice over work, but Vida was still drawn to performing. As she sought more acting opportunities, she began to notice the types of roles she was booking: Hijab Woman #1...Muslim Lady #3. Those roles were often diminutive, silent, and racist. Vida would be challenged, not as an artist, but as an Iranian-American wishing to explore characters with more depth in an industry notorious for perpetuating stereotypes. Fortunately, Vida would eventually find what she’s been looking for in a way that has brought everything full-circle. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Greg Maness is an actor and aspiring writer. His father was in the military, so while he was born in the Netherlands, his family moved around every couple of years. Because of this, Greg found it difficult to put down roots and make friends. His family finally settled in South Carolina, where Greg would attend college and first discover acting. Initially seeing it as a way to avoid academics, he slowly began to take it more seriously. Immediately after graduating, Greg let out for Los Angeles to pursue a career as an actor. With no real experience prior to arriving in L.A., Greg started from scratch. Eventually, his journey would send him on the move again, taking him to Atlanta, New Orleans, and New York City. Now, Greg is back in Los Angeles with more insight and a clear purpose, and he’s ready to use his art to make a difference. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

AyseDeniz Gokcin is a concert pianist and composer. She is originally from the city of Ankara, Turkey. AyseDeniz was almost quite literally born into music. Much of her childhood was spent seated at a piano, and by 5-years-old she was already taking formal lessons. By age 6, she was considered a child prodigy in Turkey, and was accepted to Julliard by age 11. Instead of heading to New York City for her studies, she went to Spain to study under the tutelage of iconic pianist Rosalyn Tureck. However AyseDeniz found she didn’t quite fit in with the other students there, and the mounting stress and homesickness lead her to move back to Turkey. Without an instructor during a critical point in her development as a musician, AyseDeniz made the choice to attend a University in the United States. It was there where AyseDeniz finally met "her people." Later, while working on her Masters at the Royal Academy of Music in London, AyseDeniz began working on a project that would ultimately catapult her to worldwide recognition, and help continue her mission to unite audiences across the globe. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nick Dardes is originally from the small town of Beaufort, South Carolina. He describes himself as an aspiring writer, but also says he’s the guy who is willing to do just about anything in the entertainment industry. His love for film began after watching the first Spider-Man movie in 2002. By middle school, he was making short films and by high school, even though he was shy and introverted, Nick started coming out of his shell in front of the camera. He started thinking he wanted to be an actor, but when that didn’t work out, he figured out that he really just wanted to do anything in regards to filmmaking. But as high school was ending, Nick realized he didn’t really have a plan for his future. He started to feel stuck, but would eventually find his way into a college, and began to learn more about himself than he ever had before. Nick would later do one of the hardest things of his life: move from his small town to the big bustling city of Los Angeles. Knowing that opportunity can lie just around every corner, Nick started working towards his future in any way he could think of. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Goldie Chan is a storyteller, strategist, and writer. She grew up in Oakland among several diverse communities, which informs the types of stories she aims to share now. Having always been a creative, Goldie marches to the beat of her own drum—and much the success she has now comes from the fact that she makes her own rules. For instance, her life was forever changed when she started publishing videos online; not on YouTube, like you would think, but on LinkedIn. Now, Goldie is known as “the Oprah of LinkedIn," she writes a column on storytelling and personal branding for Forbes, and she’s founded Warm Robots, a social media strategy agency. However, it hasn’t always been an easy road for Goldie, nor has it been clear road. In fact, she first came to Los Angeles to be an actress. Now, with eyes of the digital world on her, Goldie is using her platform to not just tell her story, but to build and strengthen communities, and help share the stories of others. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lexx Fusco is a writer originally from a small suburb outside Philideplphia, Pennsylvania. She grew up an outsider. Not having many friends in her town, Lexx made friends with the characters she watched on TV. The television shows she fell in love with influenced her growth as a writer, and she eventually went to college to study screenwriting so she could pursue a career as a storyteller. Her path would eventually lead her to Los Angeles where Lexx found success working in development. While she had many wonderful experiences, she found herself reading more scripts than she was writing. But reading those scripts helped Lexx learn and develop more confidence in her own abilities, and now she's pivoted her career to focus 100% on the things she wants most. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Melissa Gottlieb is a singer-songwriter born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. Melissa comes from a musical family, so naturally she took to music herself. She loved singing and spent most of her time in her bedroom belting out tunes or reading about the musicians she idolized. Melissa describes singing as a way to release whatever it is she may be feeling inside, and through her voice, she can connect with others who may be feeling those same things. After high school, Melissa decided she would pursue a career in music, but it hasn’t been an easy path. In fact, she lost her passion for singing for some time after negative experiences when it came to the business side of her creativity. With some help, Melissa would rediscover her love for singing. Now, she truly feels she’s found her voice as an artist. She’s on the verge of releasing her first full album, and with it, she not only hopes to take her career to the next level, but more importantly, hopes to connect with others through her musical storytelling. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sarah Lightman is a singer-songwriter and recording artist from the small town of Hightstown, New Jersey. She grew up in a family of artists and musicians. Naturally Sarah wanted to follow a similar path, but didn’t quite know exactly where she fit in. She started with music, but then would later abandon the craft to pursue a career in acting. Eventually, Sarah moved to Los Angeles, where she struggled to make friends and find her place in the city.Over time, however, Sarah slowly began to find “her people”—it started with co-workers and then evolved to include like-minded creatives. Sarah’s friends all kept telling her the same thing, “Why are you in L.A. trying to become an actor? You should be doing music!” With some tentativeness, Sarah started doing more with her music, and she fell in love it again. Now Sarah is thriving as a singer-songwriter and recording artist not just making music, but making music with a purpose. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Heidi Luerra is the founder and CEO of RAW Natural Born artists, an organization that spotlights independent artists and creatives and provides them with tools, resources, and exposure to help them thrive in their creative careers. Originally from Redding, California, Heidi grew up set on having a future as a fashion designer. She chased that dream all the way through high school, and when she finally graduated, she made the move down to Los Angeles to attend fashion school and pursue her life-long dream. Heidi eventually started her own clothing line and began showcasing anywhere and everywhere. But after she and her fellow creatives began to realize there wasn’t really an accessible platform to showcase their art, Heidi stepped up and began planning her own event. The seed was planted for what would eventually lead her to starting RAW, and with years of dedication and hard work, Heidi’s organization now holds showcases all over the world. Now, Heidi is taking what she’s learned and wrote a book to help other creatives achieve their own success. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cristina Vargas is an actress and aspiring model & voice actor. She grew up in Hollywood surrounded by the entertainment industry, but didn’t know until later that she would be pursuing a career as a performer. Cristina was shy growing up, and experienced some bullying in school. She never felt like she fit in. After joining an after school program, Cristina became involved in the arts. It was there that she began to discover what she really wanted out of life, and after attending college in Santa Cruz, she returned to Hollywood to begin her path towards becoming a professional actor. While insecurities and fears were often present, with courage and determination, Cristina began conquering those hinderances one by one. She continues to challenge herself, and leap out of her comfort zone, knowing every experience is helping her become a better performer. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Peter Moffatt is a Hollywood hopeful by way of Missouri. Peter describes growing up as an inside kid—mostly staying indoors and becoming enthralled with television. Sadly, when he was still just a kid, Peter’s father passed away, and Peter was left searching meaning and for a role model. He finally began to break out of his shell after joining theater to impress a school crush, and found found he really loved performing. He even went to college for theater. Then, Peter met a talent scout who would eventually convince Peter to move to Hollywood. But instead of red carpets and flashing lights, Peter found himself facing the darker, seedier side of the industry—The one filled with vultures looking to take advantage of young dreamers. But Peter could not be chased away, and would later discover that everything that has happened to him throughout his life is part of a story that only he can tell. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jonathan Chance is a writer, director, comic book writer, and voice over artist from Essex, England. Jonathan’s passion for storytelling began at an early age. He and his brother developed a love for movies, and it wasn’t long before they began making their own low-budget independent films. They entered their movies in film festivals and won several awards. One of those films would lead Jonathan to California to pursue his dreams of making films, and he even found joy exploring new storytelling mediums like his voice over work and as a background actor. He got married here, and set his sights on finally making his passion project: A feature length horror film called the Rectory about the long history of England’s most haunted house. But in the midst of experiencing some setbacks in the process of getting his movie made, Jonathan would have to face an unthinkable tragedy. His life was suddenly turned upside down and, for a time, his dream of turning his Rectory film into a reality seemed hopeless. However, rather than allow his life to turn into a real-life horror story, Jonathan chose to focus on the things that bring him joy. Now, he’s more determined than ever to share the stories he loves. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Alicia Rosalie is an entrepreneur and the co-founder of the Self-Love Club clothing label. She is also the founder of The Love Club Foundation non-profit organization. Alicia grew up in the North Hollywood area of Los Angeles surrounded by art and creativity, and for a time she was heavily involved in a hip-hop dance team. As she got older, her mother pushed her towards a more academic future, and Alicia’s main focus in high school was trying to figure out who she was as a person. Her childhood and teen years were filled with trauma, and Alicia had a hard time figuring out what she wanted to do with her life. At her lowest, she was working jobs she hated and was in an abusive relationship. Things finally changed when Alicia landed a job that would change the course of her life, and met a person who would help reshape her future. Since then, she has found her calling in the form of a fashion brand that promotes self-love—the same kind of self-love that helped Alicia pull herself out of her darkest times. She has also found a way to give back to her community to show that, just as she had discovered, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.