There are as many visions of Los Angeles as there are of Angelinos... And since I began the adventure of interviewing them, believe me when I tell you: their journeys are worth sharing.
When I first started to work on this project, I wanted to find a way to understand Los Angeles. As a newcomer, I myself was struggling to do so. Moving from Paris to Los Angeles, I was trying to navigate here, to learn the ways and find the shortcuts. I wondered how to understand a city where borders are so hard to define, both geographically and metaphorically. And while you might think that this question applies to every major metropolis worldwide. Having lived in six, two of them capitals of their countries, I would argue that Los Angeles is different.
Why? Because the city of angels is the mecca of pop culture. Not only is it the biggest entertainment factory in the world, or at least the most successful, but it is also a major filming location. Which can lead many cinema fans worldwide to be tricked into thinking that they already know this city, from what they saw on screen...
The narrative surrounding L.A. perpetuated by the industry for decades made it the capital of the American dream, which is true for some people. But at the end of the day, many realities cohabit here, good or bad, that are known only to the people who actually experience this city on a daily basis.
It took me a long time to realize that turning to Angelinos was the only way I could even begin to draw the contours of Los Angeles. As a journalist for about ten years, and an aspiring one before that, I’ve been conducting interviews for two decades, from my middle school director to class B celebrities on the French Riviera, journalists in Turkey or political researchers in Brazil. And of course, all the impressive women, artists, senators, or scientists featured in Women on Edge, the radio show I created in Australia.
As years went by, the one thing that never changed for me is how fascinated I am by people’s stories. Everyone’s journey reveals so much more than we think about who we are, but also about the place where we stand. Meeting incredible people and listening to what they have to share about Los Angeles, makes me understand this city a little bit better every day.
This page exists for those among you who believe this podcast deserves to go on and reach its full potential. This is probably the most exciting project I have ever had, and I believe in it with all my heart. There is so much to be done to create more content and spread it further and wider. For now, one 30-minute episode is released every month. And of course, much of the content that didn’t make it into those episodes is worth listening to! So if you have a favorite guest and want to hear more about them, you can head to the ‘Extras’ page to find their bonus episode. If you are actually just on the lookout for some tips and tricks about one particular aspect of Los Angeles and life here, there will be bonuses gathering guests’ insights about that particular topic such as: dating in L.A, the hot spots to head to, the reality of the entertainment industry, etc. And if you want to access all of this content and more, you can also subscribe to the podcast by joining the L.A. Portraits club.
Either way, spread the word, leave comments, and share your thoughts.
Let’s do it!
Love,
Sophie