Los Angeles City Letter

The February Issue

Los Angeles, California

“Love”

You can say a lot about the second-largest city in the United States — after New York; see impactmania’s January issue.

Los Angeles, California, is the city where every guy is an actor-in-waiting. Every girl has a screenplay in her tote.

Or is this the stereotypical view of Los Angelenos?

The 3.88 million people from 140 countries live in 272 different Los Angeles neighborhoods speaking 224 different languages.

This is a city with extremely underserved families in dangerous areas such as Chesterfield Square and Westmont as well as residents in wealthy neighborhoods such as Beverly Hills and Pacific Palisades — from families of four living in cars to families with 12 cars and private planes.

In this issue: impact makers in the business, entertainment, and financial fields. The featured Los Angelinos are educating L.A. youth; employing former gang members; impacting our cultural lens; and investing in businesses that drive purpose in addition to profit.

If you watched the recent Super Bowl, you saw the Los Angeles Philharmonic YOLA (Youth Orchestra L.A.) students perform at half time. The L.A. Phil has been offering more than music outreach. Impactmania spoke with the L.A. Phil’s Gretchen Nielsen, Director of Educational Initiatives.

Maja Matarić, United States Presidential Award Winner for her work in STEM, is building social-assistive robots at USC… In the meantime, Sean Young at UCLA is working on how social media can change and improve people’s behaviors.

Father Greg Boyle from Homeboy Industries started a social enterprise selling baked goods while offering hope, jobs, and futures.

Gloria Nelund, Chair and CEO of TriLinc Global Impact Investments, explains how she uses business for good. Her firm is set out to prove how impact companies offer market-rate returns. Paul Phillips shares why he cofounded a social enterprise, Ka-Viti Water, while Ted Atkatz, band leader of NYCO, shares why he founded TAPS.

Featured Artist Fred Toye, TV director of The Good Wife and Lost, offers a glimpse into L.A.’s media industry. Featured artist Bryan Lane speaks about his recent appointment as a singer with the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

Jon Lewis, principal trumpet for Star Wars, shares how maestro John Williams was his impact maker even before Lewis started working with Williams two decades ago.

Passion for living a fulfilled life and love for humanity is what connects them all. Los Angeles is a City of (the real kinds of) Angels. — impactmania

P.S. Share your favorite impact maker! Next month: San Francisco, California.

P.P.S. Check out this month’s fascinating student contribution: Recent UCLA graduate Ida Storm writes about what maps can do for cultural history.