The heart of our mission is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our communities. In the recent weeks, we’ve had the privilege to connect with some incredible artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with the incredible group below.
Alexandra Backlund
Professionally, I’ve held leadership roles with brands such as Lancôme and Bobbi Brown, where I managed teams, elevated client experiences, and exceeded sales goals through tailored beauty services and visual merchandising. Now, as the Southeast Regional Makeup Artist for Estée Lauder Companies, I travel across locations to lead product education, in-store event execution, and team development blending technical expertise with artistry and human connection. Read more>>
Martina Kolovich
What began as a single room in my living room has now transformed into three offices with nearly 20 staff members. We are also excited to announce the opening of our first franchise location in Pooler this year. I attribute much of my drive and determination to the rigorous education I received at Georgia Tech, which instilled in me a “figure it out” attitude and pushed me to strive for excellence. This experience has not only shaped my career but has also empowered me to embrace challenges and pursue my passion. Read more>>
Felicity Bienemy
I started my business when i was an active duty soldier preparing to seperate. I have a strong love for wellness in my everyday life & my loved ones & i love organic everything.. especially skincare. Making others feel more confident in their natural God given skin is what the greatest gifts in this life to me. Self care is the center of my being… & i wish to spread the awareness to all to take care of themselves. Read more>>
Marie Bramlett
It started with Christmas Ornaments. Our dad is a bit Christmas crazy. He would put up the tree while handing out Halloween candy, because he was always competing with our florist neighbors to get our Christmas decorations up before they did. One year he was pulling out salt dough ornaments he made with my grandmother when he was a kid. He made some comments about me not having kids (I’m the oldest), and who knew when/if he would ever get to make ornaments with his grandkids. I told him he can make them with his own kids, and I went straight to the craft store and bought all the supplies. The first time making ornaments was with my dad and my two siblings. (Mom supervised). Read more>>
Hollie Gatewood
I began by researching the floral industry, learning about different types of flowers, and understanding what customers wanted. Me and my husband built our cart from scratch and painted it to match the vibe of our company. We filled it with an assortment of fresh blooms in different buckets to bring to events. We hope to set up shop at local events and markets, to create beautiful arrangements that would catch people’s eyes. For now, we’ve been selling countless bouquets for holidays and other events. Social media has become my best friend; I use platforms like Instagram and Facebook to showcase my work, sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses of my process and engaging with my growing community. Read more>>
James Ross Fraser
My name is James Ross Fraser, and I’m a filmmaker, photographer, and digital marketing strategist currently studying at SCAD. Originally from South Africa, my journey into visual storytelling began with a deep love for capturing the world around me. I started in the tourism and travel industry, where I honed my skills in photography and filmmaking, learning how to visually communicate the essence of places and cultures. This sparked my passion for creating narratives through images, and I quickly realized that storytelling through the lens was something I wanted to pursue further. Read more>>
Noah Bloese-Bueno
It all really started back in high school. The Underwrld brand was established during my senior year in 2022. It began in a group chat with my homies called “Fashion Gurus,” where we talked about fashion trends, designs, and everything in between. Eventually, we came up with a new name for the group—“Underwrld”—and decided to turn it into a clothing brand. Ever since, we’ve been putting in work and keeping a steady pace. As of now, we’re working on our second collection, titled Redemption, and we’re excited to see what the future holds. Read more>>
Kym Small
Fast forward to my second year of college when I found myself pregnant like most girls having their first child, my life spun a bit out of control. I shaved my head and occupied all my days binge-watching makeup and haircare videos on YouTube. I spent all my extra cash buying whatever makeup I could afford and dived through my uncle’s kitchen cabinet in his NY City apartment. I was making all the DIY hair cocktails you could imagine. From ayeurvedic henna, and oil blends to flax seed gels and my own deep conditioners and shampoo. This was my only means of therapy during one of the most tumultuous times of my life. Just like most psych patients spend lots of time coloring or painting, I spent most of my day doing my makeup and hair, just to take it down/remove it and do it all over again. Read more>>
Sai Shashank
My journey hasn’t followed an easy path. Growing up in a middle-class Indian household meant confronting a society where creative pursuits often take a backseat to practical careers. In a country where the visual effects field barely received recognition, pursuing my passion meant challenging deeply entrenched expectations. Read more>>
Miki Lansdowne
On the drive home, I started searching for a mentor and, by some twist of fate, found Robert Cooper—an incredible photographer and person, right in Savannah. I took a workshop with him and instantly felt like I’d found my place in photography again. That’s when the name came to me—Lightbox Alchemy. It felt right, like a reflection of everything I love about this medium: the science, the history, the process, and for me magic. Read more>>
Carole Mendoza
What really made it personal, though, is that my dear friend—who happens to be the U.S. CEO of Kapyderm— speaks mostly Spanish. I’m bilingual, and I saw an opportunity to help bridge the gap between this incredible company and the English-speaking market here in the U.S. I wanted to support her, but I also knew there were so many people—salon owners, dermatologists, spa professionals—who were looking for real answers to their clients’ hair and skin concerns, not just surface-level fixes. Read more>>
Quentin Johnson
During my time as a student-athlete, my brothers and I launched a lacrosse-based business, creating and selling lacrosse mesh—the netting component of the stick. While the venture began as a way to earn supplemental income during the summers, it evolved into a valuable learning experience. Vending at tournaments, engaging with other businesses, and communicating with customers helped us gain significant insight into entrepreneurship and the business world. Read more>>
Tim Fall
The idea for Molly’s Bridge was birthed in 2016 when I was introduced to Jennifer Graham. Jennifer is an incredible nonprofit leader here in our community working with single moms and their families. She started her organization, Shelter From The Rain out of her experience as a single mother and the challenges she faced. This caused me to think back on my life growing up as the only child of a single mom myself. While I did not have my mom’s experience, I did have the unique perspective as her son observing the struggles she faced throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s. Read more>>
Elliot James Cunningham
That sense of play and possibility extended into my home life, too. Around the same time, my dad – who’s always been a creative genius, started his production company, Shot by Picto. In 2012, he made his first short film that we both starred in and went on to earn an Official Selection at the 2012 American Independent Film Festival, where we had a Hollywood screening. This started the journey of an amazing father-son collaboration, and we got to work with some amazing people and brands such as AT&T, Manchester United, Amazon Studios, Lexus, etc. Our first feature film, Beyond The After (2020), in which I was the First Assistant Director on, won the Gold Award at the Hollywood Gold Awards for Best Feature Film. Read more>>
Addie Gilley
Ever since I was a child, I have always been content with a pencil and some copy paper. I would spend hours sketching and creating worlds for characters to exist in, then scrap it and move on to another idea. Throughout middle school and high school, my passions floated around between animation, graphic novels, and graphic design- being an artist was never something to be questioned! It wasn’t until my junior year of high school that my career interest in illustration really took off. Read more>>
Heather Gale
I found Kangen water to be very beneficial in my quest for wholistic healing so I introduce people to therapeutic grade molecular hydrogen rich water offering ultimate hydration with an electric charge because sometimes our batteries are running low and we need a charge and that is what my water does!! I’m focusing now on getting my llc and going around to music festivals to bring the hydration and electric vibe to people in my element!! I’ve always loved music festivals so for me all my passions are merging and I couldn’t be more excited!!! Read more>>
Max Eisenberg
He’d always bring a pen and pad to dinner and let me draw until the pages were full. When we got home, he’d show me cartoons that most parents wouldn’t even think to show their kids—stuff like Superjail!, The Simpsons, Metalocalypse, and more. That mix of artistic influence from my parents and my own need to express myself sparked a deep love for creatively weird animation. And ever since I found out that making cartoons could actually be a job, it’s been all I’ve ever wanted to do. Read more>>
Hazel Toledo
The struggles I have encountered have been mainly in places where I was not appreciated or taken seriously for being a Hispanic female. Many times my ideas or suggestions were laughed at or not taken seriously. Many times I had been broken down but thankfully managed to pull myself together with the help of my loved ones and doing my best to keep a positive mentality. Staying focus on my goal helped me to keep pushing forward. Read more>>
Kenneth Kelly
Business has always been pretty smooth, starting out on my own 4-5 years ago was slow, but over time after building contacts the work has picked up to a very steady pace. My hardest struggle was always getting good employees, I’m blessed with the helpers I have now. Read more>>
Abigail Wornock
I found out about the school’s fashion magazine SCAD Manor (or just The Manor) and began attending their weekly meetings. The collaborative atmosphere drew me in and I pitched my first editorial. Spots opened on the staff as the group of seniors graduated and I applied for the Photography Editor position. After a brief application process and an interview, the job was mine. Through Manor I have learned so much about the fashion photography and the ins and outs of pre-production. I graduate in a couple of months and I am so immensely thankful for everything I have learned, and I am so ready for the next chapter. Read more>>
Jasmine Griffin
I am a highly trained and licensed makeup artist and hairstylist. Specializing in natural makeup, and elegant hairstyles. By accentuating and tailoring to your natural features, I encapsulates the essence of you into your finished look. Trusted by brides across the nation to unveil their natural allure, I aim to make sure you look and feel like yourself on your wedding day — just a bit elevated. My client experience is designed to protect your energy and anticipate your needs so that you can be present and relaxed on the morning of your wedding. Read more>>
