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.
Will Rosen
I took one tour down here and knew it was the town for me. I haven’t regretted that decision once because since moving down here I’ve worked on sixty plus film sets, predominantly as a Director of Photography or Chief Lighting Technician and have gotten to do some insane things. For example, I’ve worked on a film that took entirely place on a boat, I’ve worked on a set that took place on a farm in the middle of nowhere and I’ve hung a fake pig in a ceiling. My life has been riddled with ups and downs, triumphs and failures but since coming here to Savannah not once have the failures stopped me, cause there is always another success around the corner. Read more>>
Tara Kirkland
We have grown since then, expanded to a larger location, and opened a second location in Greenville, SC in 2012. It was important to me for the items we sold to have certain values attached to them- something as simple as eco friendly, or fair trade, or woman owned, or made in the USA. We have faced many challenges along the way, the economy taking. dive, covid, and now tariffs, but because I love what I do so much, and put so much of my heart and soul into the business, I believe we can ride any wave. Read more>>
John Evans
I specifically find myself feeling high amounts of positive energy in a fashion and/or performance setting. That feeling has been hard to find for so many years. I love creating artistic direction for brands that would surprise the target audience. That is all what my own personal brand is about as well. I find the “dark” to be safe while the “light” to be uncomfortable, so I love to chase the light. Fashion is something to feel confident in, and tying into my purpose of performing, confidence is a staple emotion every human should feel. With campaigns, you only add onto that feeling… you let people know that you see them. Read more>>
Dr. Erika Morrow, OD, MS
In 2012, I got into optometry school (and a Master’s program, because apparently I like a challenge). I graduated with high honors in 2016. We moved back to Colorado and after a short detour we ended up relocating to Savannah for Brian’s job. I was practicing in Statesboro but after a short voyage through small-town life in Statesboro, we landed in Savannah. I saw a gap in the market and in career opportunities with all of the corporate optometry office. I realized Savannah needed a boutique private practice with high-quality care and eyewear that wasn’t cookie-cutter. With my husband Brian’s encouragement & support, I opened ForSight in 2019 on MLK Blvd, back when people still raised an eyebrow at the location. Now? It’s buzzing. Read more>>
JBL D3AZY
.I eventually Found a company willing to work with me and help build me, and set me up with life on the road. SmarterSolutions. This opportunity helped put me in a position to grow not only my perspective on different living but also help expand my creativity seeing the different ways of art. Anytime I go anywhere in the country , I enjoy talking to the locals. Makes me feel like I’m continuously gaining a friend Weather it’s small talk or deep conversation, it allows me to understand what it is like to be from there. Learn their knowledge, what they know, share their love of theirs City. And as life goes on and I continue my career, Read more>>
Bonnie Van Cedarfield
Pre cellphone camera days I was the person who had carried a camera everywhere I went. It’s a lifelong love that I can’t believe turned into my own business! I was working for a photography company when the world shut down in March 2020. Which is what gave me a very forceful and scary push into starting my own business, Here I am over 5 years later capturing love stories around Savannah GA! Read more>>
Jamir Harris
For years, people kept telling me, ‘You should pick up a camera!’ and eventually I did—mostly so they’d stop saying it. But the moment I hit record? BOOM. Every problem, every demon, everything just evaporates like my GPA in college. It’s like therapy, but with more screaming and sound effects. I got ADHD, which means I’m either jumping, yelling, dancing, or having an existential crisis mid-stream. But that camera? That’s my playground. No rules, no filter, no judgment—just pure chaos and good vibes. Streaming isn’t just a hobby… it’s not even just a passion. It’s my purpose. Like God looked down and said, ‘Yep, he gone be loud for a living.’ And I’m thankful every day for it. GOD DID! Read more>>
Anna McCraney
With my winnings I opened my first boutique in New York City, which I had until 2013. Unfortunately, we closed in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, and I pivoted to offering pattern making and production management services for other young and emerging designers, taught fashion design and merchandising, and slowly built Blank Canvas Development into a thriving business. In 2018, after 18 years of living in New York, and on the verge of turning 40 years old, I realized I had mobility and could live where I chose to. I chose Savannah. I moved here and in 2021 I was able to open Blank Canvas Showroom, our retail space / studio in the Startland district. Read more>>
Yves-Jessy Pauyo
I’ve been sewing since I was very young, I learn from my mom, and as I grew, I continued to educate myself. I’m very proud when people compliment me about my outfit and I tell them that I make it. I used to sew for families and friends they always encourage me to sew for others and get paid, that how I Started. It’s one-of-a-kind style, I’m bringing to the community a mixt of colors to enhance their elegance. Read more>>
Ananet & Kriston Mendoza & Watkins
After years of lesson plans, parent meetings and playground duty, we dreamed of something a little different. Something creative, people-focused and fun. Over countless catch-ups and afterwork drinks, the idea started to bubble up. And just like that Spicy Ginger Mobile Bar was born. Read more>>
Jack Muzzo
I was really excited to get it and began taking photos of everything. I didn’t know how my camera worked, but I felt that it was supposed to take better photos than a phone camera. After using it consistently for about 6 months, I lost interest because it just wasn’t giving the results that I wanted. Of course, I didn’t actually bother learning how a camera worked and just stuck it in auto mode, but I was discouraged because it wasn’t easy or fun to use, on top of me taking mediocre photos. Read more>>
Kelsey Smith
Sites like Instagram were fairly new when I first started getting into art and working up the courage to share it. Thanks to a few factors but mostly luck, I actually gained a decent following in high school and that defined a large part of my early art. However, the consequence from that was making art not for myself, but for my followers and receiving likes. Even now, I struggle with that and creating work I feel passionate about and not trying to get swept into the shifting algorithms. Read more>>
Michael Skaff
As luck would have it many of our former Savannah clients wanted us to come out of retirement to service their accounts. We opened our new company March 2, 2025 as Savannah Design & Decor, LLC . Our tag line “Where Beauty Come to Life” reflects everything about the company. We focus on interior/exterior plant design, installation and weekly maintenance. are My degree and background is in Horticulture and Floral design. As an AIFD floral designer we also provide holiday decor, silk and permanent botanicals as well as weekly fresh flowers. Read more>>
Behnaz Ghasempour
Thanks to the encouragement of my family, who supported my passion despite cultural expectations that often favored more conventional careers, I pursued art seriously. I went on to study it at university. Over time, my practice evolved from purely representational drawing and painting into an interdisciplinary approach that combines drawing with materials deeply tied to my personal and cultural history, such as copper and thread. Read more>>
Ashley Velez
With the album itself it does briefly discuss who I am as person but the difficult choices I have had to overcome. I am also a model and have walked runways, been in catalogs, and have been in fashion shows. I’ve modeled for many designers and their brands. When I’m not working on my next album I am modeling for a new designer for an upcoming fashion show. I was also featured in a movies called beast of burden and in another film called bad moms 2. I got to appear in Slender man as a school teacher. I was even featured in a TV series called black lightning as a supervillain. I never expected to get as far as I have gotten but sometimes life surprises you. Read more>>
Renée Adams
Something didn’t feel right about it all. I shifted food around to make sure I could have that nightly Pinot Noir. Serendipitously, one of my dear friends of 10+ years started her own coaching business around Sober-Curiosity and was looking for beta clients. I semi-reluctantly became one of her first clients, I say reluctantly because I JUST hired a nutrition coach, I could barely go 3 days without a glass of wine, and did I really need to add 1 more thing to my plate? I was so afraid of failing, but she reminded me, how can you fail when you haven’t even tried yet? Read more>>
Destiny Elliott
I have remained steadfast in building a career in the arts by participating in my community’s theatre and choir programs. I have learned many lessons over the years from performing; one being that consistency and discipline is key. There have been times in my musical pursuits where I have felt discouraged and defeated. For example, auditioning for parts and not getting them can be frustrating. However, those strenuous times left me determined to work harder and reinforced my commitment to building my skill. Reminiscing on my experiences, I can’t imagine if I would have ever given up. Read more>>
Jenny
Growing up, I requested to repaint and rearrange my bedroom every few months or so. Changing my surroundings was fun and creative! Who knew I would make a career out of it. Even before graduating from University of Georgia with a degree in Furnishings and Interiors, I started designing kitchen and baths for an Athens supplier. From there I went to Atlanta to work for a high-end English cabinetry company. I placed roots in Savannah (My husband’s hometown). I’ve been in the Low Country doing interior design for 20 years. After the birth of my 2nd daughter, I realized I needed a better way to balance work and motherhood, so I opened my own firm 8 years ago. Read more>>
Brooke Coleman
Hi, I’m Brooke, the founder of The Marketing Company. Funny enough, I never set out to build a marketing agency, especially not one that now serves clients across multiple industries with a team of specialists behind the scenes. My background is in business consulting. For over a decade, I worked side by side with business owners, analyzing operations, fixing inefficiencies, and scaling growth. Time and time again, I watched elite marketing firms charge a premium while delivering shallow strategies, inflated reports, and little real movement for my clients. I got tired of watching good businesses get burned by empty promises. Read more>>
