In The Mood For California

Atwater Village: An Old Soul in a Modern City

"A listener that plays", Daniel Rotem is a saxophonist, composer, artistic director, and educator. Growing up by the Mediterranean Sea, Daniel fell in love with music and started to play saxophone as a teenager. He is a graduate of Berklee College of Music and the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz (now the Herbie Hancock Institute) and had the privilege to perform and record with artists such as Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Dianne Reeves, Stevie Wonder, and many others. He is a commissioned and award-winning composer, and has released 7 albums and composed the original score for the film 'Mentally Al’. His career has taken him to renowned festivals and iconic venues such as the Hollywood Bowl, Lincoln Center, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Daniel is also a dedicated educator, having taught at California Institute of the Arts, University of Southern California, Stanford Jazz Workshop, and other leading institutions. He is a Yamaha Artist, and is also endorsed by Gottsu and D'Addario Woodwinds. https://www.danielrotem.com/ Today, Daniel will share his connection to Atwater Village and explore how place shapes creativity—how a neighborhood known for its independent spirit, walkable streets, and vibrant artistic community can become both a home and a source of inspiration. ----- www.inthemoodforcalifornia.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maria.korpacheva.3 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inthemoodforcalifornia/ Twitter: @InTheMoodForCA

Finding Your Voice In Hollywood

Michael-Leon Wooley - Actor/Writer/Producer. He Costars opposite RuPaul in the Netflix series AJ & The Queen, as Louis, a blind diabetic Drag Queen and is also the voice of Louis, the high-strung jazz singing, trumpet playing alligator in Disney's Oscar nominated animated feature film, The Princess and the Frog. Other films are Dreamgirl’s, Premium Rush, Hotel Transylvania 1,2,3&4, Ghost Town, My Fathers’s Will. His Voice can be heard on Numerous cartoons TrollsTopia, Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, Madagascar: A Little Wild , OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, Bravest Warriors, The Adventures of Puss in Boots, Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero, Harvey Beaks, Breadwinners, Ugly Americans, all of the Hotel Transylavinia movies and more, and on Broadway as the voice of the man-eating plant Audrey 2 in Little Shop of Horror’s, also on Broadway in The Music Man, 5 Guy’s Named Moe, American Buffalo, Abby’s Song & House of Flowers. He has sung in venues around the world and made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2005 with the New York Pops. Today, Michael will share with us his connection to Los Angeles and what it means to build a creative life in a city shaped by dreams, artistry, and reinvention—from Broadway to Hollywood, from voice acting to screenwriting, and the journey of finding your own voice in an ever-evolving industry.

Los Angeles as an Inherited Dream

Jordan Ladd is an American actress born in Los Angeles, into a family woven into Hollywood history. The daughter of Cheryl Ladd and granddaughter of classic film star Alan Ladd, she grew up surrounded by storytelling, yet chose to shape her own artistic path. She began acting at a young age and gained recognition in films such as Never Been Kissed, Cabin Fever, and Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof. Her collaboration with director Eli Roth on Cabin Fever became a defining moment, establishing her as a memorable presence in modern horror. She has also worked with visionary filmmakers like David Lynch (Inland Empire), moving fluidly between independent, genre, and experimental cinema. Known for her emotional authenticity and understated presence, Ladd has built a career guided by curiosity, creative risk, and a lasting connection to the spirit of Los Angeles. Today, Jordan will share with us what it’s like to find your own voice in acting, even when the story you were born into is already so powerful. www.inthemoodforcalifornia.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maria.korpacheva.3 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inthemoodforcalifornia/ Twitter: @InTheMoodForCA

Inside California: The Art of Immersion

Jeff Hull is an Oakland-based American artist and producer known for creating large-scale participatory experiences that blend storytelling, performance, and real-world environments. He is the founder and director of Nonchalance, a studio focused on immersive experiences and “pervasive play,” developing projects such as The Jejune Institute (2008–2011) and Latitude Society. The Jejune Institute was later documented in the film The Institute (2013). Hull is also the creator of Oaklandish, a cultural street art and apparel project through which he produced over 100 public events, led community initiatives, and founded the Oakland Innovators Awards. In film and television, he has worked as a writer and producer, including serving as a consultant and executive producer on AMC’s Dispatches from Elsewhere, while also creating immersive podcasts and directing branding and entertainment projects. More recently, he created The Cortège (2025), an immersive theatrical experience in Los Angeles exploring transformation, loss, and collective experience. Today, Jeff will share with us what it truly means to create not just art, but experiences — how imagination becomes something we can step into, feel, and remember. He will take us into his journey, his process, and the deeper intention behind his work. www.inthemoodforcalifornia.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maria.korpacheva.3 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inthemoodforcalifornia/ Twitter: @InTheMoodForCA

From the Fall of the Tsar to the Rise of Hollywood: The White Russian Émigrés in Los Angeles

Andrew Miliukoff was born and raised in Los Angeles in a musical household, studying classical piano with his mother and rock guitar with his older brother. His parents were part of the White Russian community — émigrés who fled post-revolutionary Russia, loyal to the Tsar and devoted to preserving their traditions in exile. After graduating from Cal State LA, Andrew toured with Ray Charles before becoming a studio musician and later a film editor, working on projects for Budweiser, Mattel, and Ford. He founded Fireball Films, specializing in commercial editing and music scoring for clients such as McDonald’s, In-N-Out, Gwen Stefani, and the Pussycat Dolls, and has since directed and edited campaigns for Toyota, Zynga with Snoop Dogg, and various PSA projects. Based in Los Feliz, Andrew continues freelancing while running his own post-production suite. Passionate about creativity and exploration, he spends his free time traveling to far-flung places—Colombia, Mongolia, Bhutan, even North Korea—while continuing to compose and produce music. Today, Andrew will share what it felt like to grow up between two worlds — carrying the stories and values of his Russian heritage while finding his own path in Los Angeles. ----- www.inthemoodforcalifornia.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maria.korpacheva.3 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inthemoodforcalifornia/ Twitter: @InTheMoodForCA