Every day we have a choice. We can support an up and coming podcaster, try a new family-run restaurant, join a boutique gym started by a local fitness champ or we could keep giving away our money to the handful of giants who already control so much of our commerce. Our daily decisions impact the kind world we live in; if we want a world where small businesses are growing and artists and creatives are thriving then we should support them with our time, money and attention. We’re proud to highlight inspiring creatives and entrepreneurs each week in Hidden Gems series. Check out some of our latest local gem features below.
WILLIAM GINGERICH MARCUS MUNROE
Hi, our names are Will and Marcus. Over 8 years ago, we found each other through the local music scene in the DMV area and became friends over the internet. Both of us thought the other was super talented and inspiring. Read more>>
Amanueal Daba
Hello, my name is Amanueal Daba, but you can call me Aman or Amansavestheworld My journey with a camera actually started when I was five years old. My mom bought me my first camera, and I never really looked back. Even at that age, there was something about capturing a moment and being able to hold onto it that fascinated me. Read more>>
Huong Mai Newman
Like many other immigrant chefs, working in a kitchen was not my first choice for a career path. I was an English teacher for ten years in Vietnam. The corridor from classroom to kitchen was unfamiliar and sometimes lonely, but immigrating to America meant putting down my felt-tip marker and picking up a deba knife. Read more>>
Danielle Woo Woo Wooten
Born and raised in Baltimore, Danielle Woo Woo Wooten made a spontaneous decision to start comedy right before her 36th birthday May 07, 2017. This same year she left a job after 15 years and a relationship after 10 years. Yayyy! That day she hit the stage as Woo Woo the Comedian a nickname giving to her by her niece. Read more>>
Dr. Hector Olivencia Huertas
I started in college with a mindset that I was going to be a doctor in medicine. But life took its turns and started shaping me and I then finished a Master’s in Education. That wasn’t enough and I started wondering about my life and purpose. Without telling anyone I started a Doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology. Read more>>
Momodu Gondo
Four years ago, I was sitting in a prison cell. Today, I run a company built on what I learned in there. In 2017, I was a Baltimore City detective. I was arrested as part of the Gun Trace Task Force case, one of the biggest police corruption scandals in the country. I pled guilty and was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison. Read more>>
Candelaria Pérez García
Nature Wall began many years ago, after I spent several years studying design before eventually pursuing photography. During that journey, I realized that photography could do much more than capture beautiful places. It could transform a space and change the way people feel inside it. Read more>>
Jeremy Diamond
I grew up in a family with strong ties to the grocery industry. My grandparents arrived to the shores of America in 1947 with $10 in their pocket, no grasp of the English language, and the shirts on their back. Most of their family had been murdered during the Holocaust in World War II back in Europe. Read more>>
Jason Jones
My name is Jason Jones, I play guitar, sing vocals, and write music for an alternative punk rock band called Fetcher based out of Baltimore, MD. We formed in late 2017 with myself and my best friend Louey Peraza. We’ve known each other since kindergarten. Read more>>
Sheree Brand
I’ve been drawing people for as long as I can remember. I was never particularly interested in drawing anything else, and for most of my life, art was simply a hobby. It was something I did to make gifts, unwind after a long day, or pass the time. Read more>>
shane mcneil
my cosplay journey started way before i even knew what cosplay was. growing up, i watched anime on toonami, but i had no idea it was anime. i honestly thought i was just watching another type of cartoon. as i got older, i continued watching it, trading pokémon cards, having yu-gi-oh battles, and doing other things like that with my friends. Read more>>
Jeff Leone
I created Grunging Pumpkins in October 2023 as a music discovery and music promotion platform for bands and artists. Today Grunging Pumpkins has become the place for music to be heard and sought after by bands and artists to have their music promoted. As mentioned above music discovery is a passion of mine finding bands and artists to promote. Read more>>
Double G
I grew up in Northeast Baltimore City, and music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My earliest memory is seeing Brooks & Dunn in concert when I was three years old. They even signed a photo for me that hung on my bedroom wall for years. Read more>>
Brian (Deacon) Gamble (Storm)
I grew up here in Baltimore in the Parkville area and in my 20s I joined the army. Read more>>
Blessing Platinum-Williams
I’ve always been fascinated by the way words shape people. As a child, I experienced both the positive and negative power of communication. At 13, I was groomed online by someone pretending to be my age, and growing up I also carried limiting words that affected how I saw myself for years. Read more>>
Bridget Parlato
On the eve of my 50th birthday, my dad died. One of my sisters asked if I wanted to help wash and care for his body. I did. So there we sat in the funeral home’s supply room (unembalmed bodies aren’t allowed in the viewing rooms), smoothing his skin with aromatic oils and lining his cremation casket with botanicals we’d gathered from our gardens. Read more>>
Jay Wil
Started with senior year high school portraits and now we’re here! Billboards/ commercials/TV series/movies it’s definitely been an amazing journey! Read more>>
Shanell Hunt
My story really starts with me just being a woman trying to build something of my own while raising my children. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial mindset, and at one point I started a small lingerie business. It was something that made me feel confident, creative, and in control of my own path. Read more>>
Sierra Bass
A lot of my recent adult business ventures came from battling postpartum depression, 1600 miles away from home as a military wife and stay at home mom. I gave birth to my youngest son in 2021, I was about 13 weeks postpartum when I decided to do an at home workout for postpartum moms on YouTube. Read more>>
Debbie Lucas
I came to photography through science. I studied biology, and a college professor first introduced me to photography. For many years, it was something I pursued alongside my career in clinical and healthcare services research, especially as I traveled and became increasingly drawn to nature, wildlife, water, and the small details we often overlook. A turning point came during a conference in Baltimore. Read more>>
Hannah Harlee
In 2022, my wife and I were living in San Francisco, where we met and got married, and where we’d been living for nearly a decade at that point. That September, we went to see Lady Gaga on her Chromatica Tour. Read more>>
Tiffany Anye’
My passion for photography began in high school, where I took my first photography classes. During my sophomore year, I enrolled in a beginner-friendly photography class and purchased my first camera. During my senior year, I enrolled in an Advanced Placement (AP) Photography class, and that experience solidified my decision to pursue photography professionally. Read more>>
Bry’an Azuekwu
When people ask how I got here, I always tell them that my journey did not begin with becoming President of the Pimlico Terrace Neighborhood Association. It began with a simple belief that if you are blessed to see a need, then you also have a responsibility to be part of the solution. Read more>>
Jillian Mills
I started Heartlove Photography in 2008 while I was a college student and newlywed. After marrying a Marine and moving to a new city, I began volunteering to photograph military homecomings. I met families in parking lots and pavilions around base at all hours of the day and night, waiting for buses carrying hundreds of Marines home from combat deployments. Read more>>
Alexandra Pallas
I host monthly women’s circles because throughout history, women have always needed sacred spaces to come together, and now is no different. We need a space of our own to sit by the fire. To sing in circle and to weave. To share wisdom. To grieve. To dance. And to celebrate rites of passage. Read More>>
Sarosh Mir
Sarosh’s story begins where few dare to tread — amid the towering peaks of the Himalayas, leading trekking and tour expeditions. He is passionate about saving wildlife and environment and worked on many conservation projects. Sarosh lead global expeditions in some of the most beautiful regions. Sarosh loves photography and enjoys shooting fashion and weddings as they are full of love, emotions and challenges. Read More>>
