Revisiting Derek Hough’s rise to fame, Vegas residency
LA Stories Unfiltered with Giselle Fernandez
Release Date: 12/18/2022
Oscar winner Alejandro González Iñárritu on his most personal film yet
LA Stories Unfiltered with Giselle Fernandez
Known for award-winning movies such "Amores Perros,” "Babel,” "Birdman” and "The Revenant," five-time Oscar-winning director Alejandro González Iñárritu opens up to host Giselle Fernandez about his latest film, "Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths.” Iñárritu says he identifies closely with the story, which uses surrealism and humor to explore stories of his own life. Just as the main character grapples with his insecurities and identity, so too has Iñárritu, who once used his Oscar acceptance speech to shine a light on Mexican immigrants living in the U.S. Iñárritu...
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Revisiting the untold story of Death Row Records
LA Stories Unfiltered with Giselle Fernandez
Michael Harris was once known as “the Godfather” in South Central Los Angeles. In the 1980s, he was arrested on attempted murder and drug trafficking charges, spending 33 years in prison. From behind bars, however, he helped build one of the most prolific music labels in the world. In 2021, then-President Donald Trump pardoned Harris in the last hours of his presidency, and once freed, “Harry-O” went right back to work. Host Giselle Fernandez revisits her conversation with Harris, who ultimately partnered with Snoop Dogg as COO of the all-new Death Row Records.
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Revisiting millennial mastermind April McDaniel
LA Stories Unfiltered with Giselle Fernandez
As the founder of creative agency Crown + Conquer, April McDaniel works with brands, including Adidas and Spotify, to create experiences and events to promote their products and share their stories. Host Giselle Fernandez revisits her conversation with McDaniel, whose success did not come easily, but after being left a widow at just 33 years old, she was forced to raise her two young sons on her own. According to McDaniel, the experience inspired her to create her agency. Her perseverance has inspired her many A-lister friends, including Adele, who dedicated her album "30" to McDaniel.
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Revisiting Derek Hough’s rise to fame, Vegas residency
LA Stories Unfiltered with Giselle Fernandez
Derek Hough has won the coveted mirror ball trophy on “Dancing with the Stars” more times than any other professional dancer on the show. Host Giselle Fernandez revisits her conversation with Hough, who opens up about the lessons he learned from the experiences — both on and off the dance floor. Recalling his childhood, Hough shares horrific stories of being bullied as a young boy, which he details in his book, "Taking the Lead: Lessons from a Life in Motion.” Hough has expanded his career with his "No Limits" Las Vegas residency show in addition to returning for the latest season of...
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From homeless to Amazon executive: David Ambroz shares his story
LA Stories Unfiltered with Giselle Fernandez
David Ambroz says he spent most of his time starving and freezing while growing up on the streets of Manhattan, surviving on old pizza crusts and sugar packets with few people offering him help or support. At 12 years old, after a moment where he says his mother almost beat him to death, Ambroz entered the foster care system. He finally found foster parents to give him the love and support he needed, and was able to break free from the struggles he faced. Today, Ambroz is considered a national poverty and child welfare expert, advocating on behalf of children in the foster care system and...
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Garcetti’s goodbye to Los Angeles
LA Stories Unfiltered with Giselle Fernandez
In one of his final interviews before stepping down as mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti opens up to host Giselle Fernandez and reflects on his time serving the city. During his tenure as mayor, Garcetti says he’s happy to know his administration is responsible for projects such as investing in infrastructure, bringing the Olympics to LA, cutting poverty and increasing the rate of job growth. Despite headlines reporting on all the work that is yet to be done in the city, Garcetti believes the good he brought the city is significant. He considers Mayor-elect Karen Bass a dear friend and is...
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How a kidnapping, trafficking survivor overcame the unthinkable
LA Stories Unfiltered with Giselle Fernandez
Antonio Salazar-Hobson was born into a farm-working migrant family in Arizona, the 11th of 14 children. At just 4 years old, he was kidnapped by the next-door neighbors his family had grown to trust, and for years, he was sexually abused and trafficked at a guest ranch in central California. Salazar-Hobson shares with host Giselle Fernandez his powerful story of survival and chance meeting with workers’ rights activist Cesar Chavez in high school. Despite hardship that continued into his college years, Salazar-Hobson became one of the most successful labor lawyers in the country, just as...
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Revisiting Miry's List founder's mission to help refugees feel safe in LA
LA Stories Unfiltered with Giselle Fernandez
In 2016, Miry Whitehill answered a call from a friend who asked if Whitehill had a baby chair she could donate to a Syrian family who had just moved to California. Thinking on her feet, Whitehill made a list of items this family needed in order to get settled in their new home, posted the list to social media and, soon after, the Miry’s List nonprofit was born. Host Giselle Fernandez revisits her conversation with Whitehill, who has been able to help more than 600 families get settled in the U.S. through crowdsourcing and social media. Miry’s List is now serving refugee families in as many...
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Billionaire activist uses her wealth to be an agent of change
LA Stories Unfiltered with Giselle Fernandez
Kat Taylor has made it her life mission to bring equity to underserved and underrepresented communities across the country. As the co-founder and board chair of Beneficial State Bank, she aims to make banking more accessible to under-resourced communities in an economically and environmentally sustainable manner. Through her TomKat Ranch, in coalition with other farms and ranches, Taylor helps bring local, healthy, organic food to millions of school children in California. As she opens up to host Giselle Fernandez, one thing is clear with all her various endeavors: Kat Taylor has an optimistic...
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Millennial mortician answers your questions about death
LA Stories Unfiltered with Giselle Fernandez
With nearly 250 million views on YouTube and three successful books, millennial mortician Caitlin Doughty has launched what she calls a “death positive” movement through her series, “Ask a Mortician.” With videos such as “Can I Keep My Parents’ Skulls and Tattoos” and “Morbid Minute: Coffins vs. Caskets,” Doughty hopes to help people understand that death is a part of life and we should be comfortable talking about it. She tells host Giselle Fernandez that embalming or cremating a body is bad for the environment, and she encourages people to consider more environmentally...
info_outlineDerek Hough has won the coveted mirror ball trophy on “Dancing with the Stars” more times than any other professional dancer on the show. Host Giselle Fernandez revisits her conversation with Hough, who opens up about the lessons he learned from the experiences — both on and off the dance floor. Recalling his childhood, Hough shares horrific stories of being bullied as a young boy, which he details in his book, "Taking the Lead: Lessons from a Life in Motion.” Hough has expanded his career with his "No Limits" Las Vegas residency show in addition to returning for the latest season of “DWTS.”