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.
James H. Ruiz 
Like many other creatives, I took a very non-linear career path to professional photography. After graduating from UT Austin’s film school, I held several roles at various small businesses in town–including social media assistant, digital media manager, and editorial intern. In each of those roles, I was collaborating with small teams, crafting visual stories and producing content however possible. Read more>>
Imani Waterfield Payne
I grew up in a house that took portraits seriously. My parents taught me early that a family photo isn’t just a picture. It’s a record of who we were and who we loved at a moment we’ll never get back. That lesson stayed with me, and I’ve carried a camera for most of my life. Read more>>
Sharma Hill 
My story is one shaped by resilience, motherhood, and the belief that healing can become something beautiful. Aroma Journey was inspired by my daughter, her strength, creativity, and the way she sees the world and created in memory of my son, whose light continues to guide me in everything I do. They are the heart of this brand. Fragrance has always been my quiet language. Read more>>
Chelle Neff 
I started doing hair when I was 18, through a cosmetology program at my high school. I grew up in small-town Texas, first in Throckmorton and later in Abilene, and I honestly had no idea at the time that doing hair would eventually lead me to becoming a business owner. Read more>>
Brittney & Stephanie Maxwell & Moreno 
Our story began when we met while working together at a urology clinic. Stephanie was the Nurse Practitioner, and Brittney was working as the Medical Assistant. As we worked together, we quickly developed a strong professional relationship and eventually realized that we shared a similar vision for what we wanted our careers and lives to look like. Read more>>
Erin Welker 
Photography has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I picked up my first film camera when I was 13, and by 18 I had my first DSLR—a Canon Rebel XSi. What started as a creative outlet slowly became something I knew I wanted to pursue seriously. Read more>>
Jasmine Adeoye 
I got sober from alcohol in June of 2022 and was introduced to Feel Free tonics on my favorite wellness podcast. It was originally marketed as an alcohol alternative for sober people, so it seemed like something I would enjoy. The marketing primarily focused on it being a kava product, which I had taken before, so I didn’t see any issues with it. Read more>>
Ryan Mahon 
I spent about a decade on the product side of menswear and retail, most recently as a product manager at Lululemon, and before that at Williams-Sonoma and Macy’s. Across those roles I saw the whole picture of how clothes get designed, made, priced, and sold at scale. I also saw how much of what gets made is designed to be replaced. Read more>>
Danny Benavides 
I went to school for Mass Communication, so the plan was journalism. Around 2012, I was getting ready to cover SXSW for a music publication. The founder mentioned they were flying in a photographer, and for some reason I said, “No, don’t send anyone. I can take the photos.” They were like, “Are you sure? Read more>>
Tucker Cullum
I’ve always been a systems person. I’m naturally drawn to figuring out how things work, where the friction is, and what change will have the biggest effect on everything downstream. I got into IT professionally in my twenties, and one of the most formative experiences of my career was joining Firefly Aerospace very early on. Read more>>
Carrie De La Rosa 
I started Carrie Rosa Beauty & Permanent Jewelry because I’ve always loved the beauty industry and knew I wanted to build something of my own. Over the years, the business has grown and changed so much, and honestly a lot of it has just been figuring out what my clients love and what works best for me. Read more>>
Nini Doucet 
Doucet Diaries started as a way for me to document our family’s everyday life — the beautiful moments, the chaos, the routines, the adventures, and everything in between. As a mom, I’ve always loved capturing the little moments with my family because I know how quickly those seasons of life pass. Read more>>
Asteroth Prometheus
The Project of ERGI started in 2015 with a waking dream as I walked across a field at night. Along the edges of the field, at the forest break, I kept seeing from the corners of my eyes, these impossibly tall figures in robes with antlers and glowing green eyes watching me as I walked beneath the cold night sky. Read more>>
Cinthya Pinon 
I’m a Latina who came to the United States at a very young age. Growing up, I always knew I wanted to give back to people — so once I got into the healthcare field, I decided to work for an amazing company, RCMC Medical Center. Read more>>
Riyan Khandker 
I have always enjoyed performing and singing throughout my life. But as I got older, I started lacking self-confidence, and I wasn’t able to break out of that mindset until I reached my early 20s. Read more>>
Sire McClennahan Fromboluti 
HI my name is SIRE MF and I was born and raised in The Bronx New York. At the age of 9 my mom was place in prison and since then art has been my safe space. My art business started in a small room in Staten Island, NY during my first year of college. Read more>>
Anaeli Ceballos 
My journey into education has never followed just one path, but every experience has ultimately led me to the work I’m doing today. My background is in psychology, special education, Applied Behavior Analysis, and education. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with children across a wide range of ages, abilities, learning styles, and needs. Read more>>
Alejandra de la Torre 
My story really started almost 25 years ago with State Farm. I don’t think I could have imagined then where this journey would take me. I started working with State Farm corporate in many capacities. I managed the call center, i was life underwriter, life company manager, and managed the training department for 6 states the trained all the new agents. Read more>>
MARISA HAMVAY 
I started volunteering with the Alliance for Women in Media Austin (AWM Austin) in 2020 because I wanted to do something that would empower women in our community and in my career field. I became President in 2025 and am now serving my second and final term. By day, I’m the Program Manager for FOX Television Stations, overseeing programming for the Austin and Seattle markets. Read more>>
Emerson Holliday 
I started my BBQ business after losing my job, like many others, to the COVID-19 pandemic, making my dream into a reality. I used my federal stimulus monies to purchase my very own smoker on a trailer. I started doing small events, then eventually found my way to a pop-up shared kitchen space. Read more>>
Sky Beal 
It started young. YoungMasters in elementary school, VASE competitions in high school, New Media Collective shows and exhibitions across South Texas throughout college. By the time I earned my BFA in New Media from the University of Texas at San Antonio, I wasn’t just studying art — I was already living inside it. Read more>>
Fatihah Auliana 
We are Aulia and Zed, a young married couple behind ‘Our Cerita’. We started Our Cerita in early 2025, created from our shared love for weddings, visual storytelling and the beauty of documenting moments as they naturally happen. Read more>>
Gabriel KERR 
The story of Rosie’s Bagels has a two pronged beginning. My wife Lauren and I have had a dream to open a cafe or restaurant for about a decade. Read more>>
Jolie Flink 
I started Mean Jolene in 2015 during a turbulent period of my life. I was. trying to make sense of a lot of emotional ups and downs. Writing songs became a way to process, and those songs eventually became Mean Jolene’s debut album, Salty. Read more>>
Birgit Sund 
I was born and raised in Germany and eventually made my way to the U.S., where I met my husband — a proud Nebraska Cornhusker — while finishing my MBA in North Carolina. Today we live in Jonestown, just between Cedar Park and Lago Vista, with our two daughters and two very opinionated cats. Read more>>
Lilli Correll 
My path to Resolve to Rise has been shaped by three different perspectives: my own experience with trauma, nearly three decades as a clinician, and a career as a healthcare executive. But it really began taking shape as something bigger after I published my bestselling book, *Resolve to Rise: Become Greater than Your Circumstances*. Read more>>
Kristy Pistun 
I was born and raised in Lviv, Ukraine, and over the years I’ve lived in the Netherlands, New York, and now Austin. Moving between countries taught me how exciting a fresh start can be, but also how overwhelming it is when you don’t know where to begin. Read more>>
Sarah Swindell
I have never been afraid to try new things or challenge myself to learn how to do something that for many, may feel impossible. I have written and published a book, host a true crime podcast, and have started my own home staging business. But am most happy when I am creating either a beautiful spaces in homes or crafting. Read more>>
Rocky Sahoo 
I wasn’t the best at expressing myself through words, so I started my creative journey as a drawer. I went from doodling obsessively underneath my desk in class when I was little, to sharing my artwork in local exhibitions when i was 15, and starting an art commission business in my senior year of high school. Read more>>
Chris Rios 
I started Vegan Nom in Austin in 2012 with what seemed as a pretty simple idea: make vegan food that was exciting, approachable, and something everyone would want to eat, not just vegans. What began as a small food trailer grew organically through a lot of hard work, trial and error, and support from the Austin community. Read more>>
