Resilience is not the absence of struggle, but the courage to continue despite it. These photographs and stories of Los Angeles communities illustrate that courage.
Afonso Salcedo
Stories of Resilience
Stories of Resilience is an ongoing documentary project photographing and profiling Los Angeles residents navigating significant life transitions — career loss, displacement, and reinvention. Some have left industries that defined them for decades. Others face losing their homes or their place in this country. What they share is the willingness to be seen and heard at a difficult moment.
The approach:
Each profile combines an extended conversation with portraiture. The images are made simply, without production or performance. When circumstances require anonymity, the photography adapts. Before publication, every participant reviews their story to ensure it reflects their truth.
The Backstory:
I started this project after my own layoffs in the animation industry, but it has grown beyond that origin. The people I photograph face challenges I haven’t experienced myself. My role is to listen carefully and document honestly, not to claim their struggles as my own, but to make sure their stories are told.
Color Supervisor / Fine Art Artist
Teri Hendrich Cusumano spent 17 years as a color supervisor in animated television and nearly eight fighting to close a gender pay gap rooted in the 1930s. As Vice President of The Animation Guild, she helped change the terms of employment for an entire craft. After losing her career and her union role within months of each other, she turned to the garage art studio in Glendale where she now paints full-time.
Actor
From a wrongful accusation to Hollywood, Dario's journey reveals how systemic injustice shaped his understanding of resilience in an industry facing its own reckoning.
A three-generation family perspective on Hollywood’s transformation, seen through personal history and changing industry realities.
Artist
An Emmy-winning CG artist reflects on shifting tides in animation and her rediscovery of creativity through new directions.
CG Artist
A candid conversation conducted over Zoom, Meridian’s story reveals the courage it takes to reimagine oneself after disillusionment.
Animator / Storyboard Artist
Writer / Story Artist
From Atlanta to Los Angeles, Doran’s path is marked by resilience and refusal to compromise his voice in an industry that too often overlooks outsiders.
Why It Matters
Los Angeles is not a single city but a collection of communities, each facing its own pressures. The people profiled here won't make headlines. Their lives have been quietly disrupted by industry contraction, by policy decisions, by circumstances beyond their control.
Through documentary portraiture and long-form conversation, this project records what resilience looks like in practice: not as an abstraction, but as the daily work of people rebuilding in real time.
Each profile is published on the Fonzieland newsletter and archived here as part of an expanding record of Los Angeles at a moment of transition.
Share Your Story
Share
Fill out the form with some background about yourself and what you’re navigating.
Talk
We’ll meet for an open conversation. No script, no agenda.
Portrait
In the same session, we’ll make portraits, either in a studio or a location meaningful to you.
Profile
Your words and images become a profile published on this site, with your review and approval before anything goes public.
If your situation requires anonymity, we’ll discuss how to tell your story while protecting your identity.
FAQ
Who can participate in this project?
This project is open to anyone in the Los Angeles area navigating a significant life transition, whether that's job loss, displacement, immigration challenges, or other circumstances that have reshaped your daily life.
Is there a cost to participate?
No. This is a self-funded documentary project. There is no cost to participate.
How will my story and photos be used?
Your profile, including your story and portraits, will be published on this website and my Substack newsletter. You'll review and approve everything before publication. If your situation requires anonymity, we'll discuss how to protect your identity while still telling your story.
Where will the photo sessions take place?
Sessions can take place at a studio, your home, or a location meaningful to you. We'll discuss what makes sense for your story and circumstances.
How long will the session take?
About two hours, allowing time for both conversation and portraits.
What if I’m not comfortable sharing certain parts of my story?
You share only what you're comfortable with. The goal is to represent your experience honestly and respectfully.
What happens if I decide to withdraw my story?
You have full control over your participation. If you decide not to move forward at any stage, your story will be withdrawn, no questions asked.
Do I Receive The Images?
Yes. You'll have access to a secure online gallery to download the same high-resolution images published with your profile. For personal use only.