Neartown’s Rising Stars

Tiffany Harrison

While attending the University of Houston, I found a part-time job at an Insurance Company in Southwest Houston. I ended up holding a few management positions in the 13 years I worked there. I had always been interested in photography. I love art, music and just the minds of creatives in general. As you can imagine, there wasn’t much room for that in corporate America until one day. My coworker said her husband was going to sell his DSLR. I purchased a beginner’s kit and could not keep my hands off of it. I took photos of just about anything, including my friend’s children. Word slowly got around and boom – I started a small business.Read more>>

Monique Wisdom

Before I discovered my talents of wedding and event planning, I had always enjoyed and had a passion for planning events and special moments but I never realized it was something I wanted to do until my mom pointed it out to me while setting up for our Christmas party for family and friends. Her words, I quote, were, “You are good at this; you should make this a business.” At that moment, I knew it was my calling and confirmation to live in my purpose. Initially, I was fearful of starting a business and stepping out of my comfort zones but I decided to go full force after losing my corporate job in the midst of COVID. Read more>>

Blaire Crowl and Michelle Carney

We are native Houstonians! Our love of Houston and great food inspired us to create a gluten-free foodie Instagram account together. We both got tested for food sensitivities. Michelle discovered she had a gluten intolerance and Blaire found out she had a wheat sensitivity. This is why we both opt for gluten-free recipes, products, and gluten-free food at restaurants. We thought this would be a great avenue for our account. The restaurants, recipes, and products we endorse are places we would enjoy with or without an intolerance. It’s been a challenge at times, but we’ve enjoyed sharing our experience and food journey with our followers! Read more>>

Natasha Johnson

My name is Natasha Johnson, born December 18, 1990, in Houston, Texas. My three brothers and I were raised by my mother. At the early age of 11, I knew I wanted to rap but didn’t have the courage to pursue it at such a young age. My mother had a steady job but times were definitely hard, making it that much harder to even try to proceed with a “Rap Career.” Instead, my brothers and I created a business taking out people’s trash in our apartment complex. We called ourselves the “Trash Busters.” That business helped me get a Karaoke machine where I recorded my first two songs at the age of 13. Nobody took me seriously, not even my mother, so I stop rapping. Read more>>

Andrea Mosley

As far as I can remember, I have always wanted people to see how beautiful their life is or could be. Instinctively I knew that our thought process held the key to shaping our future. And I may have had more practice than most in honing this skill. Often people would walk up to me and share with me a problem(s). As a kid and young adult, we could usually come up with a solution. Adulthood was another story. The challenges grew in difficulty and I felt inadequate in addressing them. I went back to school to get my Master’s in Psychology with a specialty in Marriage and Family therapy. This helped to further shape my thinking into looking at systems. The whole picture, instead of one perspective. Read more>>

Javon LaFleur

I started making beats in high school. I didn’t know anything about a DAW or recording back then so I would beat on a table and people would come around and freestyle. When I graduated, I went through the audio program at HCC, where I learned the whole process of how music is created. I also met and collaborated with numerous artists and producers. I would go to shows and occasions every week to network and show my face, which led to artists buying my beats. All while staying consistent, I’m always aiming higher and I look forward to the world hearing my tracks. Read more>>