Fabien Martorell is a multi-awarded director (18 awards and 25 nominations in the US, UK and France), who lives in Los Angeles. Martorell comes from a suburb of Lyon, France. He essentially focuses on drama, thriller and crime films. He is a meticulous, detail-oriented director, with a unique esthetic and composition. He directed the Netflix film Collision, a drama/thriller, starring Langley Kirkwood (HBO’s Warrior), Vuyo Dabula, Tessa Jubber and many others, shot in Johannesburg, South Africa. The film was released on June 16, 2022 and quickly became #3 in the world and sat in the Top 10 list in 68 countries on Netflix.

Martorell’s short films have been acclaimed and awarded in many prestigious international film festivals. Unbelief, a drama/thriller, starring Andrew Howard (Limitless, Taken 3), Tobin Bell (Saw), based on the short story by Michael Marshall Smith, won multiple awards and nominations, and was an official selection of many international film festivals. The Coin, a drama, starring Christopher Lloyd (Back To The Future), Kathryn Morris (Minority Report, Cold Case), based on the short story Soul Murder by David Mamet, also won multiple awards and nominations, and was an official selection of many major international festivals including 4 Academy-qualifying festivals (Palm Springs Int’l Film Festival & ShortFest, LA Short Fest, Newport Beach Film Festival, Cleveland Int’l Film Festival). He also directed eight other short films, which have been selected and awarded in prestigious European film festivals.

Martorell’s first feature documentary, Tromatized: Meet Lloyd Kaufman, about the legendary and eccentric Lloyd Kaufman (president of Troma Entertainment and creator of the Toxic Avenger), starring Stan Lee, Roger Corman, Eli Roth, Trey Parker, James Gunn. It was awarded “Best Biographical Documentary” at the 2009 New York Int’l Indep. Film Festival, presided by Abel Ferrara. It was the selection at several other film festivals, including the Hollywood Film Festival, and it was acclaimed by the specialized press/critics. The film was picked up by Under The Milky Way and distributed worldwide (Amazon, iTunes, vudu, etc.). He finished the post-production of his second feature documentary, The Guns Story, about guitarist Tracii Guns (L.A. Guns, Guns N’ Roses), featuring Iggy Pop.

In 2011, he established his own film production company, FM Pictures, in Los Angeles, and in 2022, he established his second film production company, Lucky Rhino, with his partner Neo Baloyi in Johannesburg. He is the co-founder of the Festival du Film Court de Vaulx-en-Velin in France, now in its twenty second year. Martorell is passionate about German cinema from the 20s and 30s, Japanese cinema from the 50s, American cinema from the 80s and 90s, Korean cinema from the 2000s, and Art History such as European and Japanese paintings.

In this part two candid conversation, we are taken through the challenges and triumphs Gloria has faced in her life. She gives us a glimpse into her upcoming project working alongside: Eva Marcille-Sterling and Christian Keyes in the acclaimed, “All The Queen’s Men,” and talks about life back in LA with her family. I am honored to call her one of my friends and to have her back as a guest in part two of “Black Canvas: Candid Conversation.”

Nights Like Thieves is a melodic, emo, punk, rock, alternative band based out of Southern California featuring four musicians with a longstanding history in the punk/rock scenes in both Southern California and New Mexico. Their sound varies from an upbeat, intricate, and melodic vibe to a slower, more rhythmic, and emotionally charged pace. The lyrical content is a prevalent factor in what defines the Nights Like Thieves catalog. Through the combined years of experience of all band members, they function like a well-oiled machine on stage and know how to bring an impressive and engaging live performance.

Drummond is a self empowerment coach who works with a wide range of clients to help them develop new mindsets to help them achieve their goals in life. He has also been creating online content on all the major social media platforms since 2008 for the LGBTQIA+ community to help educate and share his journey as a gay man. In 2020 when all his plans for collaborating with other content creators were canceled by the pandemic he decided he needed to pivot. He started his Live series on Instagram called Positive Talks to help spread positivity across the internet in a time when it was hard to find it in the world. He uses the series to bring people from all walks of life onto his show to allow them to share their stories with his audience in hopes that it will show people new perspectives.

Electrifying, daring, and hypnotizing are just a few words used to describe Los Angeles Neo Alternative Rock artist, Élishia Sharie.

Drawing upon iconic influences, like AC/DC and Nirvana, Élishia Sharie effortlessly synthesizes elements of 80’s Classic Rock with 90’s Grunge to create an aggressive, cross-generational sound that she contrasts with an unapologetically soulful vocal, reminiscent of Janis Joplin and Tina Turner.

Her distinct, raspy tone tells a powerful story of pain, desperation, and eventual triumph—a voice previously devastated by vocal trauma that left her entire singing range obliterated. After a 12-year battle to recover her voice and rediscover her confidence, she emerged from the ashes with her first global release, titled “FIGHT!”. This fiery Punk anthem informs her personal mission to empower her growing fan base to FIGHT! for their own dreams, despite obstacle or opposition.

Élishia Sharie is currently continuing her time travel through the Rock ages to deliver a nostalgic, yet uniquely mutated collection of music, tentatively titled “The Phoenix Rises.” She is also currently on tour.

Martin Novales is an artist, born and raised in a small snowy town in Wisconsin, who relocated to the West Coast as a teenager. He is currently most known for his cover of Alicia Keys’s “If I Ain’t Got You,” which earlier this year went viral on Instagram Reels. The song has since amassed over 1 million streams globally, and been used in over 70 thousand Instagram Reels.

Martin has music that can be found on all streaming platforms, ranging from classic RnB covers to originals. His voice and sound are inspired by his eclectic roots of listening to everything ranging from 90’s Hip-Hop and RnB, to his love for Rock, Pop and other genres.

Martin is still regularly releasing both cover songs and originals and is preparing to release his first EP later this year.

Lead singer of “Man Like Machine” and solo artist Joshua Bright shares his story of triumph through his trials. A supernatural, psychedelic hue radiates from the raspy, tortured folk of Joshua Bright. We are so grateful to have him share his light with us and we are looking forward to the new music to come very soon!

Gloria shares in this episode the many challenges she has faced including: Motherhood, Being married, losing her biggest ally, her father, and working hard to becoming a leading actress in today’s fast pace scene. In this episode, we are taken on a journey to self-discovery and finding purpose through pain experiences. I am honored to call her one of my friends and to have her as a guest in part one of “Black Canvas Candid Conversation.” She will be returning soon to tell more about her life and the importance of being your true authentic self.

While always having been a songwriter at heart, diognardi is more commonly known as an established multi-instrumentalist and producer.  He has spent the better part of the last 10 years as a touring drummer (In Loving Memory) and as a producer for artists on both a national and local level. His solo music marks his singing debut, and is the first time his unbridled skills as a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer have come together.  





His debut genre-hopping EP, "slowly, deliberately", aims to inject transparency and substance into a musical landscape that's become too comfortable with short-term surface level satisfaction. The opening track, "learn the name", serves as a proper introduction and capitalizes on bombastic Panic! At The Disco-esque production. "biology" on the other hand is a straight ahead self deprecating rock anthem, with nods to diognardi's metal and pop punk roots. The EP closes out with a few romantic tracks, including the painfully honest "how do we do this?". With this collection of songs, diognardi hopes to inspire listeners and fellow artists alike to embrace their truths, both ugly and beautiful, and wear them on their sleeve.

Corey Miranne is a 25 year old born and raised Nashville musician. His debut EP “Twisted” released in 2018 to kick off his musical journey. Since then, he has found success through a his duo-project ‘Vanmiran’ with singles reaching millions of listens across various streaming platforms. Corey has recently decided to pour back into his solo project releasing a new wave of “honest pop” music with musical influences such as Jeremy Zucker, Holly Humberstone, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lizzy McAlpine. His most recent single “Blue Eyed Lovers” recently was awarded a $10,000 prize from Songwriting University’s songwriting competition. “Blue Eyed Lovers” is just the start as he has planned a new EP to be released Fall of 2022.