Shireen Jaffer and founders of Edvo

film shoots like “Batman” and “Backdraft.”

“I would often stop to stand and watch [the filming] because I thought filmmaking only had a creative part,” he says. “But I would see electricians, mechanical engineers – there were all these people from the technology aspect really having a huge bearing on the eventual product. I thought, ‘I’m a mechanical engineer and I’m always interested in art and storytelling. How do I make those things come together?’” In his spare time, Aikat started taking a correspondence class Cartoonerama (yes, through snail-mail) with the late professor Leo Stoutsenberger in Maine. After that, he earned his MFA in Film, Video, and Computer Animation from USC’s film school.

“The rest is history – I can’t get out of it now, it’s a trap!” He says with a laugh. Still from ‘Night at the Museum’ courtesy of 20th Century Fox

For Lewak, her interest in graphic storytelling started much earlier. She admits she was a secret comic book fan as a kid and often knows more details about the comic book characters depicted in the films Aikat works on.

“Comic books like “Fantastic Four,” “Avengers,” “X-Men” – that was my childhood!” Lewak says. “I had a brother who had all the comics so that’s how I found them. They had these great girl heroes.”

As a child, Lewak longed to see her female heroes in movies. “They didn’t exist or couldn’t be made unless they were 2D cartoons.”

Her love for these comic book heroes inspired her to include graphic fiction in her classes, which is just one step away from animation.

Both Aikat and Lewak hope to expand JHI’s global educational model beyond universities and film studios.

“Part of our long-term goal is to work with kindergarten through grade 12,” says Lewak.

Aikat agrees, “We hope to partner with an agency like the Khan Academy and give away [the lessons] for free, to have an entire sequence of tracks, get a MacArthur grant and teach people programming and computer graphics at the same time.”

For more info on the John Hughes Institute, visit jhughesinstitute.org.

The most trusted news source for who and what is trending in Westside communities is preparing stories and taking ad reservations for its annual “Westsiders” edition.

Ad Deadline March 11 Issue Date: March 19

This much-anticipated special issue publishes March 19, featuring unique stories and photography highlighting a wide variety of local Innovators, Influencers and Unconventional Characters from the diverse communities that The Argonaut has served for over 46 years.

Your advertisement in this Who’s Who issue will help you stand out and be considered a unique and special contributor to the local flavor of the Westside. Don’t be left out!

Seen by 56,000 readers. Pushed to 10,000 email addresses. Posted online for 1 year. RESERVE YOUR SPACE NOW. DEADLINE MARCH 19 FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CALL: 310.822.1629

We are Commi ed to Excellence & Comfort

Your comfort during dental care is just as important as your results, we look forward to treating you in a secure, friendly environment.

Dr. Sameer Aljanedi

DENTAL IMPLANT $ 699 ABUTMENT AND CROWN ARE EXTRA NEW PATIENTS ONLY WITH AD NOW THROUGH 4-8-20 REG $ 1,999

PORCELAIN VENEERS $ 699Each. REG $ 1,400 NEW PATIENTS ONLY WITH THIS AD EXP 4-8-20

PORCELAIN CROWN $ 399 REG $ 999 BUILD UP IF NEEDED IS EXTRA PORCELAIN FUSED TO METAL NEW PATIENTS ONLY WITH THIS AD EXP 4-8-20

M arina D entistry ALL DENTAL SPECIALTIES

• Easy Payment Plans/Zero Interest • No Insurance • No Problem • All Insurance Accepted • Nitrous Oxide Available • We Accept All Other Competitors’ Coupons • Se Habla Español

INVISALIGN STARTS AT $2,999 WITH THIS AD. NOW THROUGH 4-8-20

$ 25 00 CLEANING SPECIAL X-Rays, Exams, Cleaning, Oral Cancer Screening, TMJ Evaluation, Diagnosis & Treatment Plan NEW PATIENTS ONLY! Periodontal Root Planning Not Included • With Coupon Only • Insurance Programs Billed At Regular Fees • Exp. 4-8-20 Regular $149

COMPLETE DENTURE $

799 REG $ 1800 NEW PATIENTS ONLY WITH THIS AD EXP 4-8-20

$ 89 00 TEETH WHITENING SPECIAL ONE HOUR IN-OFFICE ZOOM! WHITENING AS SEEN ON ABC’S “EXTREME MAKEOVER” INCLUDES X-RAYS & EXAM Cannot Be Combined With Any Other O er Regular $749 ONLY

DEEP CLEANING SPECIAL $

75 REG $ 499 NEW PATIENTS ONLY WITH THIS AD EXP 4-8-20 PER QUAD

FREE CONSULTATION INCLUDING FULL MOUTH X-RAYS & EXAMINATION NEW PATIENTS ONLY EXP 4-8-20

MARINA DENTISTRY 4292 Lincoln Blvd., Marina del Rey, CA 90292 (Above Starbucks) www.marinadentistry.com

310-305-9600

Most parents agree that raising kids is the toughest job you’ll ever learn to love. We know teaching our children life skills like emotional intelligence, healthy eating habits and showing kindness to others is crucial, but what are we teaching our kids about money? What real-world financial survival skills are we passing down? For most parents the answer is: not enough.

Just like charity, wise money habits begin at home. If you really want to raise savvy savers instead of spenders, here are some pro tips learned from my years of experience as a parent and financial professional. Playa Vista resident and financial advisor Hatem Dhiab shares 6 pro tips for creating money-savvy kids BY HATEM DHIAB | PHOTO COURTESY OF HATEM DHIAB FINANCIALLY LITERATE KIDS

1. Start young

For some of us talking about money can be stressful, but if your kids aren’t engaged early on (as early as 5-years-old), they’ll have no sense of what things cost. They won’t grasp basic concepts such as budgeting, saving, and investing. It’s important to reinforce the idea that, when it comes to money, knowledge is power. Teach your kids how having a firm grip on their finances ensures independence. What kid doesn’t dream of doing whatever they want? If they start early enough and manage their money well, that’s exactly what can happen.

2. Teach restraint

32 PLAYA VISTA DIRECT | FEBRUARY · MARCH 2020 32 | FEBRUARY · MARCH 2020 Spoiled kids aren’t well equipped to cope with the highs and lows of life. Teach kids from an early age that financial choices are ultimately about tradeoffs. How important is that thing you want? What are you willing to give up to get it? Even when it was ice cream, my parents made me choose between the things I wanted. I hated this exercise growing up, but now I understand that my parents

were teaching me to prioritize and decide what was most important to me, personally.

3. Working it

Kids who are assigned chores or work part time to earn money typically value those earned dollars much more than gifted dollars. Earning builds a sense of pride and builds awareness about divvying up funds for savings versus spending. Let your kids pitch you ways for them to earn money. Something as simple as running a lemonade stand will teach them resourcefulness.

4. Save for big buys

Whether it’s an Xbox or a car, bigger purchases should never emerge from an impulse. Teach your kids to plan and save for big ticket items. Create a savings plan instead of just giving them the money in a lump sum. Lessons that teach patience and accountability will last way longer than the desired item.

5. Parlez-vous kid?

Read “The Little Red Hen” with your young children to introduce the concept of investing. The hero of the story “invests” time and effort in turning wheat into bread and ultimately reaps the benefits. When you take a child to a Disney movie, or buy a pair of Nike shoes, you can explain how they can own a piece of companies they know and love. Once they see their own money grow and compound, they will get hooked on investing.

6. Teach them about gratitude and generosity

One of the best ways to lower anxiety levels about money is to focus on what you’re thankful for. Encourage your kids to use some of their own money to contribute to causes they care about and show them how you decide your own charitable donations. By cultivating gratitude and generosity in your kids, you’re teaching them that money is about so much more than getting, spending or holding onto it.

Hatem Dhiab is a Playa Vista resident and managing partner at Gerber Kawasaki Wealth and Investment Management.

HIGH TECH WORKOUTS

Troy Aguila of Spry Society shares his top 4 tech devices for fitness

It’s a new year and a great time to hit refresh on your fitness routine. If you’re looking to try something new or shake things up a bit, accessible, affordable technology is here to help you out.

Wearable tech has grown more personalized as sensors are now more sophisticated. While there are endless gadgets, devices and smart phone apps, Troy Aguila, owner of Spry Society Academy of Fitness in Playa Vista, gives us an overview of his favorite tech assistants. STORY BY SHANEE EDWARDS | PHOTO BY MARIA MARTIN

Troy Aguila, owner of

Spry Society, says tech assistants are helping guide workouts

1. Whoop Strap

“Whoop is one of the coolest wearable devices that’s come out in a long time,” says Aguila. “It doesn’t track steps but it gives you tons of data.” Whoop measures your HRV, or heart rate variability, to track the variance in time between your heart beats which is an important marker of your physical stress level. This data can not only help you train, but recover and sleep better.

Whoop also has the ability to measure a person’s “strain” or “How much you have left in your tank,” says Aguila. “In college football, pretty much all the teams play on Saturdays so they usually hit practice really hard on Monday and taper it off as they get closer to Saturday’s game.” To know exactly how much to taper off the intensity of training before Saturday, they review the player’s strain level, which is what Aguila does with his fitness clients. “I basically have my own team in the gym.” He says people are also using data from Whoop to help predict

and prevent Alzheimer’s disease. “It tracks your sleep and tells you how many hours of REM you got because there’s correlations between that and physical activity, which are two of the top five things that combat Alzheimer’s.” 2. Health App on iPhone

Aguila says the Health app on your iPhone is a close second to Whoop. “It’s good because I can look at different measurements from different clients just because they have iPhones. They can also log things as far as food and meals.” 3. Continuous Glucose Monitor

Another big wearable Aguila’s clients are interested in is a continuous glucose monitor – even if they’re not diabetic. “People are really dialing into how their bodies are reacting to things they consume. If people have a bagel or a sugary Starbucks, he says, “they’re off to the races. You just started on the Magic Mountain rollercoaster of glucose.” He says he’s recently had about 20 people ask about glucose monitors. “It’s the next wave of data markers, people are really biohacking information about their bodies. 4. Peloton Stationary Bike

Aguila says people are really into the Peloton bike. “People just love it. You can join classes where you’re in live with your instructor or they have them pre-recorded. The only negative I’ve heard is that most of the live classes are on the East Coast and they’re super early.” If you don’t want to purchase the pricy bike, there’s a workaround. “I have friends who have downloaded the app service and run the classes via an iPad and just do it on their bike with the trainer you can put your road bike.” The “trainer” is a triangular device you can affix to your real bike to use it like a stationary bike.

Whoop Strap requires a $30 monthly subscription CATHERINE JONAS cmc, lmft president

Geriatric Care Management & Counseling Services We specialize in: • In-Home Geriatric Assessments &Care Planning • Scheduling&Accompanyingto Medical Appointments • LiasionforBusyFamilies orthose who Live outofTown • Assisted Living&MemoryCare Placement • Screen,Train,and Manage In-Home Caregivers • Caregiver/FamilyCounselingand Mediation

1.877.877.8771 www.cjcareconsulting.com