Entrepreneur and angel investor Sean Bassik had his impressive career take a back seat when he was diagnosed with cancer.

“I have a rare type of stage-4 cancer called pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer, and my donations help with research on that front,” Bassik explains. 

His mission to give to the community around him in meaningful ways is deeply personal, as his own health journey has been filled with vulnerability.

Since his diagnosis, he’s made financial gifts to City of Hope, one of the most advanced cancer research and treatment facilities in the country. However, his donations go beyond that, seeking to improve systems of care and stand beside others who are overcoming difficult obstacles.

“Having cancer makes you vulnerable,” he says. “I wanted to take that vulnerability and turn it into action.” Having seen firsthand the difference that genuine support can make in an immensely difficult time, Bassik decided that he wanted to offer support to other people going through some of the most challenging experiences of their lives.

In addition to donating money to City of Hope, he’s also made philanthropic gifts to HonorHealth, which is a community-based nonprofit healthcare system comprised of nine different hospitals and hundreds of clinics and care centers located in the greater Phoenix area. 

The Phoenix Children’s Hospital is also near and dear to the investor’s heart. This freestanding hospital accepts all patients, even though nearly half are not insured or have inadequate insurance for the care they need. With expenses nearing $2.7 million each day, donors are a huge part of the hospital’s ability to serve the Phoenix community.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is another organization that’s been important to Bassik’s philanthropic goals. NAMI serves individuals and families impacted by mental illness, providing intentional support, education, and advocacy for a wide array of needs. With peer-led support groups, a confidential help line for those facing mental health concerns, and online education for parents and employers, NAMI relies upon donations to fund many of its free tools and programs.

Bassik is also passionate about supporting Chrysalis, an organization serving families impacted by domestic abuse. “They take a 360-degree approach by working with the victim, the offender, and the children,” he says. “Thus far, they have served over 1,400 individuals.” In 2023 alone, the organization provided more than 20,000 nights of housing and more than 40,000 meals.

Bassik’s business focuses on securing and selling collectible assets for investors, so fittingly, he’s also donated collectibles to children with cancer and patients receiving palliative care. Sports memorabilia and other collectibles are central to his company, but Bassik hasn’t forgotten the pure joy that collectibles can bring to a child.

“I have fond memories of collecting baseball cards as a kid,” he says. “There’s nothing like giving an autographed baseball or a card to a sick child and seeing their face light up. It makes their lives a little brighter, and I’m happy to do it.”

Written in partnership with Tom White

Looking to impress your Valentine or plan a standout night out with friends? Melrose Alpine Club Presented by Hello Molly is turning up the romance in West Hollywood.

Located on the rooftop of EP and LP, this open air ice rink pairs skyline views with cozy winter charm. Skate under the stars, sip seasonal cocktails, and enjoy a sweet treat all included in your $22 ticket. Each session includes one hour of skating and skate rentals. The rink is open Fridays from 5 pm to 9 pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 12 pm to 9 pm at 603 N La Cienega Blvd.

Fashion lovers can lean into the moment with Hello Molly’s signature faux fur styles, perfect for a chic winter date night look. Guests can take 10 percent off rink tickets with code HELLOMOLLY10 and 10 percent off Hello Molly styles using code ALPINE10.

On February 11, the space transforms into a pink Valentine’s Day dreamscape with new photo ops and romantic activations that will remain through the end of the month.

Skate, sip, and celebrate love above the city. Book your tickets now and plan your perfect winter date night.

Written in partnership with Tom White

Sound, often the least visible element of a film, carries undeniable weight in shaping a story’s impact. Los Angeles-based sound editor and designer Wooin Jeon is a professional whose work is defined by a meticulous, story-driven approach to the craft. Her contributions have been instrumental in preparing films for major festivals, with her sound work featured in 24 projects—16 of which have earned official selection at respected events, including the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival and Dances with Films New York.

Wooin’s reputation is built on her ability to deliver coherent, deeply engaging films across the diverse technical environments of the festival circuit. This consistent quality stems from her disciplined control over the sonic structure of each project.

A significant marker of her expertise is her work on the recent feature film By the Grape of God. For this project, Wooin single-handedly managed the entire post-production sound workflow: dialogue editing, sound design, effects, background ambience, music editing, and re-recording mixing, all while adapting to continuous picture updates. Successfully maintaining a unified and immersive sonic structure across an extended feature runtime—where even subtle inconsistencies can disrupt the audience experience—is a testament to her sustained focus and technical control.

For Wooin, sound’s primary function extends beyond simple support for the image; it is a critical force in guiding how a narrative is received and understood. Professional sound work ensures scenes connect smoothly and naturally, enveloping the viewer without drawing undue attention to the technical process itself.

“Have you ever turned on subtitles because the dialogue was hard to hear?” Wooin asks. “Or watched a film where the dialogue felt distant, but the action sound effects were uncomfortably loud? Those moments pull the audience out of the story.” She emphasizes that an unbalanced sound design is a distraction that compromises the narrative, regardless of the visual content’s strength.

Wooin approaches sound design as an exploration, likening it to the creative process of composing music, a skill rooted in her background as a musician. “I usually begin with a direction or a feeling I want to explore,” she notes, often finding that the outcome is an evolution of her initial concept. She views this creative journey as essential, allowing the soundscape to evolve organically with the story. While certain scenes demand adherence to established technical conventions, Wooin finds true creative fulfillment beyond those boundaries, believing that accidental moments of discovery push professional limits and define new creative spaces.

In post-production, Wooin treats dialogue, music, Foley, background ambience, and sound design as interconnected components of a single narrative system. Her work on films like the documentary Muljil and the short The Art of Pretending Everything Is Fine highlights this comprehensive approach. Clean dialogue is paramount for story clarity, while sound design provides the dynamic contrast necessary for tension and pacing shifts. Background ambience grounds the scene in its environment, and the final mix integrates these elements to ensure the story unfolds seamlessly.

Her professional philosophy is centered on restraint as much as on creation. “To create a sense of dynamic in a story, you can’t just keep adding sound endlessly,” she explains. “You need to subtract. Knowing what to leave out is what keeps a scene from feeling excessive.”

This philosophy also shapes her measure of success: “If sound doesn’t call attention to itself and instead blends seamlessly into the story, that’s when I consider it successful sound editing,” she concludes.

The value of Wooin’s detailed and precise technical work is perhaps best summarized by director Andrés Orellana, who described her contribution to the community-rooted project The Land as bringing “an extraordinary level of precision, creativity, and professionalism.” He credited her meticulous editing of dialogue, removal of problematic noise, and crafting of “nuanced soundscapes” with elevating the emotional tone of key scenes, which ultimately contributed to the film’s selection at major Latino film festivals.

For filmmakers navigating the demanding festival circuit, a collaborator with Wooin Jeon’s disciplined, story-driven understanding of sound is essential. Her professional focus ensures a film’s voice is not only heard but consistently strengthens its capacity to resonate with and compete before global audiences.

Written in partnership with Tom White