YOU! Or someone cool you know!

We love sharing our stage with community storytellers! Send us a message or fill our our suggestion form of a storyteller we can highlight!

Drew Davis

Drew Davis is a Meteorologist for Hawaii News Now. He graduated from Texas A&M in 2023 and joined the HNN team shortly after. He has been an on-air broadcaster since January of 2021 and dreamed of being a weatherman since middle school.

Outside of forecasting, he enjoys stand-up and improv comedy. He performed in the Texas A&M Improv Comedy Troupe “Freudian Slip” throughout all four years of college and considers himself a comedy nerd. You can find Drew everywhere on social media at @drewdaviswx or on-air on Hawaii News Now.

David Crellin

David, aka Armitage Shanks, The Carny Preacher is a lifelong performing artist, writer, singer, and educator, having traveled the world for over 25 years creating, directing and producing original performance works, ranging from circus, vaudeville, cabaret, music and film to traditional, experimental, immersive and documentary theatre. He was the co-founder and ringmaster of the legendary troupe Circus Contraption, which was at the forefront of the New Circus movement. He has directed a wide variety of performance styles, including performances at the New Victory Theatre on 42nd St. in New York to venues across North America and throughout Europe. He has a Masters in Theatre and a MFA in Digital Arts New Media. Here in Hawaii, he was a host of the Hawaii Burlesque Festival for 3 years, and teaches at UHM and Punahou. He is also a PhD at UHM.

Kyla Herrmann

Kyla Herrmann (they/them) is a former Theater kid, current radio nerd. They are easily distracted by the ocean, or often spotted swooning at flowers. Has been described as a muppet on more than one occasion. Normally a behind the scenes person is here to seize the opportunity to be brave and vulnerable with you for your entertainment with silly stories from their life.

Reyn Afaga

Reyn Afaga is a theatrical artist from Waipahu, Hawaiʻi. Reyn originally began as an acting student from Leeward CC, but eagerly explored other skills and roles within the performing arts, including dance, burlesque, costuming, cosmetology, dramaturgy, and recently, directing. Reyn dedicates much of his time to supporting Kumu Kahua Theatre, and currently serves as the Associate Artistic Director for the Hawaiʻi Shakespeare Festival.

Barrie Kealoha

Barrie Kealoha is a kanaka maoli singer, actor, and multilingual voiceover artist originally from Southern California. She has lived and worked in NYC, Madrid, Paris, and on multiple luxury cruise ships around the world, and has traveled to 98 countries—making questionable life choices in nearly all of them. Barrie is also an award-winning baker, a vexillology enthusiast, a trivia host, a mental health advocate, a bisexual crafter (redundant), and a diehard fan of the Oxford comma.

Larissa Nielsen

Larissa Nielsen is a Chamorro-American artist and improviser, born and raised in Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands, and now based in Kāneʻohe, Hawaiʻi. For the past 18 years, she has been a vibrant part of Hawaiʻi’s improv scene as a performer, instructor, and coach. As a co-founder of Honolulu’s ensemble Think Fast Improv, Larissa is passionate about making improv accessible to all—believing that anyone can be an improviser. Her own journey began with a simple, powerful "Yes!"

Meredith Desha Enos

Meredith Desha Enos is a Native Hawaiian creative multi-hyphenate who turns big ideas into real things and builds community through storytelling (with a side of sass). Born and raised on Oʻahu, she’s an award-winning writer, editor, and performer who’s tackled everything from plays and podcasts to improv and fiction. Her work uplifts Hawaiian voices and centers indigenous perspectives—because she believes moʻolelo should come with mana and a mic. Meredith’s also all about growing sustainable, ʻāina-rooted creative spaces. A proud mom of four future creatives, she spends her off-hours adventuring, manuscript-wrangling, and crafting like deadlines don’t exist.

Ryan “Oki” Okinaka

Born and raised in Hawaiʻi, Ryan “Oki” Okinaka studied and performed at the Leeward and Windward CC campuses. Performance credits include Aloha Attire, Wild Birds, and Black Faggot at Kumu Kahua Theatre, Once Upon One Noddah Time at Manoa Valley Theatre, and The Magical Pu Stealer at Palikū Theatre.

Oki wrote iHula which premiered at Kumu Kahua Theatre in 2016 and was performed at Palikū in 2021, and Who You Again? which premiered at KKT in 2022. He was recognized by the Hawaiʻi State Theatre Council for excellence in writing.

An alumni of Creative Lab Hawaii’s Theatre Ideation program, Oki assists in writing, performing, and producing Waikiki PD, a local police sketch comedy series. Screen credits include co-starring roles on Hawaii 5-0 and Doogie Kamealoha, MD on Disney+

Jasmine Bautista

Jasmine Bautista is a local comedian hailing from Ewa Beach. She is a regular performer for Comedy U and is no stranger to the Blue Note stage. Jasmine has opened for national touring headliners such as Melissa Villasenor, Kyle Kinane, and Chaunté Wayans. She's been featured recently as part of the "DON'T TELL COMEDY SHOWS".

Alani Apio

Alani Apio grew up in Pu‘uloa—also known as ‘Ewa Beach—in a family of fishermen. He graduated from Kamehameha Schools and the UHM, with a degree in Drama and Theatre. Now, he lives in Kailua and grows some of his own food in his backyard, “’Cause no more ‘nuff fish around nowadays.” Apio is a noted Hawaiian playwright, sculptor, and actor. His plays Kāmau and its sequels Kāmau A’e and Ua Pau tackle complex issues related to Hawaiian identity and family relationships. He’s a founding and current board member of Hui Aloha (huialoha.org) and works as a community consultant for companies on sustainability projects and projects that have potential Native Hawaiian burial issues.