Yuca Soul Media

Yuca Soul Media was established in 2010, inspired by the intersection between people’s socio-cultural history and our expression through sound and images. Yuca Soul Media is my creative and collaborative outlet for urban, world, progressive, and eclectic audio and visual media.

Who am i?

Stephen Smith-Contreras. Arts Manager/Educator/Percussionist/Producer.

Stephen Smith-Contreras’ work as an educator, visual media artist, and musician has been greatly influenced by his multi-cultural upbringing, exposure to the arts, and travels. He has dedicated his career to youth mentorship and advancing social justice principles. In Denver, Colorado, Stephen worked with urban youth and families on educational achievement and artistic excellence. In Los Angeles, California, he empowered homeless families, and worked with urban youth on community arts projects. Since 2011, Stephen has served as a project manager for the YOLA Harmony Project Expo Center Youth Orchestra, a innovative partnership between the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, and the Harmony Project. Modeled after “El Sistema”, Venezuela’s national music training and youth orchestra program, the EXPO Center Youth Orchestra provides over 300 youth in South Los Angeles access to exceptional instrumental and orchestral education.

Stephen holds a graduate degree in music from California State University Los Angeles, and a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Ethnic Studies from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Stephen currently resides in Los Angeles, California with his wife Juana Rosa and two sons Joaquim and Caetano.