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Black Friday: A day when the average shopper undergoes a twisted transformation, as if the emergence of red sales tags triggers the uprising of zombie shoppers, desperately huuuunnngryyy fooorr baaaargaains. The brave venture out at 4 a.m. to hit the sales; the crazy camp on the sidewalks hours before; and the naïve eagerly try a hand at their first Black Friday mid-afternoon “adventure.”

From cycling to krumping to guerilla gardening to roller derby, subcultures in Southern California all have their own special stories. And “SubCultures,” a new ongoing documentary series sponsored by Rainn Wilson’s company SoulPancake, is here to share those gems with you.

The road from heavy prescription medicine usage to heroin addiction is short and devastating. And the road from addiction to overdose is just as brief and tumultuous. An increasing number of drug addiction-related deaths in the wealthy suburban Southern California is the result of young and privileged adults gaining access to prescription medicine and getting hooked. As money dwindles, they turn to a more affordable vice: heroin.

All might not be well financially for the Bob Baker Marionette Theater, but veteran puppeteer Bob Baker refuses to give up without a fight. Even though his theater is under the threat of foreclosure, Baker is staying so positive that he even has grand plans to expand the theater that he opened in 1961.

When Marco Lira was growing up in Simi Valley, he would never hesitate to put together a fundraiser for those in need. He and his musician friends organized local concerts and would donate the money they raised to the hungry, the sick or the victims of international disasters.

Colby Evett wanted to fly actual airplanes, but he couldn’t because of his poor eyesight. So instead of calling it quits completely, he fulfilled his aviation dreams on a smaller—though just as grand—scale: building models and sharing that joy with his customers at his hobby shop.

Step aside, Snooki and the Situation—it’s time for the West Coast to showcase its own loud and inebriated young population against the backdrop of Koreatown.

When 29-year-old U.S. Navy petty officer Emily Valenzuela returned home to San Diego from seven months at sea, she couldn’t wait to see her beloved dog Bert. But Valenzuela’s high hopes were crushed when her puggle was nowhere in sight.

When actress Mila Kunis isn’t starring in movies alongside a potty-mouthed teddy bear or voicing Meg Griffin on “Family Guy,” she enjoys giving Banksy a run for his money on the streets of Los Angeles.