WE ARE YUQ STUDIOS
YUQ Studios began in 2020 as a creative collaboration between artists Calla and Josh La Cour, offering affordable photography/videography across Los Angeles. Rooted in the city’s vibrant LGBT+ nightlife community, YUQ Studios quickly became known for bold visuals and fresh storytelling.
In 2021, the team opened their first physical location, YUQ Studios Mid-City, and expanded their work into editorial, headshot, and event photography while officially launching the "YUQ" brand. Between 2021-2024 the brand continued to grow, and launched new live events to support their growing roster of artist clientele and brands.
By 2025, YUQ Studios grew into a full Los Angeles creative studio with the acquisition of their new YUQ Studios DTLA location. Today, YUQ Studios offers photo, video and film production services, building partnerships with artists, small businesses, agencies, and cultural organizations across the city.
disgustingly beautiful images.
obscenely original stories.
meet the team
OWNER & Studio Director
JOSH LA COUR
Josh La Cour (he/they/she) is a theater professional, visual artist, drag artist, circus artist and all-around creative force. As the co-founder of YUQ Studios, Josh brings over ten years of production experience across theater, film, photography and mixed media. Known for a keen eye for striking visual imagery and compelling stage productions, Josh’s portfolio includes partnerships with celebrity drag artists from RuPaul’s Drag Race, collaborations with local talent on photo and video projects, and the creation of immersive live events throughout Los Angeles. As our Studio Director, Josh combines artistic vision with technical expertise to help every client bring their creative ideas to life.
Owner & Lead Producer
CALLA
Calla Faeria (they/them) is a Los Angeles–based photographer, filmmaker and performance artist whose work explores memory, nostalgia and nostophobia through instant portraits, archival interviews and original narrative films. Calla is the Co-Founder and Lead Producer at YUQ Studios, as well as the founder of Faerialand, a California-based nonprofit. Their photography has been featured in exhibitions like It’s Where I Belong: 40 Years and More of Drag in West Hollywood at the ONE Institute and Vestite, a queer zine and public-art project sponsored by the City of West Hollywood. In 2025 Calla produced their first short film, MONES, with Zackary Drucker and Plattinum Productions, which premiered at OutFestNext 2026 and has received additional screenings at Out on Film Atlanta, Cindependent Film Festival and Nashville Film Festival. Calla continues to operate as a Lead Producer on films directed by rising queer filmmakers like, River Gallo, Amos Mac and Ariel Mahler.
Producer
BETTI
Betti (she/her) is an actor, writer, producer and drag artist. You may recognize her from her role as Trish on HBO Max’s original series The Sex Lives of College Girls (2021-2025; Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble) or from her debut project MONES (2025; Zackary Drucker) which debuted at OutfestNext in 2026. Betti is the founder of Plattinum Productions, a family production company, whose mission is to connect emerging filmmakers with emerging technologies. She is one of the 2025 members of the Transgender Film Center Career Development Lab, and recognized as a “multi-hyphenated creator to watch.”
Terra Sonstegard
Production Office
Terra Sonstegard (she/they) is a Los Angeles-based performance artist, harm reduction advocate and film enthusiast. Utilizing her experience in political campaigning and academic writing, Terra assists in grant applications, financial sourcing and copyediting. She also serves on our digital marketing team. Terra has a love for trans representation in media, and a disdain for cilantro.
Elliott Handloser
Production Office
Elliott Handloser (he/they) is a queer trans man with a passion for film, television and social justice. Elliott graduated from UCLA School of Law in 2022 with a specialization in entertainment law, and has experience in the business affairs department at Amazon MGM. Elliott works as an Assistant Director on YUQ Studios shoots and brings his knowledge of negotiations and production agreements to the team.