About Us

From working in homeless shelters, to assisting youth in schools, to performing paraprofessional care for adults living with autism, John Walter Whalen has made his life and work a mission to help others and serve his community. John studied microbiology at Piedmont Community College and completed his Associates in Science while working night shifts at UVA Medical Center. During this time, he forged the pathway for Athena Aerial Productions, his first entrepreneurial adventure offering drone imagery to assist neighbors with insurance claims and film for local media. After a decade in the medical field and running Athena Aerial, he was inspired to make the change he wanted to see in the world and follow in his grandfather, Walter Giles’ footsteps - to farm and create fellowship by feeding the community. In the spirit of sustainability, John designed and constructed his first tiny home during the COVID-19 pandemic. He went on to design, build, and sell multiple tiny homes to assist with affordable housing, especially for fellow BIPOC farmers. John studied at Virginia State University to achieve his Certificate in Sustainable Urban Agriculture, leading him to an internship at Sankofa Community Orchard where he has been mentored by nationally recognized farmer and activist, Duron Chavis. John was accepted into the 2024 cohort of the Sankofa Community Orchard Fellowship, and still works in collaboration with Happily Natural Day today. John now serves on the Executive Civic Committee for Greater Fulton in Richmond. He operates multiple grow sites for Bel Walter Farms and grows a variety of exotic plants, vegetables, fruits, and herbs and has taught farming workshops for local youth. He is always interested in connecting with like-minded folks who believe urban farming can also be a revolutionary form of activism. 

An accomplished artist, filmmaker, and photographer, Erika holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography & Film from VCUarts, during which her short film “John” was an official selection in the Yale Student Film Festival and her painting “Flesh” showed in the Anderson Gallery. In 2016, her film “Wisdom Teeth” was awarded The Fourth Wave Feminist Grant. She cast her grandparents who immigrated to the U.S. from Brazil. Spoke in Brazilian-Portuguese, the film explores the trials of an elderly woman nearing the end of life. Erika managed a portrait photography studio for two years and received the District Rookie Everyday Hero award for outstanding photography, however the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to close. In 2023, while she was Film Director for All About Presentation, a local Black woman-owned events and film company, she was tasked with directing, filming, and editing monumental moments in modern-day civil rights history as Team Henry Enterprises removed the A.P. Hill statue in Richmond, and was contracted by the U.S. Army to remove the “Confederate Memorial” in Arlington National Cemetery. She holds a Part 107 drone pilot license to capture aerial imagery since she started her first business in 2017. She also serves on the board of Innovate Fulton, a grassroots nonprofit for her neighborhood, Greater Fulton, where she is working on a documentary about the history of the area. Clients she has created work for include: Venture Richmond, Dominion Energy, George Mason University, James Madison University, Richmond Public Schools, Virginia Dept. of Veterans Services, Luck Stone, Apple TV's Swagger, Happily Natural Day, Black Power Media, and more. She designs branding, creates products, plans community events, and teaches classes at Bel Walter Farms in arts of all mediums including photo & film, acrylic painting, watercolor, charcoal, and murals.