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Meet the person behind 'The People of Sacramento'

With the Golden 1 Center getting ready to open its doors, there has been a lot of #SacramentoProud going around the city. A lot of that sentiment is being shared on social media, including a local blog and Instagram account, all about local pride.

With the Golden 1 Center getting ready to open its doors, there has been a lot of #SacramentoProud going around the city. A lot of that sentiment is being shared on social media, including a local blog and Instagram account, all about local pride.

The person behind "The People of Sacramento" is 24-year-old Sacramento native Zayn Silmi.

Silmi is a coffee lover and former coffee shop owner, so it's no surprise that this great idea came to him while sipping on a cup of coffee at local hot spot, Temple Coffee.

"I remember the day, sitting there with group of friends like 'Hey guys I have this idea', Silmi remembered. ”I started the Instagram, got the domain, right in that coffee shop. Hit it with that first post."

One of the first posts that took off was a view he captured of the iconic Tower Bridge.

Silmi said it was a time when Instagram was blowing up in Sacramento. It was important for him to capture creative photos and highlight Sacramento in a positive light for people around the world.

The concept is similar to world-famous "Humans of New York" but Silmi doesn't go up to random people in the streets. Instead he focuses on local people with different backgrounds, but they all have one thing in common - a dream.

"It's just really important that I told stories and created a platform that would spotlight the people within my city," Silmi said. "Their stories are going to inspire people around the city to make a difference."

People, passion, and positivity are the three “P”s his work represents. His goal also comes in threes: inspire, empower and create.

"I want a 7-year-old kid who wants to be an artist one day to go on "People of Sacramento" and see somebody right from his city that blew up, someone like David Garabaldi," Silmi said. "Like his story is incredible."

In two years, the Instagram has grown to about 20,000 followers. The blog has about 80,000. Zayn credits his success to who else? The people of Sacramento.

"The community here supports anything to the [maximum] if they believe it and love it," Silmi said.

For Silmi, there is still room to grow. He's currently working on #SacramentoProud-themed apparel, like hats and T-shirts. And as he builds his brand with an iced vanilla latte by his side, he still makes sure to celebrate each and every milestone.

"Every 1000 followers the blog gets," Silmi said. "I have like a cappuccino."

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