People

David de Hilster founded SambaLa Samba School in 1994 and the Brazilian Street Carnaval in 1996 and has done community work for over 17 years.

In 1997, he started the World Samba Home Pages where he helped organized the samba schools from around the world.

Via the World Samba Home Pages in 1998, David founded the project later entitled "Unidos do Mundo" (United World Samba School) where he found Alexandra Pirotelli, webmaster for the League of Samba Schools in Rio de Janeiro (LIESA) Brazil. Together with Alexandra, David brought samba schools from 19 countries around the world to join up with Brazilians to parade in the Sambadrome during the day of champions to form the first samba school comprised by gringo samba dancers and drummers. There, David de Hilster became the first non-Portuguese native speaker to sing in the sambadrome along with Neguinho da Bejia Flor. The project also had the support of the Brazilian government who applauded the project with a standing ovation in 1999. Other support came from Beija-Flor Samba School, the League of Samba Schools of Rio de Janeiro, Composer and musician Martinha da Vila who wrote the samba for the parade, Bete Carvalho who admired David's work, and Carlinhos do Jesus who participated with Unidos do Mundo during the parade.

Through the years, David has forged lasting friendships with people such as Valeria Valenca and Hans Donner, the president's family of Beija-Flor Samba School, Alex de Oliveria (Carnavalesco for Vila Isabel), and Roberto who manufactures Contemporanea drums in Sao Paulo - all who have been involved with the Brazilian Street Carnaval in Long Beach, California.

In 2009, David, his wife Doris and daughter were honored during New York City's Brazilian Day by Regina Caze for their work with SambaLa Samba School and the Brazilian Street Carnaval. There David got so see the workings of the Brazilian Day in New York up close an personal hoping to someday grow the Los Angeles version in the growing phenomena known as "Brazilian Day" started in New York by Joao de Matos.

In 2010 on New Year's day, SambaLa Samba School became the first samba school to parade in the United States' granddaddy of all parades, the Rose Parade.

David de Hilster makes his "real" living as a computer scientist, artist and filmmaker. His documentary Einstein Wrong is slated to come out in 2012 and hit the festival circuits in Europe and the United States.