We had the good fortune of connecting with Marina Sakimoto & Edwin Gomez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Marina Sakimoto & Edwin Gomez, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
Edwin: “We’re on a mission from God.” -Blues Brothers, (1980). As a kid, I grew up watching the Blues Brothers and I’ve quoted them ever since. I’m on a mission every day of my life — and I’m not religious per say, but I feel like the Man upstairs is next to me every single day. I just love that line.

Marina: I remember hanging on to every word of Conan O’Brien’s finale speech in 2021, and one of the last things he said was, “Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.” I try to take that to heart now more than ever.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Marina: On the creative side, I manage all of the branding, graphic design, content, and marketing with Physical Media Society. I am also studying to become a UX/UI Designer to advance my skills further. My background is studying Music Business at Musicians Institute as well as being an indie musician for many years, so I incorporate any knowledge and experience I have into PMS. I am incredibly excited to be releasing my second vinyl record as Shunkan called “Kamikaze Girl” via Rite Field Records this summer. I would like to explore how we can incorporate music with Physical Media Society, as I would love to highlight vinyl records and cassette tapes alongside VHS and 35MM film.

Edwin: It all started when I worked at the Vista Theater. It was the very first job I ever had, and it was very fitting for me, since I loved movies so much. At one midnight screening, they showed a 35MM print film, and the guy running it had a group called Secret Movie Club. I asked if I could join, and since then, I’ve always wanted to program movies. When Marina and I started Physical Media Society, it gave us a chance to program movies we love and showcase films that never get shown. I’m also in the process of directing my first short film that I’m very excited about. Marina is doing the music and helped pick out the costumes. We’ve both come a long way, and we’ve learned a lot from different people about programming.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Edwin: Man, where to begin? Well, first off, I’d take ’em to some of the best theaters in Los Angeles, like the Vista, New Beverly Cinema, Egyptian, and the Cinerama Dome (once it reopens, hopefully). Oh, and I almost forgot, the Fox Westwood Theatre. My perfect hangout spot is usually in Burbank, specifically Magnolia Blvd, which has some of the best vintage clothing and physical media shops. Another great spot is Cinefile Video, one of the greatest video rental stores in LA. It’s like Cheers, but instead of a bar, it’s a video store because everyone knows your name there. Now, for food, I know some great spots. For good pizza, I’ve got two places: Dino’s Pizza in Burbank and Pizzanista in the Arts District — two of the best pizzas in Los Angeles. And for a good sit-down place, it’s usually the Coral Cafe and Fred 62, both great diners with good food. To top it all off, we’d visit some of the filming locations for Chinatown, Heat, To Live and Die in L.A., and Vice Squad… All great LA movies.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We’d like to give a huge shoutout to the following people: Lauren Wolfer, James Healey (Hollywood Book & Poster), Judy Kim (Gardena Cinema), Ryan Burr, Bri Roberts (Scents of Cinema), Daniel Tafoya, John Duarte, Cinefile Video, and our team Marisa Lopez and Connor Lloyd Crews.

Website: https://physicalmediasociety.com

Instagram: physicalmediasociety

Image Credits
Personal photo taken by Samuel Parker Smith. Remaining photos taken by Marina Sakimoto except for portrait of Marina (taken by Dave Puckett).

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