Meet Marvin Valencia / Erick Solis | co-founders

We had the good fortune of connecting with Marvin Valencia / Erick Solis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Marvin Valencia / Erick Solis, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Our work-life balance has definitely improved over time. In the beginning, things were a bit all over the place—we didn’t have a set schedule, and shoots would happen randomly depending on our availability. But as we got more creative and started taking on more projects, we realized how important structure was. Now, we’ve dedicated Saturday mornings as our consistent shoot day. Having that set time each week has really helped us stay organized and maintain a better balance with everything else we have going on.

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.
We’re really proud that the content we create makes people from South Central feel proud of where they’re from. Too often, our community is overlooked or misunderstood—but through our work, we’re able to highlight the culture, the beauty, and the everyday moments that make South Central so special.

What sets us apart is our connection to the people and places we document. We’re not outsiders coming in—we live here, we grew up here, and we know the importance of telling stories from the inside out. Our goal has always been to showcase our neighborhood with love and honesty.

Getting to where we are today definitely hasn’t been easy. We didn’t come into this with connections, funding, or formal training. We just started with what we had and a real passion to represent our community. One big lesson we learned early on is that perfectionism doesn’t matter when we’re documenting real life. The beauty is in the raw, the authentic, and the in-between moments.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If a friend was visiting South Central for a week, we’d give them the real South Central tour.

Mornings would begin with cafecito from local South Central-owned spots like Cafe Calle, or some fresh conchas and café de olla from La Maple Bakery.

We’d spend 2-3 days just eating our way through Mercado La Paloma. There’s so many food vendors there to try—Oaxacali, and more.

On one of the nights, maybe we will hit the BMO Stadium to catch an LAFC game. Just the cherry on top to add to the full modern South Central LA experience.

The rest of the week would be filled with cruising the city, stopping at local pop-ups and grabbing tacos off any local food stands. It’s all about showing love to the places and people that make our community special.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Absolutely. The everyday working class of South Central is the heart of our inspiration and the reason we do what we do. Their hustle, resilience, and authenticity fuel our creative vision. We started documenting life in our community to highlight the beauty, strength, and stories that often go unseen. This shoutout is for them—for showing up every day, pushing forward, and reminding us why our work matters.

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Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FoosInMedia