Meet Mike J. Marin | Independent Filmmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mike J. Marin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mike J., do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
Personally, I don’t believe in giving up or surrendering, especially when it comes to creativity. There’s always another solution, decision, or avenue to explore before coming to a point where you say “Okay, enough.” There may be times when I set something aside, but I always come back to it. I don’t like loose ends. Also, I think of my own personal endurance and how much I can take before I hold my hands up and totally walk away from something. I haven’t met that challenge yet, the one that makes me give up. There’s always miles to go before I sleep.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My wife refers to me as a “serial artist”, as I’m known to focus on one medium at a time over a certain period and then move onto another. I love to draw and I love to do action figure photography, which has become more of a creative therapy for me. But at heart I’m a storyteller. I love to tell and hear stories, especially scary ones. And that’s why I became a horror filmmaker.

But the horror I focus on is derived from the history of the US and its mistreatment of us Native American people and our culture. The elements I pull from contain pieces of real life tragedies we’ve experienced such as abuse, neglect, forced assimilation, and murder. If you really look at it from a cinematic perspective, the history of the United States and Native Americans is a horror franchise that never ends.

In 2016, I wrote, directed and produced my first scary feature film called The Smudging, a supernatural thriller set in the Chicago Native American community. Hence, the genre Urban Native Horror was born. UNH takes traditional Native scary stories and brings them into an urban environment. That was my proudest moment as an independent filmmaker. I didn’t let the skepticism, others and my own, discourage me from fulfilling a challenge I set for myself. I dared myself to make this film, even to become a filmmaker. And when it premiered on the big screen, man, that feeling was indescribable. Just seeing the line around the theater made me feel like I accomplished something I never dreamed I would do.

Through all my filmmaking adventures and awards, the one thing that reminds me constantly of my success is the fact that this horror storytelling is born from my own story of being a sexual abuse survivor. Filmmaking provides a creative outlet for my trauma which manifests into tales of shadows and survival, terror and triumph. And I believe what makes me a successful filmmaker is I not only shoot from the hip, but I talk with my heart.

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.
Anytime my wife and I venture out, the first place we like to hit up is Food Café on Pico in Rancho Park. They treat their customers like family and everyone is on first name basis. The owner Judy and her staff always engage in good convo with their customers. They remember who you are and always make you feel at home. And they got THE best iced tea!

I’m a big old kid and another spot is The Comic Bug in Culver City. The cats that operate that place are some of the coolest I’ve ever met in a comic/collectible shop. They know their customers and what we like and never hesitate to inform you on what’s new and hot.

I’m 31 years sober but I can tell you the best iced tea is at Food on Pico!

Another good haunts of mine is Blast from the Past on Magnolia in Burbank. The owner Larry has the absolute best dad jokes and their staff knows their stuff. I’ve been going there since moving to LA in 2016 and you can sometimes find me there in the last Fridays of the month doing action figure photography signings. In the collectible community, Blast is my church.

When I need a quiet place to write, no place is more comfortable that the UCLA Faculty Club. Shoutout to Veronica and Rosa who always greet us with a smile and never let me sit with an empty glass.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
In 2002, I met my wife, Dr. Ananda Marin, in Chicago. From day one, she has always been my strongest support system and advocate for not only my creativity, but my life and character as well. She doesn’t let me quit and never says “I don’t know.” She’s my senpai, my angel and my savior. She’s a true representation of what dedication means to me. The hardships and challenges she’s had in her life never stopped her from achieving her goals and ambitions. I mean she’ll never tell you that she got her BA at Yale, her MA at Harvard, and then her Phd at Northwestern, but I will because I’m proud of her. I’m proud and honored to see this remarkable human being come from such adversity in her past and then rise to be this warrior in the collegiate level of education. My wife is my hero and there ain’t a hard time been invented that she cannot handle. 

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Image Credits
Ro Delacruz