Meet Valentina Gomez | Actress, Singer, Filmmaker & Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Valentina Gomez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Valentina, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Ever since I was a child, I’ve always been exposed to and driven by art. Although acting is my current focus, the first type of art I grew fond of was sketching and painting. My mom used to buy me sketchbooks and she taught me how to draw my first horses. Nowadays, I continue to sketch as a hobby but with a special love for drawing lions on whiteboards and blank papers.

My parents exposed me to music, and led me to a passion for the electric guitar. I was always shy about singing, and it wasn’t until high-school when I gained the confidence to explore that part of me after being in the musical RENT at The American School Foundation in Mexico City, and its now a skill I continue to strengthen. It was at that moment too, when I realized acting was the path I was meant to pursue. I realized acting was the perfect blend of all art forms I’ve always loved, from sketches, to singing, to martial arts, music, and others, as it allowed me to add these features to my characters and find new ways to connect with the world. It wasn’t until high school when this career path became an option for me, and the people around me at the time played a huge role in showing me that my art was in fact touching others, it was worth sharing, and it had to be further developed.

For most of my life I wanted to be a wildlife vet, which is why it caught my family off guard when I drastically changed my path to acting. I dreamt of working with lions, horses, and big cats, but when I realized that by pursuing acting and eventually having a bigger voice with a wider audience I could help animals even more in the long run, the path became clear. Acting is where the purest, most vulnerable version of myself can be found, and I’ve realized that by sharing this, others can feel like they’re being heard and seen too. My artistic career now consists of acting, singing, filmmaking, making music and photography to share with the world. This is why I know that this is was the right career path for me. I know I have the responsibility of sharing others’ stories through my art, which is very exciting, and it motivates me to keep sharing and developing my craft.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m currently about to graduate from AMDA College of the Performing Arts in Los Angeles, where I’ve pursued a degree in acting and performing arts. I’ve been able to grow as an actor and singer, and have found other passions for filmmaking, photography, and film scoring.

I moved to LA in 2021 from Mexico City, where I was born and raised. I’ve always sought to get out of my comfort zone and push my limits, so I knew I had to come to LA and pursue this career with everything I had. I had to follow the fire within me, telling me to try. This has been a mindset I’ve had from the moment I got here, which is why from my first semester at AMDA I began working in film projects with people in my school who were already in their final semesters, as I knew I had a lot to learn. There’s no better teacher than experience, people with more experience than you, and trial and error. This allowed me to always apply my knowledge from class and mentors to my personal projects, and always keep my training active. Because of this, I now manage a production house (Phoenix Productions) with my boyfriend, who is also an actor and an amazing filmmaker (Phoenix Medina). I’ve also realized that every actor should allow themselves to work behind the camera at some point, as I’ve gained so many valuable skills from this. I’ve worked on numerous projects as a cinematographer, have continued to work on my singing career, and have recently made my first soundtrack, completely on my own, to the short-film “ISOLATED” (a film by Phoenix Medina & Phoenix Productions), which we’re working on putting up on film festivals very soon. One of the most amazing skills I’ve grown extremely passionate about throughout my journey is combat for stage and film. From unarmed & daggers, to swords and sticks. It’s a skill I practice constantly, and I intend to keep bringing it into my acing journey with me.

My path has been a very eye-opening one. From learning and understanding the root of human emotions and how I can apply the technical aspects of acting into my work, to learning that not everyone who tries to get close to you will be your friend in this industry, to realizing the beauty and magnitude of touching others through honest art (and understanding that responsibility), to realizing the chilling effect of soundtracks and being able to make them myself, to falling in love with cinema in a way I never knew possible. But above all, this path has taught me to value the ephemerality of life and how to make the most of every moment I can with my loved ones while I can. This is the driving force in my path, and I want to be able to give back to everyone who has played a key role in my artistic and personal development down the road.

Being an international student comes with a lot of complications, but I’ve found that when something is meant for you. doors will open one way or another, and I will do everything I can to make this path one that I will be fortunate enough to pursue for life. I trust God and the universe to guide me in the path that I’m meant to be in. I try to be in control of all the factors I can be in control of, such as my ethic, discipline, and responsibility, and I let everything else fall into place. Perfectionism has always been my blessing and my curse. Art is imperfect, which is what makes it perfect. It’s what makes us human. So finding that balance with making sure I always give the best of myself and accepting when it’s imperfect, has always been a challenge I constantly overcome.

I’ve learned that life can take a lot of unexpected twists and turns throughout my artistic path, so I’ve learned to never take anything for granted and always make the most of the currently-available possibilities in my life. I owe everything I have to this mindset I learned from my parents & family, the education and values they gave me, and the people who’ve supported my path.

What I’m most excited about at the moment, is being able to put all the knowledge I’ve gained throughout the past couple of years out into the world upon my graduation in October. I recently started exploring my art through photography much more in depth and I look forward to sharing it. I’m extremely excited to get started in the Hollywood industry as I can finally say “I’m ready” both personally and professionally. I’m looking forward to sharing my original score for “ISOLATED” and a few other film & music projects I have lined up. I’m ready to showcase all that I’ve been preparing behind the scenes and let my work speak for itself!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
For me, Los Angeles feels like home because it resembles Mexico City in so many ways. It’s a big city, it’s constantly active, there’s so many things to do, delicious restaurants to eat at, and so much to explore. If a friend came to visit me, some of my top picks for plans would be: eating/having a drink at Alma (The Grove), walking around Beverly Hills, hiking with a view and snacks for a picnic, going to a musical at the Pantages, going to a concert at the Hollywood Bowl (I love that you can bring your own snacks and drinks), watching the LA sunset at Griffith Park, taking pictures/videos around the city in fun locations, and probably going to Sushi Stop to top off the night. Universal Studios and watching the Waterworld show there would also be a top pick, with a movie at the AMC Citywalk afterwards. There’s honestly too many fun things to do in LA than I could begin to describe, but the options I mentioned really speak to who I am and some of the things I like to do in my free time here.

Some of the best experiences I’ve had in LA have been related to concerts I’ve been to, which is something I love about this city. There’s so much going on in the film and music industries here, that all sorts of concerts and events happen all the time. For instance, I never would have imagined that a concert of my favorite tv show, Game Of Thrones, existed. Yet I recently went to a live-orchestra experience for it at the Hollywood Bowl where I not only lived one of the most surreal experiences of my life, but I got to meet the composer Ramin Djawadi (whom I deeply admire) by mere coincidence. And the same thing happened to me when I went to see the live-orchestra of The Batman in concert at the Dolby Theatre, where I got to personally meet the amazing composer, Michael Giacchino. These are things that you only see this often in LA, so I would encourage anyone who came to attend a unique concert experience such as one of these!

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?
I would love to dedicate this to my Parents, my Stepdad, my Brother & Sister, my Boyfriend (actor Phoenix Medina), my Aunts & Uncles who’ve supported me, my Grandparents, my Teachers & Mentors, my Best Friends, my current Bosses, the Artists who’s art has motivated me, and the humans who’s stories have inspired me to make my art.

Instagram: @valentinagomeezz (personal/professional) & @valentinagomez.photography (photography page) & @phoenixproductionsdigital (production house page)

Other: TikTok: @valentinagomeezz

Image Credits
Valentina Gomez/ Valentina Gomez Photography/ Caroline Rose