Meet Yoko Kohmoto | Film Producer

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

Hi Yoko, why did you pursue a creative career?
I can’t imagine doing anything else. When I had a crisis at 22 (ha!) about what to do with my life, I realized that all my life I’ve relied on the arts and being around creative people (I’m a theatre kid – but don’t get it twisted, I was backstage), and I didn’t have that anymore in my work at the time. Producing movies is where I’ve found myself after trying various things – like trying all the different sports as a kid, but this time I actually found something I both enjoy and am good at.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I hold great pride in my producing core values, which I will undoubtedly add to in time – I am keeping a note in my Notes App – but I hope and believe that when someone decides to work with me, they can trust that I will hold these values as close to me as I possibly can:
OUT with the model of mining marginalized storytellers for their stories (as in, for profit) without taking care of them and the stories along the way, IN with providing support (including therapy, space, and time) for artists who are sharing personal stories that may be traumatic to unearth. OUT with just lifting up marginalized directors without their support system and trusted collaborators, IN with bringing artist families up together and giving opportunities to marginalized artists in other departments. OUT with “that’s just how it’s always been,” IN with “what if we tried it this way?”

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?
There are infinite people to shout out – but one I don’t shout out enough is my little sister. A year or so ago, she asked me as we were falling asleep on a trip to California: “you do so much for me, what do I do for you?” I don’t know what I said at the time (I was literally falling asleep), but I should have said “so much that I could tear up talking about it for a publication a year from now.” She keeps me humble and grounded, which is so necessary being in an industry like this, while always making sure that I know I am loved and appreciated. I hope she doesn’t read this.

Website: https://yokokohmoto.com

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