The 3 Costa Ricans are talented and have strengths in their respective areas: Miguel and Dennis Gómez have a proven track record in the area of directing films and commercials. Some of his crowded films include the highest-grossing local film in Central America: Maikol Jordan from ViajePerdido (US$3 million).
JesyOdio is an independent film producer based in Los Angeles, United States, for 15 years. She has produced both feature films as well as music videos. The most recent is Jaded, by Miley Cyrus, which was released a few days ago. But this last one, Odio, was produced under the protection of the new company that she and the Gómez brothers formed and that recently saw the light of day in this huge city on the west coast.
The company is called ‘Baby Atómica’, whose objective is to become a multipurpose and flexible space for collaboration between artists, as explained by Jesy and Miguel in an interview. “Whether it is to set up a gallery, projections or showcases, we want our studio to be a versatile setting. “It is a place that supports all kinds of content creators. We want to create a community where ideas and collaboration flourish”, said Odio.
How did the contact between them come about?
Gómez said that years ago he made a trip to Los Angeles for work related to one of his films, specifically the audio mixes for MaikolYordan. There she met Jesy’s father (Peter Odio), who told her about her daughter and what she was studying at UCLA.
Sometime later, in a conversation with the director Paz León, she told him about JesyOdio. Miguel assures that it was no longer just a simple coincidence. It was then that, in September of last year, both began to talk at a dinner at the home of Hernán Jiménez in Los Angeles.
There, they saw that there were common visions-not necessarily the same- and a great desire to conquer the world. And that is how the Gómez and Odio brothers joined their minds, wills and resources to create ‘Baby Atómica’. The name appeals to the possibility that the firm has of being disruptive without losing the collaborative (community) and diverse sense. This is because there is room for different artistic expressions: music, plastic arts, painting, cinema, and commercials. Jesy emphasizes the importance of a sense of support among compatriots, especially when it comes to Ticos seeking better opportunities in the United States.
The projects that are about to come
Miguel commented that ‘Baby Atómica’ is currently working on the pre-production of 3 feature films. These are jobs for which the company is seeking resources. In fact, last Friday they appeared in Cannes, France, for the presentation of the 3 proposals.
The first is Fanfiction, a story that follows a fan in love with a SoundCloud rapper, whose written fictions start to come true. Then there’s Modern Legends, a film franchise that revisits Latin American legends from an adventure-horror perspective. Finally, there is Chronocápsulas, a project that tells the story of Samantha, a young woman who can travel through time thanks to new technology. This story was born of a broken heart, they both told with a laugh.
‘BabyAtomica’
In fact, regarding these last 2 projects, both assured that they are designed and thought to become franchises for sequels. Despite being full of these proposals, Odio and Gómez assured that they do not want to neglect Costa Rica. “I don’t want to neglect what has been done in Costa Rica. In Costa Rica, you can make very beautiful productions, although there is no infrastructure like other countries, it is a place to work and invest”, commented Miguel.
