Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope you’re all enjoying the holiday season. After an incredible two weeks packed with Ultraman fun, I had the privilege of closing out the final hours of the Ultraman: LIVE event at American Dream Mall with a special sit-down interview. Featuring the amazing father-daughter duo, Jeff and Evangelia Gomez.
As we talked, the two reflected on their experiences throughout the event, sharing moments and the energy that made the Ultraman celebration worthwhile and unforgettable. And for fans, teased just a small bit at what we can expect for next year’s 60th anniversary of Ultraman.
Jeff Gomez is the CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment and the driving force behind Ultraman Connection. His daughter, Evangelia Gomez, is the Editorial Coordinator for Starlight Runner and serves as a writer for Ultraman Connection.
Joseph Acosta
Well, hello everybody. We are now in the final hours of Ultraman LIVE, and I’m here with Jeff Gomez and his daughter Evangelia Artemis-Gomez. How are you guys doing?
Jeff Gomez
We’re doing okay. It’s been quite a week.
Evangelia Artemis-Gomez
Yeah, doing great! It never gets old! Yay!
Joseph Acosta
That’s fantastic. The first question I have for you… what has been the most rewarding moment for you guys personally throughout this entire week dedicated to Ultraman? Let’s start off with you, Jeff.
Jeff Gomez
Oh, my gosh, there have been so many! Just seeing the characters interact with the children of America at this kind of scale is just overwhelming. It’s incredible. But a personal moment was this morning hanging with Evangelia and myself at the side of the stage, shooting it for Tsuburaya, and essentially being backstage while the show was going on, and yet being a part of the whole thing. It reminded me of every wonderful moment I’ve had with tokusatsu since I was a kid.
Evangelia Artemis-Gomez
Yeah, for me, it’s being up here. So there’s like a whole view of, the stage from above. And even though people can’t hear it as well, hearing the little kids scream “Go Ultra heroes!” at the top of their lungs because they’re reading it from the screen… it’s just the sweetest thing in the world, especially for the kids who have never seen Ultraman before and are just immediately falling in love with him right now.
Joseph Acosta
That’s great. So looking back at these small performances, you know, like at New York Comic-Con, then G-FEST, what drove you, your team, and Tsuburaya Productions to take this big leap into the American Dream? And could we see this come back again somehow, whether it’s G-FEST or somewhere else?
Jeff Gomez
Well, you know, mostly the New York contingent, the New York team, represents Ultraman Connection. We were the first foot from Tsuburaya Productions into the American fan base, and built that website, UltramanConnection.com. One of the very first things that I talked to Tsuburaya about in our first meeting in Tokyo, Japan, was I want the live show to come to America.
And to my delight, they said, Oh, well, let’s experiment a little bit. And we did that with the conventions & the appearances, bringing some of the characters to the shows. And each one of them was successful. So this is a little step-by-step thing, which was vastly assisted this time by Bandai Namco.
Evangelia Artemis-Gomez
Yeah, yeah. I mean, I think one of the best live shows was at Anime Expo, because we got to see the full light show and we had the sound stage, and it was just so epic, and I would love to see more of that.
Joseph Acosta
How has the reception been from the families and newcomers to tokusatsu at these live events? And what do you hope that they take away from the show?
Jeff Gomez
What I really think is that they’re seeing something in many ways that they’ve not really seen before, which is this: The presentation is not pretending that it’s an actual show. They’re not creating special effects and things like that that are meant to convince you of the absolute reality of this. The artifice causes the audience to kind of make the leap, and in making the leap, there is affection, because they’re real, they’re tangible, in front of you, and they’re interacting directly with you. That generates instant warmth. So our observation is that the audience, even if they don’t quite know who Ultraman is, they may be vaguely aware; they instantly fall in love with these heroes who are trying so hard and need their help in order to surmount this incredible challenge.
Evangelia Artemis-Gomez
I mean, yeah, the practical suits, just watching them move around and almost dance in their choreography is just entrancing to people. Like, we’ve seen frat bros who have never heard of Ultraman stop in their tracks and watch the whole show, and end up cheering for Ultraman just because it evokes a childlike whimsy to have to suspend disbelief and immerse yourself in it. I think right now we’re fed a lot of content that’s trying to, like, stimulate our dopamine sensors, and so making that leap is a refreshing new thing for a lot of people.
Joseph Acosta
So next year, as we head into this huge anniversary, and me being a physical media buff, what can we expect?
Jeff Gomez
Wow. There are a few things lined up, which began with Ultraman 4K Discovery, which I think just came out, and which is gorgeous. It’s a taste of things to come when it comes to the Ultraman 4K, the entire series, which will be out next year, as well as Ultraseven. Mill Creek [Alliance Home Entertainment] also has a couple of other really fun plans for Blu-rays coming out that I can’t quite talk about yet. Evangelia reviews the DVDs for Ultraman Connection.
Joseph Acosta
That’s great! (To Evangelia) What has been your favorite release so far?
Evangelia Artemis-Gomez
Hmmm… I love the Blu-ray on Ultraman Max. That was such a fun one. It looks great. Yeah. I mean, I love all of them. I was introduced to [Ultraman] Blazar, so I’m really looking forward to that.
Joseph Acosta
(To Jeff) You mentioned Ultraman 4K Discovery. What influenced the decision to put that out as sort of a “primer” before the full 4K restoration of the original Ultraman series?
Jeff Gomez
Well, a lot of progress had been made on the 4K, and we wanted to give people a taste of it. But also, this coming year is indeed the 60th anniversary of the entire franchise. And the thing that 4K Discovery does is it delves into some of the themes, the deeper themes of Ultraman as a story world, a universe, to talk about what distinguishes Ultraman and makes what he has to say important. So it’s really, actually kind of touching, 4K Discovery. And, from that perspective, there’s a little extra footage there that does frame these episodes in the Blu-ray.
Joseph Acosta
Where can the public preorder these, or just order them in general?
Jeff Gomez
Sure. It’s available on Amazon. All of them will be or have been. Mill Creek’s new name is Alliance [Home Entertainment]. You’ll be able to find them there as well.
Joseph Acosta
How do you think Ultraman has succeeded as a transmedia franchise in the US?
Jeff Gomez
He’s singing my song! (laughs)
Joseph Acosta
That was a Jacob question!
Jeff Gomez
You’re seeing it right here. This live show is what we call a “franchise extension,” but it is also, in some ways, transmedia. We get to see the very first meeting between Ultraman Omega and the original Ultraman and Ultraman Zero. To the audience who loves Ultraman, that is a beautiful addition to the story world.
We have tried to take special care to get all of our licensees, including companies like Marvel and Netflix, to understand what this kind of Ultraman Multiverse is about, how these components are interconnected. They are in some way interconnected to a greater kind of continuum. And to be able to maintain that and push forward with it so that we can get more content across all media platforms in concert is the shining goal for us.
Evangelia Artemis-Gomez
Yeah, I mean, transmedia is all about different ways audiences engage with content. And right now we can see the audience literally charging up our heroes with their energy and their power. And that’s a way that you just can’t engage with it. When you’re at home, you can enjoy it. This very personal, intimate experience. But seeing everybody in a crowd actually giving Ultraman the power that we see in the show, in the movies, it’s like nothing like anything else.
Joseph Acosta
What’s one aspect of the Ultraman universe you think is still underrated or underexplored, even after all these years?
Jeff Gomez
Even after all these years? I love the very, very early history of the Ultras. What happened with the plasma spark, what happened with the great, epic, cosmic wars that occurred that moved the Ultras from people who were just kind of recovering from a terrible catastrophe to people who became the Ambassadors of Light across the universe. To me, that’s an amazing kind of space opera that’s in the deep, deep lore of the Ultraman universe.
Evangelia Artemis-Gomez
I love anything that has to do with the Kaiju Graveyard. So, anything we can get with the Kaiju Graveyard? I want more of that. (Jeff laughs)
Joseph Acosta
After spending so much time immersed in Ultraman across events, productions, and planning, has your relationship with the character changed?
Jeff Gomez
It’s deepened, man. I really have come to understand Ultraman better than I thought I did, originally, and a lot of that comes from the tacit agreement between Ultraman and children, that he is there for them, that he stands for them, and that his value system is what makes all of us kind of ultra – to aspire to his value system. That’s really beautiful. And understanding the distinction between the personalities of all these characters and where they fit in this kind of greater cosmology. It’s really kind of fascinating and malleable; something for the fans to play with and something for us to play with the fans with. So, I really appreciate that about Ultraman.
Evangelia Artemis-Gomez
I started as a total noob, a total noob. Being part of Ultraman Connection, I’ve gotten to learn so much about Ultraman, and I think one of my favorite parts that distinguishes Ultraman from other heroes, especially Western heroes, is that you don’t have to be bitten by a spider, born on another planet, born into a rich family, and have all this technology. If you are a good person, you can be sought out to become an Ultra. And I think that’s so inspirational.
Jeff Gomez
Oh, that’s perfect.
Joseph Acosta
There’s been a lot of fan demand for the live shows to continue. Do you think we might see it expand into new locations next year?
Jeff Gomez
With every fiber of my being, I want to see it proliferate. I would love to see Ultraman show up in major cities across the country, and even in Canada if possible. I think that we’re going to be taking a good, strong look at the results of the American Dream activation and everything else that happens in New York City, and hopefully, the answer will be yes.
Joseph Acosta
So after a long schedule and many milestones this week, what’s the first thing you two are going to do to unwind after this successful event?
Jeff Gomez
Sleep! (laughs)
Evangelia Artemis-Gomez
Yes, finally get some sleep! (laughs)
Joseph Acosta
Is there anything you’d like to say to the fans directly who’ve been here throughout this long journey, whether they’re lifelong fans or discovering Ultraman for the first time?
Jeff Gomez
Well, to all the fans of Kaiju United, and to the hardcore fans who’ve been with us since we first brought Ultraman back to the United States, I say thank you so much for your incredible support. At first there weren’t many of us, but we cared and loved each and every one of you. And Tsuburaya sat up and paid attention! That is the direct result of your feedback and your input and your support of us. And we cannot thank you any more than, well, bringing the show to you here at American Dream.
Joseph Acosta
I can’t thank you enough for bringing it here
Jeff Gomez
Thank you.
Evangelia Artemis-Gomez
So tell your friends, and let’s make it even bigger.
Joseph Acosta
Jeff, Evangelia. Thank you so much. Happy Thanksgiving to those at Kaiju United. We’ll see you next time!
It was an honor not only to chat with them both, but also to spend the past two weeks alongside Jeff, Evangelia, and the entire Tsuburaya/Starlight Runner team. Sharing in their passion, creativity, and dedication made this Ultraman celebration even more meaningful. And after everything I’ve seen and heard, I can’t wait for next year. The 60th Anniversary is already shaping up to be something genuinely special.
