[#TAKEOVER] Hey there! I’m Ulises, but people call me Uli (@uroman). I’m a photographer and videographer who’s had the good fortune of having been able to travel to over 15 different countries and more than 50 cities in the last 5 years! I enjoy playing soccer, drinking more coffee than I should, editing videos way too late into the night, and enjoying a good skateboard ride around the LBC. Despite having lived abroad and having traveled around the world, there’s just nothing quite like coming home and having it be 80 degrees in January! Join me this week as I give you all a glimpse of the Sights and Sounds from around the city and share with you the unique perspectives I see through my lens. ### We’re letting a few #lbpost readers take over our Instagram for a week to showcase how they live #LongBeach. This week, @uroman shows you his #LifeinLB.

A post shared by Long Beach Post (@longbeachpost) on Jan 15, 2018 at 10:05am PST

It’s #TakeoverTuesday, when we pull our most recent Instagram takeover participant off the ‘gram and onto our website for a fun Q&A on what they’re all about.

Last week, Ulises Roman (@uroman) brought @longbeachpost followers a slew of entertaining videos featuring scenes from all around the city. We asked the world traveler about coming home, what inspires him to create and more.

This interview was lightly edited for clarity.

How were you able to travel to so many countries over the last five years?

My girlfriend and I have been to over 15 countries and more than 50 cities in the last five years. I’ve had the great opportunity to live in La Coruña, Spain for a year and in Busan, South Korea for two. Both times I went with my girlfriend of five years to teach English. It’s incredible how many places you can go to and make a living out of teaching English nowadays. It’s a wonderful experience as it forces you to live in a completely new place with different people and different cultures. You learn so much about the country you’re living in and about yourself. All in all, it was an unforgettable experience that allowed us to live in different parts of the world and let us travel to a lot of the surrounding areas during our time there.

 

What do you think it is about Long Beach that you love coming home to?

Long Beach has always been home. So ultimately it’s as easy as that—it’s home. My friends are here. My family is here. But when you leave and then come back, you find so much more love for the city you’re from. You pay attention to so much more that perhaps before you took for granted. As I said in one of my videos last week, “things may not be perfect, but it is 75 degrees in January”. Sometimes it’s too easy to get all wrapped up in the rat race that is life here, but when you take a second to look around, it can be hard to complain at times.

We live in this nestled little city by the coast away from the chaotic traffic of LA, yet close enough that if one of our favorite artists is in town we can go and watch them and come home all in the same night. We have the coast, perfect weather year round, incredible diversity, great food, and so much more!

 

[#TAKEOVER] The 2nd in a series of Sights and Sounds videos that showcase a bit of the different locations around the city. This time we explore all of the wonderful color around Long Beach thanks to the work and dedication of all of the artists who’ve made the city a more vibrant place to live. I couldn’t get to all of them, but these are just a few of an incredible collection that spans across the entire city. Hats off to all of you who make our city a more colorful and more beautiful place to live and thanks to those who organize, promote, and support these artists. ### @bodeckhernandezart @davevanpatten @the_hula @kashnik1 @telmomiel @sarah_joncas @felipepantona @ernestzacharevic @sparc_eg @klyonsatborn @dulk1 @jason_keam @tracy_negrete @goopmassta @dabsmyla @powwowlongbeach ### #longbeach Beach #lbc #sightsandsounds #city #california #art #murals #powwowlongbeach #color ### We’re letting a few #lbpost readers take over our Instagram for a week to showcase how they live #LongBeach. This week, @uroman shows you his #LifeinLB.

A post shared by Long Beach Post (@longbeachpost) on Jan 16, 2018 at 10:16am PST

How did you get into video?

I started with photography. It was a way of capturing moments during our travels. Before I knew it though, I began to shoot video while we were on the road. It was a way to create a visual diary, if you will—something to look back on and remember our trips. I wasn’t making the videos for the world to see. It was much more personal in the beginning. But then I started to get better at it and I really enjoyed capturing the essence of the cities we were in. That’s how it started. Before I knew it, I was making videos of every city we were in. When we finally made it back home, it only felt natural to do the same for Long Beach.

 

[#TAKEOVER] Today we pay tribute to the hundreds of skaters around the city that make up the world renowned skate culture that of Southern California and Long Beach. I grew up skating myself when I was younger, so it’s easy to sit at the skatepark and marvel at some of the stuff these guys can do. But skaters often get misrepresented as punks or rebels looking for trouble and causing havoc. While that’s a gross generalization, I tend to see beyond that and instead go watch them practice their craft. These are some of the most persistent, dedicated, and incredibly talented individuals that form tight-knit communities and push one another to strive for their goals. Next time you have some time, stand outside the railings at Bixby Park and watch these guys do their thing as they nollie-flip, frontside-blunt, or frontside-flip their way to the top. #skate #skatelb #longbeach #lb #cherrypark #california ### We’re letting a few #lbpost readers take over our Instagram for a week to showcase how they live #LongBeach. This week, @uroman shows you his #LifeinLB.

A post shared by Long Beach Post (@longbeachpost) on Jan 17, 2018 at 11:00am PST

What are some projects you’re looking forward to working on this year?

There’s projects I’m more excited than others for, but ultimately they all bring a new experience. One thing I’m really excited to continue making videos and taking pictures of this year is the city itself. This city just gives and gives. There’s so many neighborhoods, so many different scenes, so many people, and so many different things to capture. I think part of the reason my first Long Beach video did so well was because it reminded people that this is their city. This is the city we all grew up in and love. It was just painted in a different light and it reminded us all that it’s ours and that we can enjoy it. If I can continue to do that this year I’ll be extremely happy.

You can check out more of Roman’s work on his personal website here.

Asia Morris is a Long Beach native covering arts and culture for the Long Beach Post. You can reach her @hugelandmass on Twitter and Instagram and at asia@lbpost.com.