Today we’d like to introduce you to Cory Baker.
Hi Cory, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Seaside Cinema was born in 2020 — right in the middle of the pandemic.
At the time, I had just closed the doors to my previous business, Portacade, a retro video game pop-up arcade that partnered with restaurants and breweries around San Diego. COVID put the kibosh on that real quick which was a shame because I really loved that one.
At the same time, my health was declining due to cancer, auto immune disease and radiation damage to my lungs. I made the difficult decision to step away from a traditional 9-5 and focus on my health. Around that same period, my wife and I found out we were expecting our baby boy. It was a pretty wild year for sure… medically, financially, and emotionally absolute roller coaster
.
BUutt that’s when Seaside Cinema entered my life!
The original concept wasn’t mine. Born out of Covid19 and a need to be outside doing something a local couple had started doing projector date nights on the beach, and I came across them on Instagram. With my background in events and tech from Portacde. It was oddly perfect for me so I reached out to help with setups. As it turned out, they were preparing to leave San Diego and offered me the opportunity to take over the company.
After discussing with my wife we decided we’d give it a go. We purchased the rights and began building it into what it is today.
Seaside Cinema has become more than a business to me. It’s hardwork, and it’s rewarding, and allows me to bring something to San Diego that people truly enjoy.
Because my health is unpredictable and I spend a lot of time in and out of hospitals, or just having trouble breathing I needed something I could shape around my schedule. This business allows me to work hard on my own terms. On my good days I can work and on days I need rest I can rest.
My wife and I began creating themed experiences halloween setups, easter picnics, Valentines Nights, Cozy Christmas movies with popcorn, candy canes and xmas lights, birthdays, and proposals. We built the website, refined the aesthetic, and made each event feel intentional and immersive.
If you ever see a guy at the beach setting up a movie screen while wearing an oxygen machine — that’s me.
Six years later, we’re still going strong. We’ve helped create unforgettable birthdays, countless romantic surprises, and several marriage proposals… with a 100% success rate so far I have to add 😉
What makes it worth it is the reaction: the “wow” from kids walking into their party, the look on someone’s face when they realize what their partner surprised them with a date night, or just 2 people looking to try something new.
Seaside Cinema may have started during one of the hardest seasons of my life but today it’s about creating some of the happiest moments in other people’s lives.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
To be honest, Seaside Cinema hasn’t been the hard part, my health has.
Because of the long-term effects of cancer and radiation damage to my lungs, things physically get more challenging over time. The setups aren’t as easy as they used to be. Hauling equipment across sand and long event days take more out of me now.
At some point, I know I’ll need to delegate more of the physical side of things. I’ll probably bring someone on to help with setups. But we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.
For now, I’m still the guy out there at the beach, sometimes on oxygen, setting up a movie screen and watching people light up when they see what’s waiting for them.
And that makes it worth it.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Out of COVID also came a career change.
Because of my health, I needed work that allowed me to control my schedule and work from home. So I made a decision. I enrolled in a year-long bootcamp and learned web development from scratch.
It wasn’t easy, especially juggling health issues and a growing family, but I stuck with it.
Once I had those skills, I realized I could apply them directly to Seaside Cinema. Instead of hiring someone, I built the website myself from the ground up. It’s not some groundbreaking Silicon Valley platform — but it’s mine. I designed it, coded it, and shaped it to match the exact experience we wanted people to feel.
And there’s something special about that. It’s one of a kind because we are.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Before Seaside Cinema, I was the lead singer of a rock band called Jam Packed.
That’s a whole story on its own.
A few friends and I banded together (no pun intended) in 2018 and started playing backyard parties and small bar gigs around San Diego. Nothing crazy just some loud amps, borrowed gear, and a lot of belief.
By the end of 2019, right before COVID shut the world down, we were selling out shows at Winston’s in OB and Music Box downtown. I never in a million years thought I’d be crowd surfing at my own show at a venue where I had just recently been in the audience watching my favorite artists.
It felt surreal.
When you’ve got friends like my curly-blonde brother Dino backing you up on drums, anything feels possible.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://seasidecinemas.com | https://www.seasidecinemas.com/book
- Instagram: @seasidecinema
