Mik James (M.J.) Hamada oversees Open Play for the Santa Monica Pickleball Club, as well as the club's Facebook page. M.J. has an MA in English (with a concentration in creative writing) and an MFA in film production (from USC). He teaches rhetoric and composition at Santa Monica College. Eight years ago, M.J. met Joanna while playing racquetball. Now married for nearly six years, M.J. and Joanna enjoy playing tennis and pickleball together, as well as watching a wide range of movies, from high-brow art films to low-brow guilty pleasures.