Today we’d like to introduce you to Eduardo Manilla.
Eduardo, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. Spent my high school senior year in a small town in Kansas as a Foreign Exchange Student, got crowned Prom King at the end of the year. Went to Architecture School in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico and did a year abroad in Mallorca, Spain. I was part of the student council.
After graduating, I moved to Venice to work at an Architecture firm in Santa Monica called MINARC.
In 2010. I started hosting events on the Westside focused in music and art. Joined the Venice Home and Garden Tour team as a Volunteer coordinator. Participated on the Venice Art Crawl as an event producer with Dogtown Artists United. 2012 was a highly transformational year.
My brother “MASSIO” taught me how to DJ during a 4th of July Party in Venice. Went to Burning Man for my first time where I got inspired to create a music festival and run for office at the local level. Got elected to the Venice Neighborhood Council in 2012 as a Community Officer and Chair of the Arts Committee. Co-Founded the Genius Loci Festival in 2012 with the help of an awesome crew of friends from both sides of the border. Started working with Lewin Wertheimer Architects.
In 2013, I joined both KCRW and the Getty Center as a Volunteer: I help with pledge drives, events and shows at the radio station and give architecture tours at the museum.
In 2014, we started producing the VENICE AFTERBURN, a free post-burning man event in Venice Beach. The next few years were full of hustle on all of these projects… big time.
In 2017, I started working as an architect in the Coachella Valley.
Has it been a smooth road?
I’ve come to realize that the road is only smoother if your intentions are good but it is certainly not easy.
One of my challenges is being foreign, however a multicultural community like Venice Beach is very welcoming to people from all around the world.
As a DJ, the main challenge is to keep the people dancing and reading out the crowd on the dance floor.
As an Architect, the main challenges have been both learning the old school ways of doing architecture, learning the red tape in permitting and keeping up with new technologies.
As a festival producer, the main challenge has been hosting an International event at a different country and having to get people excited about traveling out of the USA. This is also one of our strengths.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with DJ Loboman & Genius Loci Fest – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
What we do: A 4-day surf, music and yoga campout right on the beach in Baja Mexico. The event provides surfing lessons, yoga classes, workshops, the best fish tacos and ceviches, and of course fun music all weekend long.
I’m the most proud when people come to us and say:
-“This was my first time leaving The USA and just used my passport for the first time to come to your event.”
-“This was the best weekend of my life.” -almost everyone who attends.
-I’m super proud to be building a bridge between the Surf, Music and Yoga communities of both sides of the border ( we love to use the hashtag #NOBORDERS )
-We are proud of supporting a lot of artist careers, specially the up and coming artists.
What sets us apart? THE SURF. We are one of the very few festivals that allows its patrons to wake up by the sound of the waves; this is because we host it at one of the most amazing locations along the Pacific Ocean: The Punta Cabras Peninsula and probably the fact that we have an international team and that our event happens in Mexico
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
My favorite thing about Los Angeles is all of the amazing neighborhoods and their unique character. Each neighborhood tells a different story which you can understand by analyzing its architecture. I love the architecture of LA, in fact I chose to live in Venice because its eclectic architecture is super inspiring.
For the most part the people of LA are some of the coolest people in the planet (maybe that’s why they move to the coolest city in the world). I also love how there’s a lot of shows going on here and almost every artist makes a stop here. I love that we have the best public radio stations, great museums and an underground arts & music scene.
On the other hand, I dislike careless drivers who are in a rush and don’t pay attention to the road, specially pedestrians and bikers. I sometimes wish LA was a little more compact because sometimes the distances are a little bit too much.
Pricing:
- General admission tickets to Genius Loci Fest are between $200-$250 for the whole weekend
Contact Info:
- Website: www.geniuslocifest.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @geniuslocifest
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GeniusLociFest/
Image Credit:
Steven Detray “Champagne”
Jo Ash
Michael Boidy
Aaron Truax
Kevin McDermott
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
