The holidays are always a time of deep reflection for me. Something about the season sparks gratitude and lightness around all the magic we create together. As we head into the final days of 2023, I want to express my deepest gratitude for the journey we have all taken together this year.
A couple weeks ago we were celebrating the 15th Anniversary of Queen Bee’s in North Park and Gregory Page referred to the pandemic as the 1,000 day pause. I thought it was the very best reference I have heard. And let me tell you how excited I am to be un-paused.
This year has been filled with a lot of jumpstarts and weird curveballs, but I think we can all celebrate how far we have come. Here are some of my favorite highlights:
- Watching Silvia, our amazing Account Coordinator, watch the Downtown Chula Vista Starlight Parade… I have never seen a more enthusiastic parade attendee in all of my life.
- And while I’m thinking about it, I teared up when I saw the insane turnout for the parade… I definitely have not seen that many people in one place since the pandemic and to be honest, I don’t know if I had seen that many people together before the pandemic. It was incredible. We had a blast working with every media outlet in San Diego to ensure the success it was! Many thanks to everyone in the community for turning out to celebrate.
- Watching Alma, the visionary of Queen Bee’s, receive her proclamation from Mayor Todd Gloria. I felt like we were witnessing an arrival. What a joy it was to be present for such an important moment for a client and valued community member. We loved celebrating this milestone with Alma!
- I also have to shout out Silvia again… Queen Bee’s was her first solo account and she did such an amazing job. She was having a moment too, and it was so fun to witness her pride and joy in seeing the fruits of her hard work. Many thanks to all the media outlets for covering such an important event.
- We were so honored to work with Heather Horton to promote her powerful exhibition called “Immersion” in Pasadena. It was a tremendous joy to illuminate her story and talent, and what a pleasure it was to experience the opening and be in the presence of her beautiful body of work. Just this week another wonderful follow up feature came out in the Pasadena Now. We love a solid bonus hit long after a campaign.
- The return of Art San Diego to our client portfolio. We had the pleasure of publicizing Art San Diego in its inception back in 2009 for several years, and this year’s event brought an extraordinary show of talent from around the world to our city. What an electric entrance with the Sarah Stieber booth and John Lennon collection.
- Which makes me think of Oceanside Museum of Art… where do I even begin to think about the highlights… from the Gala to all the receptions and exhibitions, it was a dream. We feel so lucky to work with so many incredible artists in our community and beyond.
- We had the honor of launching the Ya-Man beauty brand in the US. This year they launched the Hot Shave, Medi-Lift Mask and the hair tools collection.
- The spark that gets us every time is meeting all of the business owners and farmer’s market vendors for our communities. Representing neighborhoods is about illuminating the entire community and it really starts with individual businesses. We have so much fun working with them for interviews and segments!
- We love an inaugural event and there were so many this year, especially in East Village. We all had a blast promoting the Taste of East Village and then having the experience together. We cannot wait for next year. Note to self… come hungry and make plans to stay late!
- Can we get a shout out for all the creative business owners in our city?! Sometimes the beaches get all the credit, but there is so much more to San Diego than our gorgeous beaches… Let’s talk Arts District at Liberty Station for a minute – there is a circus school, countless artists, dance schools, kids camps, world changing non-profit organizations and the list goes on. We LOVE coordinating media opportunities with all of them and celebrating all the incredible happenings… have you made it out to the Rady Childrens Ice Skating Rink?
- Let’s also shout out the US Police & Fire Championships with the California Police Athletic Federation! We had the honor of promoting the First Responders Relay in Las Vegas and North American Fall Classic in Mesa, AZ. And if there is something we have learned, our first responders are so critical and important.
- And then there are the simple joys like gathering with our team on Mondays to connect and share a table… Those are things we took for granted before the pause, and we are delighted to be together again.
There are so many more highlights, and we are grateful for each of them! We hope you also enjoyed an inspirational year.
Wishing you and yours PEACE, LOVE, and HAPPINESS this holiday season.
See you next year!