Meet Wabbit: San Diego Event Curator
Welcome to Wabbit! Wabbit is an event curating business independently run by San Diego local Ofelia Puno. The organization has been making waves in the local music scene this past year with its vibrant community events. We had the opportunity to speak with Ofelia about her business. Here's what she had to say.
Photo by @dopemo on Instagram
INTRODUCE YOURSELF! TELL US WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT WABBIT IS.
"Hi! My name's Ofelia. I am 19 years old and own and operate Wabbit LLC. Wabbit is a community-based project that focuses on creating personalized events at scale for all ages."
WHEN DID WABBIT START, AND HOW DID IT COME ABOUT?
"Wabbit opened last October. Before opening the brand, I volunteered for the SD Coffee Network and helped run different events for the coffee community, like latte art throw-downs, bean exchanges, and smelling events. I started volunteering in high school. I curated a Culture Night during my senior year with performances, art, and food. This event was open to the public and was the largest activation in the school's history. After coordinating the event, I knew I had found my passion. While still in school, I started to help Zane Alexander (@tasteofzane) with events at Public Square Coffee that included shows and open mics. Zane is the person who taught me most of what I know. I also started working with Motherland, and we curated different events within market spaces. My primary focus was day-of operations and ensuring the event's success. I met a close friend, Alyssa, from Shop Filth through these events. Together, we curated an event called JUQZ, which was our combination of local vendors and music. The Fazes (one of the artists at the event) became some of my closest friends to this day. They were the first band I booked on my own, along with Los Saints, who also became some of my closest friends. The most important thing I learned from working with these artists is that promoters and bookers don't treat them the best, and I wanted to change that. Most people I work with become friends of mine, and I think that's exactly how it should be, especially for what I want to do with curating events that are on a personal level."
The Fazes album release show at Future is Color. Photo by @sanchez.productions on Instagram
WHERE DID THE NAME "WABBIT" COME FROM?
"Finding what I wanted to name my business was actually the hardest part. I always knew I wanted it to be fun sounding, catchy, and simple. It was initially going to be Silly Wabbit, but I ended up just going with Wabbit. Picking Wabbit came from a childhood nickname, coneja, which means rabbit in Spanish. When I was little, I lost my two front teeth at the same time, and when they grew back, they were freakishly large compared to the rest of my face, so everyone started calling me a rabbit/coneja."
AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR, YOU PUT TOGETHER AN EVENT CALLED HAVOC! CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT THAT?
"HAVOC! is a passion project. I've dipped my feet in almost every different community that San Diego has to offer, and what I've noticed from these communities is that musicians and designers have the same target audience. So, the concept of HAVOC! Is local BRANDS styling local BANDS. It's a runway fashion show that turns into a concert with the bands as the models. There have been fashion shows with live music, and there have been bands wearing local brands, but never a fashion show turned into a concert. I was extremely lucky to have Isaac Ruiz from The Silk Cloud Co. believe in this concept and help bring it to life at an iconic south bay venue, The Lower Left: Tribal."
HAVOC! Photo by @sanchez.productions on Instagram
WHAT HAVE BEEN THE MOST GRATIFYING ASPECTS OF RUNNING WABBIT? WHAT HAVE SOME CHALLENGES BEEN?
"The most gratifying part of doing what I do is creating long-lasting friendships with everyone I work with. Hearing from those I work with that I've been the best person they've worked with is amazing. Something with Wabbit that I want to achieve is being the bridge that connects all different communities, and seeing different kinds of people show up for one another and work on projects together is so beautiful to see. A lot of what I do is also solving conflict. As everyone knows, being the middle person in conflict is never fun and draining. I'm always making sure I remain cordial with everyone. Something I'm still working on is saying no to people. These are things I continue to deal with daily."
HAVOC! Photo by @sanchez.productions on Instagram.
WHAT'S SOMETHING YOU WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT WABBIT?
"Something I want people to know about Wabbit is that I don't believe in competition! If we're doing the same thing, I support you! I want you to thrive in whatever you do, and I will hype the hell out of it! I also want people to know that I only work with GOOD people. Therefore, before collaborating with someone, I want to get to know you first."
HAVOC! Photo by @sanchez.productions on Instagram
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE COMING FROM WABBIT IN THE REST OF 2023?
"For the rest of the year from Wabbit you can expect to see some more activation at Future is Color. I'll be working closely with them on creating events focused on community building through consistency and meaningful dialogue. I am also starting my own live session here with Erick Garcia from Dog Whistle Studios. I'm planning a pop-up shop with Egg Records Label sometime in August. HAVOC! is returning on July 8th for our summer event. Lots in the works this year! After all, it's the year of the wabbit."
