THE TEAL RUN 2025

The Client

The Teal Run is a meaningful community event: a 5K and 10K walk/run hosted in Campbell, California that brings people together to raise awareness and funds for ovarian cancer research, early detection, and survivor support. Make It Mariko partnered with the Teal Run team to produce an event that not only inspires, but also generates impact and community connection.

Goals & Challenges

The Teal Run team came to us with a powerful mission: to grow participation, deepen engagement with survivors and families, and significantly increase fundraising for ovarian cancer research. Key challenges included:

Creating a welcoming experience for a diverse group from serious runners to families walking together.
Communicating the dual purpose of the event: both community celebration and critical fundraising.
Designing meaningful visuals, signage, and branding that honored ovarian cancer survivors while staying energetic and hopeful.
Coordinating logistics in a public park, including racecourse setup, safety, volunteer coordination, and sponsor activations.

A Community Run Rooted in Hope and Strength

WHAT WE DID:

Make it Mariko served as the lead producer for the event, providing full operations and production support. We managed all logistics from pre-planning to event day, ensuring every detail was aligned with the mission of honoring ovarian cancer survivors.

We developed the full site plan including the course layout, start/finish line, hydration stations, medical safety placements, registration flow, and sponsor activation areas. Our team coordinated with city partners, park staff, medical responders, and race-timing vendors to ensure all compliance and safety requirements were met.

We oversaw vendor load-in and load-out, managed all staging, sound needs, and power distribution, and supported the creation and placement of signage and wayfinding across the park and course. We facilitated volunteer training and deployment to ensure smooth runner check-in, route guidance, and participant support.

On event day, we led all on-site operations including runner flow, stage management for survivor moments and program announcements, and coordination of race timing. Our team ensured transitions were smooth, the course was clear, and participants had the supportive, inspirational experience the event is known for.

VENDORS:

Event Planning & Design: Make it Mariko
Photographer: @socialwavephotographer
@andreasantiago.photo
Videographer: @davideographer_
Rentals: @chairs4events @goodeventsrental
Stage Host: @laurenmartineznews
DJ: @itsdjmiggy
Florals: Florals by Suki
Balloons: @balloonaticsevents
Photo Booth: @dannysphotobooth
Face Painter: @roxiiisezz
Entertainment: @missmollybubbles
Honor Guard: San Jose Police Department

Photos by Sheldon Chang & Andrea Santiago

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SPAM® Brand Meets UNDISCOVERED SF Filipino Market

SPAM® Brand Meets UNDISCOVERED SF

Designing a unique creative collaboration bridging Filipino American community and this popular tasty treat!

The Client

SPAM® is an iconic and versatile brand known for its rich history and unique role in so many cultural food traditions worldwide, especially among Asian people. SPAM® brand is a company that is very ingrained in so much of Filipino, Hawaiian, and Asian cuisines and wanted to introduce the local Filipino community to their new flavors, get feedback, and celebrate cultural diversity.

Goals & Challenges

To celebrate the beautiful community of POC vendors, creatives, and entrepreneurs that surround us and bless us with their talent in the Bay Area and create a space for their JOY.
Design a fashion-forward cocktail party & reception honoring brown & black joy and creativity, while uplifting local vendors & creatives.

Celebrating creativity and cultural fusion with a delicious twist

DJs & performances

Special live DJ scratch set by DJ Shortkut from the legendary Triple Threat DJs and DJ Lok.

Photobooth

Immersive photobooth with large wooden Brown Is Beautiful sign.

themed attire

Fashion-forward brown themed attire complete with photo opps throughout the night.

Show me the photos!

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Colorbloq Venue Launch

An Innovative and interactive venue space

The Client

The team at Colorbloq, formerly known as The Quad, hired our team to help strategize their new venue space and help launch it to the industry!

The team came from tech backgrounds, and acquired this space as a new business venture and they needed someone with extensive event experience to help craft a unique identity for the space.

Goals & Challenges

Setup Events Program & Infrastructure – Create the foundation for a successful events program complete with a full list of veteran industry vendors.
Produce Open House Launch Event – Kick things off with a bang for the community!
Hire & Train an Events Manager

Building Infrastructure For a Colorful Creative Space

Event Rental Packet

Create initial infrastructure needed to run a successful events program for the space including: Rental pricing with package options & add-ons, Detailed Venue Rules & Regulations, Sample layouts, Insurance information, Parking info, Setup / Breakdown info, Noise restrictions, and more.

CREATE TRUSTED Preferred Vendor List

Negotiate rates for in-house vendors and create easy to sell event packages, while training all vendors on the venue details.

TRAIN & HIRE EVENTS MANAGER

We created the job description for Events Manager, reviewed prospective candidates, and they actually ended up hiring our referral directly!

Show me the photos!

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Brown Is Beautiful

A Fashion forward celebration of the poc creative community

The Client

Brown is Beautiful is an original production created by the team at Make it Mariko. It’s always a joy when we get to create magic and celebrate our own vision while uplifting POC creatives & entrepreneurs.

Goals & Challenges

To celebrate the beautiful community of POC vendors, creatives, and entrepreneurs that surround us and bless us with their talent in the Bay Area and create a space for their JOY.
Design a fashion-forward cocktail party & reception honoring brown & black joy and creativity, while uplifting local vendors & creatives.

Finding our joy as POC creatives.

DJs & performances

Special live DJ scratch set by DJ Shortkut from the legendary Triple Threat DJs and DJ Lok.

Photobooth

Immersive photobooth with large wooden Brown Is Beautiful sign.

themed attire

Fashion-forward brown themed attire complete with photo opps throughout the night.

Show me the photos!

Ready to plan your next event?

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Ciel Creative Space “Rebirth”

The “Rebirth” of Ciel Creative Space

Industry launch party

The Client

Ciel Creative Space is the Bay Area’s premiere creative sanctuary with 40,000 square feet of connecting studios and workspace.
We absolutely loved working with their team – Co-Founder, CEO, and power Pinay, Cecilia Apelin, and Marketing maven, Eileen Cullen, from day 1.

Goals & Challenges

Ciel’s space is massive! For this industry launch party, we focused on activating ALL of Ciel’s 40,000 sq ft space which includes 10+ open studios + additional hallway/activation spaces to showcase the various event offerings they can host including in-person, virtual, and hybrid events.
Security & safety was key. This party ended up happening the WEEK that California announced “reopening” after Covid-19. We created “one way” walking path protocols to avoid people bumping into each other, lots of signage around masking, and comms around staying safe.

woman sitting in large chair at ciel rebirth

The Rebirth of Events & Community at Ciel Creative Space

Multiple activations

Programming activations filling 10+ open studios and over 1200 attendees.

live fashion show

Fashion Show, produced by Ciel’s in-house modeling agency, JE Model Management, where models used all of Ciel II as their catwalk.

Floral installation

Large-scale immersive floral installation created by Nurture State Floristry based off the “Rebirth” theme.

Livestreamed event

Podcast style livestream produced by AddVirtual in one of Ciel’s full cyc wall studios featuring interviews with all the featured vendors, which highlighted Ciel’s high speed internet and ability to host hybrid events.

Healing Room

Immersive healing room featuring Oakland-based Blk Girls Green House.

Cocktail stations

Multiple unique bar & cocktail stations powered by Oakland-based bottle company, Alkali Rye.

Vendor Team

Production & Design

Bar Partners: Alkali Rye – Oakland’s Beverage Shop
A/V Production: Creative Transit Agency, Little Giant, Oakland Venue Management
Caterers: IVSF Catering, Small Potatoes Caters, Epec Food, Third Culture
Livestream Production: AddVirtual
Rentals: Stuart Event Rentals, Bright Rentals, Standard Party Rentals
Le Noir Plant Display: Blk Girl Greenhouse
Plant Vendors: Nurture State, The Plant Library. Security: VCPG
Nametags: Broken Seal Buttons

Programming & performers

Art: HUEMAN Photographers: @ashleybatz, @lifeindigital, @creatvegallery, @drewaltizer, @_jenrocha_, @j_sugy
CBD Vendor: Malaya Botanicals
DJ: Deeandroid & ET IV
Healing Room Activation: Upper Cloud
Hallway Floral Installation: Pot Head Oakland
Sound Baths: Astralogik, Hannah Siddiqui, Manifest Music Academy
Models/Fashion Show: McMullen, JE Model, Brandi Moore Agency
Band: Jazz Mafia Quartet
Programming Partner: Pinayista
Photobooth: Say Ya! Photobooth
Studio X Talent: Madeira & Partners

Show me the photos!

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Pinayista Summit

NON Profit women’s summit

The Client

Pinayista is a nonprofit that aims to curate spaces where self-identified Pinays can come together to share their stories, cultivate and nurture trusting relationships, collaborate, and build sisterhood in the hustle.

Goals & Challenges

Our goal is to create and build sisterhood among Pinay entrepreneurs and creatives. We also aim to inspire future generations of pinays to pursue their passions, find their power, and connect with community.
Curate a multi-date summit that focuses on building relationships, making strategic connections, collaboration, creativity, and REST.
Figure out how to price ticketing and get enough sponsorships so that the ticket prices could remain affordable and accessible to the target audience of minority women we were seeking to attend.
Create an event that was just as much impactful and knowledge based, while also focusing on non-structured creative time and uplifting decolonial practices and traditions.

Building Sisterhood in the Hustle

HYBRID EVENT

Hosting a HYBRID event that included an in-person component at Ciel Creative Space in Berkeley, CA as well as a virtual event on the fun and interactive virtual event platform, Gatherly.

Multiple activations

Hosted 3 days of Summit activities starting with an opening Happy Hour & Reception, Lighting Talks, Panels, Master Classes, full Food & Beverage catered by Filipino chefs, Sponsor Expo, Speaker Lounge, Mother’s Room, and a Sound & Movement Healing session.

custom swag

Beautiful custom swag with branded ice cubes, an interactive foldout packet to give you space to take notes during all the sessions, that also functioned as a Vision Board for attendees to write in!

after party!

We hosted an amazing Afterparty at local venue, 7th West Oakland, complete with performances, Pinay DJs, and delicious cocktails and food.

Vendor Team

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UNDISCOVERED SF

San Francisco Filipino Creative market

The Client

As the co-founders and Event Producer of this event, in partnership with nonprofit Kultivate Labs, UNDISCOVERED SF has definitely been our most challenging, and most rewarding event to date! As part of a larger pronged strategy to build a thriving commercial corridor for the city/state recognized SOMA Pilipinas Filipino Cultural District, we partnered with Kultivate Labs to concept this large-scale festival to jumpstart economic activity in the district and create a space for Filipino entrepreneurs, creatives, and artists to showcase their work and build their audience.

Goals & Challenges

We launched this new festival in 2017 in partnership with the City of San Francisco, and over the past 8 years we’ve overcome multiple challenges each year to create a vibrant, successful, and safe event:

New Venue Almost Every Year. Since there is no venue in the cultural district large enough to host the 6000+ people that attend this outdoor festival, every year we’re tasked with taking over an empty parking lot or empty space and activating it, while also closing down multiple streets to make it happen.
Producing a large-scale festival – MONTHLY – with a tight budget: For the first few years from July – December every 3rd Saturday we would rinse/repeat this festival for thousands of attendees and 100+ vendors. Every year our event has grown, so our staff and operations has also grown with it.
Production Complexity: Navigating the complexities of street closure permits, neighborhood outreach, and the SF event permitting system.
Finding Filipino businesses! At the launch in 2017, we knew only a handful of Filipino owned businesses. We realized that many Fil-Am businesses existed, but most of them weren’t necessarily “claiming Filipino” for various reasons.
Thoughtful Community Partnership: Coming into a community with a lot of history, trauma, and also LOVE takes thoughtful curation, partnership, and outreach. We take this responsibility of community building seriously and are now proud to be an interwoven part of SOMA Pilipinas Cultural Heritage District, and proud, with our office literally right next to the Park.

A Festival Designed to Build a Cultural District

Generated over $1m in economic activity

We’ve hosted 27 UNDISCOVERED SF festivals to date and have helped generate over $1M in economic activity for the cultural district and our small business vendors & creatives!

growing list of filipino business owners

As the years went on and we produced more and more events, we saw businesses slowly starting to claim Filipino more, and we then developed a large list of Filipino owned businesses, with that list continuing to grow.

6 Different Venues

In 2022, we hosted our largest event venue ever with 6 different venues & 3 streets closed off, and over 6,000+ attendees.

filipino artists

We’ve booked big name Filipino American artists over the years including rapper Ruby Ibarra, the Queen of freestyle, Jocelyn Enriquez, One Vo1ce, Rocky Rivera, Beatrock Music, Lyrics Born, DJ SOSUPERSAM, DJ Umami, Adrian Marcel, DJ D-Sharp, and of course so many emerging artists and “undiscovered” talent.

Small Business wins

2022 was our HIGHEST GROSSING EVENT ever with over $130K in sales to our small business vendors!

Putting Roots Down in Community

We’re proud to be stewards of this amazing event, and to be a part of this growing SOMA Pilipinas Cultural Heritage District, so much so that we moved our STUDIO directly behind the park!

Featured Press

Vendor Team

Venues

The Old Mint + Mint Plaza, Stevenson Street, Chronicle Parking Lots, Parks at 5M, SF Centre Mall, and more!

AV & Sound

Creative Transit Agency

rentals

Stuart Event Rentals

BAR

Victory Hall SF

photographers

The Mogli, Neil Yuzon

videographer

Greg Manalo

Design

Andre Sibayan

“My move to San Francisco (BX ALL DAY!) was definitely influenced by what I’d experienced at UNDSCVRD in the past—it’s a super inspiring event and I’m beyond thrilled to be participating in it this year. It’s all about the community, good food, and the people and I live for that, . . .”

“Having an opportunity to participate this year is an honor and I was humbled by the invitation. We want to showcase what Filipino food looks like in the eyes of a Filipino-American, how we interpret that and what we feel our food could look and taste like in the future. “

Chef Harold Villarosa

Show me the photos!

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Playdate Developer’s Luncheon

Panic x Playdate at Game Developers Conference 2023

The Client

Playdate by Panic is a new gaming device that has a familiar look and feel. For the Gaming Developers Conference they wanted to have a relaxed luncheon experience where developers could see the product, hear about what’s next, and ask their questions.

Goals & Challenges

Playdate wanted to focus on building in person community with their product builders, game developers, showcasing the capabilities of Playdate, share fun updates to inspire developers to make new games, and of course – have fun!

Celebrating Playdate and inspiring more innovation.

Interactive Showcase

Dave one of the original developers of the Playdate device was live through the Playdate interface. It was a fun way to incorporate key members of their team who were unable to be there in person.

Custom Branded Leather Cases

Playdate gifted all of their guests a gorgeous leather case made by Waterfield in San Francisco.

Branded Stage

Playdate is new, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have a large stage presence!

Vendor Team

Venue

@trellisworkspace

Catering

@thepawnshop

Videographer

@amyra.soriano

Wooden Signs

@leafandlacedesigns
@nonuniformstandard

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Discord GDC Happy Hour

Discord GDC VIP Happy Hour

Corporate Happy Hour

The Client

Discord is a free communication platform that offers a space for its users to connect on private servers via chat, video calls, text messages, and multimedia files.

Goals & Challenges

Discord wanted to create a unique, memorable, and fun event for VIP guests to attend after the Game Developers Conference that encapsulated the essence of their brand and included personal touches throughout the event.

discord conference happy hour at victory hall

Creating an Unforgettable Post-Conference Happy Hour Event

Interactive Floral Installation

The floral installation (with neon lights!) created by Nurture State, included Discord brand colors, and a seating area for guests creating a perfect photo op for the night.

Custom Branded Ice Cubes

If guests chose to opt for the ube cocktail, they were surprised with Wumpus in their drink–by way of a personalized ice cube from Blind Tiger Ice.

Branded Lighting

Upon entrance to the back bar at Victory Hall and Parlor, guests were greeted with custom lighting by our friends at Last Wave Productions, with Discord fan-favorite, Wumpus, taking center stage.