Today we’d like to introduce you to Igor Lascani.
Hi Igor, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Born and raised in the cultural forward city of São Paulo, Brazil, I grew up in the backstage of concerts and have found out what the “behind the scenes” life is about early in life. By the age of 14 I started promoting my own events with a group of close friends, which later on opened so many doors in São Paulo. Events grew from small private clubs to thousands of people in well known venues and I just knew this was the path for me.
Fast forward to my early 20’s I came to San Diego and fell in love with the local scene, the crowd, and the spirit of celebration that resides here. It took me some time to start working in the events industry again, it wasn’t until 2018 that I first produced my first event in a foreign country and little I knew this was the beginning of an exciting journey in California.
Being a dynamic producer and marketer has led me to be involved in many events in the city. This array of networks has led me to get introduced to The Soap Factory where I currently act as the Director of Marketing through my company Pineapple Culture and I absolutely fell in love with the vision, mission, and service that this project is bringing to the local economy and cultural scene of San Diego. This project is just the starting point of something greater that is about to happen for the San Diego culture, events, and art community and I can’t wait until we all see this unfold.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Developing a massive project like this one comes with its obstacles and challenges of course, but being part of a solution oriented team is what makes The Soap Factory the place that is becoming.
First, transforming a former junk yard into an event venue with community based programming is not an easy task, however, we work hard to find ways to deliver a space that meets everyone’s expectations whether that’s a community event, a private gathering, or a large festival without taking away the cultural values the Logan Heights neighborhood has. In addition, it’s always challenging to get funds to support the projects we want to deliver that are focused on an artist residency program, and urban gardening workshops. That said, we are blessed to work with several well respected institutions from throughout California that believe in what we do.
As you know, we’re big fans of The Soap Factory. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
The Soap Factory is a expansive vintage styled venue, but much more than just an event space – it’s a community project with various programs and features like: artist residency in collaboration with Gray Area Foundation for the Arts; urban gardening program in collaboration with Urban Corps of San Diego, California Conservation Corps, and Miramar College; local food vendors, a 4,500 gallon aquaponics system, one of the largest in the city of San Diego; and over 40,000 sq ft of versatile indoor and outdoor event spaces able to host 50 to 2,200 guests, showcasing cultural events, art shows, fundraisers, private events, music concerts, and much more.
We set out to create community assets in Logan Heights out of a blighted building that used to be a pallet storage business in an amazing location, Logan Heights.
We offer a variety of programming offerings to the local community. The Soap Factory hosts: gardening classes, soap making classes, car club meetups, Lotería nights, jazz and funk nights, and hosts many other music and local non profit events. We aim to establish a project that creates a positive social impact intended to support thriving communities that generate shared growth.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Well, that’s an interesting question because our work in the Logan Heights area started during the pandemic which naturally taught us how to navigate the complexities of creating a community hub in the midst of a global pandemic. We worked with the local community to help the local businesses sustain through the challenges of the pandemic not only at The Soap Factory but in other buildings we control in the area.
We offered support to new entrepreneurs on short-term rentals as well as connected them with people in our own network. In addition, one of our partners, Early Girl Creations who already made organic soaps, started creating environmentally friendly hand sanitizers, lotions, and other products that were readily available for the community to purchase, providing an alternative for those who look for a less chemically harmful product.
It’s also important to mention that our outdoor spaces became a place for the community to gather safely during that time due to the large open air settings.
The COVID 19 taught us how to be resilient.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://soapfactoryevents.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesoapfactory_sd/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesoapfactoryevents
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-soap-factory-sd/
Image Credits
Madison Daube Anthony Muñoz
