From Flyers to Stories: Events From 1985-2001
As the fiftieth anniversary of Hip Hop approached, my friend Fred Sotelo reached out to me about an exhibition his business partner, Mario “the O.G.” Lopez, was organizing. It was called Beyond the Elements: An Exhibit that Explores the Early Era of Hip-Hop in San Diego and it was set to open in a few months on Thursday, September 28th, 2023 at the New Americans Museum.
I, along with other early Hip Hop scene members in San Diego, was asked to bring my portfolio of flyers to a pre-planning exhibit meeting. We were all excited to see each other again after so many years since our days of throwing parties as kids.
As we gathered around a large table, passing around our portfolios of keepsake flyers from back in the day, we couldn't help but recount stories from our past. It was a fun and nostalgic experience delving into the memories of those good old days. The purpose of the meeting was to get input from everyone about what should be curated for the exhibit. For me personally, this sparked something inside me - the inspiration to start writing about my experiences.
From there, I began compiling my CHILI Production Mémoir digital book - a collection of stories chronicling my journey from 1985 to 2001 while operating CHILI Productions. What started as a simple project quickly grew over 100 pages in length as I tried to write with brevity. I wanted to give context to the flyers in my portfolio and ended up expanding into a prologue for this blog and my plans to tell these stories in more detail.
These anecdotes capture the essence of my time in the nightlife and entertainment industry, offering glimpses into the vibrant and sometimes chaotic world that shaped my path.
This collection of stories is intended to give you an insight into the origin story of my artwork and Rick Bliss. Each story is a stepping stone that led me to discover my passion for art and creativity. As you read through these tales, I hope you find them as entertaining and enlightening as they were for me to live and recount. Enjoy this journey through my memories, and I look forward to sharing more in-depth stories with each new post.
Gil Ortega
For over 30 years, Gil has earned the esteemed moniker of "The Chief Rainmaker" due to his renowned expertise as a Customer Acquisition Specialist. "Harnessing data is the key." Leveraging data-driven technology to turn your advertising and marketing expenses into lifetime-valued assets. That's what's up.
My Motto:
“I’ve done so much with so little for so long that now, I can do anything with nothing.”
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I'm Gil, The Chief Rainmaker, an Omni Channel Marketing Guy, Data Dude, and part-time Artist aka Rick Bliss.
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