CASE STUDY
COAST HOUSE CARNIVAL
PROJECT: Coast House Carnival
CLIENT: Hollister x Cody Simpson
ROLE: Creative Direction & Event Production
01 / OVERVIEW
Coast House Carnival was a launch event for the Hollister x Cody Simpson collaboration, held at The Roxy in Los Angeles. The event brought Hollister's California surf aesthetic to life through a beach-town carnival in the venue's parking lot, followed by a live performance by Cody Simpson and his band inside The Roxy.
02 / CONCEPT
The idea was to bring Hollister's California surf aesthetic into a classic beach-town carnival. Inspired by small coastal towns, the concept combined carnival games, vintage surf details, food stands and entertainment to create a full event experience.
03 / THE CHALLENGE
Bringing Coast House Carnival to life meant taking on a role I had never held before. My background was in creative direction and design, not event production, but Cisco Adler at The Cell Management trusted me with a $250,000 production budget and the responsibility of leading the team, managing the different people involved, and bringing the entire event to life.
It was a big learning curve. I had to build and coordinate a team, delegate responsibilities, source and manage vendors, secure city permits, oversee production logistics, and make sure all the different pieces came together on time. From the initial planning stages to the day of the event, I was responsible for keeping everything moving and making sure the original concept became a reality.
PERMITS & CITY REGULATIONS
Securing the permits required by the city to host the event and its activities in the parking lot. Who knew projecting a video onto a wall would require a permit?
VENDOR SOURCING & COORDINATION
Finding, hiring, and coordinating the vendors needed for the carnival, from food and beverage providers to games, rentals, and entertainment.
TEAM & PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT
Leading the people involved in the production, assigning responsibilities, coordinating different teams, following up on progress, and keeping everyone aligned throughout the process.
SITE TRANSFORMATION
Planning how to turn The Roxy's parking lot into a fully functioning carnival, coordinating the setup, installations, equipment, and layout.
EVENT MANAGEMENT
Overseeing the many moving parts leading up to and throughout the event, from production schedules and logistics to guest list coordination and on-site execution.
04 / THE PROCESS
Taking Coast House Carnival from concept to reality meant overseeing every stage of the production. I was involved from the initial creative direction and design through budgeting, team management, vendor coordination, and the final event execution.
CREATIVE DIRECTION & DESIGN
Developing the Coast House Carnival concept around Hollister's California surf aesthetic and translating it into a visual direction for the event. Designing the promotional flyer, banners, signage, and other branded elements used throughout the space.
EVENT PLANNING
Planning the event across two spaces: the parking lot, which would become the carnival, and The Roxy, where Cody Simpson and his band would perform. Mapping out the layout, activities, installations, and guest areas.
BUDGETING
Developing and managing the $250,000 production budget, allocating funds across vendors, rentals, entertainment, installations, and other event requirements.
TEAM & VENDOR MANAGEMENT
Leading the production team and coordinating the different people, vendors, and suppliers involved. Assigning responsibilities, managing timelines, following up on deliverables, and making sure everyone was working toward the same vision.
PRODUCTION & EXECUTION
Overseeing the production leading up to and during the event, coordinating setup, schedules, vendors, and logistics to make sure everything came together as planned.
05 / THE EVENT
After months of planning, Coast House Carnival came to life at The Roxy in Los Angeles. The parking lot was transformed into a beach-inspired carnival, complete with games, food, entertainment, and branded installations. Inside, Cody Simpson and his band took the stage for a live performance.
The event brought the original concept to life, turning Hollister's California surf aesthetic into an immersive experience for guests.
05 / IMPACT
Coast House Carnival brought the Hollister x Cody Simpson collaboration to life through an immersive event that combined music, entertainment, and the brand's California-inspired identity.
The event generated press coverage, extending its reach beyond the guests who attended and giving the collaboration visibility across media outlets.
Hollister was very pleased with the final event and the overall execution, making it a successful collaboration for the brand.
06 / THE EXPERIENCE
This project was a big learning experience for me. I came into it with a background in creative direction and design, but had never managed an event production of this scale before.
I learned a lot by figuring things out as I went, from managing a $250,000 budget and leading a team to dealing with vendors, permits, and all the unexpected things that come up when producing an event.
It also showed me that I could take on more than just the creative side of a project and manage the whole process from start to finish.