Chris Den Ujil, co-founder, La Familia Presenta chats with Isabela Raygoza at Billboard's Latin Power Players event in Miami.
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00:00 I've been such a very early supporter of Baja Beach Fest
00:03 and just seeing it grow five years
00:05 and the level that it's gotten to on a global scale,
00:08 I mean, hey, like, congratulations.
00:10 How has that evolution been like for you?
00:12 - It's been amazing.
00:14 When we first launched it, the idea was,
00:16 let's bring a festival on the beach, right?
00:20 And let's find a way to celebrate Latin culture,
00:24 bring Mexican-Americans together,
00:26 was really the idea, right?
00:27 Until it really hit us how powerful bringing Latinos
00:32 from all walks of life together really means
00:35 and what it means to the artists as well.
00:37 And so to fast forward five, six years later
00:39 and see just how much it's a part now
00:43 of like music culture as a festival,
00:45 it's incredibly humbling.
00:47 And yeah, I wish Aaron was here to share it,
00:49 but it's been super special.
00:50 - And it is so dope.
00:51 I mean, me, I'm privileged to have gone and seen it evolve,
00:55 but also that I grew up near there,
00:57 but now that you've expanded to Chicago and then in Mexico,
01:00 like tell us about some of the other festivals
01:02 that you're also expanding on.
01:05 - Yeah, look, there's so many people
01:06 that can't come to Mexico
01:08 or don't wanna come to Mexico, right, from the US.
01:12 And we kept getting hit up all the time.
01:14 Bring something to LA, bring something to Miami,
01:17 bring something to New York.
01:18 And, you know, we have friends in Miami
01:20 that do a festival already.
01:21 And I have a lot of history in Chicago
01:25 producing more electronic based and multi-genre shows.
01:28 And we had an opportunity to go to Grant Park.
01:32 And for us, it's all about the location.
01:34 You know, the foundation of every festival for us
01:38 is about the experience.
01:40 It's about how to make people feel.
01:42 And then the lineup is a part of that, right?
01:44 And so Chicago has been an incredible response.
01:47 It was something that I feel like the Latinos need it.
01:52 We have so many concerts servicing Latin,
01:57 just consumers every single day in Chicago,
01:59 but not a festival.
02:00 And it's been amazing.
02:01 Over 50% of the people
02:03 had never even been to a festival before.
02:05 So it was just a new kind of like chapter, right?
02:08 Evolution of what the foundation of people
02:11 like Henry Cardenas and others
02:13 had already put down for us in Chicago.
02:15 - Yeah, no, incredible.
02:16 It was a great panel that you had,
02:18 the art of the festival.
02:19 Congratulations on that.
02:20 Congratulations on being a power player.
02:23 How does that honor feel like?
02:25 - I mean, it's super special.
02:26 You know, like pretty much every single day,
02:30 we're putting just 100% of our heart and soul into this
02:33 and really like just putting it all on the line, right?
02:37 And producing the biggest shows we possibly can
02:39 and really helping elevate every single artist.
02:42 And it's really special
02:44 to just get a little recognition for that
02:46 'cause we're really behind the scenes.
02:47 And you know, my team's not here,
02:49 but they're really just like the vision and the glue.
02:52 And so, you know, without them,
02:54 we wouldn't be where we are.
02:55 - Well, no, congratulations on everything.
02:57 And thank you.
02:58 Thank you so much for speaking with us.
02:59 - Thank you guys.
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