Case Study: Yerrrspace Pop-Up Series

đź”— Website
Timeline: July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023
Project Type: Community Arts Programming, Event Production
Services: Project Management, Event Marketing
Clients/Partners: YerrrSpace Arts & Culture Initiative
Producer: Victoria Velazquez

Overview & Objective

The YerrrSpace Pop-Up Series was a six-event cultural program spotlighting Jersey City’s local businesses and performing artists. The series paired musicians and local businesses to co-curate themed performance showcases. Each event was designed as a dynamic intersection of art, commerce, and community—centering marginalized voices and transforming live performances into immersive storytelling and small business activities. By fostering artist-entrepreneur collaborations and reinvesting resources into the local creative economy, YerrrSpace aimed to strengthen economic pathways, promote cultural pride, and amplify the stories of Jersey City’s communities.

Strategy & Execution

Brand Strategy & Community-Building

Victoria positioned YerrrSpace as a hyperlocal cultural platform rooted in joy, equity, and self-expression. Drawing on the local signature greeting—“yerrr”—the series celebrated multilingual, multiethnic, and multigenerational identity. Each pop-up event was co-designed by an artist and an entrepreneur to reflect shared heritage, from Afro-Caribbean soundscapes to queer-centered Pride aesthetics. Events offered curated stage design, custom product displays, and collaborative branding to reflect the story of each pair. The result: vibrant, community-led experiences that honored the intersection of culture and commerce.

Fundraising & Budgeting

YerrrSpace was funded through a balanced mix of public grant support, earned income, and in-kind contributions. The budget strategy emphasized accessibility and equity: no vendor fees were charged, all artists were compensated fairly for both rehearsal and performance time, and entrepreneurs retained 100% of their sales. Ticket prices were kept low to ensure community access while still supporting basic operational needs. The project also relied on substantial in-kind support, including donated venue space and materials from Jersey City Loft, as well as unpaid labor from VPM’s dedicated community volunteers—reflecting a collaborative investment in the local creative economy.

Strategic Partnerships & Institutional Leverage

Strategic partnerships were essential to the success of the YerrrSpace Pop-Up series, helping to secure visibility, operational efficiency, and authentic community engagement. Jersey City Loft, a local arts hub, provided critical infrastructure support, including access to rehearsal space, equipment, and on-site coordination. In addition, four local business owners partnered as event hosts, all of which helping to lower venue rental costs and serving as neighborhood-level promotional channels through foot traffic and in-store outreach. WOCoB Inc. played a multifaceted role—supporting artist recruitment, guiding the project's DEI strategy, and serving as fiscal sponsor, which strengthened the revenue model and opened pathways for donor contributions. Local entrepreneurs participated as co-creators and product collaborators, embodying the program’s commitment to community-driven creativity. City partners—including the Jersey City Arts Council, and Office of Cultural Affairs—amplified the program’s reach through institutional networks and communications. To extend the project’s digital presence, VPM launched a curated Spotify playlist and a Jersey City artist directory, offering lasting visibility and discovery opportunities for local creatives.

Legacy | Community | Brand Framework

Victoria used her proprietary framework to ensure long-term cultural value and neighborhood relevance:

Legacy: Reputation | Credibility | Resources

  • Reputation:  From 2011 to 2015, VPM partnered with Councilwoman Diane Coleman and the City of Jersey City to lead community programming for the launch of the Mary McLeod Bethune Center. As the official presenting partner, VPM helped establish the center’s cultural footprint, lending credibility through its professional reputation and commitment to community-focused initiatives.

  • Credibility: Supported by a competitive municipal arts grant, VPM’s work is aligned with Jersey City’s goals of delivering equitable, culturally relevant programming that reflects the city's diverse population.

  • Resources: VPM leveraged public funding, in-kind contributions, and local volunteerism to implement a high-quality, cost-effective model. Its official role strengthened public trust and demonstrated the power of cross-sector collaboration.

Community: Voice | Culture | Engagement

  • Voice: The YerrrSpace Initiative blends live performance, personal storytelling, and small business activation into a series of artist-led pop-up events designed to elevate underrepresented creatives and foster community among local residents and families.

  • Culture: Each event theme celebrated real identities, languages, and lived experiences. In one of the most diverse cities in the country, Jersey City audiences seek out multi-ethnic, multi-generational programming that fosters cultural exchange and creates lasting memories.

  • Engagement: Marketing was driven by word of mouth and targeted social media engagement in key neighborhoods across Jersey City and Newark, NJ. More than 700 community members participated as audience members, vendors, artists, or local business partners. Many continued to engage post-event through content sharing and ongoing listings in the YerrrSpace Artist Directory until the end of the year.

Brand: Story | Offering | Impact

  • Story: YerrrSpace reimagined live performance as a vehicle for visibility, self-determination, and collective resilience, positioning artists and entrepreneurs at the center of community-building efforts.

  • Offering: Through a pay-it-forward model, artists were compensated, vendors kept 100% of their sales, and residents gained access to high-quality programming at little or no cost—ensuring mutual benefit for all participants.

  • Impact:

    • 6 themed pop-ups

    • 1,056 community members reached

    • 50+ creatives and entrepreneurs hired

    • 100+ submissions to the YerrrSpace Artist Directory

    • Tangible outcomes: vendor sales, increased social media engagement, and press coverage.

Campaign Type: Event Marketing Campaign
Role: Campaign-Project Manager, Marketing Lead
Timeline: September 2022 – October 2022

Campaign Goal + Core Elements

Purpose - To merge performance, storytelling, and small business activation into a series of artist-led pop-up events. The campaign aimed to elevate local visibility, increase equity for marginalized creatives, and provide replicable infrastructure for sustainable community programming.

Key Campaign Components

  • Early momentum was generated through grassroots buzz within the founder’s local creative network, sparking immediate interest among Jersey City’s multi-ethnic arts community.

  • Public recognition of the municipal arts grant and a featured newsletter interview helped build institutional credibility and attract partners.

  • Each event followed a tightly-timed, three-week marketing sprint, designed to sustain urgency and community-driven excitement.

  • Artists and vendors received personalized marketing toolkits to amplify outreach across diverse cultural and language communities.

  • Experiential moments, strong visual branding, and follow-up messaging reinforced community connection and long-term engagement.

Target Audiences

  • Youth and student performers.

  • Neighborhood artists and cultural workers.

  • Local entrepreneurs and micro-businesses.

  • Cultural organizations and press seeking community-rooted content.

  • Black, Latino, South Asian, immigrant, and working-class families in Jersey City.

Key Campaign Activities

Digital Content: The campaign’s digital presence was activated through a carefully timed, multi-phase rollout. Each event launched with a flyer reveal featuring the host, DJs, and local artists like PeteyxKraze, Freakquencee, Pootie, and more. These flyers were shared widely on Instagram and Facebook by performers, vendors, and community partners, and distributed through VPM’s email list. Eventbrite links were used for RSVPs, which enabled us to track conversions and collect attendee phone numbers for SMS updates. Instagram Stories outperformed static posts in driving action. The YerrrSpace website supported digital access, including information on ADA accessibility, while curated Spotify playlists extended the live themes into digital listening spaces.

Media & Press: Momentum from the municipal grant award created immediate credibility, especially when amplified through the Jersey City Office of Cultural Affairs’ website and newsletter. The founder’s feature interview helped introduce the YerrrSpace Pop-Up Series to broader networks, making it easier to attract local businesses, artists, and community leaders. Institutional partners like VPM, the Jersey City Arts Council, and Cultural Affairs helped expand visibility through coordinated email blasts and reposts, positioning the series as both artistically ambitious and civically aligned.

Grassroots Outreach: Initial buzz began informally, with the Founder/Creative Director—well known in the Jersey City arts scene—sharing the concept with her trusted network of creatives. This early engagement served as a grassroots litmus test that ignited word-of-mouth interest from multi-ethnic, multi-generational artists and cultural workers. On-the-ground flyer distribution at rec centers, schools, and community hubs extended the campaign’s reach to families and neighborhood residents. Event-day signage, walk-by visibility, and vendor activation captured foot traffic and brought in last-minute attendees.

Community Engagement: Participating artists and vendors amplified the campaign by sharing custom-designed flyers tailored to their own communities—often in multiple languages to reflect Jersey City’s cultural diversity. Content included artist rehearsal videos, vendor spotlights, and community testimonials. Announcements featured free admission and accessibility info, helping build trust with working-class families. Spotify playlists promoted local performers, while vendor announcements drew interest from families. These community-facing assets made each event feel personal, accessible, and culturally relevant.

Experiential Touchpoints: Each pop-up was designed as a multi-sensory experience, blending food, retail, and live music in a high-energy, culturally affirming environment. Hosts energized the crowd with recurring callouts like “Yerrr!”—setting a playful, communal tone. Vendors attracted families with food and goods, while music brought in younger adults. Post-show, attendees received thank-you texts and emails, and recap content—particularly on Instagram Stories—helped sustain buzz, drive shares, and establish a lasting emotional connection between the audience and the YerrrSpace brand.

Metrics & Results

  • 6 pop-up showcases

  • 50+ creatives and entrepreneurs hired

  • 1,056 community members engaged

  • 100+ submissions to the online artist directory

  • 0 vendor fees, 100% free programming for families

  • 100% of vendors reported audience interest, brand exposure, or sales growth

Conclusion & Looking Ahead

YerrrSpace proved that community-driven, values-aligned programming can produce wide-reaching, lasting results when rooted in community voice and creative equity. With its cross-sector collaboration model, hyperlocal focus, and joyful spirit, the series serves as a blueprint for future artist-driven placemaking across Jersey City and beyond.