When the new OCVIBE entertainment district opens in Anaheim over the next three years, a crew of Titans will be able to say they were there from the beginning.
Emily Sharp ’15, ’22 (B.A. communications-public relations, MBA-marketing), the communications manager for OCVIBE, is one of a half-dozen CSUF alumni who work for the OCVIBE district or one of its venues, which currently include the Honda Center and the Grove of Anaheim.
Sharp and her colleagues — including Lindsey Brackett ’21 (B.A. communications-advertising), Gillian Frey ’23 (B.A. communications-advertising), Quinn Kim ’16 (B.A. communications-public relations), Erika Muir ’13 (B.A. communications-entertainment studies), and Andie D’Avino ’25 (B.A. sociology) — promote OCVIBE, market events at the existing venues, and work with the executive team on strategy and partnerships.
Progress is happening fast on the $4 billion future entertainment district anchored by the Honda Center. OCVIBE will eventually cover 100 acres — about the size of Disneyland — with a food hall and several full-service restaurants, an intimate club and a concert hall with capacity for 5,700, an eco-friendly office building, public plazas and green spaces, and 2,500 apartments.
Sharp said the goal is to finish the project in time for the 2028 Summer Olympics, when the Honda Center will host indoor volleyball.
What’s compelling about working on OCVIBE is being able to create something that the community can enjoy for decades to come, several of the Titan staffers said.
“OCVIBE is very much like a startup,” Sharp said. “We’re building this from the ground up.”
Muir, OCVIBE’s director of media and communications, remembers that growing up in OC, there wasn’t an “epicenter” for entertainment, “so I’m excited that future generations will have that.”
Muir transferred to CSUF to study communications and found like-minded people in the Entertainment and Tourism Club. Those relationships have continued, bringing her back to campus to speak on panels and fostering connections with fellow Titans at the office.
Frey, the Honda Center’s marketing coordinator, was a transfer student who got involved in CSUF’s Behind the Scenes business organization, which led to an internship and a full-time job. Making cold calls in an advertising sales class and giving presentations in business attire was great practice for a future corporate role, she said.
“I chose Cal State Fullerton because it has a great reputation” for launching careers in advertising, marketing and communications, Frey said. “I was really happy to start my career, but I was sad to leave Fullerton because I loved it so much.”
Frey, who saw “Disney on Ice” at the Honda Center as a child, is excited about visiting the new restaurants and venues as a guest.
Muir loves being able to attend groundbreakings, building topping-off ceremonies and other firsts as the district comes into existence.
“I think the coolest thing for me to be part of OCVIBE is just being able to say I was there,” Muir said.
To Sharp, helping create and promote the county’s newest major entertainment destination is a Titan team effort.
“Every single person is invested in making this better because this is our community.”