We were lucky to catch up with Grela Orihuela recently and have shared our conversation below.

Grela, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Thanks for having me!

When you spend your life in the creative field, that’s a risk already. Growing up in Queens, NY with no ties to the entertainment business and deciding to go to film school – the risks started there. I went to NYU Tisch School of the Arts and in my junior year, changed course from film studies to television. It was life changing. The immediacy of producing live programming was exhilarating. The seat of your pants approach and no second chances set me up to both not be afraid of making split second decisions and to take risks. Very valuable lessons to learn and take with you. Right out of school, my first job was in fashion (still to this day an art form I love) and I was able to put my education to good use. Shooting fashion shows, styling editorial spreads and producing fashion events was possible because I learned to pivot, take advantage of opportunities and think outside the box. That gives you the freedom to create.

Grela, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Grela Orihuela, the Vice President of Fairs at Design Miami/. How I came to be here in what is my dream place is serendipity, hard work and an open mind. Throughout my career I have always loved the juxtaposition of creative disciplines and collaboration. Having been involved in fashion, television, music, film and live events such as being an art fair director, made this the perfect outlet to put a lifetime of experience and lessons to work. Design Miami/ is the global forum for collectible design, something I am passionate about. Here we highlight expertise in design both historic and contemporary, from furniture to jewelry and objets D’art. In addition to hosting a fair in Basel Switzerland and in Miami every year (during the ever famous fair week) we collaborate with luxury brands to produce stellar booths at the fair, digital drops and events that bring together art and design connoisseurs and enthusiasts. It’s really quite exhilarating. When someone connects with a piece, many times there is literally a before and after moment. Perspective changes not only in the relationship to the work but in the way we see all things.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

There have been many – the credo of never give up comes to mind. Taking on challenges where you feel in over your head – such as becoming executive producer of the news at a Spanish language network at a very young age. I sometimes wonder why they offered me the position, but I took it. Let’s just say there were many sleepless nights. I emerged triumphant with a knowledge I didn’t have before and the confidence and willingness to take on more ambitious projects.

Changing direction in a split second when I left my television career to go do rock & roll. You would think it’s the most raucous and wild of any industry but it’s the most precise and disciplined situation I have ever been in. It most definitely informed my producer brain. Turning a basketball arena into a concert stage in 24 hours is a minute by minute endeavor. There is no contingency plan, you just have to get it done. Not to mention the graceful science of dealing with all the talent!

Starting a production company with my business partner and talented husband (he wasn’t my husband at the time) for the simple reason that the project being presented was so large scope you know you can’t do it alone. It was daunting. Nurturing that company for almost 20 years, growing it to have over 20 full time employees taught me much about running a business. Throughout, I met and worked with the most incredible people, so many of which are friends to this day. This experience allowed us to take a kernel of an idea, a simple concept and see it through to its final execution. I learned to build solid teams, to deal with very high end and demanding clients and to truly refine the art of collaboration.

Then one day my husband and I decided to start another production company – Wet Heat Project – to solely produce documentaries and events on art and design. Again, daunting. No clients, no prospects, no 5 year plan – but we started making films. Dozens of shorts, 2 feature length films and a host of events. We met every local curator, museum director and collector. We also met the artists. Truly a gift.

Of course I think for many of us the most recent example is the pandemic. Just yesterday a friend and I were remembering how tough that was and how we got through it. I had left a job that on paper was perfect but I was searching for a more creative experience and I started PLACE Project Group to develop and produce art and design events around the globe. After 2 successful events, all that came to a very hard stop. It was frightening. What had I done? What do I do now? You move on. I binge watched TV for about a week as I thought of next steps and then said “well if I can’t engage with an audience live, I have to do it virtually” (practically everyone in the art world did the same). I built a website and curated an online exhibit of art and design. That led to staging the exhibit live in a lovely space as the Miami Design District slowly came back to life and that led to Design Miami/. This job I love, where I get to work with the most amazing team of (mostly) women who can do anything. Under the most overwhelming circumstances and deadlines. We make things happen. In a most exquisite way.

Risk = Lessons = Reward. Of course there are hiccups and even downright failures along the way but the point is to always be learning and stay open to the opportunity that could be right in front of you, even if not crystal clear.

I’ve had the good fortune to work with incredibly talented individuals and have the support of family, friends and colleagues – which is essential and never to be taken for granted.
Sometimes combining multiple elements you love creates a situation where you can have unbridled expression and you just have to go with it.

Stay curious.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

At a fair we have 2 clients. The galleries and the collectors. We’re constantly searching for new galleries to participate in our fairs and through our Curio program we discover new design talent and emerging galleries to introduce to our audience. It’s wonderful to see a career develop, to have a young gallery graduate from a Curio to our gallery program. My advice is to never stop looking and explore with an open mind. If something or someone inspires you, find the core of that and make it work. It’s all about the surprise and delight.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.designmiami.com/dm
• Instagram: @grelaorihuela
• Other: Email: [email protected]

Image Credits
The Portrait is courtesy of Rocco Studio
1. Fair tent  – courtesy Design Miami/ James Harris Photography
2. Converso Gallery Curio at Design Miami/ Basel courtesy Design Miami/ James Harris Photography
3. Fendi Partner Booth at Design Miami/ courtesy of Design Miami/ James Harris Photography
4. Galerie Patrick Seguin Gallery Booth at Design Miami/ Basel courtesy of Design Miami/ James Harris Photography
5. Pelle Curio Booth at Design Miami/ courtesy of Design Miami/ James Harris Photography
6. AGO Projects Gallery Booth at Design Miami/ courtesy of Design Miami/ James Harris Photography
7. Carpenters Workshop presents Maarten Baas Clock at Design Miami/ Basel courtesy of Design Miami/ James Harris Photography
8. Jason Jaques at Design Miami/ courtesy of Design Miami/ James Harris Photography