Placemaking & Urban Leadership
How Little Italy Became San Diego's Blueprint for a Thriving Urban Neighborhood
Scope of Work / Strategic Growth / July 2026
Advancing Little Italy as
San Diego’s cultural & urban leader.
A hip and historic urban neighborhood, ready for its next chapter. A public relations and social media strategy built to convert popularity into cultural power.
Prepared for the Little Italy Association by Solid State Marketing
03
Public Relations Strategy
Objective
Build a proactive media engine that positions Little Italy at the forefront of San Diego culture, hospitality, placemaking and urban life.
01
Always-On Story Development
Create a steady pipeline of stories around neighborhood evolution, cultural traditions, public spaces, business milestones, people and emerging trends. This includes a monthly Downtown News article that reinforces key messages and keeps Little Italy's story moving year-round.
02
Market-Specific Media Outreach
Develop tailored angles for local, regional, national and Baja California media rather than relying on one-size-fits-all pitching.
03
Seasonal Story Architecture
Build an annual communications calendar that gives each season a distinct narrative, connecting holidays, signature events, dining, culture and neighborhood rituals into larger campaigns.
04
Event, Seasonal & Business Promotion
Support major events, new openings, anniversaries and neighborhood milestones with stronger narratives, media strategy and coordinated social amplification.
05
Executive & Community Voices
Elevate Association leadership, business owners, residents, chefs and cultural stakeholders as credible spokespeople and storytellers.
06
Crisis Communications
Establish clear escalation protocols, approved messaging frameworks and rapid-response support for issues affecting the neighborhood or Association.
Target Media Sampling
Local
Regional
National
Baja California / Cross-Border
Sample Story Angles
Culture & Heritage
How Little Italy Preserves Its Italian-American Identity While Continuing to Evolve
Business & Economic Development
Why Independent Businesses Continue to Choose Little Italy and What That Means for Downtown San Diego
Food & Hospitality
Beyond the Restaurants: How Little Italy Built One of San Diego's Most Complete Neighborhood Experiences
Public Space & Community
The Piazzas, Public Art and Community Traditions Redefining Urban Life in San Diego
Timely
From Los Angeles to Little Italy: SUGARFISH's San Diego Debut Reinforces the Neighborhood's Market Strength
Solid State.Public Relations Strategy03 / 09
05
Case Studies
Proof, not promises. Three campaigns that show how we reposition places, launch brands into crowded markets and turn ideas into demand.
Case Study / Garden City, Idaho
Revitalizing Garden City's Waterfront District
The Challenge
From Underperforming Area to Emerging Destination
Garden City's Boise River corridor had the natural ingredients of a destination, Greenbelt access, waterfront recreation, growing residential density and proximity to Boise, but lacked cohesive hospitality identity, consistent programming and a clear reason for people to experience the area as one connected place.
At the center of the opportunity was The Boardwalk, a mixed-use development with restaurants, residences, public gathering space and future event venues. Before reopening, the property represented one of the market's toughest hospitality challenges. Four restaurant concepts had failed in the space, nearby restaurant vacancies sat empty for years with few willing to invest, and years of inconsistent operations had all but erased consumer confidence. At the same time, Garden City continued to battle outdated perceptions compared to neighboring Boise, making the path to success even steeper.
“This was not a traditional opening campaign. It was a district-wide destination reset.”
Our Approach
One integrated framework: launch the concepts, program the district and build the partnerships that made momentum visible.
The Framework- 01
One Integrated Strategy
Connected PR, social, paid media, influencers, email, websites, partnerships, events and grand openings under one destination narrative.
- 02
Launch the Concepts
Led integrated openings for Descanso Bar, Ground Rules, Spitfire Tacos & Tequila and Earlybird Breakfast Burritos, giving each a distinct identity while strengthening The Boardwalk.
- 03
Create Reasons to Return
Developed and promoted a growing calendar of events including the Greenbelt Night Market, Experience Garden City, live music, watch parties and seasonal activations.
- 04
Build the Network
Strengthened relationships with Visit Garden City, the Mayor's office, the Chamber, media and community partners, becoming a source of stories, assets and content.
- 05
Drive Visible Momentum
Created a steady cadence of openings, media coverage, influencer visits, live entertainment and public events to replace the area's past narrative with proof of change.
Transformation in Motion
A district revitalization made visible through openings, events, media, creators and community partners.
Progress to Date
- 01
4 New Concepts Launched
Integrated grand-opening support for Descanso Bar, Ground Rules, Spitfire Tacos & Tequila and Earlybird Breakfast Burritos.
- 02
Greenbelt Night Market Created and Launched
An original concept we created, branded and launched, now the district's recurring marquee event and a standing reason to return to the waterfront.
greenbeltnightmarket.com → - 03
Recurring District Programming
Live music, watch parties, seasonal activations, community events and cross-concept programming.
- 04
Integrated Visibility Across Channels
PR, social, influencer outreach, paid campaigns, email, websites and partner amplification under one strategy.
- 05
Civic & Tourism Partnerships Built
Visit Garden City, the Mayor's office, the Chamber and community partners, supplied with stories, content and assets.
- 06
Reputation Reset Underway
The story shifted from short-lived concepts toward visible investment and sustained momentum, with more to come this fall and winter through Peregrine Overlook, Garden City's only Greenbelt rooftop bar and event center.
Marquee Program / Created by Solid State
Greenbelt Night Market
We did not book an event. We invented a platform.
One-off activations like Experience Garden City create a spike. The Greenbelt Night Market was built to create a habit. We developed the idea, named and branded it, built its website and social presence, recruited makers, food and music vendors, secured civic and tourism partners and marketed every edition, turning an underused stretch of waterfront into a scheduled destination the market plans its weekends around.
- 01
Owned Concept
Original idea, name, brand identity, website and social channels created in house rather than sponsoring someone else's event.
- 02
Recurring by Design
A repeating series instead of a single date, so awareness compounds edition over edition instead of resetting each time.
- 03
Traffic Engine for the District
Every market night delivers crowds directly to Descanso, Ground Rules, Spitfire and Earlybird, converting foot traffic into covers.
- 04
Community Anchor
Local makers, food vendors and musicians alongside Visit Garden City and Chamber partners, making the waterfront feel like a civic gathering place.
- 05
Always On Story
A renewable media and content hook that keeps Garden City in listings, calendars, creator feeds and coverage between openings.
- 06
Complements One Off Moments
Experience Garden City and seasonal activations layer on top of the market cadence rather than carrying the calendar alone.
Earned Media Coverage / Selected Samples
Brands, Programming & Partners
Concepts & Programming Launched
Civic & Tourism Partners
Creator Highlights
123K views
2,947 likes
127K views
4,450 likes
Case Study / Randy's Donuts, Las Vegas
Winning the Battle for Buzz in a Crowded Market
Launching a legendary LA brand into a 24/7 tourist economy.
Solid State.06.2
01
The Challenge
Standing out in a city built on spectacle.
Randy's was entering the ultra-competitive Las Vegas culinary scene, where standing out is notoriously difficult. A legendary Los Angeles brand had to earn relevance in a saturated 24/7 tourist and local market, with excitement built before opening and sustained through every operational milestone that followed.
Our Approach
The Framework- 01
Five-Phase Campaign
A staged PR arc built to create repeat news waves rather than a single opening-day spike.
- 02
Own the Announcement
Secured citywide coverage from major Las Vegas outlets from first announcement through opening.
- 03
Go Multi-Format
Delivered exposure across broadcast, digital, print and social so the story reached every audience.
- 04
Engineer the Moments
Built headline-worthy beats: the giant donut tour, sellouts, hour changes and the 24/7 return.
- 05
Activate the Taste-Makers
Donut drops to casinos, concierge desks, VIP hosts, promoters, DJs and influencers.
“We drove Randy's iconic giant donut around Las Vegas. News crews literally followed, pulled over our team, and conducted on-the-spot interviews.”
A Day-One Las Vegas Hot Spot
Turning decades of brand equity into opening-day demand.
Progress to Date- 01
Distinct tentpole news narratives, each achieving citywide media saturation.
- 02
Multiple rounds of earned media coverage across TV, digital, print and social.
- 03
Cross-collaborations with celebrity DJ headliners including Zedd, Deadmau5 and Steve Aoki.
- 04
Sold out on opening day for the first time in 70 years, a viral moment that became its own story.
- 05
Supported a return to 24/7 operations after unprecedented demand.
- 06
Foot traffic increases that exceeded projections and built long-term local loyalty.
Six Waves of Earned Media
Every milestone was engineered as its own news cycle, generating separate, strategically timed rounds of coverage instead of a single opening-day spike. Each wave earned significantly more placements than shown here. The links below are representative samples of the coverage secured in that cycle.
Wave 01
The Announcement
Sample Coverage
Wave 02
The Date Is Set
Sample Coverage
Wave 03
Opening Day
Sample Coverage
Wave 04
First Franchise Sellout in 70 Years
Sample Coverage
Wave 05
Hours Change
Sample Coverage
Wave 06
The Return to 24/7
Sample Coverage
Case Study / San Diego, CA
Allegro Little Italy
The Brainstorm Behind the Breakout
How a strategy session turned an evergreen month into a viral, product-led social moment.
Solid State.06.3
01
The Challenge
An evergreen month with no built-in hook.
Allegro entered April with healthy baseline demand, but no major seasonal campaign, holiday hook or built-in cultural moment capable of driving incremental attention. Rather than default to discounts or generic seasonal messaging, Solid State led a creative brainstorm focused on developing a menu item with real viral potential, something visually irresistible, culturally credible and strong enough to generate its own momentum on social.
Our Brainstorm Rationale
The Framework- 01
Start with behavior
Look for the kind of dining moment people already love to film, share and send to friends.
- 02
Build for virality
The goal was not just engagement. The item needed enough visual pull to travel organically across creator, guest and local food content.
- 03
Choose something ownable
The idea had to feel specific to Allegro, not like a generic item any restaurant could run.
- 04
Make it instantly visual
The item needed to read immediately on camera and stop the scroll without explanation.
- 05
Elevate the detail
Importing authentic bowls from Italy transformed a simple dessert into a signature experience.
Why Lemon Sorbet Won
Visual: Bright, recognizable and highly photogenic.
Brand-fit: Italian, elevated and naturally aligned with Allegro.
Viral: Built to travel across creator, guest and organic social.
Commercial: Strong enough to drive demand, not just engagement.
“The smartest move was not creating more marketing. It was creating something built to go viral.”
From Social Moment to Commercial Momentum
A product-led idea translated into measurable demand.
Results
01
10%
Sales Growth
Sales increased 10% during the campaign window from 4/15 to 5/15.
02
30%
Year-Over-Year Growth
The same period finished 30% above the prior year.
03
Demand Exceeded Forecasts
Allegro sold through its sorbet inventory as interest accelerated.
04
Additional Bowls Imported From Italy
The restaurant reordered the signature vessels to support continued demand and preserve the presentation that made the item recognizable.
05
Creator & Guest Amplification
Influencer coverage and organic guest content expanded the campaign well beyond Allegro's owned channels.
06
A Repeatable Signature Was Created
What began as a brainstorm became a recognizable menu moment with ongoing brand and revenue value.
Creator Highlights
1.2M views
110K views
Solid State.Case Studies05 / 09
Qualifications & Experience
The people who pitch the work are the people who do the work.
Key Account Team
Vince DiNatale is the Founder and Managing Director of Solid State Marketing, a full-service marketing and public relations agency specializing in hospitality, tourism, entertainment, and destination marketing. Vince leads the agency's strategy, public relations, and growth initiatives, overseeing integrated marketing campaigns for more than 50 hospitality brands throughout the Western United States.
Vince directs marketing strategy for nationally recognized brands and multi-unit hospitality groups, including Randy's Donuts, Prince Street Pizza, and the Baja Sharkeez Restaurant Group. His expertise spans destination branding, public relations, digital marketing, community engagement, event strategy, and grand opening campaigns designed to increase visitation, strengthen public perception, and drive economic activity.
Under his leadership, Solid State Marketing has become a trusted marketing partner for restaurants, entertainment venues, tourism-driven businesses, and destination districts, delivering measurable growth through integrated marketing and strategic communications. In recognition of his leadership and business achievements, Vince was recently nominated for the CEO of the Year 2026 award by the San Diego Business Journal. Vince is a graduate of San Diego State University and brings longstanding ties to the San Diego business, hospitality and marketing communities.
Aisha Belagam is a Senior Marketing Director with more than 14 years of experience across public relations, social media, brand strategy and integrated marketing. Her background includes award-winning global agency experience spanning hospitality, real estate, technology, lifestyle and B2B communications.
At Solid State Marketing, she leads strategy, media relations, messaging, social direction and account leadership for restaurants, hotels, mixed-use developments and destination districts.
Previously, Aisha served as Director of Public Relations at Havas Formula, where she led national programs for globally recognized brands including JPMorgan Chase, RE/MAX, Meritage Homes, Allegion and Shure.
Having lived and studied internationally, Aisha brings a cross-cultural perspective and an ability to build communications strategies that resonate across diverse audiences and markets.
Aisha graduated magna cum laude from San Diego State University with a degree in journalism, an emphasis in public relations and a minor in international politics.
Samantha Jacksich is the Head of Content at Solid State Marketing, leading creative strategy, editorial direction and content production for hospitality, restaurant and destination brands.
She oversees content development across a diverse client portfolio, guiding creative vision from campaign ideation through production, post-production and distribution. Working alongside the agency's social, design and account teams, Samantha leads the creation of integrated content programs spanning short-form video, creator collaborations, social campaigns, promotional initiatives and brand storytelling that strengthen audience engagement and reinforce each client's positioning.
In addition to her agency leadership, Samantha has built a food-focused social platform (@sandiegoeaters) with more than 57,000 followers, providing firsthand insight into evolving platform trends, creator best practices and audience behavior. That creator perspective informs the agency's approach to developing content that is both strategically grounded and culturally relevant.
Samantha specializes in translating hospitality experiences into compelling digital narratives through thoughtful creative direction, efficient production workflows and social-first storytelling that drives awareness, engagement and long-term brand growth.
Ella Hauptman is a marketing and communications professional specializing in integrated marketing, public relations, social media strategy and brand storytelling for hospitality, restaurant and destination brands.
At Solid State Marketing, she manages multi-channel marketing initiatives for a diverse portfolio of clients, leading social media strategy, content development, media relations, influencer partnerships, email marketing, digital platform management and community engagement. She works closely with clients to develop campaigns that strengthen brand awareness, drive guest engagement and support new openings, events and long-term growth.
Prior to joining Solid State Marketing, Ella gained international marketing experience while living and working in Amsterdam, where she supported communications initiatives in a cross-cultural environment. That global perspective continues to shape her collaborative approach and ability to connect with diverse audiences.
Ella graduated from San Diego State University with a bachelor's degree in communication, with an emphasis in public relations.
A full account team will support the engagement, also including Mady Stone, Account Coordinator and Tony Ayoub, Content Production Specialist.
Solid State.Qualifications & Experience07 / 09
Social Media & Influencers
Little Italy already has the energy. Solid State turns it into targeted influence. Social is where the neighborhood's culture, food, events and personalities show up first, and it is where perception is shaped in real time.
We are not here to fill a feed. We're here to shape what San Diego notices next.
Turn the Feed Into a Media Brand
Build a recognizable editorial system with recurring franchises, bold creative direction and a clear point of view. Less civic bulletin board. More cultural publication.
Move at the Speed of the City
In a 24/7 digital landscape, create timely content around openings, local news, seasonal moments, restaurant buzz and neighborhood debates while people are still paying attention.
Build an Influence Network, Not an Invite List
A curated roster of food, lifestyle, culture and travel creators who return repeatedly, tell different stories and build real familiarity with the neighborhood.
Create Campaigns With a Hook
Replace isolated posts and generic business spotlights with concepts people recognize, follow and share, opening trails, chef takeovers, hidden-gem maps, neighborhood challenges and recurring “only in Little Italy” series.
Make Businesses Contributors, Not Content Requests
A simple system for businesses to surface openings, milestones, personalities and timely stories, then shape those inputs into stronger district-wide narratives.
Use Paid Media With Purpose
Targeted spend around the moments that matter most, major events, seasonal campaigns, new openings and neighborhood priorities. Sharp audience strategy paired with creative built to stop the scroll, not blend into it.