Home Features Joal Cabrera: Building Geek+Pop While Building a Family

Joal Cabrera: Building Geek+Pop While Building a Family

Joal Cabrera has this way of making Geek+Pop feel less like a brand and more like a part of everyday life. When he talks about how it all started, you can sense both the honesty and the humor. “Truth? Geek+Pop was created partly because of jadedness in the advertising industry and mostly because of the pandemic. Like everyone else at that time, I was trying to weather the shitstorm,” he said, laughing at how blunt it sounded. Advertising, for him, was full of brilliant people, but also full of walls that kept ideas from breathing. “At one point I just said fuqit, I am going to create my own IP’s, my own creative stuff, and it will be my vision that’s going to be followed.” That’s where Geek+Pop came in, a space for creativity without shackles, where communities could come together and just be themselves.

And here’s the fun part, Geek+Pop isn’t just about geeking out over foreign pop culture. Joal dreams of local talent shining just as bright. “My vision is for it to push local talent to create art that rivals the best out there. I want to discover and develop talent not just in the arts, but also competitive hobbies and geeksports. That’s right, I’m coining the term GeekSports to include not just esports, but also TCGs, tabletop, Beyblade, and just about any hobby turned sports and competition.” He wants people to cross fandoms, break out of comfort zones, and actually interact with one another instead of just watching from the sidelines.

Family, Creativity, and Finding Balance

What makes it even more exciting is how Geek+Pop is growing alongside his family. Joal recently became a dad again, and naturally, that influenced where his ideas are headed. “Parenthood always been a strong driving force for me. And now that I am going through the whole process of milk, diapers, and in a few year preschool, my mindset is of course with kids. So more than the present IPs that are thriving, watchout for Geek+Pop Kids.” It’s such a cool full-circle moment. His family is expanding, and so are his ideas. Geek+Pop Kids feels like the next big step, something that his children, other families, and the wider community can always relate to.

Of course, being a creative parent isn’t always smooth sailing. Joal balances working from home with taking care of his newborn and his mom, who has Alzheimer’s. “These days, it’s tough to find a trustworthy person in whom you can leave a baby and also a senior with Alzheimer’s. And because I run my business primarily at home, I ended up taking care of both of them. So yes, it has changed my priorities in a way, but business needs to go on. The baby is actually sleeping in my arms right now as I write this.” He admits it’s tough, but he never sounds defeated, if anything, he finds a way to laugh about it.

And when it comes to creativity, Joal doesn’t wait for inspiration to strike. “My best ideas didn’t come to me while twiddling my thumbs in front of my desk. The greatest ideas come to me when I’m driving, in church, in the mall, taking a walk, eating, and just about anything that keeps me busy. So yeah, I don’t ‘find’ a moment. All moments are chances to be creative.” Even weekends, usually the busiest time for events, become a chance to mix work and family. “In my line of work, weekends are actually business days. That’s when events are held and I have to work. I don’t feel guilt because it puts food on the table. But there is pressure to find time for family. As much as possible, I bring the family to events. So we spend weekends together, still having fun.”

Building Community and Looking Ahead

The rewards he talks about are the kind that make you smile just hearing them. “Every time I do creative work, I get rewarded. More so when I see the communities thriving. And when I see my daughter, who always comes with me to events, getting inspired by what I do. Being my child’s hero is the best reward for me.” You can tell that his community means a lot to him too. “Fans and followers are super supportive and I’ve seen nothing but love.” And on days when things feel heavy, he reminds himself of the people counting on him. “You can’t just curl up and die with every difficulty. People depend on me, whether days are tough or not.”

What he wants from people isn’t complicated at all. “I’ll simplify—go to Geek+Pop events. Buy from the merchants. Be a merchant. Perform on-stage. Play casually at the videogames area. Join the tournaments. Have fun. Seeing people having the time of their lives, that’s the greatest emotional support they can give.” He even shared how his daughter is already showing her own creative side, and it’s clear that he hopes Geek+Pop will one day be a family legacy. “My daughter is an artist in her own right already and she seems to be following my footsteps. Someday, when I’ve got Alzheimer’s as well, I hope she takes on the reigns.”

Looking forward, Joal can’t hide his excitement. “The wheels are already turning to scale Geek+Pop into one of the biggest Media and Entertainment Companies in the country. We are a creative lab, not just an events company. We are developing IPs right now outside of events. PICCS was a success and we’re also working on the next Alpha event. For Fight Club, well, let’s just say a big esports event is on its way. So yeah, the future is very exciting. We’ve experienced immense growth for the brand and it’s only gonna get bigger from there.”

Hearing Joal talk, you get the sense that Geek+Pop isn’t just his project—it’s part of his family story. It’s growing with him, with his kids, and with everyone who joins in. And honestly, that’s what makes it so exciting: it’s not just about building IPs, it’s about building something people can always feel connected to.