West Pier resident Julie Durbin has agreed to take on the dual roles of Public Relations and Marketing Manager for the Floating Homes Association.
Julie has long been an active member of our community, having volunteered the first time at the 2003 Floating Homes Tour and all subsequent tours. She started the tradition of artists showing and selling their work during the tour. She was also heavily involved in the private tours as a docent and tour guide during the time when we were leading as many as a couple of private tours per month.
Julie also created and co-produced the Sausalito Floating Homes Virtual Gala and Tour in 2021. The gala held the FHA’s first ever silent and live auctions, bringing in over $20,000 along with gala sponsorship sales totaling almost $10,000. As part of the fundraiser, a budget was created and the tradition began of placing dedicated memorial Adirondack chairs commemorating neighbors who have passed.
Julie has also acted as the concert promoter for the FHA, lining up talented performers for our FHA events. She collects door prizes for FHA functions, and sells and manages sponsorships on the FHA website and in the Floating Times. She was even a mermaid as part of the Humming Toadfish Band in Sausalito’s July 4th parade.
Following an eclectic career as an educator, TV reporter and TV news editor in China, she has been teaching, most recently focusing on special education students as near as Sausalito and as far as Italy and Dubai. Prior to teaching math to students with autism, dyslexia and other learning differences, a Bay Area publishing company moved her to SF from Washington DC in 1999 to publish an SF-based magazine. Julie’s first career was focused on publishing, writing, advertising sales, event marketing, and fundraising. Julie climbed the ladder of publishing from 100% commission sales all the way to the top. She knows her way around social media, with plenty of savvy in advertising, marketing and events.
Julie was a renter on the Naomi Archer (15 Issaquah Dock) and 29 East Pier for 11 years, before moving to and buying the picturesque Fairy Tale at the head of West Pier in 2013 with her partner, Ed Lopez.
Says Julie: “I’m thrilled to be a new member of the Sausalito Floating Homes Association Board. I’m very excited about assembling a top-notch team, and about the endless marketing possibilities.” If you are interested in becoming part of Julie’s PR and marketing team please contact her.