RECENT FEATURES
CanvasRebel
Discovered in Berkeley
San Francisco Magazine
February 12, 2024
CanvasRebel
Meet Cecilia Caparas Apelin
It was Spring of 2015 when I left a corporate role that I loved. I had an amazing job as an art director at a San Francisco fashion retail brand. I had reshaped the way they did their photoshoots and reinvigorated the brand through photography. We had so much fun on set and I adored all the amazing talented crew we would see almost everyday. We became family. As much as I loved it, the dreamer and truthseeker in me wanted more.
The first of many risks I took after leaving corporate was starting a boutique branding agency, Indigo Sky Creative. Our mission was to help brands define their core truth and values and express it through content and experiences. We humanized their offerings which led me to consult for some of the biggest brands in fashion and tech around the world- Gap, Jos A Bank, Ariat, Samsung, Airbnb, and Conde Nast to name a few. I wore my creative director and executive producer hat most projects, which had me traveling around the world to be on set, working in some of the most inspiring studios. While it was adventurous and exciting, I yearned to be closer to home to play my biggest role in life as a mama to my two incredible daughters – Ava Indigo and Mila Sky, which I named my agency after…
October 18, 2023
Discovered In Berkeley
‘Hidden’ in West Berkeley is an enormous production and event space
BERKELEYSIDE – The internationally celebrated Nigerian architect Miriam Kamara once said, “Architecture is the stage on which we live our lives.”
Although continents apart, Berkeley entrepreneur Cecilia Caparas Apelin and Kamara have that belief in common: spaces have the power to elevate the spirit, showcase human creativity and be catalysts for building community.
Apelin is the cofounder, along with Berkeley artist and developer Alexis Laurent, of Ciel Creative Space, a production and events space that brings all those elements together in West Berkeley.
Apelin and Laurent founded the company in 2019 to bring a top-tier, full-service venue, similar to Milk Studios in New York City and Los Angeles, to the Bay Area. Clients can do photo shoots, create videos, host conferences while also live streaming, and produce live concerts all under the Ciel roof…
April 17, 2023
San Francisco Magazine
Cecilia Caparas Apelin And Others Pay Homage To The Bay Area’s Filipina Trailblazers
Cecilia Caparas Apelin, the founder and CEO of Berkeley’s Ciel Creative Space (cielcreativespace.com), is forever coming up with new ways to showcase creativity and individual persistence and strength. Her latest: challenging the traditional ideas of Filipina beauty and womanhood. She recently brought together some of the Bay Area’s leading creators—including herself—wearing modern Filipiniana pieces from VINTA Gallery (vintagallery.com).
“This shoot really allowed me to dive deep into the layers of my truth, which includes understanding my Filipino culture and what it means to be Filipina American in our modern world…
October 21, 2022
SF Business Times
Meet 100 of the Bay Area’s fastest-growing companies
This year’s Fast 100 — the San Francisco Business Times’ annual List of the region’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies — come from all parts of the Bay Area and are a cross section of the industries that drive the local economy…
As for their growth trajectory, this year’s Fast 100 top out at a growth rate between 2019 and 2021 of more than 2,200%. That’s not a typo.
But from #1 to #100, they all have one thing in common: They found ways to not just survive, but to thrive, during the Covid pandemic…
August 2, 2022
San Francisco Magazine
These Are Our 2022 Best of the Bay Winners
From the hottest new restaurants to great places for weekend getaways, here are our picks for regional favorites—ready, set, explore…
Best Art, Performance, and Studio Space
Ciel Creative Space
August 16, 2021
August 5, 2021
SF Station
Ciel Creative Space Offers the East Bay Safe Environments to Be Human
Situated two blocks East of Berkeley’s Aquatic Park, the Ciel Creative Space is an artistic sanctuary for creatives to explore, collaborate, co-exist, and craft visual content and experiences.
August 3, 2021
Thrive Global
Cecilia Caparas Apelin of Ciel Creative Space: “You are you and no one can ever change that”
Your truth is unwavering and that is where you draw your confidence from because your truth is yours and no one else’s. If you’re able to accept that, you can easily do anything. As a part of our interview series called “Women Of The C-Suite , we had the pleasure of interviewing Caparas Apelin.
August 3, 2021
Nob Hill Gazette
Openings: A Creative Spin On Coworking
Ciel Creative Space feels very Berkeley — a welcome indicator that things are falling back into place. In fact, the former warehouse — transformed and reimagined as a creative studio, coworking space, event venue, gallery, cafe and boutique — seeks to be more than just a hub for artsy types.
June 23, 2021
Berkeleyside
West Berkeley creative space doubled in size during pandemic
In February 2019, when Ciel Creative Space opened its doors in a former West Berkeley print house as a place to help big companies market, promote and conduct their business, it checked off a goal set by one of its co-founders, Cecilia Caparas Apelin, back in 2012.
June 18, 2021
ETurbo News
Ciel Creative Space completes expansion of Bay area’s unique, multi-purpose studio, sound stage and artistic sanctuary
Ciel Creative Space, a unique, multi-purpose artistic sanctuary where creative minds can explore, collaborate and produce, has announced the completion of five new studios, more than doubling the space’s size to now span an entire city block.
June 17, 2021
For Immediate Release
Ciel Creative Space completes expansion of Bay area’s unique, multi-purpose studio, sound stage and artistic sanctuary
A wholly women-operated business co-founded by Cecilia Caparas Apelin and Alexis Laurent, Ciel Creative Space now encompasses over 40,000 square feet of studios and workspace designed as a haven for creatives in art, fashion, tech and entertainment to create, produce, entertain, teach and connect.
June 16, 2021
SiliconValley.com
California reopening photos: Here is what June 15 looks like in the Bay Area
With COVID-19 restrictions lifted, Bay Area residents are working, playing and celebrating.
June 15, 2021
The Mercury News
California reopening photos: Here is what June 15 looks like in the Bay Area
Today, June 15, 2021, California has officially reopened. Here in the Bay Area, we’ve been living under fluctuating coronavirus restrictions since March 2020, when a shelter-in-place order was instituted.
June 2, 2021
BayBeat
Ciel Creative Space in Berkeley Expands its Multi-Purpose Artistic Sanctuary
Ciel Creative Space is back—bigger than ever.
The unique, multi-purpose artistic sanctuary located in Berkeley is now offering more than 40,000 square feet of studios and workspace—more than twice its original size—for creatives in art, fashion, tech and entertainment to create, produce, entertain, teach and connect.
May 26, 2021
Authority Magazine
Women Of The C-Suite: Cecilia Caparas Apelin of Ciel Creative Space On The Five Things You Need To Succeed As A Senior Executive
Hire people who are aligned with your mission. One thing that I’ve done with my team, is empower them to allow their passions to come through in their work. This is when people perform the best when they feel connected, passionate, and aligned, and this is what gets us through the more difficult parts of the job.
Stay Connected
join our creative community
Ciel is a space by creatives for creatives. So bring a friend and your biggest ideas, you'll want to stay in to loop. Events and wellness activations, special promos, opportunities to get involved, and openings in our coworking space. The Ciel community is the gift that keeps on giving.