Elliot Santillan was a stalwart member of the Free Press Summer Fest site team from the festival's founding year. Working through the intense August heat of the inaugural 2009 event, he helped deploy essential assets across the festival grounds, handled ice distribution, and assisted with complex site installations including geodesic domes. His experience on the ground also helped shape the festival's operations: after the punishing conditions of the first year, Santillan urged the team to move the event to June, a change made for the festival's second edition.
