By Karli Wallace
Staff Writer
Mira Costa Junior Ty Dillman and Loyola Juniors Max Berger, Dimitri Pouliopoulos, and Maxwell Baumer get motors running in Manhattan Beach with, a car photography Instagram account and business that’s run by the boys and explores cars throughout the South Bay and Southern California.
Link: Click here to check out South Bay Exotics’ website
As of last year, South Bay Exotics’ Instagram account had started to host local car shows, welcoming drivers from around the South Bay to show off their cars in a community setting. The shows take place on the last Saturday of each month in Playa del Rey from 8 to 11 AM. In addition to showing off cars, all who attend are welcome by free coffee and donuts.
“With the monthly shows, our goal is to get drivers and their cars out of their garage and moving,” Dillman said. “We wanted to make a change. We wanted to show our followers that we’re more than just an Instagram account.”
Dillman, Berger, Pouliopoulos and Baumer started South Bay Exotics in the summer of 2014. While getting food or hanging around Downtown Manhattan Beach, the boys would see nice cars everywhere, said Dillman. Dillman also said the boys started the account based off of their appreciation and love for cars, and gradually gained followers and were posting their photos frequently. Now, 24,800 followers later, South Bay Exotics is raising money and putting on monthly car shows.
“The evolution of South Bay Exotics has progressed so much from 2014,” Dillman said. “We loved taking photos of these nice cars, and that’s how South Bay Exotics was formed.”
Beginning in 2017, South Bay Exotics started hosting charity car shows, which benefit the organization Chrysalis. Chrysalis is a non-profit organization that helps homeless citizens find job opportunities. These charity car shows will now happen once every year, Dillman said.
“We met with the CEO of Chrysalis, and we told him we could raise money for them through our shows, and that we wanted to help,” Dillman said. “He said to us, ‘We’re going to get people to donate, we’ll get sponsors from companies, and you’ll get 100% of what you make.’ They were so super helpful and we were really grateful for that.”
Link: For more information on Chrysalis, click here
Dillman said that when creating South Bay Exotics, they’d made a goal to raise at least $15,000. However, when the event passed on March 18th , they’d raised a total of $20,000, exceeding their original goal by a whole $5,000. The money they’d raised for Chrysalis was intended to help support Crysalis’ transportation funds, which are usually around $100,000. These funds give homeless citizens a mode of transportation, like a bus or a taxi, to jobs and opportunities for a new future, Dillman said.
“It felt good knowing that we were doing something good and that the money we’d raised was going to help real people with critical situations,” Dillman said. “Because of that, it didn’t feel like we were just raising money, but as if we were helping people and a cause greater than ourselves. That was the real award.”
South Bay Exotics has been sponsored by a numerous number car related companies, including Pep Boys and Porsche of South Bay. But, South Bay Exotics has been in a long term partnership with Manhattan Beach Mechanics, a local family-owned business where fellow Mira Costa senior and car enthusiast Connor Wohl works. Wohl’s family owned business has partnered with South Bay Exotics for a year and a half, Wohl said. South Bay Exotics and Manhattan Beach Mechanics split ownership of the non-charity shows, and who attends the shows.
Link: South Bay Porsche, a sponsor of South Bay Exotics
“We’re the only group in Manhattan Beach that hosts shows, so I feel like we have this element of exclusivity,” said Wohl. “It’s created a car community in Manhattan Beach that allows anyone, from high schoolers to fully mature adults, to come together and show off their cars. We’re not trying to bring in people from Downtown L.A or any other area. It’s just an event for car owners in Manhattan Beach to meet up and hang out.”
Though the future is currently uncertain for South Bay Exotics, Dillman believes that it will greatly benefit him, Berger, Pouliopoulos and Baumer in the future. Dillman said he has always looked forward to creating connections with other businesses and businessmen, he said. He also looks forward to expanding his connections and believes that the more people he meets, the opportunities he’ll find.
“When people find something they’re passionate about and turn it into something that’s also helping others, great things always happen,” Dillman said. “With cars and South Bay Exotics, I found that. I’d rather do something that makes me happy as opposed to something that just earns me a monthly payroll. That’s a part of South Bay Exotics that is really special to me.”
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