Raised in Sooke on T’Sou-ke territory, Arcade has been involved in the local arts community for much of his life. He has contributed to the Sooke Writers’ Collective since its inception, illustrating its annual anthologies and supporting fellow writers through design and creative collaboration. He graduated from the University of Victoria’s Humanities program, where his studies focused on film, classical literature, and Indigenous studies.

The name Arcade is a holdover from his years at CFUV 101.9 FM, where an on-air nickname eventually became the name everyone knew him by. During his time in community radio, he worked in broadcasting, interviewing, podcasting, audio production, including directing and producing. He continues to host Transmissions from Side 7, a weekly electronic music program broadcasting since 2018 from the fictional bridge of a science-fiction spaceship.

Before joining Pacific Opera Victoria, Arcade served as Operations Manager and Box Office Coordinator for the Victoria Film Festival, contributing to the marketing and operations of its 2023 festival and participating in film programming with a focus on Japanese and Korean cinema.

A queer, second-generation Filipino Canadian, Arcade has a particular appreciation for diverse voices and Asian representation in the arts. His creative interests range from illustration and writing to science fiction, electronic music, and video games, particularly those with rich worlds, memorable characters, and ambitious storytelling. Whether he’s exploring a fictional universe, inventing one of his own, or documenting the stories unfolding onstage, Arcade has always been drawn to the many different ways people tell stories.