Stocker Street Creative held a community meeting to introduce the development, construction, and design teams of their upcoming creative campus on Feb. 22.
Stan Washington, project executive and developer, opened the floor and spoke about the importance of giving back to the community and making an impact. Washington shared that the Stocker Street Creative Studio will provide jobs, new opportunities, and community in an area that has been “underinvested and underdeveloped.”
Born and raised in South Los Angeles, Washington was “raised with the understanding that it’s important to give back to the community.” Placing an emphasis on community progress, Washington said, “This is not just about building a television film studio…this is about economic development, economic impact, and creating sustainable economic growth within this community.”
Diving into the meeting, Jessica Sarowitz, founder and managing partner of Stocker Street Creative Campus, opened by expressing her passion for the project. Seeing the need for creative community spaces, especially after the death of George Floyd in 2020, she connected with community leaders in the Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw area and began the planning process for Stocker Street Creative.
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As a successful film producer herself, Sarowitz said, “What the community landed on, it was a big yes! We want a film studio campus that can be culturally supportive of our stories.”
Sarowitz shared that the project has been in the works for the last five years, and it is 100% funded. This new state of the art creative campus will have studio and sound stage production, creative office spaces, and areas open to the community, including restaurants, a large courtyard, and a designated community gathering room.
Sarowitz’s Chicago-based company, 4S Bay Partners, LLC, partnered with Washington and Pantheon Development to oversee the development, design, and construction, along with a team of highly skilled African American and diverse leaders in South Los Angeles. Addressing the audience, she said, “I hope…that you are all proud of what you see today because it’s coming from all of you.”
The Stocker Studio Creative team was joined by Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove of the 37th District who showed excitement about the project and reaffirmed her support.
“I think it’s so important that cities encourage industries to show up, so that we can stimulate jobs. You can encourage development, you can stimulate investment,” Kamlager-Dove said. She added, “When all of those things are happening, then you have community members who are excited to be, and to dream, and to participate in the investment.”
With the opening of the creative studio, the team shared they will be a number of jobs for the Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw community, from construction set to start in the coming weeks, as well as retail, office administration, maintenance and security, and restaurant and catering.
Economic and finance strategist Sherri Franklin expressed her gratitude to Sarowitz for leading and funding the project. Franklin shared they are partnering with businesses including Los Angeles Urban League’s Construction Career Academy, and Demo Chicks for construction training and demolition.
They are even planning ahead by partnering with local colleges like Los Angeles Trade Technical College to train individuals who will be qualified to hold positions during this process. She said, “We can work with them now, ahead of time, to begin to train folks in all kinds of [positions], before the camera, after the camera, engineering, stage and design.”
Washington also mentioned that Stocker Street Creative will be partnering with local high schools and employment organizations to begin outreach efforts to fill new job openings as they arise. Furthermore, Washington shared that much of the feedback they have received has come from members of the community, including local businesses and local homeowners associations.
The team also shared that the community will have access to the courtyard, retail spaces, and alfresco dining, including an elevated rooftop restaurant overlooking the city. Construction is expected to last three years, with the studio being ready to open its doors towards the end of 2027.
For more information, visit www.stockerstreetcreative.com.
