Terell and Marisa Johnson have put together a space for entrepreneurs and creatives of Los Angeles to bring their ideas to life in the heart of Inglewood.
La Create Sp_ce is a two story, 2600 square feet building in the Market Street District that has everything from conference rooms to cameras and green screens, along with high-speed Wi-Fi throughout the building. The couple was looking for office spaces for themselves as Terell worked as an engineer for Snapchat and Marisa worked in marketing for Apple. Originally, they were saving for a house, but after seeing different buildings in Inglewood, the Johnsons thought that they should create a business that can be an office space for multiple people.
“There are a lot of businesspeople and artists here that have to drive all the way to Hollywood or Burbank to do a photoshoot, record something, or even just to have a meeting,” said Marisa Johnson. “We have access to a lot of resources and it’s a space where you can hold yourself professionally.”
Designed by local interior designers, the first story of the space is full of white walls and small accents of lively color. It includes a coworker space with open seating at tall tables and an area with couches. This is where people with memberships can come and get work done, have meetings and meet other creatives. There is also a conference room on the first floor with a large table and about 15 seats. This room has a monitor with wireless hookups as well. Downstairs also has a refrigerator and ecafe that members can use.
The upstairs is what makes this La Create Sp_ce stand out from other office spaces. The second story features a bigger conference room that is more of a creative space. An entire wall is a white-board with different color markers, while the wall across from it has the quote, “Freedom is the Very Essence of our Imagination,” in large letters. The front wall in this room has two monitors with wireless hookups and the tables can sit about 20 people.
Things get even more creative with the photo studio, which has cameras, professional production lights, back drops and a green screen. This room can be used for music videos, interviews, video blogs, photo shoots and more. Then there is the production studio that has a microphone and other equipment for mixing and recording sound. A computer is also in this studio with programs for post-production and editing of video and audio.
“Our space is multi-purpose creative space and it allows for all sorts of people, whether they be entrepreneurs, musicians, videographers, the tech crowd,” said Terell Johnson. “This is about having somewhere to go, be inspired, and meet people from the community.”
During the process of putting everything together, the couple created more than a business. They became pregnant with their daughter, Halo, who was born two weeks after they signed their lease. This business gained an even bigger purpose for the Johnsons as they plan to expand and pass it down to their daughter.
La Create Sp_ce offers a few different memberships, including monthly, yearly, and semi-yearly. These memberships include usage of the first story space and discounts on renting the rooms upstairs. The photo studio, recording studio and large conference room can be rented by the hour and have a range of different prices. Spaces are also available to rent for events. For more information on renting any of the spaces, visit lacreatespace.com and find them on social media at @lacreatespace , @tbyrdyun , and @sheismarisaj.