SoLa Studios: Creating Pathways to Creative Careers in Underinvested Communities

Access to tech and creative industry employment

South LA City of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a citywide benefit)

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

LA continues to be the global center of entertainment but access to career training and pathways for low-income BIPOC creatives remain illusive. The stats speak for themselves:
Only 20.2% of top theatrical films in 2024 were BIPOC directed and 12.5% were written by BIPOC writers.
92% of film and 87% of TV executives are white.
92.1% of leadership of 37 music companies are white; 7.9% are BIPOC.
Access to creative careers often still depend on unpaid internships, elite networks, and expensive training, which increase barriers for low-income BIPOC youth. These challenges are compounded by broader inequities in school-based creative career education and the racial digital divide.
SoLa Studios is a solution to this solvable systemic challenge because it centers culturally competent workforce pathways, hands-on trainings, talent incubation, and an embrace of tech like AI and AR/VR. The result is a more inclusive entertainment industry where BIPOC youth are at the forefront of innovation.

Funding will support the studio's four program tracks:
Production Company: SoLa offers free training programs in film making, pre- and post-production, storytelling and entrepreneurship through after school and weekend engagements (ages 15-25). It is a vehicle for original content production, talent incubation and community building. Emphasizing real-world experience, SoLa Studios fosters emerging talent, creates work portfolios and feeds career pipelines.
Creative Agency: Graduates of SoLa Studios training programs are placed in "The Agency" to prepare each young adults for successful careers and entrepreneurship in creative industries. The Agency is responsible for SoLa's branding and campaigns. We highly value our student's unique cultural and social knowledge for use in effectively communicating with Black and brown audiences and consumers. Graduates are placed on SoLa projects in the community.
Recording Studio and Training Facility: SoLa Studios houses a professional recording studio at the foundation's flagship tech center facility with a second studio opening at SoLa's second tech center in partnership with Live Nation Entertainment (opening in Leimert Park Q4 2025). The recording studio is part classroom, creative playground, and community resource where music is created and music careers are launched.
Career Engagement: SoLa regularly hosts career panels and special engagements with industry professionals to illuminate possibilities in entertainment.

SoLa Studios is redefining who has access to—and benefits from—LA’s iconic entertainment industry. With this grant’s support, SoLa will equip hundreds of BIPOC storytellers, technicians, and creative entrepreneurs with the skills, experience, and networks needed to lead the next chapter of Hollywood. This work fuels economic mobility, wealth creation, and community development. Thriving creative hubs in historically underinvested neighborhoods like South LA will finally be connected to LA’s broader creative economy, helping make the county more equitable, dynamic, and competitive. Increased BIPOC access and representation will ensure that the stories told reflect the full diversity of LA and inspire future generations to pursue careers once out of reach. Expanding representation in film, music, and digital media will lead to more inclusive narratives, cultural relevance, and long-term industry innovation. The talent is hiding in plain sight—all they need is access to opportunity.