A Hollywood home for creatives

A Hollywood development will serve as a collaborative center for artists, students, and those in the entertainment industry. It also will be one of the area’s largest Black-owned businesses.

Designed by HKS, with landscape design by Hood Design Studio, CMNTY (pronounced “community”) Culture Campus will consist of 430,000 square feet of office space, studio and production space, pre- and post-production facilities, education space, and performance venues. CMNTY Culture Campus also will feature a 500-seat auditorium that will occupy the street-level corner of the building, as well as a fifth-floor rooftop terrace. 

Located on a nearly two-acre site at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Highland Avenue, the CMNTY Culture Campus will be designed to appeal to creatives and the entertainment industry that supports them—including artists, content creators, tech and media companies, agencies and management companies, and other entertainment sectors.

The owner-developer, CMNTY Culture, an entertainment and media company, announced plans for the project in mid-March. Artist and businessman Philip Lawrence and entertainment business manager Thomas St. John founded CMNTY Culture in 2020. 

“The entertainment industry is experiencing a time of unparalleled excitement and change, bringing about an opportunity to reimagine the landscape upon which content is created and consumed,” Lawrence, who owns nearby recording studio the Record Plant, says in a statement. “Content creators need a physical epicenter, a place that celebrates their work and the power of community. CMNTY Culture Campus will be a place where creative people will want to hang out with likeminded individuals and experience something special.”

The owners say they want CMNTY Culture Campus to be not only a new Hollywood landmark, but also a vital member of the community where neighbors such as Hollywood High School, located across the street, feel at home.

“We see this place being an immersive playground for students, artists, creators, and innovators of all types while also creating more opportunities in the entertainment industry,” St. John, CMNTY Culture CEO, says in a statement.

Owner and developer: CMNTY Culture

Design architect and architect of record: HKS

MEP engineer: Arup

Structural engineer: Walter P Moore