The intersection of creative economy investment and community-centered economic development has never been more critical. As CVL Economics embarks on our partnership with Creators @ Laboratory—a groundbreaking content production and workforce development program in Los Angeles' Crenshaw District—we're witnessing firsthand how strategic investments in historically underinvested communities can break cycles of economic exclusion while unlocking unprecedented opportunities for sustainable growth. 

The Imperative for Community-Centered Economic Development 

The Crenshaw corridor exemplifies both the challenge and the opportunity that defines many of America's historically underinvested communities. With more than 370,000 residents across Leimert Park, Hyde Park, and Baldwin Hills—predominantly Black and Latino communities with strong local spending power—the area represents significant untapped economic potential. Yet traditional development approaches have often failed to harness this potential in ways that benefit existing residents and businesses. 

The data tells a compelling story about why community-centered approaches matter. Nationally, while 14.4% of the U.S. population identifies as Black or African American, only 3.3% of all employer businesses are owned by Black entrepreneurs. This disparity isn't due to lack of entrepreneurial drive; research consistently shows that Black adults score particularly high on entrepreneurial traits, including values placed on social impact, internal locus of control, and confidence in their entrepreneurial abilities. 

Instead, the gap reflects systemic barriers that limit access to capital, mentorship, and market opportunities. For every $100 in wealth held by white households, Black households hold only $15, reflecting and deepening structural challenges for business creation and growth. When 18.9% of Black households carry outsized debt loads compared to their 14.4% population share, and Black student loan borrowers hold 36% of student loan debt at an average of $53,000, the barriers to entrepreneurship are hard to ignore. 

THe Creative Economy as a core pillar of Economic Development

The entertainment and media industries offer unique opportunities to address these disparities while building community wealth. From 2017 to 2022, Black-owned businesses surged, representing over half of all new employer businesses and contributing $212 billion in revenue to the economy. The creative economy, with its emphasis on intellectual property, digital distribution, and entrepreneurial innovation, provides pathways for wealth creation that don't rely solely on traditional capital structures. 

Creators @ Laboratory demonstrates how this potential can be realized through strategic partnership and community investment. By bringing together multi-Grammy Award winner James Fauntleroy, the Handy Foundation, BRIC Foundation, and CVL Economics, the initiative creates a comprehensive ecosystem that addresses multiple barriers simultaneously: skills training, business development, access to professional-grade equipment, and direct pathways to industry employment. 

The facility's state-of-the-art production studio, podcast recording spaces, and fully equipped soundstage support training in podcasts, animated content, unscripted shows, and Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television (FAST) channel content creation—all formats essential to today's creator economy. More importantly, the program's registered apprenticeship model in Animation, Audio/Sound, Digital Imaging, Editing, Game Design, Production Management, and Visual Effects creates direct pathways to sustainable careers. 

The Multiplier Effect of Anchor Institution Investment 

What makes Creators @ Laboratory particularly significant is its function as a catalytic anchor institution. Rather than simply extracting talent from the community, the center is designed to strengthen the local small business ecosystem, activate underutilized commercial space, and position the corridor as a model for inclusive urban development. 

This approach recognizes a fundamental truth about equitable economic development: the most sustainable strategies are those that build on existing community assets while creating new opportunities for ownership and wealth-building. The relationship between wealth and business ownership is circular—low intergenerational wealth limits business creation, which reduces the potential for future wealth-building. Breaking this cycle requires interventions that address multiple factors simultaneously. 

Scaling Community-Centered Solutions 

The Creators @ Laboratory model offers insights that extend far beyond the entertainment industry. The project's emphasis on registered apprenticeships, entrepreneurial training, and community ownership provides a blueprint for how anchor institutions can drive inclusive economic development in any sector. 

Key elements of this approach include community partnership from inception, rather than community engagement as an afterthought; investment in both individual skill development and entrepreneurial capacity; creation of pathways to ownership, not just employment; and strategic use of industry partnerships to ensure market relevance and sustainability. 

For municipalities and economic development practitioners, the initiative demonstrates how creative economy investments can serve multiple policy objectives simultaneously: workforce development, small business creation, commercial corridor activation, and community wealth building. 

Looking Forward: Replicable Models for Transformative Change 

As the predevelopment phase continues through July 2026, Creators @ Laboratory will provide crucial data about the effectiveness of community-centered creative economy investments. The partnership between Laboratory, the Handy Foundation, BRIC Foundation, and CVL Economics creates a robust framework for measuring both individual outcomes—job placement, business creation, career advancement—and community-level impacts including commercial corridor activation and local spending retention. 

The success of this model has implications that extend well beyond South Los Angeles. As communities across the country grapple with the dual challenges of economic development and equity, Creators @ Laboratory offers a roadmap for investments that build on community assets while creating new opportunities for wealth creation and entrepreneurship. 

The future of equitable economic development lies not in choosing between economic growth and community empowerment, but in creating models that achieve both simultaneously. Creators @ Laboratory represents exactly this kind of transformative potential—one that keeps dollars local, fosters ownership, and fuels long-term community resilience while contributing to broader regional economic vitality.