The Lighthouse, a physical campus occupying a renovated 1937 post office in Venice, California, represents Whalar Group’s investment in the Creator Economy’s future. Launched in February 2025, this 24,000-square-foot facility houses production studios, collaborative workspaces, and event areas designed specifically for professional content creators.

“We describe it as the IRL campus for creators and creatives,” explains Jon Goss, President of The Lighthouse. “We are made up of three core principles, which is Learn, Make and Belong. And those principles manifest into the physicality of the campus being a production studio, a workspace, and a community space with events and programming that bring it all to life.”

Whalar Group, a global influencer marketing company, developed The Lighthouse after realizing that despite the creator economy’s growth, its professionals lack the institutional support and physical infrastructure that traditional creative industries enjoy. Their research revealed that creator isolation wasn’t just a quality-of-life issue but a real economic barrier limiting collaboration, skill development, and business growth in an industry still establishing its foundations.

“One of the things we know is that creators are inherently lonely and isolated, which is not a great thing for creativity, particularly when the creator economy is so young still in relative terms compared to other creative industries like the film world or the art world,” Jon notes.

Venice, California’s vibrant creative history and central location made it the ideal testing ground for Whalar’s concept. “Venice is almost like a lighthouse and a beacon for creativity,” Jon explains, “both in terms of the creative people who’ve existed there for many years, decades, and then the creative output that gets shown from Venice out into the world.”

Neil Waller, co-founder and co-CEO of Whalar Group, confirms the early validation of the company’s strategy: “Since opening its doors, The Lighthouse is already proving its purpose. We’re seeing Creators naturally connect, exchange ideas, and launch new collaborations simply by being in the same space. That was always the vision: to build a creative playground where both established and emerging talent feel supported, inspired, and recognized as professionals. The Lighthouse Venice is just the beginning. Now, we’re seeing firsthand how the right environment fuels creativity, entrepreneurship, and community in ways we only dreamed of for Creators.”

Facility Design: Purpose-Built for Creator Workflows

The Lighthouse organizes its 24,000 square feet of internal space and 6,000 square feet of outdoor areas to support different modes of the creator workflow.

The basement level houses professional-grade studios with lighting grids, sound treatment, and flexible backdrops—eliminating the need for creators to convert living spaces into makeshift studios or rent expensive commercial facilities by the hour. 

Dedicated editing bays and a live podcasting studio equipped with professional audio equipment allow for immediate post-production, while open-plan work areas and casual meeting spots facilitate the “collisions” that Jon identifies as crucial for innovation. 

A theater serves as both screening room and performance space where creators can showcase work to peers, clients, and industry partners.

While the architectural history of the 1937 federal post office adds character, the renovation focused on functionality rather than mere aesthetics. “When I walked into it over two years ago, it was such an inspiring piece of architecture,” Jon explains. “There was just something really quite magical about the space.”

He adds that the connection between the building’s postal history and modern digital communication reinforces The Lighthouse’s mission. “You think about two very analog old forms of communication, and then modern day communicators being in there. We love that story,” notes Jon, referencing both the Venice post office and the Brooklyn location’s pencil factory origins.

Educational Programming

Educational programming forms the core of The Lighthouse’s value proposition, addressing the knowledge gap that exists in an industry with few formal training paths. 

“The notion of The Lighthouse being a little bit of a quasi-school for creators is a north star for how we think about programming the space,” explains Jon.

The curriculum targets specific creator economy skill deficits through structured programming. Workshops are held to share details around podcasting production, editing techniques, and emerging technologies are delivered by industry practitioners, not just instructors. Sessions focused on business development cover brand partnerships, pricing strategies, and intellectual property management.

Recent high-profile events have included Will.i.am discussing AI and creativity, Will Smith’s album launch combined with a conversation about his creative journey, and upcoming sessions with Serena Williams and Reid Hoffman. Recognizing the mental health challenges of creative entrepreneurship, The Lighthouse also incorporates breathwork sessions and women’s circles alongside business programming.

“When the Q&A was going on and on, I had multiple messages about how much people learned and how much it inspired them to do a podcast or change their approach to podcasting,” Jon shares.

Membership Strategy: Curated Community vs. Open Access

The Lighthouse’s membership model is different from traditional workspace business models that prioritize density and occupancy rates. Instead, it employs what Jon calls “architecting an ecosystem” with a deliberately limited capacity of 650 members in Venice.

The selection process operates on two levels. Applications are first assessed by The Lighthouse team for professional credentials, creative output quality, and collaborative potential. Final decisions involve a 22-member creator council chaired by creators Colin and Samir, ensuring that industry practitioners—not just executives—shape the community.

Selection criteria prioritize ecosystem balance over individual metrics. “We don’t want to have just one type of creator,” Jon emphasizes. “It can’t just be YouTubers. It needs podcasters, producers, editors, videographers, and artists as well.” The membership targets 55% female representation and includes creators at various career stages, with particular attention to collaboration potential.

Jon notes that this curation focuses on long-term value creation rather than immediate revenue maximization. “I don’t see it changing,” he states about their selective admission process. “We’re not trying to be some hyperscaled growth tech company trying to have thousands of users. We’re trying to be curated, create intimacy, and allow those collisions to happen.”

Jon reveals that one founding member paid back her membership dues for the year within 14 days of joining, based on a single collaboration that happened in the first week.

Revenue Diversification and Industry Evolution

The Lighthouse functions simultaneously as a standalone business and a strategic asset for Whalar’s core operations. Its revenue model includes multiple streams. 

The primary revenue source comes from creator memberships, with tiered access levels based on facility usage patterns. Brand partnerships represent another opportunity. “Many social media platforms that have come to work with us on various different programs,” Jon reveals. “Two of those partnerships have already been sealed.”

The Lighthouse is developing specialized incubators for product development and IP creation, potentially including equity participation in successful ventures. While currently focused on member experiences, they also plan to monetize select events and educational content for wider industry participation.

Beyond direct revenue, The Lighthouse establishes deeper relationships with top creators who influence platform algorithms and trends, providing early access to emerging creative techniques before they become industry standards, offering brand partnership opportunities unavailable to competitors, and creating an intelligence network that informs Whalar’s broader market strategies.

“If you think about those references of Bauhaus, Andy Warhol’s Factory, and even MTV back in the 90s and 2000s, some of the best creativity and innovation led to economic upside,” Jon explains. “If you get the right blend of artistry, the business will follow.”

Testing the Network Effect

The Lighthouse’s expansion strategy follows a calibrated rollout plan designed to test the network effect of multiple locations while maintaining the quality standards established in Venice. The Brooklyn campus opening in the fall of 2025 represents the key second node in this network.

Jon describes the Brooklyn space as “a sister separated at birth” to Venice, preserving the high ceilings and brutalist concrete aesthetic while adapting to local building styles. With approximately 850 members versus Venice’s 650, the Brooklyn campus will test whether the community model can effectively scale while preserving intimacy.

“Venice is very flat and broad. Brooklyn is all about the New York verticality,” Jon explains, noting how the building features a cellar through to a 6,000-square-foot rooftop garden overlooking Manhattan, connected by a glass atrium housing an “urban jungle.”

Future expansion to London and beyond depends on finding spaces that maintain The Lighthouse’s architectural standards and brand integrity. “We set a very high bar,” notes Jon. “I prefer to make the right move rather than just do a third one because we need to do it.”

The Human Infrastructure Behind Physical Spaces

The Lighthouse’s modus operandi distinguishes between “space” and “place.” 

“It’s really important that it’s not just about the building,” Jon insists. “You design a space to enable things to happen serendipitously and magic to happen. But if you don’t put the right people in the space, it’s just a space. But if you put the right people in that space, it becomes a place.”

Unlike traditional workspace operators who focus primarily on facility management, The Lighthouse staff includes community managers with creator economy experience, production specialists who understand technical requirements, and programming experts who can curate valuable learning experiences.

A hospitality-forward approach guides all interactions. “A lot of the feedback I’ve got is the kindness, the hospitality, the care, and the attention people feel the minute they walk into the campus,” Jon shares. “I actually had somebody who will invest in the company, a very prominent Hollywood filmmaker. What turned his feelings about the space into a natural investment decision was the impact he felt when he walked into the space and met the people on the team.”

What Success Looks Like

While The Lighthouse maintains traditional business metrics like membership targets, their success framework emphasizes qualitative indicators that reflect creator economy impact. 

They track collaboration frequency—how often and how successfully members work together on projects that wouldn’t have occurred without The Lighthouse’s facilitation. Professional development metrics measure skill acquisition and career advancement among members attributable to Lighthouse programming and connections. The team also monitors content innovation, identifying new creative formats, techniques, and business models that emerge from the community, and gauges The Lighthouse’s impact on broader creator economy practices and standards.

“It’s less about the number. It’s more about who is in the community and who is in the ecosystem,” Jon explains. “If the elements and the people and the humans that make up that ecosystem are thriving from being around each other and they’re collaborating on projects… then we’ve done our job right.”

The ultimate vision transcends specific facilities to industry change. Jon explains, “If we’re that place of thought leadership and connection and we’re provoking the next chapter of the creator economy through what we’re doing, then exactly how that manifests we don’t know. But that’s the fun bit.”

For Jon, the emotional feedback from members provides the most compelling validation of their approach. “I get a little bit emotional about it because sometimes people just come up to me or send me a note,” he reflects. “I’ve seen tears, joy, and laughter. It feels really special.”

“I don’t think you can change the world,” Jon concludes. “I think you can do things in small increments that impact people. And I’d say that the impact we’ve had on people’s professional and personal lives since we opened is that we’re actually having an impact on people in a really meaningful way.”

All images are credited to Yoshihiro Makino