Wheelhouse, a media, marketing and investment company founded by Brent Montgomery and Jimmy Kimmel, has just opened a new 10,496-square-foot production space on Sunset Boulevard that is meant to be a haven for influencers and other talent in need of a hub. centralized to take meetings and create content.
The company has locations elsewhere in Los Angeles and in New York City’s Tribeca neighborhood, but the new West Hollywood space will serve as headquarters for its digital and influential branches, known as Wheelhouse DNA, which produce shows like Facebook Messenger. . cooking with brooklyn and those of Spotify internet urban legends.
Ed Simpson, Wheelhouse’s director of strategy and designer of the multi-use space, says the team focused primarily on pushing the “boundaries of curiosity” when creating the space, adding, “We wanted to build something that had both the element of work as the play element Basically, we split the building in half: you turn left to play and you turn right to work.”
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Courtesy of Trent Barboza/Wheelhouse
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On the work side, which houses two fully equipped podcast studios, a green-screen production studio, and editing bays for post-production work, Simpson says he decided to minimize the windows to better control soundproofing. On the other hand, which includes a film-ready kitchen with food and lifestyle content outfitted by Café Appliances, and a hidden speakeasy for lounging, “we opened up the windows to let in more light, and the colors we used are much more brighter,” says Simpson, who describes the environment as a “modern bungalow” that is “as far from an office as you can get.”
The building’s overall design scheme was inspired, in part, by Simpson’s hometown of London, known for its old Victorian houses juxtaposed with more modern, shabby chic interiors. the modern [California] bungalow style” by designer Kelly Wearstler was also on the moodboard, according to Simpson. But more broadly, Simpson says Apple’s innovative approach to retail helped guide his ideas for what this Wheelhouse location should look like, given the space’s emphasis on marketing and visuals. “[Apple] Really [created] this idea that if you were going to buy a beautiful product, something that is incredibly well designed and engineered, it should be in a stunning location,” he says.
Surprise elements keep the space interesting, like hidden doors that open to new Narnia-like environments. Simpson says, “You have this sense of hidden discovery, and that sense of discovery is part of the creative process.”
This story first appeared in the July 27 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here for subscribe.
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