August 17, 2015 • An Advertising Supplement to the Los Angeles Business Journal Silicon Beach & Creative Spaces · 2015/8/17 · Creative Spaces August 17, 2015 • An Advertising

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Silicon Beach &Creative Spaces

August 17, 2015 • An Advertising Supplement to the Los Angeles Business Journal

This special advertising supplement did not involve the reporting or editing staff of the Los Angeles Business Journal.

By VICTOR COLEMAN

A lot has changed in the commercial officesector over the last 10 years. Post-recessionemployers still want to do more with less.

Efficiency and flexibility, the ability to scale a busi-ness easily, remain priorities. Window-lines of exec-utive offices have given way to open floor plans,and office space per worker has shrunk notably.

Some say this bodes poorly for commercialoffice demand. The reality is that companies intech-related markets are making up the differenceby providing ample on-site amenities for theiremployees, from collaboration spaces to cafeteriasto laundry facilities. As unemployment rates con-tinue to drop in San Francisco, Seattle and LosAngeles, companies are increasingly relying onoffice space to attract and retain talent.

The “talent” these days are most oftenMillennials, individuals 18 to 35 years old. They areurban-centric, seek proximity to peers and ameni-ties, prioritize work-life balance, and prefer publictransit. At Hudson Pacific, we are focused on build-ing a portfolio of inspirational, next-generationworkspaces that meet the unique needs of the WestCoast’s leading companies and their employees.

In The Beginning: West L.A. And Silicon Beach

Increasingly, West L.A. is a singular office mar-ket with similar rents and vacancy for creativespace. Playa Vista has emerged as the heart ofSilicon Beach with an impressive roster of tech andcreative tenants, like Google, Yahoo!, Facebook,Microsoft and Sony. These companies are drawn tothe neighborhood’s dynamic, live/work/playlifestyle. Playa Vista has over 5,000 residentialunits, an impressive system of parks and runningtrails, and ample lifestyle retail, including a WholeFoods, YogaWorks and Cinemark.

Our project, The Landing at Playa Vista, is one ofthe submarket’s last available blocks of space suitablefor single or multi-tenant occupancy. Scheduled fordelivery in late 2015, this six-story, 96,000-square-foot creative office building affords spectacular,unobstructed views of Marina del Rey, West L.A.,Century City and Beverly Hills. Tenants will enjoy20,000-square-foot floor plates, 43-foot column-freespans, floor-to-ceiling windows and polished con-crete floors. The project also has incredible indoor-outdoor flow, including a balcony, lobby plaza andmultiple exterior seating areas.

Hollywood’s Second Act: Sunset Corridor Revival

Rising rents and limited available space in WestL.A. have led creative tenants to look at other mar-kets, including Hollywood. Over the last 15 years,Hollywood has transformed, driven by billions of dol-

lars invested in major retail, residential office and hos-pitality projects. Millennials now comprise roughly athird of the submarket’s population, and the mediaand entertainment industry has evolved. Online dis-tribution and other platforms like Amazon, Netflix,YouTube, Showtime and HBO are producing contentand require studio, as well as office space.

We are transforming our Sunset Gower andSunset Bronson studio properties into the coun-try’s premier next-generation media and entertain-ment campuses. Last fall, we broke ground on a320,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art, creative officetower on our Sunset Bronson lot called ICON,which is scheduled for delivery in late 2016. ICONfeatures 24,000-square-foot floor plates, 14-footceilings with floor-to-ceiling windows, 45-foot col-umn-free spans, top-of-the-line building systems,and LEED Gold certification.

We expect to break ground shortly on CUE, anadjacent, 90,000-square-foot creative office build-ing for delivery in mid-2017. We have significanttenant interest in both properties due to sound-stage and production facility access, beautifullylandscaped outdoor areas, and ample on-siteamenities, including a café.

Next Stop: Downtown L.A.’s Arts District

Downtown L.A. is booming, and Millennials

now comprise roughly a third of the population ina three-mile radius. The submarket has added over20,000 residential units since 1999 and 500 newrestaurants and bars in the last five years, includinghot-spots like Bestia and Urth Café. Trendy retailersZara and Whole Foods have arrived.

We recently purchased the 120,000-square-footformer Coca-Cola bottling facility at “main andmain” in the submarket’s supply-constrained ArtsDistrict, which has become a mecca for youngprofessionals in creative industries. We plan toconvert this property to creative office withground-floor retail, a roof deck and new 300-plusspace parking garage with delivery in early 2017.Our pipeline of potential tenants include high-end, well-regarded fashion, tech, media and enter-tainment companies, making this asset a perfectcomplement to our existing portfolio.

Since Hudson Pacific’s 2010 IPO, we have beenat the forefront of the creative space race. Ourportfolio speaks for itself. From West L.A., to PlayaVista, to Hollywood, to Downtown L.A., we willcontinue to build, own and operate the WestCoast’s most innovative and successful creativeoffice properties.

Victor Coleman is Chairman and CEO of HudsonPacific Properties.

Building LA’s Next-Generation Workplaces

21 31_silicon_beach_08_17_15.qxp 8/13/2015 4:27 PM Page 21

22 AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL AUGUST 17, 2015

SILICON BEACH & CREATIVE SPACES

Creative Spaces in the Silicon Beach AgeA ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION WITH THE EXPERTS

◆◆ What is a creative space and why should Icare?

GC: Ask most people and they will tell you that cre-ative space is shiny concrete floors, brick walls, andexposed duct work. Or it might be space occupiedby those in creative industries such as high-tech,architecture, and advertising firms.

We think of “creative space,” however, as notso much confined to an industry or buildingtype, but a philosophy about what it means to goto work. It is a perspective that addresses thenotion that work is not just a place anymore, butan experience. And that experience involveswhat the office should provide—that is, a highdegree of choice and flexibility, ample naturallight, interesting design—and the surroundingsthat offer choices in services, lifestyle amenities,and easy connectivity to technology and trans-portation.

Why should you care? An organization that hasthought about curating an experience around workrather than a just standing up a warehouse for peo-ple will attract and retain the top talent.

◆◆ Why is there such an obsession with thecreative workspace?

GC: The work environment is as important to draw-ing talent and optimizing performance as job func-tion, salary, and health benefits. With little morethan a WiFi connection, we can work as effectivelyfrom home or the hotel lobby as we can from theoffice. But this is a double-edged sword: organiza-tions want their people to come to work and under-

stand the value and benefit of being connected toand collaborating with colleagues.

The “obsession” is not about the latest designcraze or the new hot neighborhood. It is about creat-ing a destination and a brand identity. The payoff forgetting it right is a more satisfied and engaged work-force, at all levels of the organization, which accord-ing to Gallup, correlates strongly with higher com-pany performance.

◆◆ Are creative spaces a global or local phenomenon?

GC: The creative space phenomenon is not unique toLos Angeles or even the US. Across the globe—fromLos Angeles to Bangalore, New York to Tokyo—ourclients are looking for, building and occupying space“creatively.”

◆◆ If the creative workspace is a lastingmovement, is the high-rise dead?

LH: The interest in creative space, or rather, creativeplaces, has certainly expanded real estate marketsbeyond traditional downtown urban cores. In doingso, the movement has created a catalyst for revital-ization in neighborhoods once considered inhos-pitable. In Los Angeles, Fortune 500 companies nowoccupy office space in neighborhoods that fewwould have considered 10 years ago.

The high-rise is far from dead, because thereisn’t a limitless supply of cool old buildings to berenovated, and because being in the downtownurban core is often a business imperative.

Nonprofits and companies like CBRE in DowntownLos Angeles are still attracted to high rises for loca-tion, amenities, services, and support. But they alsoare thinking differently about how to design andoccupy high-rise space. Walk into a newly renovat-ed tenant space in a high-rise building today you’relikely to find a much greater variety of work set-tings, unobstructed access to the windows and con-siderably more collaborative and social space. Tomeet this new expectation, building owners aretransforming shared tenant space, such as lobbiesand conference centers, into multi-functionalspaces where people gather, hold events, or escapefrom the buzz of the office. Old-line corporate enti-ties are also adding “lifestyle services,” from laun-dry to childcare to concierge services to helpemployees manage and merge their personal andprofessional lives.

◆◆ What is the greatest challenge of transi-tioning into the new way of working, forleadership and for employees?

LH: As the change is different for every organiza-tion, so too are the associated challenges. Someorganizations simply lower or remove panelsbetween workstations; others reduce or eliminatewalled offices; still others do away with ownershipof workstations and/or offices altogether. In eachscenario, employees and leaders may feel a senseof loss of the familiar and experience anxietyabout the unknown. The greatest challengebecomes determining, articulating, and imple-menting the “give back”—the spaces, services andsupport that employees receive in trade-offs forwhat was relinquished.

Recently, Lewis C. Horne, President of theGreater Los Angeles and Orange CountyRegion of CBRE and Georgia Collins, SeniorManaging Director of Workplace Strategiesfor CBRE sat down to discuss creative spaces.Everyone knows this is a popular trend, butwhat does it really mean to real estate and toour working environments?

Georgia CollinsLewis C. Horne


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August 17, 2015 An Advertising supplement to the los Angeles Business JournAl 23


PLAYA del Oro, Decron Properties’ pre-mier, luxury apartment communitylocated in Westchester/Playa del Rey,

opened its final phase June 15th. Playa delOro includes 665 total apartments homesand 109,000 square feet of retail.

This 260-unit community enhancesthe existing 405 apartment homes byproviding new amenities and additionalsupporting retail and restaurant services.Demand has been brisk with 43% of theproperty leased within two months ofopening.

“Los Angeles is a fantastic market foroverall growth right now,” said DavidNagel, Decron Properties’ chief executiveofficer. “Santa Monica and Venice havebeen known to be at the epicenter of what’sreferred to as ‘Silicon Beach,’ but as PlayaVista continues to grow and become theneighborhood of choice, companies andindividuals alike are looking south for larg-er, more cost-efficient apartment homes.”

Originally, tech firms stated the reasonsfor their moves to Playa Vista, on theunderdeveloped LA community, was forconvenience and expansive undevelopedland, a rarity in the southern part ofCalifornia and what’s necessary for compa-nies expecting large amounts of futuregrowth. Now, the arrival of the vivacious,young tech workforce also attracts relatedfirms and organizations to the area. Theonce immature, mile-and-a-half stretch now housesmedia companies, universi-ty-affiliated institutes andstart-ups that work alongsidethe reputable tech giants.

Companies primarily inthe millennial- and tech-oriented sectorscontinue to drive the fast economicgrowth in the greater Los Angeles area.Playa Vista is home to regional offices fortech giants Facebook, YouTube, Microsoft,Google and Yahoo. Tech companies andtheir employees, known to be generallywell paid and highly educated, are desir-able tenants for the city at large and theup-and-coming area of Silicon Beach. Withthis influx of growth, both companies andemployees are seeking all-inclusive yetaffordable live/work spaces in the area.

Located just South of Playa Vista,Playa del Oro offers an alternative withurban living and all that it has to offer,with first floor on-site retail, and adjacent

Westchester Park that includes a golfcourse, tennis, and basketball courts.Residents will enjoy easy access to restau-rants, coffee shops and retail stores at TheShops at Playa del Oro. Included amongthe 10 retail outlets are Ralphs Fresh Fare,LA Fitness, Coffee Bean, Beach Pizza, SanSai Grill, Yogolicious and Bowlmor.

As part of the final phase, Decronadded a number of new lifestyle-enhanc-ing amenities to Playa del Oro. Tenantscan now enjoy a sky lounge, a Fitness onDemand exercise studio, Video GameLounge, and Resident Café. The lushcourtyards feature outdoor social areas,BBQ and eating areas, flowing fountainsand fire pits, all aligned with meticulouslandscaping.

The gated community includes gatedgarage parking, guest parking, an electriccar-charging station, complementaryWiFi in common areas and a dog park.Wide-ranging views of the ocean, moun-tains and the city surround the area. Inaddition, Loyola Marymount Universityis located within a mile of the property,OTIS College of Art and Design is locatedadjacent to the community, and LosAngeles International Airport (LAX) is amere three miles to the south.

“This is a fantastic location for our res-idents to live the lifestyles they want tolive,” Nagel said. “We believe this addi-

tion will create significantvalue for our portfolio andfor the neighborhood.”

Ranging from studio,one, two and three-bed-room apartments, plus Loftunits, Playa del Oro’s

resort-style living spaces feature plankflooring, quartz countertops, wood cabi-netry, and stainless steel appliances. Eachapartment home is equipped with a pri-vate balcony or oversized patio.

“With access to major freeways, LAXand incredible amenities, residents of Playadel Oro are sure to quickly feel at home inthe Silicon Beach region,” Nagel said. “Thisstunning collection of apartment homesprovides our residents with a convenientwork/life balance with remarkable viewsand amenities in every direction.”

Decron Properties has been an active ownerand investor in California real estate for over55 years. With assets in excess of $1.5 bil-

lion, the current portfolio includes multifami-ly apartment buildings, retail centers, andoffice buildings. Decron operates over 8 mil-

lion square feet of commercial and residentialreal estate in more than 55 different multi-family communities and commercial centers.

Playa Del Oro: New 260 Unit Apartment Community Opens atGateway to Silicon Beach


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By RON FEDER

SILICON Beach growth and develop-ment is a phenomenon that is morethan geographical in nature. Indeed,

the “Beach” in Silicon Beach is very muchLA County as a whole – stretching outnorth, east and south of the Westside.One great example is Warner Center,which can be 1/3 of the cost of desiredWestside properties, saving hundreds ifnot millions over the term of a Lease.

Warner Center, just under 20 milesnorth of Hollywood, is growing and cre-

ating opportunities for local residents,businesses and industry. Recently, theCity Council signed off on zoning thatallows for up to 30 million square feet ofcommercial space in Warner Center, dou-ble the amount that currently exists. Theplan also lifts building height limits gov-erning most of the 1.5-square-mile dis-trict bounded by the 101 Freeway,Vanowen Street, DeSoto Avenue andTopanga Canyon Boulevard.

There is an incredible opportunity tolease creative space that was the formerhome of Activision and is where Guitar

Hero and Tony Hawk product lines weredeveloped. The 3 acre Creative Campus isavailable for lease or sale and consists of a55,000 sf creative office/production/ware-house space and a 30,000 sf high clear-ance warehouse.Corporate executivesliv-ing in Hidden Hills, Woodland Hills,Calabasas and surrounding areas, willbenefit by relocating their companies tothe Warner Center area, reducing theircommute, saving significant dollars andtaking advantage of the many amenitieswithin the area and planned for the area.

Officials are betting that the kind of

dense, walkable communities thriving indowntown, Hollywood and other parts ofLos Angeles can workin Warner Center.

“Why is it important to build here? Sopeople don’t have to be in traffic for ahalf-hour, 45 minutes to go someplaceelse,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said on a recenttour of the area. “That’s bad for them,but it’s bad for the rest of us too.”

Another catalyst driving development isthe Orange Line, Metro’s busway that runsfrom North Hollywood to Chatsworth,with a stop in Warner Center. The OrangeLine has been a success, exceeding rider-ship projections and prompting talks ofconverting it to light rail.

The last several years has broughtWarner Center tremendous growth in resi-dential development, and more is on theway. The Warner Center 2035 plan, thecity’s master plan, will boost the number ofresidential units from about 8,500 to morethan 26,000, said Tom Glick, a city planner.

Among the projects planned is a $3-billion high-rise “urban neighborhood”at the 47-acre former Rocketdyne enginemanufacturing plant on Canoga Avenue,across the street from the busway.

The mixed-use project will have up to3.95 million square feet of residentialspace and 1.1 million square feet of officespace. Preliminary plans also call for anassisted-living facility, restaurants, a hoteland a 5-acre central park.

Expected to open this September, TheVillage at Westfield Topanga, a$350-millionopen-air mall that will occupy 30 acresbetween Victory Boulevard and ErwinStreet, will house a Costco and an array ofrestaurants and outdoor courtyards.

Ron Feder is Managing Director of KWCommercial Calabasas. For more informa-tion, visit www.rjfeder.com.

Bricks and mortar and sheer inspiration.

Seattle San Francisco Silicon Valley Los Angeles• • • www.HudsonPacificProperties.com P: 310-445-5700

Exceptional, innovative, next-generation workplaces.The Landing at Playa Vista. Coming late 2015.

It isn’t a workspace. It’s a tool for growth.

Warner Center: An Example of the Silicon Beach Boom TakingPlace Throughout LA County


There is an incredible

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By CHAD BLOCKER

ON July 15, 2015, the White Housereleased a memorandum entitled“Modernization & Streamlining

Our Legal Immigration System for the21st Century.” For the thriving SiliconBeach community, the memo is notewor-thy because it recognizes the critical rolethat foreign investors, entrepreneurs andworkers play in contributing to a healthyand vibrant U.S. economy.

The memo states that the governmentwill create a new program for foreignentrepreneurs and investors who “pro-vide a ‘significant public benefit,’ forexample, because they have been award-ed substantial U.S. investor financing orotherwise hold the promise of innova-tion and job creation through the devel-opment of new technologies.” While thememo is short on specifics about thisnew program, it signals the WhiteHouse’s commitment to taking concretesteps to make our immigration systemmore accessible to foreign entrepreneurs,investors and workers. It is anticipatedthat the Obama Administration will pro-vide additional details about this excitingnew program in the coming months. Inthe meantime, this article highlightssome work authorization options current-

ly available to foreign nationals who areworking or wish to work in Silicon Beachand similar business communities.

Among the most popular visa optionsfor entrepreneurs and others are the E-1and E-2 visa categories, which are theresult of bilateral treaties the U.S. shareswith certain countries around the world.The E-1 visa is a Treaty Trader visa requir-ing the person entering the U.S. to carryon trade in goods, services and technolo-gy, principally between the U.S. and theindividual’s home country. The E-2 visais a Treaty Investor visa available to for-eign nationals making a substantialinvestment in a U.S. enterprise. Thoseentering on an E-1 or E-2 visa may comeas the owner (entering to develop anddirect the enterprise), executive, manag-er, or as an essential employee. For the E-1 and E-2 visa, the trade or investmentmust be “substantial,” which can besomewhat subjective but is typicallyevaluated based on the nature of thebusiness and how much is typicallyrequired to establish such a business inan amount considered sufficient for itssuccessful operation.

For foreign students who graduatefrom U.S. universities in F-1 visa status,Optional Practical Training (OPT) is avail-able. OPT is work authorization that

allows F-1 students to apply what theylearned during their academic program ina real world business setting. The stu-dent’s degree and the field in which he orshe intends to work must be related. As ageneral rule, F-1 students are eligible towork under OPT for a total of 12 months.However, if the student graduates with aScience, Technology, Engineering orMath (STEM) degree and the employer isenrolled in the government’s E-Verifyemployment verification program, anadditional 17- month extension is avail-able, resulting in a total of 29 months ofwork authorization.

Notably, students working pursuant toOPT also have the option of starting theirown business and being self-employed. Ina self-employment situation, the F-1 stu-dent must work full-time. The July 15thWhite House memo suggests that the gov-ernment may soon allow students to applydirectly for green cards, which represents asignificant shift from current policy.

The most popular employment visaoption is the H-1B visa, which allowscompanies to employ foreign nationals inprofessional positions. The big issue withthe H-1B is the statutory cap. Specifically,only 85,000 new H-1B visas may be issuedeach year. For the FY 2016 cap, the gov-ernment received more than 233,000 peti-

tions for these 85,000 allotted slots. Whendemand exceeds supply, as it has for thepast three years, the government runs acomputerized lottery to select the 85,000recipients. Unfortunately, this means thatmany talented candidates and employeeswill not be chosen in the lottery, necessi-tating employers to look at other visaoptions, when available.

In the past, the government placed sig-nificant scrutiny on H-1B petitions sub-mitted by smaller employers, includingcompanies where the founder/owner isalso the sole employee or among the com-pany’s few employees. However, the gov-ernment has recently shown a greater will-ingness to approve such cases as long asthe petition demonstrates that an employ-er- employee relationship exists betweenthe company and foreign national.

Another available visa is the O-1 visa,which is for individuals of extraordinaryability in their field. While the burden ofproof is high, requiring a showing thatthe individual is among the top per-centile of professionals in his or her field,it has proven to be a viable option forsome of the talented individuals withinthe Silicon Beach community.

There are a handful of citizenship-spe-cific visas that are the result of free tradeagreements that the U.S. shares with

Work Authorization Options for Foreign Nationals in theSilicon Beach Community


MAYOR Garcetti recently weighedin on Yahoo!’s move to LosAngeles.

“I’m proud that Yahoo is moving toLos Angeles and sending a strong mes-sage to the business community that ourcity is where the next big thing is goingto be,” said Mayor Garcetti. “This moveproves that L.A. is accelerating as a centerof technology and entertainment, to thebenefit of our overall economy and everyAngeleno.”

“We worked hard to identify the rightoffice situation for Yahoo in SouthernCalifornia to better match our space andcollaboration needs,” said Ken Goldman,CFO of Yahoo! Inc. “While we havealways had a presence in SouthernCalifornia, working out of the City of LosAngeles is a priority for us now morethan ever. In the fall of 2015, teams cur-rently based out of our Santa Monicaoffice will transition to our new PlayaVista campus.”

Yahoo!I Inc. signed a long-term leasefor approximately 130,000 square feet atthe Collective Campus in Playa Vistawith commercial real estate firm TishmanSpeyer. The company’s move will bring atleast 400 jobs from its current location inSanta Monica, with space to accommo-date future growth.

“We chose the Playa Vista locationbecause of its access to talent, the ambi-ence of this area, and the quality of thedevelopment being constructed byTishman Speyer. In addition we wereexceedingly impressed with the level ofengagement in this site selection processby the Mayor and his Business Team

staff. They have done an exemplary jobin highlighting the benefits of a City ofLos Angeles address and have followedthrough on all of their commitments,”Goldman added.

“I am thrilled to welcome Yahoo tothe City of Los Angeles,” saidCouncilmember Mike Bonin, who repre-sents Playa Vista. “Playa Vista is a per-fect home for smart, innovative techfirms, and Yahoo will add to a growingenergy and spirit as Playa Vista becomesthe real hub of Silicon Beach. Thisshows that Los Angeles is open for busi-ness and ready to compete with thebest.” “What an incredible win for LosAngeles,” said Councilmember PaulKrekorian, Chair of the City Council’sBudget and Finance Committee. “Icouldn’t be happier that Yahoo hasdecided to bring hundreds of jobs intoour great city. This is a boon for ourlocal economy that will spur innovationand economic growth, and it provesthat L.A. is a national tech hub.”

Los Angeles has emerged as a leadingcenter for the technology sector and ishome to industry leaders such asSnapchat, Riot Games, ZEFR, Factual,Oblong Industries, and StudyMode, andis home to large operations of Google,YouTube and other industry leaders.

The Los Angeles County EconomicDevelopment Corporation recentlyreleased a report showing that our localtech sector is thriving with more hightech jobs (368,600) than Boston-Cambridge, Santa Clara County (in theheart of the Silicon Valley) and NewYork City.

Yahoo!’s Move to Los Angeles Cited by Mayor as Strong Message

Really more a business movement than

a geographical region, Silicon Beach was

originally given its name because of the

Southern California coastline becoming a

hub for tech companies. With a current

countywide boom in tech, entertainment

and other forward-thinking industries, the

proverbial silicon has spread to well

beyond the six-mile radius of Santa

Monica. Indeed, in 2015, Silicon Beach is

actually all of Los Angeles, including Santa

Monica, Pasadena, Downtown, Playa Vista,

South Bay, etc.

Pasadena, for example, has become a

burgeoning technology hub with large com-

panies such as OpenX and Ratespecial

opening shop. Also, there is a tremendous

amount of development and growth hap-

pening downtown, with large companies

like BuzzFeed and Nasty Gal choosing to

drop anchor in our city center.

This is not to say that the Westside,

which gave the “beach” name to Silicon

Beach, has stopped growing. On the con-

trary, in the past few years alone, major

players such as Google, Microsoft,

Facebook, and YouTube have opened

offices on the west side of LA from Santa

Monica south to Venice and Playa del Rey.

They are joined by hundreds of startups

including Hulu, Demand Media and

Snapchat. Major Hollywood players like The

Walt Disney Co. and Time Warner Inc.’s

Warner Bros. have launched startup accel-

erators to help local tech entrepreneurs.

The city of Los Angeles even hired its first

chief technology officer, former Qualcomm

executive Peter Marx.

The modern, tech-savvy vibe has polli-

nated the creative design of the spaces

throughout LA as well. Graffiti murals mix

with coffee shops, foodie scenes, and

boutiques.

Experts have weighed in on the fact that

what’s happening in LA is actually part of a

growing movement of U.S. cities seeking to

duplicate the formula that turned northern

California’s Silicon Valley into a mecca of

society-shifting innovation and immense

wealth. On the other opposite side of the

U.S., New York’s “Silicon Alley” has also

become a high-tech business region.

Boston and Washington D.C. also have had

some success cultivating a vibrant technol-

ogy scene. None seem to be quite as red

hot as Los Angeles, however – seemingly

the current #1 choice for young entrepre-

neurs and growing tech businesses as well

as established giants.

There’s also a steady stream of local

students graduating with engineering

degrees from local colleges like CalTech,

UCLA and USC. Those students are flocking

to local universities inspired by southern

California’s own success stories, including

Internet search engine Overture Services of

Pasadena, which Yahoo Inc. bought for

$1.3 billion.

Defining “Silicon Beach” in 2015


other countries. Specifically, the TN visa isfor Canadian and Mexican nationals, theE-3 visa is for Australians and the H-1B1visa is for Singaporean and Chileannationals. Each of these citizenship-specif-ic visas generally requires employer spon-sorship and proof that the beneficiary hasthe relevant professional credentials.

One additional consideration is thework authorization granted to spouses ofH-1B, L-1 and E visa holders. On May 26,2015, the government started acceptingwork authorization applications forspouses of H-1B visa holders who arebeneficiaries of approved immigrant visapetitions or post-6th year H-1B exten-sions. This is a significant change sincepreviously, spouses of H-1B workers wereineligible to work in the U.S.

Among the mandates of the July 15,2015 White House memo is creating animmigration system that supports a grow-ing economy.

Critical to this mandate is nurturingburgeoning business communities likeSilicon Beach. We look forward to the gov-ernment’s continued efforts to make ourimmigration system more accessible to themany talented individuals who wish tocontribute to our dynamic economy.

Chad Blocker is a Partner with FragomenWorldwide. He can be contacted at (310)820-3322 or via [email protected] more at www.fragomen.com.

CBRE announced earlier this sum-mer that three new restaurantswere scheduled to open at Ocean

Avenue South, Related California’s luxu-ry residential development located onfamed Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica.Joan’s on Third in Santa Monica marksthe company’s first independent licensedoperation. It is managed by ExecutiveChef John Schenk, who is committed tobringing Joan’s vision to Santa Monicaopened at the end of June. Herringbone,featuring celebrity chef Brian Malarkey,opened in July and eLOVate, featuringcelebrity chef Roberto Martin, will openthis month. CBRE retail experts ZacharyCard and Casey Jahn handled leasing forthe development on behalf of RelatedCalifornia.

“With the addition of these phenom-enal restaurants, Ocean Avenue Southhas solidified its position as the mostsignificant collection of new restaurantsto open in Downtown Santa Monicasince the redevelopment of SantaMonica Place in 2010,” said Card.

With an extremely low retail vacancyrate of 2.8 percent, the demand forrestaurant space is at record-high levels inSanta Monica, he added. “This area is atop tourist destination with 7.3 millionvisitors a year and proximity to 8.7 mil-lion square feet of office space in themarket, dubbed Silicon Beach due to thetech, creative, and entertainment compa-

nies, all of which is creating unprecedent-ed demand from renowned restaurants.”

Designed by Moore Ruble Yudell,Ocean Avenue South is a $350 milliondevelopment including two luxury con-dominium properties, The Waverly andThe Seychelle, plus a 160-unit affordableapartment development The propertyfeatures unique urban spaces, terraces,public art, large landscaped private andpublic plazas, and 20,000-square-feet ofground floor retail and restaurant spacewith outdoor dining. The 158 luxurycondominiums are approximately 75percent sold and the 160 apartment

units are 100 percent leased. The lastremaining restaurant space available is2,980-square-feet located on OceanAvenue adjacent to Herringbone.

Ocean Avenue South is adjacent tothe $55 million Tongva Park and hasdirect access to Pacific Coast Highway, aswell as the I-10 and I-405 Freeways. It islocated near Santa Monica State Beach,Third Street Promenade, with over 500shops and restaurants, Santa MonicaPlace, anchored by Nordstrom andBloomingdale’s, Fred Segal, SantaMonica Civic Auditorium, theDowntown Civic Core and BusinessDistrict, Shutters, Casa Del Mar andLowes Beach Hotel.

Related has built a stellar reputationfor collaborating with top chefs andrestaurateurs at its distinctive properties.In California, The Century is home toDavid Myer’s Hinoki & The Bird andChef Agostino Sciandri’s new restaurant,Vespaio recently opened at The Emersonin Downtown Los Angeles. Time WarnerCenter in New York City hosts ChefThomas Keller’s Per Se and BouchonBakery, Chef Michael Lomonaco’s PorterHouse New York, Chef MasayoshiTakayama’s Masa and Bar Masa andChef Marc Murphy’s Landmarc. Relatedis among the first developers in LosAngeles to bring together elite condo-minium and rental residences with newrestaurants from the nation’s top chefs.

Three Renowned Restaurants Open at the OceanAvenue South Development in Santa Monica

AUGUST 17, 2015 AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL 29

58 Years

3 ServiceDivisions

4 Offices

7 MillionSquare Feet

35Professionals

STEPHAN KTORZASenior Vice President& Managing Director

[email protected]. #01758229

PHILIP DRAYSenior Vice President& Managing Director

[email protected]. #01910177

HEGER INDUSTRIAL LOS ANGELES445 S. Figueroa Street | 31st Floor | Los Angeles, CA 90071

213.880.5250 | www.hegerindustrial.com

Brokerage | Management | Investment

Serving The Los Angeles Industrial Real Estate Market Since 1957.

CA Lic. #00814086 | AZ Lic. #CO652804000


With the addition of these

phenomenal restaurants,

Ocean Avenue South has

solidified its position as the

most significant collection

of new restaurants to open

in Downtown Santa

Monica since the

redevelopment of Santa

Monica Place in 2010.

ZACHARY CARD, CBRE



WOLCOTT is excited to celebrate its40th anniversary. The designfirm has been partnering with

forward thinking clients since 1975 toreinvent their environments and realizethe full potential of their spaces. Wolcott’snational and local rankings have attracteda broad spectrum of clients, enabling it tobuild a diverse project portfolio. The firmanticipates continued growth and estab-lishing new relationships while stayingtrue to its mission of creating the perfectsolution while inspiring clients throughinteraction.

President of the firm, AJWilder AIA, LEED AP, com-ments, “Our firm has asolid reputation for success-fully realizing the visions ofentertainment and newmedia clients. The spaces reflect a client’sindividual culture and aesthetic, providingour teams with one-of-a-kind opportuni-ties to demonstrate their creative chops.”

Wolcott is particularly encouraged bythe integration of technology and focuson the ‘new workplace’ paradigm into thecommercial real estate portfolio.Landlords and developers are seizing theopportunity and pioneering the boomwith the development of sites such asHercules and the Reserve in Playa Vista aswell as the repositioning of the WaterGarden in Santa Monica. Wolcott is regu-larly approached to reposition abandoned

facilities as well as repurpose more tradi-tionally designed interiors. There is aseemingly endless demand for integrationbetween outside and inside space, incor-poration of branded signage, and interioraesthetics that make it feel as though theemployee is ‘home-ing from work.’

Wolcott has designed a myriad ofspaces in the Silicon Beach region and iscontinuously inspired by the clientele’sunique approach to office space. The firmwas approached to reposition an under-served asset at 520 Broadway in Santa

Monica. The new ownerwas interested in attracting‘creative clients’ to the tra-ditional office building.Wolcott’s architectural andlighting design teams wentto work developing a con-

cept that focused on making the expan-sive plaza more pedestrian friendly withplanting, lighting and seating and alsodefined the formerly undistinguishedentrance with a gull wing canopy feature.The exterior of the building features near-ly invisible LED downlight strips thatcarry seamlessly from outdoors to insidethe lobby, creating an illuminated floorsurface. The balconies were used to high-light the saw-tooth architecture and darkglazing of the structure, accenting thedesign and providing visual interest to abuilding that used to fade in the night.

Demand Media, a leading content and

social media company, came to Wolcottto develop their 52,000SF headquarters.As the architects, interior, and graphicdesigners, we sought to create a ware-house ‘Redux” theme that acknowledgedthe company’s distinct origins. To accom-plish this vision, finish materials werekept pure and unembellished and includ-ed polished concrete, natural finish cedarwood, and glass.

Headspace, a company with a web-based approach toward meditationthrough a mobile application, partneredwith Wolcott to design their NorthAmerican office and thought center.Industrial in nature, with high ceilingsand an open layout, Wolcott found theirspace to be extremely accommodatingfor a creative re-design. The industrialfeel of the existing building is main-tained and strategically enhanced to jux-

tapose natural materials like wood andvegetation into the design aesthetic.Meeting areas are strategically placedthroughout the office to establish anopen environment and facilitate focusedconversations without interruptingoffice workflow.

With Wolcott’s success in the SiliconBeach area, the firm has earned a posi-tion at the forefront of design for techand new media clients. A convenientlylocated Culver City office providesWolcott with a keen understanding ofboth the tech industry and lifestyle of theSilicon Beach. The firm is motivated bythe opportunity to set industry standards,and anticipate the expansion of technol-ogy focused design.

For more information, visitwww.wolcottai.com.

Wolcott Architecture Interiors Celebrates Innovative DesignSince 1975


SILICON BEACHDESIGN SPOTLIGHT

Wolcott is particularly encouraged by the integration of

technology and focus on the ‘new workplace’ paradigm

into the commercial real estate portfolio. Landlords and

developers are seizing the opportunity and pioneering

the boom with the development of sites such as

Hercules and the Reserve in Playa Vista as well as the

repositioning of the Water Garden in Santa Monica.


HEGER Industrial is proud toannounce the grand opening of itsfourth office and newest location

in the heart of downtown Los Angeles.Team members, clients and industryfriends celebrated this newest achievementon the rooftop of the Standard Hotel at thebeginning of the year.

Company President, RobertThornburgh stated, “This has been partof a long term strategic plan, designed tocontinue providing an exemplary level ofservice to our valued clients in down-town and the surrounding areas. Ourgrowth is a direct result of the amazingpeople at Heger whose integrity and pas-

sion for realestate is evi-dent ineverythingthey do.”

StephanKtorza,

Heger’s Senior Vice President andManaging Director, added that, “SiliconBeach is a county-wide phenomenon andby opening our newest office downtownwe are making a statement that we areprepared to serve clients who want torelocate or expand into downtown LA.

Over the last year, Heger has also com-pleted a series of major investments inother key areas of the company includingan entirely new website, promotionalvideo series, accounting and property

management software upgrades, a robustcustomer relationship management plat-form along with an extensive marketingprogram to support the company’s highlyskilled sales team.

Company GM, Bobbi Morrison com-

mented, “While we will always hold trueto the fundamentals that have con-tributed to our 58 year rich history, inno-vation and creative thinking are a criticalaspect of our culture. These recent invest-ments showcase our level of commitment

to delivering a distinct platform to themarket and our valued clients, both cur-rent and future.”

Learn more about Heger Industrial by visitinghegerindustrial.com.

Heger Industrial Opens Newest Office in Downtown Los Angeles

AUGUST 17, 2015 AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL 31

North Silicon Beach? 85,000 SF Creative Campus

For Lease or Sale!

• 2 Buildings on 3 Acres!• High Clearance / Open Floor Plan / Sound Rooms

• Secured Parking, Easy Access, Walk to Area Amenities• 1/3 the rent of comparable Westside locations.

Contact Ron Feder 818-222-0404

[email protected]

6041-6045 Variel Ave., Woodland Hills, CA

Take a Tour - Class A Campus in Warner Center


SILICON BEACHINDUSTRIAL SPOTLIGHT

The Heger executive team gathers with developers during the tour of one of their new projects.


Documents

August 17, 2015 • An Advertising Supplement to the Los Angeles Business Journal Silicon Beach & Creative Spaces · 2015/8/17 · Creative Spaces August 17, 2015 • An Advertising