Hollywood Coworking Space Provides Soul Care Epiphany Space, Part 2

Melissa Smith, the Founder and Executive Director of Hollywood’s Epiphany Space,  shared with us how her coworking space began. If you missed it, you can find Part 1 here.

TogetherLA: What are some of the pressing needs you see among your client base and their peer/social groups?

Melissa Smith: My quick take on the pressing needs in our community:

 1. Work! Even when we have gigs and projects in our field that pay adequately, there is always the awareness of needing to line up the next one.

2. Networking. Getting in front of the people looking to mentor, hire, and otherwise ‘validate’ (I use the word loosely, since our entire purpose is to find validation outside of success at work) what we create.

3. Stability. LA in general and Hollywood in particular experiences a constant state of change, which can be terrifying without some sense of rootedness.

4. Community. Everyone needs a sense of belonging to feel safe. A place to feel accepted and seen, especially while pursuing work in a highly competitive industry where even success breeds extreme isolation.

5. Spiritual healing. Some challenges of life and work in the LA arts/entertainment industry just can’t be touched by anything other than Jesus. 

TogetherLA: On your website you mentioned meeting a number of actors who have broken relationships with parents. I would love to hear more about that, and how you’ve seen needs met through organic interactions like with you and your daughter.

Melissa Smith: In my pastoral training, I’ve learned that one of our core needs as humans is to belong. As a Hollywood citizen, I find myself in a culture that is far from hospitable, particularly to creative professionals - there are gates and gatekeepers on every corner with big KEEP OUT signs posted (sometimes literally). Add to this that many people come here because of the lack of support in their families of origin.

When we first opened in 2013, our newborn daughter Viola was with me every day at Epiphany Space. God brought multiple people to the space during that season who missed the nurturing of a mother in their childhood. I would listen to their stories while caring for Viola, and occasionally ask them to hold her or watch her a moment. God used those interactions to show what parental love looks like. Several people in our new community allowed God’s love and kindness to heal deep places in their hearts and memories. 

So many of us come to Hollywood to BE somebody and to prove that we have value. The city offers plenty of opportunities to exploit our talent, time and money for that chance to make an impression on the big decision-makers in the industry. Epiphany Space has a mandate to nurture and demonstrate acceptance and “enoughness” to all; no matter what’s going on with your career.

TogetherLA: As you were cultivating the environment at Epiphany Space, what mistakes did you make?

Melissa Smith: Experimenting and failure are important elements in creating, and God has taught me this lesson over and over as Epiphany Space has come into existence. 

The unfolding of Epiphany has been different than expected. When applying for 501(c)(3) status, we had to generate a business plan (eek!). We faithfully put together budgets and plans, but when it came time to make those numbers a reality, the way of growth was very different from what we anticipated. At times it has seemed like a failure.

I did not expect to have a baby and launch our space at the same time. Because of this, I was dependent on others for help to do things I would have normally done myself. This dependent collaboration has created something more beautiful than I could have achieved on my own. 

I also greatly underestimated the pressure our marriage would be under in having a new baby, running Epiphany and experiencing many lean financial years for Epiphany and our family. I’m so glad I have the support of friends nearby and family far away, who have helped out with childcare, donations, and random errands. 

TogetherLA: You refer to Epiphany Space becoming more and more the nurturing hive of creativity that was born in your heart in 2009. What images, interactions and outcomes come to mind when you use that phrase?

 Just as the body of Christ has many parts and giftings that work together, Epiphany’s community is full of talented people who encourage one another and share skills. Natural collaborations have included…

· Bands, backup musicians for performances and recordings as musicians come together at Epiphany Space, befriend one another, and make plans together outside of the space

· Actors, editors and crew for film projects who all met through coworking and events in the space

· Freelance work relationships and referring work to one another

· Salute Your Shorts Fest is now in its fourth year, after the two founders met and made friends through coworking at Epiphany Space

· All the time, we see members brainstorming, reading for each others’ audition tapes, running lines, or weighing in on music and edits for reels and commercial projects

o  True story: two actors in our community were submitted for the same role by their agents. Instead of competing with each other they learned lines and practiced for the audition together. I LOVE that!

· Friends to celebrate with and journey through disappointment with 

· And even though we are not a Christian club, we have teamed up with community members who love Jesus for more explicitly Christ-centered events; I and a few friends meet once a week to worship and pray for Hollywood and our people, and we’ve held larger prayer gatherings and ‘listening groups’ as well.