It took a year to bring the BLANKSPACES brand back to Santa Monica’s hip and happening 2nd Street, but after a protracted legal battle to restore the energetic space to its original name, Jerome Chang is celebrating. “Our arbitration is binding so the judge’s verdict cannot be appealed. The judge fully awarded rights for BLANKSPACES to be the sole brand and me to be back as manager,” he said.
Chang, the visionary young architect and founder of BLANKSPACES continues his mission to provide a true alternative to “officing” as we have known it and to prove that talented entrepreneurs, in any sector, could come together and share their skills in spaces that are as dynamic and stimulating as the ideas themselves. Since its original launch in 2008, BLANKSPACES has continued to kick down the walls of convention, building a reputation for attracting the best and brightest upcoming high tech businesses. The collective mindshare of Chang and other community thought leaders has contributed to the growth of what is known as Silicon Beach, the high tech area of which Santa Monica has become known.
To those who have worked with Chang, it is little surprise that he would fight to restore the full reach of the BLANKSPACES brand within the high tech metropolis, amidst the palm trees and sunshine of LA’s historic downtown and progressive beach communities. After all, BLANKSPACES has blazed the trail for other vibrant alternative space providers such as ROC, NextSpace/Amplify and CrossCampus, to name a few.
As the CoWorks signs come down and are replaced once again with BLANKSPACES, the celebration begins. At the heart of that celebration comes an array of new services being rolled out to help foster the success of the folks who inhabit the 2nd Street as well as the other BLANKSPACES locations. It’s Jerome Chang’s way of punctuating the return of BLANKSPACES in a meaningful and productive manner.
So, as the champagne flows in celebration, so will new programs. Funding sources are being added to provide capital to fledgling BLANKSPACES members who are building mobile apps and games. The only qualification is that an organization be a current full-time member for a minimum of one month. On premise access to industry leaders and mentors is also being added so that members can drop in and get advice from SMEs in their particular area. Finally, is what Chang refers to as a Mastermind Series of Peers-to-Peers, offered in the LA location to facilitate entrepreneur interaction and co-mentoring. Sessions will be programmed for the Santa Monica location when the brand transition is completed.
Officing Today tips its hat to innovative thinkers and visionaries, such as Jerome Chang, who are able to tap the collective pulse of a new paradigm in how we work, ride out the rough spots, and produce a viable, successful and sustainable framework to house the leading corporations and organizations of tomorrow.
