An inconspicuous doorway greets the passerby as a subtle welcome into the building on Second Street and Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles. As you enter into the high-ceilinged foyer, blaring pop music is heard from somewhere down the hall. Follow the music, and the bustle, and you will find yourself at Civic Center Studios, a production studio focused on “diverse media and cultural outlets.”
The owner of the studios is Pete Galindo, a strong creative type with almost 20 years of experience in media arts. Galindo is a Los Angeles native, growing up in the downtown neighborhood of Boyle Heights before moving to Moreno Valley in middle school.
Although imaginative as a child, Galindo got involved in a subculture of drugs and violence during his early adolescent years. After dropping out of high school at 15 and getting into an altercation, he was threatened with juvenile detention and placed on probation. It wasn’t until he attended a new high school did he find a passion that could lift him above his bad behavior. “I enrolled in a theater class my junior year, and it basically saved my life,” he said. His theater teacher, and later mentor, embraced Galindo’s dark past and allowed him to let his creativity flourish. He was in charge of lighting design over the course of the school theater season, and even directed some productions. “My mom always said it was the happiest time in her life; I had done a 180 and wasn’t out getting high or missing for days at a time.” Galindo’s teacher was the first to encourage him to apply to university, and it paid off when he was accepted into UCLA.
After college and numerous lighting jobs at theaters across LA, Galindo started working at Otis College of Art and Design, where he ran an after school program that taught young people digital media and fine arts. “We would establish labs in different places like schools and nonprofit organizations. We built the lab and I would hire instructors who designed the curriculum around visual literacy,” he said. But he was restless with this job after a number of years and after his friend showed him an empty space next to his bar’s location, Galindo opened an art gallery.
The gallery, named “Federal Art Project”, hosted six successful shows in six months. Through his gallery, Galindo met the building’s owner, Avi Florentine, who showed him a different, much larger space next door. “It was this windowless, ugly space with no sound, but it had high ceilings and a really interesting layout,” he said. After talking with his business partner, Galindo abandoned the gallery idea and settled on a bigger one: a studio.
Galindo negotiated the lease and started construction immediately. 17 tons of debris was removed from the site and the studio was finally taking shape. Galindo knew downtown was about to become a hub of creative industries, and that his studio idea would indeed be successful. It took a little bit of time but he believes his company is on track. “We’ve been here for five years, for the first three years we didn’t really know what we were doing, but for the last two years weve gotten a really strong handle on what our business model is supposed to be. Its still the original idea, but its one thing to have an idea, but its another thing to achieve the day to day work,” he said.
Galindo makes it clear that without technology, his business would be far less successful. Civic Center Studios rents out only the highest end of lighting design, focusing on the importance of its cutting edge technology. But beyond concrete forms of technological advancements, he believes the real significance is in the online functions. “I think what’s underestimated is the technology we use to advertise and get our clients. Key words, blogs, search engine optimized terms, all that kinda stuff you hear about,” he said. .
With all the evolving social media, and the fact that Civic Center Studios is gaining momentum, Galindo has high hopes for his company. “Within the next few years, I see my business operating almost autonomously, like a well-oiled machine,” he said. And as the business keeps evolving and catering to clients as it has been, there is no stopping the powerhouse that is Civic Center Studios.