Culver City Is Having Its Moment

Apple and Amazon made some noise when they moved In.

- Doug Zanger​​​​​​​

If recent developments are any indication, it’s Culver City’s time in the Southern California sun. While many agencies and creative companies have called the area home for years, the buzz around it is palpable due, in large part, to the announcements earlier this year that both Apple and Amazon are putting their content businesses there. The former is leasing 128,000 square feet of space in the city’s fashionable art gallery district, and the latter is taking up 75,000 square feet in the epicenter of the area near the historic Culver Hotel.

It’s not that the area hasn’t seen its fair share of growth over the years, but Culver City has been going through its transformation relatively quietly. For the longest time, according to Ryan Harding, a broker who works with creative companies in the area, Santa Monica was the darling of what’s known as L.A.’s Westside until the real estate crash in 2007 and 2008. At that point, companies were looking for someplace new, and nearby Playa Vista was a viable, affordable alternative.

Initially, Microsoft and TMZ were drawn to the area due to its affordability. And with the likes of Deutsch, Possible, R/GA, 72andSunny, TBWAChiatDay, Team One and YouTube dotting the landscape, Playa Vista became the favorite of the creative industry.