HOLLYWOOD ARTS
Los Angeles Times 2009
In 2005, after spending time on the streets of Hollywood talking to marginalized young adults struggling with homelessness, exiting foster care, or leaving the juvenile justice system, Dylan founded Hollywood Arts. The agency offered over arts-based classes to young adults ages 18-28. While traditional social services struggled to reach this population, Hollywood Arts succeeded by tapping into intrinsic motivation - students were excited to learn acting, fashion, music, and digital arts because these subjects genuinely interested them.
The results spoke for themselves. Arts-based learning built healthy self-esteem, strong social networks, and transferable job skills while encouraging a passion for lifelong learning. Rather than cycling through dependency on state services, students found pathways to employment, stability, and independence.
More than 15 years later, the outcomes are remarkable: students who consistently attended classes experienced near-zero return to social service dependency. Today, these now mid-30s and older individuals are employed, housed, raising healthy families - demonstrating the transformative power of meeting people where they are with what they actually want to learn.
While others saw the video game industry as corrupting youth, Dylan saw potential partners who could fund opportunity. They became one of Hollywood Arts' largest funders, helping Dylan raise over $1 million through public-private partnerships to serve 300+ students annually with up to 20 free classes weekly. In 2016, Hollywood Arts merged with My Friend’s Place.