Arts and entertainment generate more than $15 billion in annual spending in Nevada. But during economic downturns, that industry — both on and off the Strip — gets hit as hard.
Now, two industry ventures aim to help out entertainment businesses and workers. In January, insiders formed ACE (Arts Creative Entertainment Chamber), a new type of chamber of commerce to unite and foster growth in the creative industry. And last week, The Space 2.0 was announced. It’s a public-private community center that’s meant to help entertainers, hospitality workers and locals, set to open in late 2028.
So what will ACE and The Space 2.0 do for their creative community (and beyond)?
Help those Strip professionals struggling with economic stability: During the 2020 Covid-19 shutdown, hundreds of thousands of entertainment and hospitality workers were out of work, many of them needed economic assistance. That year, actor and owner of The Space performance venue Mark Shunock live-streamed a special, telethon-style version of his monthly Monday's Dark charity variety show, with all money going to The Actor's Fund, an organization that financially supports entertainment professionals in need. Fast-forward five years, and that organization is now the Entertainment Community Fund, which will establish its first Las Vegas office at The Space 2.0. And its efforts will be targeted to our market. "We are going to do a major assessment of Las Vegas, and we're going to find out the needs and wants, because the programs and services they provide in New York City are not the same that they provide in Los Angeles, and Vegas is a unique market," says Shunock.
Offer mental health services: The Space 2.0 will host six other nonprofits, including the Community Counseling Center of Southern Nevada, a mental-health-and-more depot; Life By Music, which gives musical instruments and more to at-risk youth and veterans living with post-traumatic stress disorder; and the Firefighter Behavior Health Alliance, a first-responder assistance organization. Which is to say: The community center will also assist those outside the entertainment/hospitality industry.
Create a way for entertainment professionals to more easily connect, work with, and support each other: ACE vice president Sarah O'Connell, who wears many entrepreneurial and creative hats in the entertainment industry, says there's never been a chamber of commerce specifically for one of Nevada's largest industries. Now, ACE gathers professional creatives — from nonprofits and small businesses to those who work with Strip productions/venues and even corporations — in one organization. "[With local events], you have a video company coming in with a talent company coming in with the logistical organizations and the [audio/visual] companies — we're already a team on the job," says O'Connell. "But we've never had a chance to be a team on each other's behalf."
- Educational opportunities: Both ACE and The Space 2.0 will provide mechanisms aiming to foster mentorships, youth education programs, professional development, and build partnerships with local colleges to create internship opportunities.
Guests: Mark Shunock, founder, The Space 2.0; Sarah OConnell, vice president, Arts Creative and Entertainment Chamber
