AEG, Goldenvoice and PRG Join Forces with White Hall Arts Academy to Foster a Creative Workforce Pipeline

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For decades, the entertainment industry has wrestled with a familiar question: How do young people — particularly those without existing industry connections — gain the access, experience and relationships required to build sustainable careers in music and live entertainment?

In South Los Angeles, White Hall Arts Academy is going beyond answering that question; the organization is creating life-giving pathways.

Rather than operating its youth programs as standalone arts initiatives, the nonprofit has built an interconnected pipeline designed to move often systemically-disadvantaged young people from early creative exploration to technical training, workforce development and, ultimately, professional opportunities across the entertainment business.

That ecosystem includes White Hall Arts Academy, its free Music Creators Camp for young artists and creators, and Soundworks, a workforce development program serving justice-impacted and transitional-age foster youth. Together, the programs expose participants not only to performance and songwriting, but also to production, audio, lighting, concert promotion, marketing, merchandising, stage management and other careers that power the live entertainment economy.

And some of the industry’s largest players are beginning to invest in the model.

Partnerships with AEG, Goldenvoice and PRG have given White Hall students direct access to working entertainment professionals, major venues and professional production environments — offering a level of industry proximity rarely available to students at the beginning of their career journeys.

For White Hall founder Tanisha Hall, those relationships represent more than corporate support. They are part of a larger effort to build a sustainable bridge between communities with creative talent and an entertainment industry continually searching for its next generation of creators, technicians and executives.

Building an Ecosystem, Not Just a Camp

At the center of that pipeline is Music Creators Camp, a free two-week program that served nearly 50 students ages 9 to 17 this year. Supported by the Los Angeles County District 2 Supervisor Holly Mitchell Youth Justice Fund, the camp provides hands-on training in songwriting, music production, branding, choreography, concert promotion and stage production.

Its roster of instructors reflects both the creative and technical sides of the contemporary music business.

Lead instructors include five-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Candace Wakefield; Grammy-nominated producer, songwriter and musical director Daniel Solano, whose credits include Prince, Selena Gomez, Tori Kelly and Stokley; Grammy-nominated, platinum-certified songwriter Bella Rabbit; producer and engineer Adam Amoedo, whose credits span artists including Doja Cat, Tems, Rema, Leon Thomas, Jessie Reyez and Shaboozey; and three-time Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum producer Yng Josh, known for his work with Nipsey Hussle, Ariana Grande, Alicia Keys, Chris Brown and the Backstreet Boys.

Artist and songwriter Adanna Duru, who appeared on The Voice and American Idol, also participated as a guest mentor.

The instruction is only one layer of the program.

Students created original music and produced music videos during a Today at Apple session at Apple The Grove. They also visited The Novo at L.A. LIVE, where executives from AEG and Goldenvoice introduced them to the business behind concerts — including promotion, merchandising and live-event operations — before meeting with students in smaller mentoring sessions.

The objective is to expose students to an industry far larger than what audiences see onstage.

When Industry Partnership Becomes Infrastructure

White Hall’s relationships with AEG, Goldenvoice and PRG illustrate the kind of partnership Hall believes is necessary to build a meaningful talent pipeline.

“At AEG and Goldenvoice, we believe every young person deserves the opportunity to discover their potential and explore meaningful pathways to a successful future. Music Creators Camp creates an inspiring environment where creativity, mentorship and real-world industry exposure come together to introduce young people to the many career opportunities that exist across music and live entertainment. We are proud to support White Hall Arts Academy’s mission to expand access, open doors, and empower the next generation to see themselves building meaningful careers in this industry,” said Rhea Roberts-Johnson, Vice President of Goldenvoice Operations & Community Engagement.

PRG has provided students with another critical piece of that pipeline: exposure to the technical infrastructure behind major concerts and productions.

The global production company has supported tours and productions for artists including Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Bad Bunny and Coldplay. Through its work with White Hall, students are able to see firsthand the roles that exist in staging, lighting, audio, production management and other technical disciplines that often receive far less attention than performing careers.

That kind of participation also points to a broader opportunity for the entertainment business.

While companies frequently support community organizations through sponsorships, White Hall’s model demonstrates what can happen when industry partners contribute not only funding, but also access, personnel, facilities, mentorship and real-world working environments.

Creating a Continuum From Education to Employment

The pipeline becomes even more tangible through Soundworks, White Hall’s workforce development program for justice-impacted and transitional-age foster youth.

Soundworks is supported by the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity, the California Community Foundation / Liberty Hill Foundation Ready 2 Rise program, the NBA Foundation and the Sony Music Global Social Justice Fund.

During this summer’s Music Creators Camp final showcase, Soundworks participants worked alongside PRG crews throughout the production process.

Participants arrived at 7 a.m. for load-in, assisted with staging and lighting installation, helped prepare VIP and interview areas and later participated in strike and load-out.

The experience was not designed as a simulation.

It placed participants inside an active professional production environment, allowing them to observe and participate in the coordination, technical skill and pace required to execute a live event.

At the same time, younger Music Creators Camp students saw those jobs taking place around them.

The result is a continuum: a child may enter White Hall through music or performance, discover careers behind the stage, develop technical or professional skills and eventually move into workforce training and employment opportunities.

“This is bigger than a camp or a training program,” said Tanisha Hall, founder of White Hall Arts Academy. “We are creating meaningful pathways for young people who have the talent, discipline and creativity to contribute to this industry. Our goal is to expose them not only to opportunities onstage, but to the sustainable careers that exist behind the music, behind the camera and behind major live events.”

Hall was recently recognized as the Los Angeles City Council District 8 2026 Women of Impact.

A Model the Industry Could Help Scale

The need for programs like White Hall extends beyond South Los Angeles.

Much of the entertainment industry’s workforce continues to depend on informal networks, internships, mentorship and proximity — systems that can be difficult to access for young people who do not grow up with connections to the business.

White Hall is attempting to create that proximity intentionally.

“Over the past 20 years in the music industry, I’ve come to believe that one of our greatest responsibilities is helping create a pathway for the next generation,” expressed Norah Blumberg, director of music at PRG. “Young people need to see themselves reflected in this industry. They need to know they have a seat at the table, that their voices matter and that there is a place for them in the room. What Tanisha has built through White Hall Arts Academy is more than a program — it is a calling that is creating opportunities, building confidence and changing lives through the power of music.”

AEG, Goldenvoice and PRG are helping demonstrate what that pathway can look like when major companies actively participate.

But Hall sees the current partnerships as a beginning rather than an endpoint.

Expanding the model will require more companies across music, touring, production, technology, media and entertainment to provide the resources that young people need most: professional exposure, mentorship, training environments, equipment, internships and ultimately pathways into paid work.

“This is what meaningful industry access looks like,” Hall said. “When companies open their doors, share their expertise and allow young people to learn in professional environments, they help turn talent and potential into real opportunity.”

White Hall Arts Academy’s larger proposition is straightforward: developing the entertainment industry’s future workforce cannot begin only when young people are old enough to apply for their first internship or entry-level job.

It begins years earlier — when they are first shown the breadth of careers available to them, introduced to professionals who can help demystify those careers and given opportunities to practice their skills in real-world environments.

For an industry that depends on a constant pipeline of new creative and technical talent, White Hall’s work offers both a model and an invitation.

The pipeline is being built. The question now is how much of the industry will help expand it.