About

What Is Coworking?

Coworking is a style of work that involves a shared working environment, often an office, and independent activity. Unlike in a typical office environment, those coworking are usually not employed by the same organization. ^[1] Typically it is attractive to work-at-home professionals, independent contractors, or people who travel frequently who end up working in relative isolation. ^[2] Coworking is also the social gathering of a group of people who are still working independently, but who share values, ^[3] and who are interested in the synergy that can happen from working with like-minded talented people in the same space. ^[4] ^[5] Coworking offers a solution to the problem of isolation that many freelancers experience while working at home, while at the same time letting them escape the distractions of home. ^[6] ^[7] Coworking is not only about the physical space, but about establishing the coworking community first. Its benefits can already be experienced outside of its spaces, and it is recommended to start with building a coworking community first before considering opening a Coworking space. ^[8] However, some coworking spaces don’t build a community: they just get a part of an existing one by combining their opening with an event which attracts their target group.^[9]

Our History

We are a brand of coworking offices in Los Angeles. Since 2008, we have cultivated a community of entrepreneurs and freelancers who share office space to collaborate. From private offices to a communal WorkBar, we have flexible plans for a variety of sizes for any workstyles. We also have a variety of meeting room spaces that can be arranged to fit your events needs. Whether you need a permanent place to work every day, a place to meet with a client, host a seminar, or a place to drop in every once in a while, we have the right BLANKSPACE for you.

Staff

Jerome Chang
Founder / Architect
323 330 9505
jerome@blankspaces.com

Jerome is the founder and a still-practicing licensed architect. As an early pioneer of coworking, Jerome co-founded LExC, a League of Extraordinary Coworking (the first national network of coworking spaces); COSHARE (the first national association of shared spaces); and the TBD-name first organization of coworking providers in LA. Jerome honed his design skills at Clive Wilkinson Architects (CWA), known worldwide for the office headquarters of Google, Chiat/Day and Mother Advertising. Prior to CWA, Jerome was a designer at SFJones Architects, which has designed renowned restaurants such as Spago Beverly Hills, Nobu Malibu, Hamasaku, and Lucky Strike Bowl. Jerome holds a Master of Architecture degree from Harvard University; Master of Engineering and Bachelors of Science degrees from Cornell University. He instilled some right-brain training and a little more left-brain to develop BLANKSPACES. With each project for BLANKSPACES and for private clients, Jerome iterates and improves the various elements that constitute the BLANKSPACES experience.

Emmy Benson

Accounts Manager
323 330 9505
emmy@blankspaces.com

Emmy has been with BLANKSPACES since September 2011, serving as the accounts manager and operational support for all of our locations. When not at BLANKSPACES, Emmy writes Young Adult novels. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from Olivet Nazarene University, and several years of stage management experience garnered from Kansas City’s community theatre industry. In her free time, Emmy enjoys brunching and the theatre.

Ethan Chang

Operations Manager
323 330 9505
ethan@blankspaces.com

Ethan leads the community at our Downtown location, assuring that everyone is happy and no one is left behind. Having experience in entrepreneurial, corporate and coworking environments, he has a broad understanding of office life and ways to make it a comfortable, but professional environment for everyone. When he can escape from the computer, Ethan enjoys art, adventures and anything outdoors. Though young, he does not shy away from challenges, but takes them head on.

Liz Nowlin

Facility Supervisor – Pasadena
626 665 9955
LizNowlin@blankspaces.com

Liz has worked for BLANKSPACES since September of 2017. She’s a Pasadena native, and loves now being a part of the up-and-coming coworking culture and innovation scene that the city is quickly becoming known for. Right now she’s working on earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. Her bicycle is her vehicle of choice and weekend hiking adventures are her favorite end-of-week activity. She’s also great for pointing out the best vegan food and bars nearby!

Elizabeth Geli

Communications
213 550 2235
elizabeth@blankspaces.com

Elizabeth (aka Eliz) is BLANKSPACES’ longest-serving team member, having joined in March 2011. Since then, she’s always helped out in some capacity from behind-the-scenes communication projects to filling in at the front desk. She currently manages the company’s newsletter, calendars, displays, and back-end CRM. She has a bachelor’s in journalism, master’s in specialized arts journalism, and has almost completed a master’s in communication management, all from the University of Southern California. Eliz is a co-host of Sequel Rights podcast and a competitive Disney enthusiast, having grown up just a few minutes from Disneyland in Placentia, California.

Ciara Velasquez

Front Desk Coordinator
310 606 3716
ciara@blankspaces.com

Ciara is a Los Angeles native, having been born and raised in the Venice/Culver City area. She is an avid sports lover who has tried everything from dance to softball and even dabbled in surfing. She has her Bachelor’s in English and Journalism from Loyola Marymount University. During her spare time she likes to crunch brunch, read or hang out with her Labrador Retriever, Charlie.

Sandy Roden

Front Desk Coordinator
310 526 2255
sandy@blankspaces.com

Sandy has been at BLANKSPACES since November of 2018. She is originally from New Jersey, but had been living in Seattle for the past 16 years before making the move to Los Angeles with her husband and pitbull mix. During her time in Seattle, she ran her own waxing/sugaring spa for 8 years. When she’s not working, Sandy likes to make a lot of noise with her bass in her band.

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Press

From Blank Canvas to Community Spaces Since launching BLANKSPACES in 2008, Jerome Chang has made a respected name for himself in the coworking arena. As the first coworking space in SoCal and one of the first in the US, Jerome has become a go-to source of inspiration and knowledge. In fact, he put his ...
2016 PREDICTIONS: COWORKING DESIGN By Jerome Chang // Founder, BLANKSPACES 2016 will be a banner year for the design of coworking spaces. Here are some of my predictions. Design styles will distinguish and even glamorize the coworking brands that want to grow. Coworking has its roots in fostering community, with some spaces that are claiming a curated experience. Curation will continue to include design ...
NEWS: Inside Downtown’s Emerging Tech Boom Inside Downtown’s Emerging Tech Boom – Los Angeles Downtown News Posted: Monday, December 15, 2014 5:00 am | Updated: 9:21 am, Mon Dec 15, 2014. By Eddie Kim | 0 comments DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — When it comes to high technology in Los Angeles, the location of choice is “Silicon Beach.” The label describes the thriving scene in Santa ...
20 Hot Coworking Spaces for Business 20 Hot Coworking Spaces for Business Jan 10, 2015 by Annie Pilon In Small Business Operations 13 Email this Article Print This Article Working remotely doesn’t have to mean being cooped up in your house or apartment. Now there are spaces where remote workers and tech startups can get office space or just share a communal work area with ...
Coworking Space of the Week: BLANKSPACES 06.16.2014 Millenial Magazine “Coworking Space of the Week: BLANKSPACES” “…BLANKSPACES is the perfect location for Millennials who want to be surrounded by like-minded individuals…Coworking offers a solution to the problem of isolation that many freelancers experience, while at the same time letting them escape the distractions of a home office.”
Santa Monica Mirror 4.30.2014 Santa Monica Mirror Download PDF “Silicon Beach Coworking Spaces: A Fad Or New Trend?” LEE S. SEGAL “Coworking offices have emerged as the new commercial real estate office in the past few years in Los Angeles.”
LA Biz Journal 12.23.2013 LA Business Journal Download PDF Ex-Phone Exec Placed on Hold” NATALIE JARVEY “Jerome Chang, the founder of co-working facility Blankspaces, said launching that many facilities in a short period of time is very capital intensive. And operating co-working spaces is unlikely to make someone a fortune. “Most people going into this business do it with the co-op mentality,” ...
World Magazine 08.24.2013 World Magazine download “Office Sharing” Angela Lu “Chang saw this as a solution not just to his own problem, but a problem plaguing a growing number of Americans: finding human connection—and the innovations that come with it—in an age of working remotely”. says it is less stressful than working in a typical office because ...
LA Times 03.07.2013 LA Times “A new wave of shared workplaces rolls through Silicon Beach” Andrea Chang “What’s so fundamentally different about a place like this versus working at a company’s office is no one works for each other,” Chang said. ‘The whole bureaucracy and politics and the environment of trying to vie for the attention of that one boss ...
Wherever Worker 08.21.2013 Wherever Worker download “6 Tips for Being Productive In a Coworking Space” Chase Fleming “The most productive, effective way to enable good vibe and rapport is to contribute something beneficial first. You get what you put in, right?”

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