The Lighthouse, part of Whalar Group, announced the grand opening of The Lighthouse Brooklyn, its flagship East Coast Creator campus in the heart of Greenpoint, designed to empower the next generation of storytellers and creative talent. Located at 58 Kent Street in the historic 1872 Pencil Factory, The Lighthouse Brooklyn reimagines one of New York’s most storied creative neighborhoods as a cultural home for Creators, artists, and creative professionals to learn, make, and belong.
Brooklyn has long been the creative and cultural heartbeat of New York, a place where independence thrives through food, art, music, fashion, design, creativity, and the creative community. Built within the walls of the original Pencil Factory, The Lighthouse Brooklyn honors that legacy while embracing the future of entertainment, media, and Creator culture. The campus features state-of-the-art production studios, collaboration and event spaces, The Lighthouse Theater, and a 6,000-square-foot waterfront rooftop terrace overlooking the East River. Every detail, from the reconceived library to the plant-filled glass atrium that bisects the building from cellar to rooftop, balances Bauhaus architectural sensibility and precision with analog tactility, fostering an environment where ideas can be inspired organically and executed frictionlessly.
The Brooklyn Campus houses an array of spaces and amenities tailored to Creators, including:
Greenpoint itself, with its rich history of artists, makers, and craftspeople, provided the perfect foundation for The Lighthouse Brooklyn. The Pencil Factory’s transformation continues that tradition, turning a once analog-focused space into a dynamic hub for industry-defining digital creation, innovation, and collaboration.
On the opening of The Lighthouse Brooklyn, Jon Goss, CEO, The Lighthouse, said: “The Lighthouse Brooklyn embodies everything this city represents: artistry, creativity, reinvention, and a real sense of collective spirit. It’s more than a space. It’s a living, breathing ecosystem where Creators can explore new ideas, connect with each other, and shape the next wave of culture.”
Members are selected through a combination of referrals by The Lighthouse’s Creator Council, co-chaired by Creator Economy experts Colin and Samir, and an open membership application process vetted by the council. The Lighthouse Brooklyn Creator Council includes: Brett Conti, Dave Bench, Gabriel DeSanti, Ari Elkins, Salt Hank, Tejas Hullur, Eddie Huang, Eni Popoola, Kareem Rahma, Evan Shapiro, Pooja Tripathi, Kelly Wakasa, and Odette Williams.
On being part of the Council, Eddie Huang said: “The Lighthouse is bringing a creative energy back to the Williamsburg-Greenpoint corridor I haven’t felt since people were smoking formaldehyde outside the Vice offices.”
Council Member Evan Shapiro added: “The Creator Economy is the planet’s cultural center of gravity. Today’s Creators aren’t just artists, they’re studios. The Lighthouse is the studio system for Creators. I am jazzed to play even a small role in this cool Creator community complex.”
The campus was designed in collaboration with interior design studio Warkentin Associates, founded by Nathan Warkentin, who also led the design of The Lighthouse Venice. This adaptive reuse project seamlessly merges the building's industrial past with contemporary design, building upon the success of the recently opened Lighthouse Venice location.
To celebrate the opening, The Lighthouse will host a two-day Opening Festival on November 5–6, featuring talks, performances, immersive experiences, live podcasts, and thought-leader me Creator-led programming across the new campus.
The festival will explore what it means to be a Creative entrepreneur today, beyond a single medium, and will bridge entertainment, business, and culture. Programming collaborations with Substack and Tribeca Festival will highlight those expanding influence into enterprise, redefining leadership, cultivating community and culture, and blurring boundaries across content, commerce, and creativity. Festival sessions will include an album release with Danny Brown; a lively conversation with David Droga and Sir John Hegarty; Cindi Leive to interview Ana Gasteyer and Amber Tamblyn; a conversation with Mary Harron; and a discussion moderated by Axios’s Kerry Flynn featuring Scalable Co-Founders Kaya Yurieffand Jasmine Enberg. Additional programming will feature writer Bob Colacello interviewing Julia Fox and Vito Schnabel; a vibrant conversation with Ella Emhoff; Creators Luca Mornet and Sydney Jo; Substack Creators Casey Lewis, Justin Moran, and Hunter Harris; a conversation with New York Liberty Chief Brand Officer Shana Stephenson; New York Nico to screen his 26.2 documentary; a DJ set by Stretch Armstrong, Good Stand-Up Comedy hosted by Jesse David Fox, and much more.
“I’ve never seen creativity as one thing. Whether it’s music, fashion, podcasts, or film, it all comes from the same place. Working with Creators from different places keeps me inspired and reminds me that there’s no one way to express yourself,” said artist Danny Brown.
The Lighthouse Brooklyn experience is elevated by collaborations with key partners: Fox Entertainment/Tubi, iHeartMedia, Samsung, Shopify, and Tribeca Festival, each bringing unique Creator-focused activations to the campus.
The Venice location faces the ocean, and Brooklyn faces the river. Two Lighthouses, each a beacon on its shore, now stand to illuminate the creative journey, connecting communities and ideas across coasts. Following Venice and Brooklyn, an EMEA campus will open later in 2026, establishing a global network to support the Creator Generation through real-world connection, education, and collaboration.
