Among the striking photos that documented last year’s protests against police brutality was an Associated Press image of an LAPD patrol car set aflame in Fairfax.
In the background was the imposing gray-and-white facade of historic Television City, with its CBS sign and eyeball logo.
“It was hard to ignore the way our studio was thrust into the spotlight of the demonstrations,” said Zach Sokoloff, an asset manager with Hackman Capital Partners, a Culver City-based real estate company that owns and operates the production hub. (Hackman had allowed the L.A. Police Department to use the studio complex as a staging site during the protests, a decision that was heavily criticized).
After seeing the photo, Sokoloff quickly gathered with Hackman executives. “We held up a mirror and asked ourselves: ‘How can we as a studio be a responsible community stakeholder and do our part to help folks in the most need?’”
Their solution was two-fold: Give money and time.