Today we’d like to introduce you to Lawrence Ross.
Hi Lawrence, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The Metaphor Club began as an idea. What if we opened a black-owned creative co-working space on Crenshaw, in the heart of Leimert Park? At the same time, we would bring creative resources from other parts of Los Angeles to Crenshaw Blvd, shrinking access and privilege. That idea happened in 2018; since then, we’ve done exactly what we set out to do.
Members pay $99 per month for co-working access. At the same time, we’ve brought in bestselling authors like Walter Mosley, commentator Jemele Hill, twice Academy Award-nominated writer Kemp Powers, and many others to the club. Our Emerging Black Screenwriters program is a summer success (we’re still taking sign-ups!), as are our monthly table reads. Not bad for a few fraternity brothers with an idea.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
My partners and I use Slack for our internal communication, and we have a Disaster channel. In that channel, we discuss various disaster scenarios, such as riots, floods, earthquakes, and fires. No one had a global pandemic on their disaster bingo cards, especially with a business model that requires folks to gather together in a space. So…that could have been better.
For the most part, we got through the pandemic, but to be honest, we’re still trying to build our membership base back to our pre-pandemic levels. The more members we have, the more things we’re able to offer not just to our members but to the community.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’ve authored seven books, including The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities and Blackballed: The Black & White Politics of Race on America’s Campuses. Both are standards on college campuses, and over the past 25 years, I’ve lectured at over 1000 colleges and universities about fraternalism, race, and racism.
My journey as a screenwriter began with an MFA in screenwriting from the prestigious UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television. Currently, I am deeply immersed in the world of television, developing exciting projects with various production companies. I also share my passion for screenwriting by teaching at the Metaphor Club, offering both Intro to Screenwriting and Advanced Screenwriting courses.
I’m very proud that I use my big fish in a small pond fame to help further the writing careers of others, be they high schoolers or retirees. And even more importantly, I want Black voices to be centered in a world that would like to marginalize those stories.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Owning a brick-and-mortar business is unlike many things you can imagine. There are a million things beyond your business that you’ll have to deal with regularly. My advice? Find great partners. I have the best business partners. We all hop in to do the work without asking or waiting for someone to tell us something needs to be done.
But be bold and do it. How do you test your idea? My advice is this: Start with a fundamental that everyone knows, introduce a twist that makes it different, and there’s your WOW!
Pricing:
- $99 per month for a Metaphor Club membership
- $125 per hour rental fee for our MetaFLOW rental space next to our club.
Contact Info:
- Website: themetaphorclub.com
- Instagram: @themetaphorclub.com
Image Credits
Lawrence Ross
