Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Aued.
Hi Heather, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I have been part of Evolution Studios since it started in 2007. We were first located near Universal Studios and had three studios in a 3000 sq ft building. The owner at the time had just bought a dance studio called Synthesis and changed the name to Evolution. I ran the studio for her from day one and helped grow the business to the point that we needed a bigger space. In 2015, we relocated to a 7000 sq ft warehouse on Burbank Blvd. My husband was the architectural designer for the new location and I worked alongside him to design our dream dance studio. Our slogan is “For artists, by artists”. The owner and I were both professional dancers and all of our staff were artists in one form or another. We had dancers, photographers and graphic designers all working at Evolution. It was our goal to create a home away from home for our clients.
Evolution is different from other studios because we are not an academy. We are a rental facility and we rent out our studios for rehearsals, auditions, private lessons, filming, etc. Regardless of if our client was J Lo or a dancer that had just moved to LA, we treat all our clients equally and want them to have a space where they can create.
When the pandemic happened, we had to shut down because we fell under the fitness center category. The owner’s lease was ending and she and her husband had relocated to Maui. At that time, she offered myself and one of my co-workers (Lauren Boldt) the opportunity to buy the studio from her and continue the studio. It was a dream come true. I had been a part of the studio from its inception and always treated it like it was my own. My husband had designed it and it was always a dream of mine to officially own it. So, even though it was a scary idea to buy a business during a pandemic, it was an offer I couldn’t refuse.
My business partner Lauren and I are both grateful for the opportunity to keep Evolution alive for the artists of Los Angeles.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Since taking over ownership in 2021, it has definitely been a roller coaster ride. The studio had just been allowed to reopen from the covid shut down but we are only able to open at 10% capacity. We had to follow the masking and vaccine mandates that not everyone was happy with. We definitely lost some clients due to the mandate. But we were grateful to the clients that did come back and the new clients we had.
It’s been almost two years since taking over ownership and we are still not back to how busy we were pre-covid, but we are getting there. We are continuing different ways to improve the studio and our client experience and are looking forward to what the future brings.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Evolution Studios was founded in 2007 and is one of Los Angeles’s premier studio rental facilities. Known for its privacy, state-of-the-art facility, and creative environment, Evolution strives to give clients a welcoming, professional space in which to bring their artistic visions to life. Evolution has been featured on hit TV shows like, So You Think You Can Dance, American Housewife, Chasing Destiny, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Dance Moms, Raising Asia, and Dancing with the Stars.
We continue to be a top studio choice for commercial and independent filmmakers providing the flexibility of renting individual studios or the entire facility and offering amenities such as our lounge, kitchen, patio, and parking.
Some of our offerings are:
6 Private rehearsal studios with mounted LED lights and control boards
State-of-the-art sound systems
Sprung dance floors
Large lounge, with kitchenette and coffee/vending machines
Free Wi-Fi throughout the building
Hard-wired internet connection (for fast streaming) inside all larger studios
Outdoor covered patio
Dressing rooms
Filtered water refill station
Private NON-STACKED parking & FREE overflow street parking
We are open seven days a week from 9am-11pm with after-hours rental availability
We have an Online booking system available 24/7 which also gives clients a 10% discount
We are a studio created “For Artists By Artists!”
Any big plans?
Right now we are still working on building back the business to how it was pre-covid, But we continue to make improvements to the studio along the way. In the future, we would love to expand and open up another location.
Pricing:
- Studio A = $80 per hour
- Studio B1 & B2 = $55 per hour
- Studio C = $40 per hour
- Studio D1 & D2 = $27 per hour
Contact Info:
- Website: www.evolutiondancestudios.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evolutionnoho/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EvolutionDanceStudios
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/evolution-studios-los-angeles
- Other: www.evolutionstudiosla.com (for professional filming rentals)
Image Credits
Headshot of Heather Aued – Photo by: Guy Viau All photos of studios/building – Photo by: Bruno O’Hara
