January 30, 2017

Meet Wendy Turner of Aerial Warehouse in Culver City

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Wendy Turner.

Wendy, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Growing up, my entire childhood involved dance, gymnastics, and cheerleading. It was what I knew, so I put all my kids in gymnastics when they were little. When my daughter was 5 years old, she and I went to a little circus show to watch her friends perform. The costumes, makeup, colors and the skills were amazing. We were hooked! After that show, we made the switch from gymnastics to full-time circus arts.

My 3 sons started taking weekly lessons as well, in trampoline, juggling, globe, Chinese pole and partner acro. I loved that they were conditioning, gaining strength and skill all while having fun! My oldest son, who was not playing any sports at the time, used the gym bi-weekly to exercise. The benefits were and still are endless.

Because we all enjoyed it so much, I started looking into building a facility for boys and girls where they could set and reach goals for themselves in a non-competitive, nurturing environment.

I reached out to a stuntman that I knew, he had been wanting to do the same thing I was planning! After many meetings and a firm plan, we got to work. My partners, Shana Lord and Chris Solomon, who had both been in Cirque du Soleil and worked as stunt actors. They are both highly skilled ignominy forms of movement such as dance, aerials, fitness, high falls, etc. While they work in curriculum and training, I get to play with the kids!

I’m the gym Mom, I run the day to day operations, marketing, social media and client relations and I love getting to know the families and adult clients. It’s the best part of my job! I also get to plan and implement our huge yearly recital. It’s a great creative outlet for all for everyone.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Having an idea is one thing, bringing it to life is another! The process did not go as smoothly as I imagined it would. The thought was, I’d find a great space with high ceilings, hang some apparatus, hire some teachers, et voila! But, that’s not how it worked at all!

I spent a year looking for the perfect space, I went through several brokers and even a failed lease negotiation. Once I finally found the warehouse space, (on Craigslist), I negotiated the rent and then had to get to work getting all the proper permits. I had no idea how hard getting through city planning would be. My gym plans spent months sitting on desks waiting to be approved. Nudging and calling the city became a daily ritual. Once approved, I had to go through building and safety. Nothing had prepared me for this! I kept thinking how amazing it was that so many people opened businesses. It is really hard work. After 8 months, we finally had our permits! That is a day I will never forget. Although I had very tough days where I felt completely defeated, I spent every day moving toward my goal and I never once thought it wouldn’t happen.

Aerial Warehouse – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are an Aerial and Action Arts facility. We train kids, adults, amateurs and professionals in Circus, Parkour, Trampoline, Tumbling and Stunt work.

I like to think are different, due to the fact we have everything under one roof. You can dance, then climb a silk, take a tumbling class and learn high falls off our walls all in the same day!

We specialize in aerial arts, tumbling, trampoline and parkour.

I think I am most proud of the Aerial Warehouse community and the sense of family that’s been established. We are very supportive and we make a commitment to listen to our clients and help them achieve their personal goals.

We are so proud of our youth and adult clientele and all the creativity and hard work they put into their training.

We do adult shows and a large theater recital for the kids every year. These shows are full of unique skills and choreography. They prepare for months to present their acts.

We are also fortunate to be able to work with several non-profits, donating gym space and time to underserved families, adults in recovery, and more.

Aerial Warehouse also provides opportunities for our teenage students to join our Coach in Training program. Once training is completed and they have met all requirements, we hire them on as assistant coaches.

These same kids also donate their time performing and doing outreach for our partner non-profit organization YES Circus that bring the circus to underserved youth. we are currently working with the Harold Robinson Foundation/Camp Ubuntu to bring the circus to the inner city kids of Los Angeles. We feel it’s very important to give back to our community.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Being able to provide a safe, healthy environment for kids and adults to play is what keeps me going!

Everyday that I see a gym full of people hanging upside down with huge smiles, that’s a good day!

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