They call themselves Hulugans and they are quickly multiplying in Santa Monica.
They’re not soccer fans – well, at least not all of them – but are Hulu employees. And while their campus features every perk, open floor plan and game room you would expect with a typical Silicon Valley tech behemoth, they’ve decide to settle down in Santa Monica.
“We consider ourselves at the intersection of entertainment and technology,” said Hulu’s Senior Vice President of Talent and Organization Jim O’Gorman, who helped make the decision in 2013 to grow the company in Santa Monica. Since Hulu’s video streaming service combines tech and television, Santa Monica seemed like a perfect fit.
“We consider it TV’s backyard but it’s also the front porch of technology when you think about Silicon Beach,” O’Gorman said. “We can blend both aspects of the industry.”
Just four years ago Hulu staked a claim at the Colorado Center on Broadway with 350 employees and 95,000 square feet. The company has quickly ballooned in size and by the end of this year will have about 1,000 employees working at the Santa Monica campus. To accommodate all those techies, their office space is expanding to 240,000 square feet when construction ends.
That fast growth is part of the reason the Chamber of Commerce has decided to honor Hulu with this year’s Economic Excellence Award at the State of the City address. More than five hundred people will pack SGI Auditorium Monday night to hear City Manager Rick Cole’s annual speech and watch O’Gorman accept the award.
The Chamber considers Hulu a good addition to the City because of civic programs that give back, most notably the company’s sponsorship of Breeze Bike Share. There are more than 500 green electronic bikes in Santa Monica and Venice. Anyone with a smart phone can download the Social Bikes app and rent one for the day or just a few minutes for a quick commute.
Bicycles are a big part of tech: Google and Facebook bikes pepper the streets of Mountain View and Palo Alto near their campuses. O’Gorman says bikes are a natural fit because tech companies tend to emphasize sustainability.
“It plays into our values,” O’Gorman said. “Tech companies, all of us operate under a clear set of values.”
“When we talk about how character matters and we operate as one team, those are words we need to demonstrate and show out in the community.”
While the Hulu branded baskets on Breeze bikes are their most visible contribution, O’Gorman is most proud of mentorship programs fostered in Santa Monica. The company works with Spark, a national non-profit that connects middle school students with mentors in the local business community. More than ninety percent of Spark students go on to graduate from high school on time.
“In order to grow in any geography you have to be a responsible member of that community,” O’Gorman said. “It is broader than just your company doors.”
The State of the City address will start at 5 p.m. at the SGI World Peace Auditorium at 525 Wilshire Boulevard. Doors open thirty minutes before the speeches begin. Tickets costs $40 for Santa Monica residents and can be purchased through smchamber.com.
