Bringing a dream to life becomes that much easier when you see other people living it. That’s exactly where HXOUSE  (The “X” is silent) comes in.

The Toronto-based nonprofit hosts immersive challenges and master classes designed to help young creatives dream bigger and discover potential careers they never knew existed. But it’s more than just creative training — HXOUSE is an inspiring example of how dismantling barriers can redefine education, open people up to new pathways to success, and drive innovation.

“Just being in proximity to individuals that are doing the thing that you aspire to do — having them sort of coach you through it, mentor you through it. That’s everything,” said La Mar Taylor, cofounder of XO Records and HXOUSE.

Building HXOUSE

As industries evolve faster than traditional education systems can adapt, many young people — especially those without industry connections — never see the careers they could build.

Taylor grew up with Abel Tesfaye — better known as the Grammy Award-winning artist The Weeknd. Neither was getting what they needed from the traditional education system, and eventually, they dropped out of school.

“As soon as you enter the educational system, you’re just taught to stay within a box,” Taylor said. “You don’t have the opportunity to discover who you are, because you have the system telling you what you should be. There needs to be a big shift in dismantling that.”

To help, Taylor, along with The Weeknd and Ahmed Ismail, cofounded HXOUSE, a “think center” with a mission to foster innovation and opportunity for creative entrepreneurs. Rather than rely on traditional education, they embrace mentorship, cross-disciplinary learning, networking, and frank discussions — all central to their master-class model.

The first step of building big dreams

To build these experiences, HXOUSE partners with top industry leaders. For example, a recent master class provided a crash course in the live experience industry (think concerts, festivals, trade shows) with TAIT — the world leader in live experience events.

Participants, or “tenants,” as HXOUSE calls them, were chosen from the winners of a series of one-day challenges in New York, Austin, Pittsburgh, and Los Angeles to take part in a week-long experience at TAIT. Each tenant brought their own expertise to the challenge, ranging from animation to filmmaking to rope artistry. The teams were tasked with creating a five-city tour concept for an artist of their choosing. They had to create the concept, then figure out how to build the set, get it packed, moved, and built again.

Throughout the process, they were exposed to the vast array of opportunities to build skills across multiple disciplines — many of which were outside their wheelhouse.

“You can’t expect someone to know something if they never knew it existed in the first place,” said Christopher Pandolfi, director of programming at HXOUSE. “So we built a program that could give them access to the skills — to the things that no one has ever taught them. Those dreams that you have, the thing that you thought you never knew you could do but were maybe always interested in — that’s what this tour and this master class are.”

For participants, the classes are eye-opening.

Brandon, a 3D animator from Austin, said he had a ton of questions on the first day of the class because he’d never done concert designs. He quickly realized, however, that the work he does now would easily translate to that space.

Isaiah, a pianist and rope artist from Los Angeles, said he was also surprised at the new possibilities he discovered through the master class.

“I practice such a niche art form, but I guess coming here, it just feels like, ‘Oh, there’s like way more pockets that I fall into that I wasn’t even aware of.’ And I just feel like anything’s possible, and I might end up somewhere and do things that I’ve never anticipated.”

‘We are in a period of generational change’

The workshop culminated in teams presenting their plans to a group of industry mentors and receiving immediate feedback.

“We are in a period of generational change,” said Butch Allen, vice president of global business development at TAIT. “Every single position across live events is thirsting for new talent, and the doors aren’t quite as easy to find. This gives an opportunity for people who are driven to open those doors — to find the handle.”

Taylor added that many industries are on the precipice of change, and a pipeline of skilled workers is more critical than ever.

“There has to be a transfer of knowledge as a lot of [creatives] are approaching retirement and there isn’t a younger generation behind them to pass that local knowledge to,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons why we built HXOUSE.”

That kind of mentorship is at the heart of HXOUSE. It not only helps bridge gaps in traditional education, but it bolsters relationships between industries and young, creative talent.

“Everything here at this master class is something you don’t get out of a book. It’s something that being surrounded by industry experts with experience can only share with you,” Allen said. “We take somebody who’s a purely creative, give them a basis in technology, a basis in logistics, a basis in reality.”

Flora, a filmmaker in Los Angeles, said such guidance makes all the difference. “I definitely still have a bit of a learning gap to learn, but just having someone guide you along and tell you step by step is so great, because in something like film, no one really teaches you — you just learn from your mistakes.”

Feeding a world hungry for talent

Pandolfi said tenants ultimately get what they need to thrive in the creative industries — to enter them, stay in them, and succeed. And at the end of the conference, three of the tenants were invited back to TAIT to work on the stage design for the upcoming The Weeknd tour.

“Nobody tells people enough about all of the opportunities to be something,” Pandolfi said. “You want to talk about people who don’t have big enough dreams? Well, you don’t give them enough information to give them the foundation of what a dream can be. We built a program that could give them access to the skills. So that way, when you get the opportunity to be part of that industry, you’re in a position to succeed.” 

Allen agreed. “The world is hungering right now for people with tangible skills,” he said. “And as their careers rise, hopefully they come back someday and work with us and help to build those workforces.”

More than anything, however, HXOUSE master classes show people there’s a place for them.

“I think when you’re in the room, they can see themselves sort of working in the space,” Taylor said. “So we’re trying to expand that room as big as possible.”

HXOUSE is a partner on the Who Are You™ (WAY) campaign, which was co-created by No More Dreams (founded by La Mar Taylor) and Stand Together.

Learn more about Stand Together’s efforts to transform the future of work and explore ways you can partner with us.