Usher and “Big” Sean Anderson are teaming up to invest to create a million dollar production studio and entertainment incubator facility.
The RnB singer and Detroit rapper announced their $1 million investment Thursday in a news release, which highlighted the fact that both artists are alumni of the Boys & Girls Club.
The organization in May announced plans to create a new Michigan Central hub for the Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan. It will be the new home for the Detroit Entertainment Innovation Incubator, which will offer a virtual production studio, special effects lab, creators lounge and more.
The 13,000 square foot space also will feature an autonomous training center and an innovation lab designed to directly connect youth to broader emerging industries like mobility, advanced manufacturing.
“Detroit is where my creativity was born. From freestyling in my mom’s basement to performing on the biggest stages in the world. My mission has always been to make sure the next generation of dreamers and innovators from my city have the access, tools, and mentorship to do the same,” Anderson said in a release. “The Innovation Incubator is about showing young people that they don’t have to leave Detroit to chase opportunity, they can build it right here.”
Anderson helped reopen the former train station during its reopening celebration in 2024. The new Michigan Central BGCSM Club location is slated to open in February, 2026.
The project is being led by the philantrophic arms of both artists, Usher’s New Look and Sean Anderson Foundation. Partners on the project include Ilitch Sports + Entertainment and Atlanta’s Emory University’s Goizueta Business School.
Shawn Wilson, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan said the collaboration can be a pathway to ownership and equity for Detroit’s young talent.
“Together, with our amazing partners, we’re transforming talent into capital and creativity into generational wealth,” Wilson said.
The Incubator will be housed within the new Michigan Central BGCSM Club on the dedicated youth floor inside The Station—part of Michigan Central’s 30-acre innovation district where startups, industry, and community partners convene and collaborate to turn bold ideas into real solutions.
The vision is for the space to serve as a launchpad for local youth interested in careers in emerging industries and creative technology.
The Innovation Incubator will deliver a full suite of advanced programming that equips young people ages 14–24 for careers from film and music production to AI, 3D, immersive technologies, and special effects.
Participants will gain access to industry-recognized credentials through Emory’s Goizueta Business School and Ilitch Sports + Entertainment, mentorship from leading executives and creators. Officials said youth will also receive seed funding to launch their own content ventures and creative startups.
“I’ve always been a true believer in igniting a spark in the next generation to be better and have access to things we didn’t. This new spark lab in Detroit with my friend and fellow Boys & Girls Club alum Big Sean will not only minimize the access gap for the youth but also prepare them for greatness. It takes just one person to believe in your success, and I’m honored to be one of many in this partnership to help make that happen,” said USHER.
It’s the fifth major investment by the Sean Anderson Foundation in support of BGCSM since 2018.
The rapper’s foundation has gifted four fully operational Big Sean Studios inside BGCSM Clubs, providing more than 10,000 youth with hands-on music exploration opportunities, like recording, production and DJing.
Ilitch Sports + Entertainment, which serves as the combined business operations arm of the Detroit Red Wings and the Detroit Tigers, has partnered with BGCSM for several years. The group is behind the Red Wings’ Learn, Play, Score program, which opened five Esports lounges at BGCSM Club locations throughout metro Detroit since 2020.
