A Marcus Graham Project Initiative · 2509 MLK Blvd, Dallas TX

A Home for the Next Generation of Creative Leaders

GAMMA HOUSE is a creator and maker space built for emerging talent — providing the resources, professional proximity, and permanent home needed to turn creative ideas into viable careers across marketing, media, and the creator economy.

Discover Our Story ↓

Now · Activation Phase

We're preparing the building for launch — Earth Day weekend, late April 2026. If you build, renovate, paint, or just know how to get things done, sign up to lend a hand →

2509 MLK Blvd · Dallas TX

How to Be Part of This

Every role matters.

Gamma House gets built through people — partners who invest, community members who show up, and a network that refuses to let this moment pass. There's a place for you in all three.

Partners & Funders

Invest in Permanent Infrastructure

Gamma House is a $2M initiative — build-out, operations, staffing, paid apprenticeship wages, and long-term asset stabilization. Corporate founding partners, foundations, and individual visionaries are shaping what this becomes.

See Giving Levels →

Community · Earth Day Weekend

Show Up and Build It

Late April 2026. One community workday at 2509 MLK Blvd. Contractors, builders, painters, electricians, cleanup crews — the building is sound, the roof is done, and the only thing between these walls and open doors is people willing to show up. That's you.

Sign Me Up → Share the Build Link →

Network & Advocates

Amplify What We're Building

Not in Dallas. Not in a position to write a check right now. Still matters. A forward to the right person, a mention in the right room, a connection to the right funder — word of mouth moves this forward in ways money alone can't.

Voices from the Network

Real people. Real careers.

MGP graduates don't just get jobs — they build careers at the world's most influential companies. Gamma House is where the next wave gets built.

"MGP gave me the foundation to compete at the highest level. Gamma House is where preparation meets opportunity."

Rashad Simpson

Washington Wizards

"Having a home, a community, and mentors who believed in me — that changed everything about my trajectory."

Ty Jenkins

Deutsch LA

"Living proof of what happens when preparation and opportunity collide. The Marcus Graham Project made it possible."

Cory Hicks

Sports Marketing Professional

"We're not just training marketers. We're building a movement — one that reshapes who gets to tell stories, build brands, and shape culture."

Lincoln Stephens

Co-Founder & CEO, Marcus Graham Project

Who We Are

The Marcus Graham Project.

Founded in 2007 by Lincoln Stephens and Larry Yarrell, the Marcus Graham Project (MGP) is a national nonprofit that prepares emerging talent — especially those from underrepresented communities — for careers in advertising, marketing, and media. Named for the fictional character from the film Boomerang, MGP has spent nearly two decades proving that talent thrives when learning connects to real work, real mentorship, and real professional standards.

Through the iCR8 Bootcamp, MGP Academy, and a national network of corporate partners, MGP has launched careers across the country. Now, with Gamma House, we're giving that work a permanent home in South Dallas.

19 Years of Impact

Nat'l Corporate Network

2022 Property Acquired

What Gamma House Will Be

Youth Creator Space

A hands-on creative lab where young people ages 8–18 learn content creation, brand development, TikTok commerce, and media production — right on MLK Blvd, in their own neighborhood.

Small Business Marketing & Media Resource

South Dallas small businesses gain access to professional branding, content strategy, and campaign support — delivered by MGP's apprentice-led creative team. Real work. Real results.

Youth Entrepreneurship Hub

From business fundamentals to product testing and retail-style showcases, Gamma House gives young entrepreneurs a real environment to develop ideas, test products, and build their first brand.

Origin & Purpose

Why GAMMA HOUSE Exists

For nearly two decades, the Marcus Graham Project has expanded access to careers in marketing, media, and advertising by building clear, supported pathways for emerging professionals.

GAMMA HOUSE is the physical extension of that work — a dedicated creator and maker space where emerging and next-generation talent can develop ideas, sharpen craft, and bring creative work to life in the markets where opportunity concentrates.

The Gap We Fill

The marketing, media, and advertising industries are not limited by talent — they are limited by access. Early-career opportunities often concentrate in a small number of major markets. Entry points favor those with existing networks. Ideas with real potential stall without space, tools, or professional proximity to move them forward.

🔑

Access

Lowering barriers between emerging creators and real industry opportunity

🏗️

Infrastructure

Providing the space, tools, and environment needed to turn ideas into execution

🤝

Community

Cultivating peer and mentor networks that accelerate growth and collaboration

📈

Impact

Transforming creative potential into durable career outcomes

Place-Based Development

GAMMA HOUSE is intentionally located on MLK Blvd in 75215 to align with a growing corridor of literacy, mentorship, arts, and workforce investment. As Forest Theater expands cultural programming, Guide Right and Kappa League deepen educational pathways, and DISD strengthens career readiness, GAMMA HOUSE provides the execution layer — professional creative infrastructure that allows emerging talent to apply skills, use modern tools (including AI), and produce real work. This is place-based development that grows people and possibility together.

Who We Serve

The talent is already here.
The infrastructure hasn't been.

75215 — the zip code where Gamma House sits — is one of the most culturally rich and historically significant corridors in Dallas. It is also one of the most underserved. The young people walking MLK Blvd every day have creativity, drive, and potential. What they have lacked is a professional environment to develop it.

26%

Poverty Rate

More than double the DFW metro average of 10.5%

$45K

Median Household Income

About half the DFW metro median of $90,275

17%

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Compared to 39% across the DFW metro area

73%

High School Grad Rate

14 points below the regional rate of 87.6%

Schools in the Gamma House footprint

James Madison High School

Lincoln Humanities/Communications Magnet High School

Billy Earl Dade Middle School

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Arts Academy

St. Philip's School & Community Center

The King's Academy

These students walk past 2509 MLK Blvd. Gamma House gives them somewhere to walk into.

The Adjacent Zips Tell the Same Story

75210, 75215, and 75216 are consistently among the lowest-income zip codes in Dallas — a corridor where economic mobility has stalled not from lack of will, but from lack of infrastructure. The creative economy offers a real pathway out. Gamma House is how we open that door.

Youth as Builders, Not Just Beneficiaries

Gamma House doesn't treat South Dallas youth as a population to be served — it treats them as the next generation of creative professionals to be developed. Every apprenticeship, every client project, every portfolio piece is economic participation, not charity.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates · Census Reporter · ZIP Code 75215

The Moment Is Now

Why This Matters Right Now

We are at a pivotal moment in the creative economy. Demand for creators who can think strategically, produce at speed, and adapt to new tools is accelerating — while the infrastructure that helps emerging talent move from potential to professional execution has not kept pace.

Technology Shift

AI as Baseline

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how creative work is developed, produced, and distributed. From ideation to design, editing, and analytics, AI tools are becoming standard across marketing and media. Creators who know how to use these tools responsibly and effectively will define the next generation of the workforce.

Industry Evolution

Creative + Technical Fluency

Marketing, media, and advertising increasingly value creators who can combine creative thinking with technical fluency. Employers are seeking talent that understands platforms, workflows, and emerging technologies — not just concepts.

Workforce Readiness

Real Tools. Real Projects.

Creative careers offer pathways to economic stability and long-term growth, but only when talent is equipped with current, job-relevant skills. Hands-on environments that integrate real tools, real projects, and professional standards accelerate readiness in ways classrooms alone cannot.

The Access Gap

Tools Don't Trickle Down

Many emerging creators — particularly in communities like 75215 — lack exposure to professional-grade tools, mentorship, and applied learning environments. As AI and new technologies evolve faster than traditional training models, that gap widens. Gamma House closes it.

Market Relevance

Brands Need What South Dallas Youth Can Build

Brands and organizations need creators who can work at the intersection of culture, technology, and storytelling. GAMMA HOUSE prepares creators to meet this demand — teaching them to use modern tools, AI included, to turn ideas into real, market-ready output. The skills gap is the business opportunity. Gamma House is the bridge.

What We're Building

From Beta to Gamma.

In product development, beta is testing. Gamma is what comes after — execution, delivery, real impact. Here is what Gamma House delivers when the doors open.

BETA Preparation / Development

→

GAMMA Execution / Impact

Youth Programming

Entrepreneurship, content creation, brand development, and TikTok commerce for ages 8–18 on MLK Blvd.

Paid Apprenticeships

Marketing and media apprentices earning wages while working on real projects for real clients.

Small Business Support

South Dallas SMBs get professional branding, content, and campaign support from MGP's creative lab.

Community Convening

A permanent meeting, activation, and production space for organizations on the MLK Blvd corridor.

AI + Creator Skills

The next generation learns to produce with modern tools — AI-enabled content, digital campaigns, and social commerce.

The Model Scales

Once activated in Dallas, the Gamma House model is built to replicate in cities across the country.

Give

Not in Dallas? Make it possible.

This is a community-funded build. We're raising $100,000 by end of 2026 to fully activate Gamma House — cleanup, buildout, equipment, and the first youth programming cohort. Every dollar is a pair of virtual hands.

$0 of $100,000

2026 Year-End Goal

Campaign launching — be one of the first

Donate Now →

Marcus Graham Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Contributions are tax-deductible.

Goal deadline: December 31, 2026
Funds go directly toward the Phase 1 cleanup, interior buildout, equipment, and the first youth programming cohort.

Giving Levels & Benefits

Advocate

$500 – $2,499

✓ Welcome letter from program participants
✓ Quarterly impact newsletter
✓ Name recognition on donor wall

Champion