Usher and Big Sean are making a major investment in Detroit’s creative future.
On Feb. 4, the two artists officially opened the Detroit Entertainment Innovation Incubator, a $1 million, state-of-the-art creative hub designed to give young people hands-on training in music, film, technology and fashion. The incubator is housed inside the newly opened Michigan Central Boys & Girls Club, located within Detroit’s restored Michigan Central Station.
The incubator occupies the fifth floor of the building and is part of a larger 15,000-square-foot Boys & Girls Club footprint inside the station, which now serves as a centerpiece of Michigan Central’s innovation campus. The space features virtual production studios, a special-effects lab, podcast and audio rooms, fashion and storytelling labs, a creator’s lounge and other collaborative maker spaces aimed at preparing teens and young adults for careers in creative industries.
Usher, who previously launched a similar initiative in Atlanta, said the Detroit project is among the most meaningful investments he has made. “One of the best investments I have truly ever made is in the future of Detroit,” he said during a press roundtable. “I believe in these kids. I believe in the opportunities they have.”
Detroit native Big Sean, who has long been active in local philanthropy through the Sean Anderson Foundation, echoed that sentiment and highlighted the scale of the resources available to participants. “There’s no place hardly like this,” he said. “You walk down the hall and feel a transformation from the beginning to the end. You’ve got every aspect that goes into a creative project.”
The incubator is backed by Usher’s New Look and the Sean Anderson Foundation, with additional support from partners including Ilitch Sports + Entertainment and Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. Organizers say the program will connect Boys & Girls Club members ages 14 to 24 with mentors, internships and business training, helping them turn creative ideas into viable careers.
Both artists are alumni of Boys & Girls Club programs and said a key goal of the project is ensuring young creatives don’t have to leave Detroit to access industry-level tools or networks. The incubator is also designed to plug participants directly into Michigan Central’s broader innovation ecosystem.
Local leaders and organizers framed the launch as another milestone in Detroit’s ongoing cultural and economic resurgence, blending legacy industry with emerging creative technology. The newly opened club is expected to serve thousands of young people across the region through after-school programming and industry-facing learning opportunities.
Looking ahead, Usher and Big Sean have expressed interest in expanding the model to Boys & Girls Clubs in other cities, positioning the Detroit Entertainment Innovation Incubator as a potential national blueprint for developing the next generation of artists, producers and entrepreneurs.
