Donald Glover is nothing short of a Renaissance Man in today’s society. Throughout his amazing career, he has garnered the titles of award-winning actor and director, comedian, producer, rapper/singer Childish Gambino, and all-around Hollywood star. Now, he’s the head of a new media company called Gilga. Named after Gilgamesh, the legendary Mesopotamian hero, Gilga is what Glover calls an “Erewhon for culture”. Erewhon is an upscale Californian grocery store known for its locally produced organic foods. Similarly, Gilga is a gathering of different mediums; a “production company/incubator/cultural library”. Headquartered on a farm in Ojai, it’s a buffet for all things media.
The property grounds contain a farm with rows of orange and avocado trees. An old church on the property is also being converted into a space for live performances and recording. There’s on-site housing for people visiting the headquarters, editing suites, writers’ rooms, and even a sandwich restaurant.
Still confused? That’s okay. Not much is known about the specifics of Gilga — Glover is known for weaving in and out of the public eye and has only one interview about Gilga with the magazine GQ. They’re also still in the recruiting process, with applications that are open to the public and offered across several areas, from Conversational Marketing to AI Prompt Animation and even Architecture. However, it’s certain that Gilga is dedicated to quality. In his interview, Glover described today’s culture as one that we’re getting from our phones; one that, while it can be “really good sometimes. And fun,” is also “not necessarily high quality”. Glover says “Gilga is the filter for all that” — in other words, Gilga is dedicated to producing top-quality content. He likens it to a farmer’s market in the sense that they’re producing only the freshest art and entertainment.
Despite being in relative development, Gilga already has its eyes set on a major project. It’s a short film created by Malia Obama, who previously worked with Glover on the Amazon series Swarm, a satirical thriller about a young woman’s obsession with a pop star. In a sense, this project is the embodiment of Gilga’s commitment to quality. Says Glover, “The first thing we did was talk about the fact that she will only get to do this once. You’re Obama’s daughter. So if you make a bad film, it will follow you around.” Fam Udeorji, a creative director at Gilga, adds “It’s more about diversity of thought than just, like, diversity for optics.” There’s a thoughtfulness to not just the process, but the organization as a whole. While we still need to wait and see what this new introspective attitude brings to the entertainment industry, there’s no question that the future is bright for Donald Glover as he enters the next phase of his career with Gilga.
