Chula Vista has been building something special for years, largely out of the spotlight. Now, the city is ready to share it.
Built on cultural history, family-run businesses, and homegrown creativity, the city has always had stories worth telling. With Aaron Roberts’ involvement, Chula Vista is beginning to tell them in new ways.
The Chula Vista Entertainment Complex, known as CVEC, is more than a film studio. It represents a deliberate choice to invest in local creative talent and keep those opportunities close to home while also bringing in professionals from around the world. CVEC plans to grow San Diego’s presence in the entertainment industry while working alongside those already in the community, helping people develop their work and grow their careers right here in Chula Vista.
Aaron Roberts, the man spearheading the project, has spent decades working across film, music, and live entertainment. While his career has taken him far beyond the South Bay, his connection to San Diego has always remained personal. He grew up working in San Diego film with his father, and understands the industry well. He knows what it means to chase opportunity elsewhere, and what communities lose when creative talent is forced to leave home in order to succeed.
CVEC grew from a simple question: what if the same opportunities found in Los Angeles and New York existed right here in Chula Vista?
That question now shapes every aspect of the complex as it grows and expands. Aspiring filmmakers, musicians, designers, and content creators no longer have to look north or east for a chance to make it. Instead of sending talent away, CVEC brings the industry to the talent already here, creating space for local stories to be told by local voices and for creative careers to grow right here at home.
The first phase of CVEC, set to be completed in 2027, opens inside the new Millenia library building where the top two floors are being transformed into a vibrant creative hub. Think of an all-in-one creative ecosystem where podcast studios, photography spaces, editing suites, voiceover booths, and collaborative work areas converge seamlessly under one roof. Creators can walk in with an idea and walk out with professional-quality content. It’s a true, full-service production space designed to lower barriers and raise the bar for creative output.
But CVEC is also a place for connection.
The campus actively bridges the gap between creatives and Chula Vista businesses. Small businesses need strong branding, video, photography, and storytelling more than ever, and CVEC helps connect those needs with local talent ready to deliver.
The goal is simple and practical: help creatives spend more time creating and less time scrambling for unrelated work. By building these relationships intentionally, CVEC supports sustainable creative careers while helping local businesses tell their stories more effectively. CVEC is creating space not just to work, but to belong.
Get Ready for Local Community Impact
As CVEC grows, so does its impact.
Beyond the creative coworking hub, the second phase of development will include building state-of-the-art sound stages located just across the street. As a whole, the campus is designed to support everything from podcasting and digital media to full-scale film and television production, virtual sets, live tour rehearsals, and immersive experiences, positioning Chula Vista to become a place where creative work is based long term.
The cutting edge versatility of the space means that multiple creative projects can happen at once. From small-scale documentaries or independent shoots to larger-scale productions, Aaron expects that the CVEC campus will be active from morning to evening each day.
Artists preparing for world tours can rehearse here. Film crews can build full sets here. Aspiring creative professionals can train, work, and advance their careers without working in isolation, constantly relocating, or commuting long distances.
Beyond what happens inside the facility, the impact of the new center is estimated to support hundreds of jobs in the community, bringing up to a billion dollars in economic revenue over the first decade. From the production crews of over 100 people to the local businesses that will serve them — dry cleaners, local restaurants, retailers, distributors, hospitality businesses, hardware stores, and more — the whole city will feel the impact in a positive way.
Alongside the big dreams, CVEC team has a strong commitment to the local community. Hiring locally is a key part of their plan, especially in the early stages of development. One way this happens is through local and state level film incentive programs that encourage productions to work with Chula Vista talent specifically, rather than bringing in people from other places. This means that opportunities reach residents, keeping as much of that economic activity within the community as possible.
While CVEC grew out of industry experience, it’s been shaped by the community around it. The focus is simple: keep creative opportunities local, but keep the dreams global.
For Chula Vista, that means we will no longer be just a stop along the coast for travelers, but a beacon for storytellers, creatives, musicians, producers, filmmakers, podcasters, game designers, and forward-thinking entrepreneurs to come together and build something meaningful. The people at CVEC are deliberately and artfully cultivating a sustainable creative ecosystem on par with the best in the world. Chula Vista is stepping into the spotlight in a way that will ripple through our identity, and economy, for decades to come. We can’t wait to see what the view looks like from center stage. From what we can tell, it's shaping up to be spectacular.