Pillar 1
Activation Space
Curated public events, murals, and installations that prove demand, build municipal credibility, and generate revenue.
- Pop-ups and brand activations
- Sanctioned public murals
- Community programming
What stands in the way becomes the way.
The problem
Creative pressure exists in every city. Without structure, it becomes cost.
Urban creative pressure
Every city has creative energy that exists outside sanctioned channels. Without a structured outlet, it manifests as graffiti, property damage, and enforcement cost. U.S. cities spend an estimated $12 billion annually on graffiti cleanup alone.
Youth engagement gaps
Young people in urban environments lack structured, paid pathways to channel creative energy productively. Existing programs are underfunded, uncoordinated, or inaccessible. The result is disengagement and missed economic potential.
Cost of inaction
Unmanaged creative expression generates liability for property owners, enforcement burden for municipalities, and lost opportunity for the artists themselves. The current approach is reactive. Local Motives is structural.
Three pillars. One system.
Each pillar serves the mission. Together, they form a self-reinforcing civic model.
Pillar 2
Licensing Engine
The scalable economic core. Brand-safe collaborations that pay artists and fund the entire operation.
- Product and campaign licensing
- Design services
- IP-protected creative pipeline
Pillar 3
Academy Programs
Structured programs with schools, cities, and institutions that create measurable civic outcomes.
- Artist-led workshops and mentorship
- Vocational and workforce pathways
- Diversion and re-entry programs
The opportunity
Local Motives operates at the intersection of four growing markets. These are not projections. These are current figures.
Arts and cultural GDP
$1.17 trillion. U.S. arts and cultural economic activity in 2023, growing 6.6% vs. 2.9% for the broader economy.
Global licensing industry
$369.6 billion. Global brand licensing revenue in 2024, growing 3.7% year over year with a projected CAGR of 4.19%.
Experiential marketing
$128 billion. Global experiential marketing spend in 2024, surpassing pre-pandemic levels for the first time with 10.5% growth.
Annual graffiti abatement
$8 billion. What U.S. communities spend each year on reactive graffiti removal at roughly $3,000 per tag, with zero economic return.
Over 350 U.S. municipalities have enacted percent-for-art public art programs, allocating 1-2% of capital construction budgets to commissioned artwork. Federal, state, and local arts funding totaled $1.8 billion in FY2024. The infrastructure exists. The demand is proven. What is missing is a structured system that connects civic investment to scalable economic outcomes.
How it works
Proof first, then scale. Every step is sequenced to reduce risk and validate demand.
Growth sequence
- Protect the IP: trademarks, agreements, artist standards.
- Run pilots: pop-ups, partner events, portable activations.
- Launch licensing: products and collaborations that scale globally.
- Expand internationally: Once domestic operations are proven and sustainable, pursue Tokyo as the second market, followed by additional cities driven by validated demand.
Revenue model
- Licensing and design is the primary scalable engine. Brand partnerships, product licensing, and design services fund the mission and pay artists.
- Activations and events generate revenue, prove market demand, and attract licensing partners.
- Programs and grants fund institutional work and build long-term credibility with civic and educational partners.
Civic alignment and international readiness
The Local Motives is designed to operate in close coordination with municipal governments, infrastructure partners, and local cultural norms. International engagement occurs only after domestic pilot validation and is structured as a collaborative, jurisdiction-specific adaptation rather than a one-size-fits-all export. Tokyo is the planned second market, with engagement shaped by local institutional guidance.
Proven precedent
The model works. Others have proven individual pieces. Local Motives combines all three into one civic system.
Meow Wolf
Experiential art to commercial scale
~$290M revenue
Started as a DIY art collective in Santa Fe. Scaled immersive experiences into a national entertainment brand with 1,000+ employees and $194M in venture funding.
What they proved: Street-level creativity can scale into institutional-grade commercial operations.
KAWS
Street art to global licensing empire
$108M market (2019)
Brian Donnelly went from painting bus shelters to collaborating with Dior, Nike, Uniqlo, and MTV. His work spans fine art, fashion, toys, and AR, with individual pieces selling for $14.7M.
What he proved: Street art IP, properly licensed, becomes a multi-industry economic engine.
Mural Arts Philadelphia
Civic art infrastructure at scale
$18.3M annual budget
40 years of operation. 81 new projects in 2024 alone. 15,000+ annual participants across public art, restorative justice, and workforce development programs. Attracts $2.54M in private donations for every public dollar.
What they proved: Civic art programs generate measurable outcomes and attract sustained institutional investment.
Meow Wolf proved experiential art scales commercially. KAWS proved street art IP generates licensing empires. Mural Arts Philadelphia proved civic art programs sustain for decades. Local Motives is the system that combines activation, licensing, and civic programs into one repeatable model.
Current momentum
Where we stand today. No projections. Real status.
Domain secured
thelocalmotives.org live. DNS configured. GitHub Pages deployed.
Trademark
Federal trademark process initiated. IP protection underway.
Civic outreach
Active conversations with municipal and rail partners. Governor meeting requested.
LLC established
Legal entity formed. B Corp certification path defined. Three-pillar system operational.
Execution roadmap
Phased milestones. Sequenced for risk reduction, domestic proof, and disciplined growth at every stage.
Q1. Foundation
Complete federal trademark registration. LLC established. Secure initial partnerships with municipal contacts in Salt Lake City. Launch artist network intake process.
Q2. Pilot activation
Execute first sanctioned public activation in Salt Lake City. Produce initial licensing-ready creative assets. Begin conversations with brand partners for inaugural collaborations.
Q3. Revenue and programs
Close first licensing deal. Launch academy program with institutional partner (school district or workforce development agency). Document and publish pilot outcomes for replication.
Q4. Scale evaluation
Assess pilot economics and partner feedback. Expand licensing pipeline. Formalize replication playbook for future markets. Begin preliminary international outreach.
Year 2-3. Domestic growth & international groundwork
Deepen Salt Lake City operations and expand to additional U.S. markets. Scale licensing engine and grow artist network. Formalize Tokyo partnership discussions and pursue grant funding for institutional program expansion. International launch contingent on sustained domestic performance.
What support enables
Every dollar accelerates a specific milestone. No overhead bloat. No speculative spending.
Immediate priority
Trademark and legal
LLC established. Complete federal trademark registration, finalize B Corp certification path, and establish artist contract templates and IP protection frameworks.
Pilot phase
First activation
Fund the inaugural public activation in Salt Lake City: venue/wall agreements, artist compensation, materials, documentation, and event production.
Growth phase
Licensing engine
Build the creative asset pipeline, brand partnership development, and licensing infrastructure that becomes the self-sustaining economic engine.
Institutional phase
Academy programs
Launch the first structured program with a school district or workforce development agency. Curriculum development, artist facilitators, and outcome measurement.
Leadership
Execution-driven. Systems-minded. Built for coordination across institutions, partners, and communities.
Elliott Van Otten
Founder & Strategic Lead
Elliott Van Otten built Local Motives because he needed it to exist. Not as an idea — as an answer. The platform turns street-level creative energy into something cities, brands, and artists can actually use: licensed, structured, and built to scale.
His background is in enterprise technology, operations, and stakeholder coordination — getting complex systems to work together when the people, the incentives, and the timelines don't naturally align. He spent years building that infrastructure for other people's empires before deciding to build his own.
Father of five. Native Utahn. Born in '83 and shaped by a simpler time when the things that mattered were built by hand and earned through showing up. He watched Chef's Table, flew to Thailand, and sat at Gaggan's counter because he believes the best ideas live where craft meets obsession. Balance is the hardest thing he builds — five kids don't wait for product launches. The table he sets is for his family first, his partners second, and anyone who shows up hungry third.
Omar Seneriz
Creative Director & Cultural Lead
Creative direction, artist engagement, and program design. Bridges street culture authenticity with institutional standards and professional execution.
Gerald Olesker
Architectural Industrial Designer
Architectural and fabrication oversight. Concept-to-build execution. Ensures physical infrastructure meets safety, code, and design standards.
Join the team
We are building
Local Motives is actively expanding its leadership network. If you bring institutional, creative, or operational expertise, reach out via email.
Who it's for
We work with partners who require compliance, accountability, and measurable outcomes.
Cities & municipalities
Municipal agencies, transit authorities, school districts, and diversion programs that need organized, compliant cultural engagement infrastructure.
MunicipalTransitEducationDiversion
Rail & infrastructure partners
Rail operators, transit agencies, and infrastructure owners with underutilized spaces, graffiti enforcement costs, and community engagement mandates.
RailTransitInfrastructureReal estate
Brands & retailers
Companies seeking authentic cultural partnerships with full IP protection, artist attribution, and brand-safe execution at every level.
LicensingCampaignsRetailProduct
Investors & sponsors
Impact-focused investors who see the market opportunity in structured cultural infrastructure. Mission alignment meets scalable economics.
SeedImpactSponsorshipStrategic
Schools & youth organizations
Educational institutions and youth-serving organizations looking for structured creative programming with workforce development outcomes and measurable civic impact.
K-12WorkforceCourtsReentry
Artists
Professional and emerging street artists who want paid opportunities, legal protection, creative ownership, and a curated network with professional standards.
MuralsWorkshopsDesignMentorship
Outcomes
What this system produces.
- Paid artist opportunities with clear contracts, IP protections, and professional standards.
- Brand-safe collaborations that generate revenue for artists and fund civic programs.
- Structured workshops and pathways delivered with schools, cities, and institutional partners.
- Scalable expansion driven by validated demand and proven economics, not speculation.
Get involved
Three paths. One mission. Choose yours.
Investors and supporters
You see the market, the model, and the team. Review the full executive deck, then schedule a direct conversation about partnership and funding.
View executive deck (opens in new tab) Email us about investmentCities and institutions
You need structured, compliant cultural programming. Review the civic activation briefing, then explore a pilot in your municipality.
View civic briefing (opens in new tab) Tokyo partnership deck (opens in new tab) Email us about partnershipsArtists
You want paid opportunities with legal protection and professional standards. Apply to join the Local Motives artist network.
Apply to the artist networkFrequently asked questions
Yes. Every activation, licensing deal, and program operates under formal agreements with trademark protection, artist contracts, insurance, and compliance standards. Brand safety is structural, not cosmetic.
No. We launch in Salt Lake City, Utah to prove the model. Licensing and programs scale globally from day one. Tokyo is the planned second market, with additional cities following validated demand.
Active civic and rail momentum. Growing institutional interest. The right conditions to prove a system that can replicate anywhere.
Local Motives is a formally established LLC with a clear path to B Corp certification. This ensures mission alignment while maintaining the operational flexibility and accountability that institutional partners and investors require. Trademark protection is currently in process at the federal level.
Contact us directly. State who you are, what you want to explore, and your timeline. We work with cities, brands, institutions, and professional artists ready for standards-based engagement.
Ready to build?
We work with cities, brands, institutions, and professional artists who are serious about structured cultural infrastructure. No pitch decks required. Tell us who you are and what you want to explore.
Email
Launch market
Salt Lake City, Utah
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