Help a Local Actor Curate Personalized Holiday Magic in NYC!

Santa’s Secret Workshop is a brand new small business created and entirely funded by Carl Louis, a local working actor, father, and longtime resident of LIC. It combines a family-focused holiday photoshoot with an inclusive, immersive and personalized Christmas experience. From NYC real estate and premium construction materials to classically-trained actors and professional photography and photo editing, plus extensive design details and more, Carl has spared no expense in bringing his passion project to life. And much like the North Pole, it's the collaborative efforts of the team that truly make the magic happen.

In its inaugural season, Carl assembled professional theater artists and photographers, drawing on their expertise in costume-, set-, prop- and wig-design to create all of the intricate details of a festive, speakeasy-style holiday cavern in Mayo Studios. In addition to premium photography and photo editing, Carl has been committed to paying wages that reflect his team's collective talent and experience. The final product has remarkably coupled his ambitions of expanding artistic employment opportunities with above-average wages and spreading the joy of the Christmas season.

Admittedly, all of these premium elements make this operation quite expensive to run; however, given the truly sentimental client feedback that has begun to roll in via Instagram and Google Reviews, his team and members of our local media believe they are on the right track. Committed to helping any and everyone celebrate and commemorate the spirit of Christmas during a time of year that can feel especially difficult and isolating for underprivileged families, Carl's next goal in the new year is to explore the establishment of a nonprofit arm that would enable philanthropic individuals and foundations to buy out a day (or more) of their 25-minute private sessions for deserving members of NYC communities in future seasons.

We would love to see Carl and his talented team succeed in bringing Santa's Secret Workshop to life in its inaugural season so that it can continue growing, evolving, and dazzling our neighbors, surrounding communities, and visitors of our wonderful city for many years to come. In the spirit of the holiday season, what better way to spread good tidings and cheer than by supporting a small business whose goal is to do literally that?

No amount is too small. When you have a village as large as NYC, even contributions equivalent to just one cup of coffee or a glass of wine can make all the difference. Just ask the Santas who ring bells for the Salvation Army.