From Los Angeles to Silicon Valley, a trend emerged among social media influencers and startup founders alike: move into a mansion with 10 or so collaborators, work day and night together, and hope that your new roommates do their dishes. A group of Black creators in Atlanta came up with a new idea. What if an influencer collective could be more than just a bunch of people talking.
Collab Crew, a well-known influencer collective, has had a turbulent few months. Robert Dean III was appointed to take over as founder after he stepped down due to his mental health issues. Why is the name different? The Atlanta area house they owned was sold so they couldn't renew their lease.
Collab Crew is trying to take full advantage of the situation. Instead of living in Atlanta, a group of people are going to launch a project. Collab Studio Atlanta is a tech-based one-stop shop for content creators, HBCU students and young entrepreneurs.
Collab Crew members Theo Wisseh and Kastle were both named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list at the age of 30. She wasn't living in the collective's house because she's so young. She is excited to work out of the studio since it is more focused on business than a house.
A place to do classes, promotional shoots and more can be found at Putta Crown On It, according to the company's founder. The studio could be a great place for creators like me. The studio is more productive than the house.
Collab Crew can expand to include more entrepreneurs in the Georgia capital if they move away from theinfluencer house model.
The studio is supported by partnerships with Monster Energy and the 523 program, which supports small content companies and creators from underrepresented groups. There is an application process and fee for members to join, but the group hopes these costs will be subsidized by partners in the future, they say that the application process is more about assessing the needs about anentrepreneur or creator and what services they require from the space The price of membership varies depending on what resources an applicants is looking for, whether that is marketing, help connecting with potential brand partners or use of studio space
One-day access to the workspace will cost $25, while the use of the studio will cost between $150 and $250 an hour. Monthly memberships can range from $85 to $250.
The goal of the application process is to make sure that new members fit in with the community. They want to build a professional music studio. At launch, the core Collab Crew members welcomed in partners like Jiron Griffin and Brandy Merriweather.
The group says they took inspiration from similar community-oriented tech incubators in Atlanta like the Russel Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs, PROPEL Center and Gathering Spot.
Brandy Merriweather uploaded the image to B Star PR.
A group of creators may be helped by the new studio.
There are barriers to growth for black entrepreneurs. Black content creators have had their work stolen and earn less brand deals than white creators, according to studies.
In a documentary about the Collab Crew, Kastle said she dyed half of her hair pink because she thought the TikTok algorithm was more likely to surface her videos when they were brighter. It is difficult to confirm this particular claim, but it makes sense since it has happened before.
In the summer of 2020, in the midst of racial justice protests, posts on TikTok had zero views. Black creators have continued to voice concerns that they are being suppressed on the platform despite the apology from TikTok. The creator marketplace of TikTok wouldn't allow him to say "Black lives matter" but would allow him to say "supporting white supremacy." Tik Tok apologized again. According to the platform, an error occurred because Tyler's post included the word "audience" and the letters "die" in combination with the word "Black"
Dean said that they had to work five times harder to get to the bare minimum. He and his younger colleagues have all been frustrated by the fact that their white peers were earning more than them.
One of my friends is white, and we were talking because we were both a part of the same campaign, and they were clearly getting paid more than me Black creators and the Black community are not being paid enough. It increases my fire to push harder and harder.
Brandy Merriweather uploaded the image to BStar PR.
Black creators were paid less than white creators, according to a report in The Washington Post. The creators said that Triller had specifically recruited Black creators but failed to pay them. Triller still plans to go public in the fall despite some creators losing their homes and falling into debt due to Triller withholding pay. Members of Collab Crew were supposed to get a financial stake in the company. It's not clear whether that will happen.
Collab Crew refused to say if or how its members were affected by the Triller investigation. Collab Crew hopes that creators who haven't received their money can be paid.
Their statement said that collaboration, moral integrity and genuine ethical business practices could eventually level the divide.
Collab Crew wants to offer long-term support for its members in order to run its studio in a consistent manner. Dean thinks that the programs that give funding and resources to Black creators are useful, but that the programs that give fast capital are not.
Some of the programs are cool, but what are they going to do next? He said that some of the white creators were set for being right. It is more difficult for black creators to start a video sharing website than it is for white creators.
The same strategy has been used for getting Black creators the opportunities they deserve: collaboration and mutual support.
With all of us together, everybody will be great.
Dean said it was more like a team effort than a group of people.
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