The Collab Crew is moving into a new studio space. The collective of Black influencers, which was previously based out of an Atlanta-area residence called the Collab Crib, has opened Collab Studio ATL. The facility, which will provide production services for creators of color, is located only a few minutes away from the heart of the Georgia capital.
Collab Studio ATL is more than just a production hub. The space’s founders are hoping to foster collaboration and community among the creators, HBCU students, and entrepreneurs who call Atlanta home. The studio is partially funded by Snap‘s 523 accelerator program, which launched last year as a support system for creators from underserved backgrounds. Monster Energy is also backing the Collab Crew’s new venture.
For now, visitors to Collab Studio ATL will have to pay to use the production facilities, though the Collab Crew told TechCrunch that it hopes to find partners who will subsidize some of those costs. A one-day pass will cost about $25, while the studios will be available for $150-250 an hour. Monthly memberships will start at $85.
Subscribe for daily Tubefilter Top Stories
The launch of Collab Studio ATL comes during a roller coaster year for the building’s founding Crew. The Collab Crib was one of several Black creator houses that opened in 2020. The group flourished, appearing in a Disney+ show in 2021. Then, this year, two big changes occurred: Collab Crib founder Keith Dorsey stepped down, and the Crib itself was sold. The latter of those events triggered a name change, which is how the Collab Crew was born.
The exit from the Crib provided an opportunity to recruit new members. Influential Black creators who didn’t live at the house, like Khamrya Sykes, have now been invited to join the Crew. The result has been a renewed sense of camaraderie. “We all teach each other,” Sykes told TechCrunch. “We have strong platforms and we have weak platforms, but with all of us together, everybody will be great.”
By establishing a community of like-minded influencers, Collab Crew is doing its part to support Black talent. On platforms like Instagram and TikTok, those creators must reckon with an influencer pay gap and the widespread cultural appropriation of trends. Even when the platforms do step up to support creators of color, their commitments can be shaky. A program for Black creators established by TikTok competitor Triller has been criticized for allegedly delaying payments.
“Some of these programs are cool, but it’s like, what’s after that? Some of these white creators got set for just being right for the algorithm,” Collab Crew leader Robert Dean III told TechCrunch. “It’s hard for Black creators to even start YouTube, more than the average white creator.”
Now, Dean and his colleagues have a space where they can create a roadmap to long-term success. If you’d like to track the progress of Collab Studio ATL, you can follow it on Instagram.
