Influencer marketing company Whalar thinks the creator economy has “outgrown the spaces, resources, and tools available to creators.”
So, under its new Lighthouse initiative, it’s opening sprawling, dedicated coworking and education campuses where creators–and their teams–will have access to everything from private offices and production studios to screening rooms and in-house coffee shops.
“[E]ach campus will combine learning and career development programs, state-of-the-art production studios, private offices, open-plan workspaces, and cultural-social events accessible through an application-based membership program,” Whalar said in a press release. (Sounds like these might help patch the hole left when YouTube closed all its Spaces in 2021…)
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Whalar plans to open its first two Lighthouse campuses in 2024: one in Venice, California, in a building that was originally a post office built in 1937; and one in Brooklyn, built in a 19th-century former pencil factory. Both campuses have production facilities that include video-enabled podcast suites, editing bays, photography and music studios, and a test kitchen set.
A third campus is set to follow in 2025.
At all campuses, Whalar plans to regularly offer career development programming featuring guest creators and industry experts, with topics like “creative direction, production, storytelling, AI, e-commerce, finance, investment, HR, and legal,” it says.
And, from launch, the Lighthouse has longtime YouTubers Colin and Samir, who are co-chairing the program’s creator council, and will select further members. They’re also the Lighthouse’s Creators-in-Residence, with a permanent office at The Lighthouse Venice.
“We’re excited to work with the Lighthouse team, because of the vision we all share for the industry,” Samir said in a statement. “People like them who treat their careers with the same respect and sophistication that we do. Collectively, we believe that creators are shaping what the modern entertainment industry will look like, one with fewer gatekeepers, more opportunity, and creative work that reaches the maximum number of people with the biggest impact.”
As for the rest of the Lighthouse’s team, Jon Goss is President, reporting to Whalar co-founder Neil Waller; Lucy Tate is Vice President of Brand and Community; and Steve Nolte is Vice President of Hospitality and Operations.
Creators interested in becoming members at the Venice or Brooklyn campuses can apply here.
