The COVID-19 Pandemic has hit many communities & individuals hard — we know this already. But being at the heart of Philadelphia’s creative community, we have seen the impact it has had directly on our fellow creative entrepreneurs. In response, REC has enhanced its efforts to connect the business community with the creative community.
One of the first businesses to step up in supporting the creative community was the team over at O3 World, the Fishtown based digital product agency. When REC reached out to O3 World, it took no time at all for them to move forward with their support. Their team agreed to provide free REC memberships to three select local creative entrepreneurs — which would give these creatives access to REC’s space (once it reopens), educational programming, and the community of creators for the next 12 months. The O3 World team also provided each of these creators with a micro-grant to get them access to some additional funding to support them through these challenging times.
The CEO of O3 World, Keith Scandone, had this to say about why their team decided to support:
“Philadelphia is a tight knit community but we need to support one another more than ever these days. Particularly those in the creative industry where these dynamic artists are one of the few positive distractions we have to take our minds off the realities of this crisis we’re dealing with. REC Philly and its members represent the beating heart of the city.”
The creatives that were selected for the Sponsored Members are listed below:
Debora Charmelus, @deb0nair
Keturah Benson, @yesketurah
Dolorous Lee, @djhvnlee
When asking a few of these creatives what this opportunity means for them, and their thoughts on the business community stepping up at a time like this for creatives, here’s what they had to say:
“Being a sponsored member of REC has opened the door to so many opportunities for me. This has already given me a chance to connect with members in Philadelphia’s creative circle that I would not known otherwise. Outside of expanding my reach, I can not stress how valuable the educational component of REC has been for me. Through their virtual workshops, I have garnered FREE knowledge about branding, SEO strategies, and social ads from the industries’ top leading experts. If I had sought this information on my own, it surely would have cost me within the hundreds- if not thousands, of dollars. In the brief time that I’ve been a member- I am already applying what I’ve learned to my content production business. I’m looking forward to the days when the doors of the REC room are open once more- I can’t wait to make the most of the visual lab and podcast studio!”
– Deborah
“I am grateful for my sponsored membership at REC because as a Visual Artist it gives me access to a database of other Creatives in the city who I can now easily collaborate with. The uniquely curated workshops and panels create a safe fun space for me to gain incredible insight on topics like business, and finance. I feel like everything in their curriculum was designed with me in mind.”
– Keturah
We look forward to having these creatives at REC’s space now that we are reopened, connecting them in-person with the O3 World team.
If you are a business leader who is also looking to support local artists and creatives in our city, please reach out to us directly by emailing dave@recphilly.com.
