This Atlanta Workspace Is a Community for Creatives

One of the most important components of a successful business is networking, and Indie Studios, a new workspace in Atlanta, is creating a hub for creative-focused companies to easily do just that.

Building owner and CEO of audio-visual technology company CineMassive, architecture firm Revive Architecture and developer Gene Kansas Commercial Real Estate, which was also behind the nearby “culturally-based” shared workspace Constellations, renovated a 1957-built warehouse on Atlanta’s Armour-Ottley Loop into the 35,000-square-foot workspace. Indie Studios tenants lease private office suites, but share common spaces and amenities with other businesses in the same field.

The building is composed of nine larger studios with private outdoor patios, and 12 private office suites that can accommodate companies with up to 10 people. It leases space to just creative-focused companies, which Indie Studios community manager Trevor Arrowood said include photography studios, interior designers and architects. Others creatives in the building include a company that determines what sports cards are worth and a public relations company that other tenants utilize.

Arrowood emphasized that Indie Studios isn’t a traditional coworking space — each tenant in the building is a company that signs a lease for one of the studios or suites, so there’s no hot desking or memberships for individuals. Outside of the designated office workspaces, tenants share common areas like the outdoor gardens, library, café bar and phone booths, and they can reserve conference rooms or smaller team gathering spaces for meetings or breakout sessions. The bookable rooms are equipped with interactive touchscreen monitors for virtual conferencing and presentations and built-in Bluetooth-enabled microphones.

Tenants can sign a lease with Indie Studios from three to five years, though Arrowood said most tenants have opted for the five-year lease option. “There is a lot of flexibility within the lease, and tenants have the ability to move into a bigger studio if they need [to]. They have the liberty to do that without breaking the lease, and we have found that flexibility is something tenants are really looking for [from their workspace].”

The minds behind Indie Studios sought to cultivate inspiration and camaraderie among the tenants by designing a workspace that catered to creative companies and their similar needs and interests.

“Creatives need each other, and play off each other. You don’t find a lot of places like this where it’s just a creative, art-focused [community],” Arrowood said. “Creatives often need connections to be close at hand to foster better collaboration. Here they can see what other companies are doing, meet people working for other interesting businesses, and share ideas with each other or incorporate aspects from each other into their business models.”

Arrowood, who joined Indie Studios after working at a large coworking company where the members were made up of many different types of companies and individuals of different backgrounds, said the like-minded nature among the tenants promotes a more personalized and worthwhile experience for those in the building. “For events and activities, you can really fine-tune what you’re offering when you have one centered and focused aspect,” he said.

For example, he said Indie Studios might offer a painting break in the common area on National Art Day. “So if there was a financial company in the building, they might not be interested in that. But 90% of our creative-minded tenants are going to want to step away for a moment to partake in that activity. They can get inspired, network with everyone else in the building, and talk about what they’re working on. A lot of them then often team up together for projects down the road.”

The building’s additional amenities include bike storage and showers, a room for nursing mothers and additional storage space. The library is carefully curated with creative and art-focused books on topics that appeal to the community’s tenants. “Sometimes people need to come out and have a little fun in the library. We have some quirky things in there to get people stimulated, like board games for when you need to take a break,” said Arrowood. “We have tried to curate the space to be a home away from home for people.”

Building owner David Minnix incorporated technology from his technology company CineMassive into the workspace with the Screening Room, which features an almost full wall-sized screen for meetings, big presentations, or even for breaks involving a life-size arcade video game. The Screening Room and other areas of Indie Studios are also available for rent by outside parties.

Indie Studios is located along Atlanta’s Armour-Ottley Loop, which has access to the Beltline and its biking and walking trails. Surrounded by other repurposed industrial buildings, the lively neighborhood is also home to Sweetwater Brewery, soundstages and film studios and popular restaurants and coffee shops.

“The location is great because you can walk out and grab lunch or walk across the street at the end of the day to get a drink at the brewery, ” said Arrowood. “There is a lot of foot traffic in this area, which is important because Indie Studios isn’t just a workspace.” Arrowood explained that Indie Studios also hosts events, offering space to the public for rent and also to its tenants for their own events and gatherings.