The Future Is Collaborative: Factory Obscura’s Creative Business Model

Ever wondered if there’s a path to pursue your art without being a “starving artist”?

Our guests on this episode of The Uptick Podcast made it their mission to find out. Meet Kelsey Karper and Tammy Greenman from Factory Obscura — the Oklahoma City duo who cracked the code on turning immersive art into a thriving for-profit business. From launching their first temporary installation that drew 20,000 visitors in three months to creating a sustainable B Corp model that's changing how we think about arts funding, this conversation reveals how two visionaries proved you can pursue art and make a living wage at the same time.

Tune in to this episode to discover the pros and cons of investment vs. donation, tips for navigating creative collaborations with artists and how to rebuild your entire employment model. Even if you’re not an artist, this episode is about reimagining how businesses can serve both profit and purpose while creating jobs that didn't exist before.

About the guests:

Kelsey Karper is a co-founder and Director of Logistical Creativity for Factory Obscura. Her creative practice is focused on projects that build community and create new opportunities for artists. Tammy Greenman is a co-founder and Director of Strategic Creativity for Factory Obscura. She is an experiential artist focused on facilitating and collaborating with the artist team to create emotionally immersive experiences.

Episode highlights:

• From concept to profit: the art of proving your business model: Learn the exact steps Factory Obscura took to generate market demand, from their first free installation to charging admission and repaying investors with interest in just three months.
• The collaboration code: managing creative teams at scale: Discover what the "Code of Collaboration" framework is and how the "yes, and" approach helps navigate disagreements when working with different people on massive creative projects.
• Building sustainable creative careers: beyond the starving artist myth: Get actionable advice for turning creative work into business, including finding successful models to follow, creating passive income streams and making yourself visible in your community.

Want to learn more about our guest?

• Check out Factory Obscura online
• Follow them on Instagram @factoryobscura

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Catch new episodes of The Uptick Podcast every Tuesday.

Credits:

The Uptick is sponsored by Global Payments: helping businesses move faster, sell smarter and scale stronger. From the start-ups to the been-there-done-thats, our commerce platform helps millions of businesses around the world stay ahead, knowing we spent yesterday thinking of what customers need tomorrow. Because if it has anything to do with commerce, we’re Already on it.