Billionaire Boys Club (BBC), a luxury streetwear brand founded by Pharrell Williams and NIGO, unveiled the Creator’s Lab for a partnership with Cam Kirk Studios, an Atlanta-based studio.
BBC’s Creator’s Lab, located in the heart of Atlanta, will provide technology resources and learning experiences to the Atlanta creative community. Additionally, the lab will be a beacon for the community equipped with state-of-the-art Microsoft Surface devices, cutting-edge Adobe design suites, 3D machinery, gaming and streaming room, and more.
Founded by Atlanta-based photographer and entrepreneur Cam Kirk, Cam Kirk Studios is a place for photographers and creatives alike to create projects and sharpen their creative skills. Also, celebrating its six-year anniversary, Cam Kirk Studios continues to see Atlanta’s creative community create in their space, as well as work with the biggest brands in the world.
Creatives and aspiring artists can anticipate a myriad of events and immersive experiences at Billionaire Boys Club Creator’s Lab at Cam Kirk Studios, all curated to inspire, educate, and elevate creativity in Atlanta. Experiences include Club Talks highlighting Atlanta-based creatives, monthly night school weekend classes from beginner to advanced courses, ESports and gaming competitions, networking mixers, and more.
The very first experience will be the Pinterest Creator Residency from Oct. 11-13. Creators can begin booking space and scheduling time at the lab beginning Oct. 2. Billionaire Boys Club Creator’s Lab at Cam Kirk Studios will be open to the public for use beginning Oct.14.
The Atlanta Voice spoke to Kirk to discuss the partnership with BBC, Cam Kirk Studios, advice, and more.
For more information, visit https://www.bbcicecream.com and www.camkirkstudios.com
Discussing Cam Kirk Studios & the Creator’s Lab with Cam Kirk Q&A
The Atlanta Voice: Tell me a little bit about how this partnership with the Billionaire Boys Club and how it got started.
Cam Kirk: This partnership is a combination of a lot of different things. One, me as a photographer for the last 10-11 years have been creating within culture and within this intersection of fashion and music. So, I’ve had a relationship with the BBC program for quite some time. I’ve shot a couple of campaigns for them in the past, but this particular situation is my company, Camp Kirk Studios, a creative space. I launched it in Atlanta six years ago. This was an opportunity for us to collaborate in a very unique and different way than we have in the past and actually be able to build something foundational for creatives to enjoy for years and years to come and to help provide more resources. Similar to what I’ve been doing in Atlanta for the last five or six years to my creative space. So, this honestly just came with two brands with similar ideology. We reconnected again and wanted to create something that will have a more lasting impression on Atlanta than just a photoshoot.
AV: What is the purpose of the partnership and the Creator’s Lab in Atlanta?
CK: Our main purpose of the lab is to continue to break down barriers that keep creators from being able to create. I know a lot of creators may not have the money to afford certain resources or have access to certain resources they need to continue to do what they do. Photoshop can cost you a lot of money when you want to download or have a great working computer or just having a space that just feels inviting or inspiring, if you don’t have an office or a studio at home. So, the purpose of this partnership is just to continue to add more resources well into a creative community, to really be able to continue to do what they do and to take their stuff to a higher level. It’s a physical space that you can live within to interact with and create within. It’s also going to be accompanied with year-round programing, one-on-one workshops, fireside chats, artist talks, and a lot of stuff to our high school program that’s going to not only give you the resources to create, but also teach you how to actually use the tools to create. So, the purpose of it is just to continue to empower Atlanta’s creative community.
AV: Talk to me a little bit about the Creator’s Lab.
CK: I first introduced this concept of The Creative Lab back in 2020. We’ve had a creative lab inside of our studio for quite some time, but to be honest, a lot of the creative lab research we have, we’re riding on my back and my resources. So, this is a reintroduction of sorts of the creative lab and as a new level of spice and pizzazz and just inspiration to it. Being able to work with such an iconic brand like BBC and Pharrell. So, we’ve had it before and it’s something that we’ve been doing, but I’m grateful now to actually have a partner to join me on this mission.
AV: Now they’re celebrating the sixth anniversary of Cam Kirk Studios. How does it feel to be where you are now compared to where you were then?
CK: It’s an amazing feeling. When we started the studio, it was just a dream that we would make it to this point or do what we’re doing now and to be able to have the infrastructure in the community that we’ve built over the past six years, it means the world to me. Then to be able to continue to elevate and bring new things to continue to refresh the vibe and the energy makes it even that much cooler. So, I still look at us as a baby company. We’re in the heart of Atlanta where I’m inspired by certain brands that have been around 10, 20, 30 years and continue to push forward in Atlanta. Six years is a big milestone for us. We’re over the five-year hump, but we’re really just looking forward to creating more but it’s definitely a dream come true to see where we’re at now, to now be able to reach and work with like iconic brands and to get this type of attention is definitely an inspiration for me and keeps me going.
AV: What do you hope for the future as far as Cam Kirk Studios?
CK: Our big goal for Camp Kirk Studios is to bottle up the energy that we’ve created within Atlanta and created with Atlanta’s creative community and start spreading into the world. We know there are a lot of other cities and communities that can use a lot of resources, a lot of attention, and a lot of the TLC that we provide. So, our goal for the next couple of years is to continue to use Atlanta as our foundational blueprint and as our home base, but to actually start to expand the brand on a more national and global level. So that’s our big 2024 goals and partnerships like with BBC gets us closer to that point. They provide a lot of visibility to what it is we’re doing locally here in Atlanta, and they provide visibility on a global scale and on a national scale. Some of the comments since we’ve dropped on social media have been met with ‘I wish we had this in my city, and I wish this was there’. So that’s what it’s all about. Our next mission is to really start to bottle out what we do here, the energy and take it globally.
AV: What does having spaces like Cam Kirk Studios and the creative lab in a creative and vibrant environment like Atlanta mean to you?
CK: For me, it’s justification of all the hard work I’ve done, and it confirms a lot of dreams can become a reality. It means everything to me. Atlanta has given me so much; it gave me a second life. I moved here when I was 18 years old. So, Atlanta has been my entire adulthood. It’s been almost like a rebirth for me. So, to be able to have a space that’s embraced by Atlanta, celebrated by Atlanta, and then to be able to continue to give back to Atlanta through our space means the world to me. I’m thankful that the creative lab is another pillar for what we’ve been able to build here at Camp Kirk Studios. I’m really excited to see what magic is creating out of this space and just to see where it all goes.
AV: Talk to me a little about what’s in the Creator’s Lab.
CK: In our lab right now, we have several direct resources. So, in the lab we have two really large Microsoft Surface studios that are state-of-the-art equipment that allows you to edit photos, videos, even rendered things in 3D if you wanted to, at a really high fast pace. We also have an esports kind of video gaming stream being set up in there for individuals that want to get more into gaming or streaming. We’ve seen a surge with Twitch and taken all these platforms. So, we have a platform where you can practice. You can learn how to use some of the software that’s needed to do that. It has a podcast mix, books, and other sources of inspiration. It can also be used if someone wants to go in and catch a vibe or read up on the latest magazine or the latest coffee table book. We have that area in there, and then we’re also building out and working to include 3D machinery in there for those that like to do 3D printing. So, it’s a number of those elements and it’s also just an open and inviting space for you to bring your own equipment, bring your own laptop if you want and make it a home for you for the day.
AV: What kind of advice do you have for aspiring Atlanta creatives and creatives in general and also business owners?
CK: My biggest advice, and it sounds really cliche, but just do it. If you can identify what you’re passionate about, what you’re good at, and where your talents lie, I’ll take that as your jumpstart and your sign to try to pursue as much as you can and try to dream as big as you can in those particular areas. It took me learning about myself personally and showing talents innately in me that allow me to find my path in photography. One could even say, my name is Cam, that’s my government name. I was almost named after a camera in a certain sense. So, it’s been around me and in front of me under my nose this whole time. And over ten years ago, when I started establishing, I wanted to make a career out of this. I never looked back. I would say the biggest advice is to try and look within yourself, figure out what you’re good at, what you’re passionate about and try to be consistent and find a way to make your dreams come true through those passions.