Forge Front Studio
The Forge LA photo studio and creative space was born in 2008 when Dan Busta and brothers Ryan and Collins Schude took over the building’s lease just north of downtown LA (near Chinatown, where the 5 meets the 110 freeway). The building has since gone on to see various build-outs and upgrades paid for out of pocket to improve the studio and double its size. Now, The Forge has just launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise $60k to assist in its build-out (for sound-proofing, doors, paint, etc) for the next phase of the creative Los Angeles Studio Launch.
To start their campaign, The Forge listed event tickets as one of the perks you can make a donation for on the site (along with studio rentals and signed artwork) at $25 level, which gets you into any event with a free plus-one. Launching three days before the annual Forge Halloween party, they were able to get immediate likes, shares and comments on the campaign to spread the word organically by the sheer number of people purchasing tickets — since you are prompted to make a comment or share after any donation (and word of mouth from the last 2 years Halloween parties was enough to assure 400-500 people at minimum over the evening). 230 people bought tickets in advance within three days of launching the IndieGoGo, proving that creative communities can thrive with the help of social media and advertising, but nothing can be as powerful as live events, human interaction and boots on the ground.
Yesterday, the 11th monthly All Visual LA Slideshow (hosted and curated by A. Dola Baroni and Henry Diltz) took place at The Forge, and many other great events are lined up for the length of the crowd-funding campaign and beyond, including another huge party. If you haven’t been to the Forge for a production, event or party yet, you should definitely start following them now for updates on upcoming events. Visit The Forge Los Angeles Studio and you can see stills from this Halloween’s photobooth here.